Digital danger and child protection fears — Mullingar tech expert Joan Mulvihill urges schools and public bodies to leave X, warning AI “nudification” tools and so-called AI girlfriend sites are fuelling a new wave of non-consensual sexual exploitation, with Ireland under pressure as the EU regulator.

Global unrest, local voices — Midlands residents with family ties to Iran share harrowing accounts as protests intensify, internet blackouts deepen fear, and international calls grow for stronger action against the regime.

Growth, wellbeing and the local environment — Bevcraft opens a major new production facility creating jobs in the Midlands; Blue Monday myths are unpacked with practical mental-health advice; EU–US trade tensions over Greenland escalate; and Offaly expands its Hare’s Corner biodiversity scheme.