I was reading the historian Tacitus’s account of Teutoburg Forest while Oscar-hopeful Timothée Chalamet was making headline news. A clip of the actor was circulating: no one cares about opera or ballet any more, he said. Opera attendance is plummeting, its core audience slowly dying, and it’s much the same for ballet and classical music too. If first you have to admit you have a problem then we are a long way from arresting the tailspin opera, ballet and the like find themselves in. The performing arts, the cultural elite, the literary universe and academe have to be honest about their condition – to us, yes, but to themselves first.

Khamenei did not appear on camera, and an Israeli assessment indicates he was wounded in the war’s opening salvo. He called for the struggle against the United States and Israel to continue, saying the Strait of Hormuz should remain closed. We will be forced to continue these attacks,” he said. Lebanese authorities say almost 700 people have been killed, including nearly 100 children, over the past week. The international charity War Child said that roughly one in 10 children in Lebanon were among the displaced.

The Midwest Hospital Campaign is considering a judicial review challenge to the decision to buy a new hospital site in Limerick. The site announced on Tuesday is less than five minutes’ drive from University Hospital Limerick. The campaign group has long advocated for a second hospital with an emergency department in HSE Midwest which covers Limerick, Clare and north Tipperary. Ms McMahon said they are aware this could be an expensive process, adding the campaign is being supported by people familiar with the judicial review process. Picture: Don MoloneyThe 44-acre site, she said, “provides a significant opportunity to provide meaningful additional capacity and health services to the people of Limerick, Clare and Tipperary".

The UK Prime Minister has said what Irish language rap trio Kneecap stand for and say is "completely intolerable". Keir Starmer said the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) would be looking at a judgment that a member of the group will not face a terror trial "very carefully". The CPS appealed against the decision at the High Court at a hearing in January, with the Kneecap rapper opposing the challenge. Taoiseach Micheal Martin (left) welcomes Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to Cork Airport ahead of the UK-Ireland summit. "I think the CPS were obviously subject to the High Court decision and they will be looking at the judgment very carefully."

All eyes were on Barcelona last week as Mobile World Congress kicked off, bringing the future of mobile technology. The Mobile World Congress is the world's biggest mobile technology showcase and fair. This year’s Mobile World Congress saw Honor show off its new Magic V6, the successor to the foldable Magic V5. Next gen technologyFrom wifi 8 to 6G networks, Mobile World Congress was all about hurtling towards the next generation of technology. Weird techIt wouldn’t be a tech conference without some of the whackier devices on display, and Mobile World Congress certainly lived up to expectations.

Gwynedd 'trainee nurse' advertised Botox but was injecting something differentThe Anglesey based cosmetics brand advertised Botox treatmentView Image Customers thought they were getting Botox (Image: Getty Images)A Gwynedd woman, who claimed to be a trainee nurse, advertised Botox treatment but injected customers with an unlicensed alternative. ‌The Court heard how two complainants had seen an advert on social media; booked and paid for Botox treatment with Edwards, trading as ‘5 Star Aesthetics’ based on Anglesey. During discussions Ms Edwards informed officers that the substance she had used was not in fact ‘Botox’ but an alternative called ‘Fraxin’. Anglesey’s Public Protection portfolio holder, Councillor Nicola Roberts, said: “This was financial gain and unfair competitive advantage from substituting a premium medicine with a cheaper unlicensed alternative. Thankfully, it was not needed.”Anglesey Trading Standards Manager, Emma Jones, warned residents to be careful when considering non-surgical cosmetic treatments.

At the announcement of An Posts end-to-end parcel delivery service to the UK were Fiona Fitzsimons, founder of jewellery brand Betty & Biddy and David McRedmond,chief executive of An Post. Photograph: MaxwellsAn Post has launched an end-to-end parcel delivery and returns service designed to “overcome post-Brexit barriers” for Irish small and medium sized businesses. The service, called UK Direct, involves businesses registering to access a “full turnkey solution”, which includes advance customs payments, and three-day delivery with end-to-end tracking. “UK customers buying products from Irish companies can expect fully-tracked delivery by Royal Mail within three days,” the company said. “This service will help take our business to the next level, something we’ve been working towards for a long time.”

Only a skeleton staff will return to Stryker’s Cork sites on Friday after an Iranian-linked cyber attack infiltrated its IT systems on Wednesday. A skeleton staff is due to work on Friday in the organisation, which employs more than 56,000 people globally. But progress on restoring the network was made on Wednesday night, Stryker told staff. It said that the Stryker attack was in retaliation for the “brutal attack on the Minab school” in Iran, which killed more than 175 civilians, many of them children. The attack on Stryker was a wiper attack, which aims to destroy IT systems and their data.

