Pope Francis has called on leaders to show compassion for refugees fleeing war, persecution, or poverty. Instead of ensuring they reach safety, the UK government has introduced a new 'Illegal Migration Bill' which would shut the door on people needing protection and enable the government to deport them to countries such as Rwanda - a policy the Court of Appeal has ruled unlawful. The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) wants people to ask their MPs to oppose the bill so that we can welcome those who need protection. This landmark intervention on domestic policy refers to the Pope's call for the need to show maximum respect for the dignity of each migrant and ‘build bridges not walls’ as well as ‘expanded channels for a safe and regular migration.’ But CAFOD said that instead of showing respect and dignity, the UK government is trying to make the situation for people seeking safety even worse.

Miriam, who is 77 and recovering from cancer, had her life torn apart when she had to choose to care at home for her 89-year-old husband Ian, while her sister Jennifer (73, with young onset dementia) was placed in assisted living accommodation. Ian was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2020. Over 220,000 people are unpaid carers for a sick or disabled person in Northern Ireland. That’s one in eight people. Caring for people at home reduces pressure on the health and social care system, and it reduces the number of people in residential care and hospitals. Miriam said she had to ‘let one go’ to look after the other: ‘It is just exhausting.’ The Praxis charity has appointed the first dementia coordinator, who will focus entirely on carers. The last carers strategy was published two decades ago. Northern Ireland lags behind the rest of the UK in supporting people battling the dementia journey alone.

Ukraine's counter-offensive is currently slow and cautious. But this patient approach should soon pay off as long-range strikes prevent Russia rearming frontline units, and low Russian morale provides opportunities for strategic breakthroughs by Ukrainian forces. There are vast stretches of minefields lying ahead of Ukraine's counter-attack. ‘Petals’ - small, green, anti-personnel mines - are being scattered by Russian rockets across fields previously liberated and cleared by Ukraine forces. President Zelensky admitted Ukraine’s counterattack was ‘slower than desired’, partly due to minefields slowing down troop movement. The enemy has no mercy for their own soldiers. They are used as cannon fodder. But Ukraine is trying to move forwards with the minimum of casualties. One soldier said, ‘We are learning to improvise and to invent ways to make quick, safe paths through the minefields. But we are fighting a very vicious enemy.’

Volodymyr Zelensky sparked concerns globally when he accused Russian troops of placing ‘objects resembling explosives’ on the roof of a cooler at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP). Putin has long flirted with the nuclear spectre since mounting his Ukraine invasion. Zelensky suggested Putin might cause a nuclear incident by turning ZNPP itself into a weapon. As Ukraine attempts to reclaim territory captured by Russia, including the Zaporizhzhya region, Russia could claim any explosion at ZNPP resulted from reckless Ukrainian shelling, not its own explosives. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday, ‘The situation at the plant is quite tense. The potential for sabotage by the Kyiv regime is high and could have catastrophic consequences.’