Kilkenny man Seamus Culleton has been detained at an ICE facility in Texas for almost five months. Culleton is one of thousands currently held in ICE detention, in conditions he likens to a concentration camp.

Meanwhile, the ESRI has published new research that finds the Republic’s homebuying process is stoking bidding wars and pushing property prices higher. 

Nurses at Naas General Hospital are set to take industrial action, starting a work-to-rule from today over what the INMO has described as “unacceptable and unsafe staffing deficits.”

Elsewhere, the secretary general at the Department of Foreign Affairs has said the Government’s financial contributions to Ukraine are “well below” the amount of support provided by most other European Union states, including countries with smaller economies than Ireland. Joe Hackett made the observation in correspondence to DPER, as he sought additional funding for “non-lethal” military aid for Kyiv.

Finally, Labour's George Lawlor writes about remote work legislation in today's Journal. Lawlor writes that current Government policy "ignores the housing crisis, clogged transport systems and our climate commitments. It forces people into longer commutes and higher costs for no proven economic gain. Worse still, it signals a lack of trust in workers and a refusal to accept the reality of how work is now done," and proposes an amended Bill to improve it.

Your Zen this morning is a story of human kindness. Dubliner Michael Hopkins, who is about to mark his 101st birthday, was let down by the Irish system as a child and was living an isolated life in London. Then he met a photographer at a bus stop.

Have a lovely week.

NS