The horses have been running well, these colours have always been great to me.”Heart Wood ridden by Darragh O'Keeffe on their way to winning the Ryanair Chase. A smaller field in the Ryanair Chase should mean they get away cleanly. We’re also on Fact To File watch, with a run in the Ryanair Chase at 4pm still up in the air. [ Inevitable ‘what if’ will hang over Fact To File if he wins Ryanair Chase for second yearOpens in new window ]Mark Walsh on Fact To File. Nathan Johns here to guide you through all the action as the Ryanair Chase headlines the penultimate day of the festival.

Housing minister James Browne has called for a pay rise for the CEO of the Land Development Agency, warning that recent changes to semi-state bosses' pay would amount to a “pay cut”. Mr Browne wrote to public expenditure minister Jack Chambers last November seeking a payrise for John Coleman, who has served as Land Development Agency chief executive since 2019. Documents released under Freedom of Information show Mr Browne had concerns about a recent revision of salaries of senior staff at semi-state companies. 'No pay rise since 2019'However, in his letter, Mr Browne raised concerns about Mr Coleman’s salary, saying it had not been increased since 2019 when he was first appointed. He said inflation rates since 2019, based on the Consumer Price Index, mean Mr Coleman’s salary has decreased by 21%.

The two leaders have undertaken a number of engagements in Cork on the first evening of the UK-Ireland summit. At last year’s summit, Mr Martin and Sir Keir committed themselves to a programme of co-operation between the two countries, called UK-Ireland 2030. Several engagements are planned on Thursday and Friday as part of the UK-Ireland Summit, which was established to maintain and develop relations post-Brexit. Speaking in Belfast earlier on Thursday, Sir Keir said he had tried to “reset” relations between Britain and Ireland since becoming Prime Minister. At the Cork summit, Mr Martin and Sir Keir are to focus on greater co-operation across areas such as infrastructure, clean energy, skills and innovation.

The heartbroken family of a Yorkshire girl who died after an epileptic seizure have paid tribute to their 'perfect daughter'. Millie-Jay Rose Boocock, 17, died on February 25 after she was thought to have had an epileptic fit at her grandmother's house in Morley, YorkshireLive reports. She enjoyed spending time with family and friends, loved reading and was a student at Wakefield College, Wakefield, where she studied business. In an obituary shared online, Millie-Jay was described as a 'deeply loved' teenager who will be 'remembered with great love and affection'. Millie-Jay's parents, along with family and friends, are now raising money for Epilepsy Action in her memory.

And the price of a pint of stout in a pub was up 25c to €6.18 across the country in February. Lager costs €6.58 on average in pubs, up 26c compared with the price last year after drinks companies pushed through more price rises. The national average price of a take-home 50cl can of lager at €2.41 was down 1c from February last year, while a take-home 50cl can of cider at €2.71 was up 2c. In February, the national average price of a pint of stout in licensed premises was €6.18, up 25c in the year, while a pint of lager was €6.58, up 26c compared with February 2025. Consumer prices rose by 0.9pc in the month between January and February this year.

Six dead swans were found at about 9am at Loughaderra, a lake outside Castlemartyr, Co Cork, and another two swans were seen “struggling”. After 2pm, another five dead swans were seen there and the carcasses of the earlier reported six dead swans were still there. Bird flu has been a serious concern in the east Cork area since an outbreak of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus closed Fota Wildlife Park, also in east Cork, in October. In January, Ireland was declared free of HPAI avian flu. It is now feared that there has been another outbreak in wild birds in east Cork.

From London to Singapore, Irish food and drink will take centre stage this March as Bord Bia rolls out its St Patrick’s Day programme. Throughout March, Bord Bia’s overseas offices will be co-ordinating over 40 St Patrick’s Day events across 15 countries and four continents. UKBord Bia is sponsoring London’s St Patrick’s Day Parade at Trafalgar Square, which attracts over 50,000 visitors annually. North AmericaIn North America, Bord Bia is hosting ‘Spirit of Ireland’ workshops for premium bar and restaurant professionals in Toronto, Boston and New Hampshire. At ProWein — the world's leading trade fair for wine and spirits — Bord Bia is exhibiting with 17 Irish drink companies in Düsseldorf.