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1. Donald Trump remains defiant over Muslim travel ban
US president Donald Trump has defended his ban on refugees and immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries in the face of court rulings, mass protests and international condemnation.
Mr Trump posted messages on social media standing behind the order he signed on Friday that halted the entire US refugee programme for 120 days, indefinitely banned refugees from Syria, and blocked entry for 90 days for citizens from seven mostly Muslim countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
"Our country needs strong borders and extreme vetting, now. Look what is happening all over Europe and, indeed, the word – a horrible mess," he tweeted on Sunday morning.
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2. Theresa May to meet Taoiseach amid growing Brexit fears
British prime minister Theresa May meets the Taoiseach in Dublin on Monday amid growing concern in Government about the impact of a hard Brexit on the Border and on trade between Ireland and Britain.
The meeting comes two weeks after Ms May said Britain would leave the single market and key parts of the customs union when it withdraws from the EU.
Ms May has identified maintaining the Common Travel Area as a key objective in Brexit negotiations and the Government is confident that there is broad support in other EU member states for that position.
[ Shooting at Canadian mosque leaves six dead and eight wounded ]
Police say six people have been killed and eight wounded in a shooting at a Quebec City mosque that Canada’s prime minister described as a terrorist act.
The shooting at the Quebec City Islamic Cultural Centre in the provincial capital happened during evening prayers on Sunday.
Two arrests have been made.
Prime minister Justin Trudeau and Quebec premier Philippe Couillard characterised the shooting as a terrorist act, which came amid heightened tensions worldwide over US president Donald Trump's travel ban on some Muslim countries.
[ Gardaí strike decisive blow against Kinahan gang ]
Another day and another apparent strike by the Garda against the Kinahan drugs gang.
This time an assault rifle and cocaine and heroin valued at €3 million have been seized.
It follows a week of activity last week in which firearms and large sums of money were seized from the cartel.
Just before that, a consignment of cannabis valued at €37 million was found.
So why has there been so much activity now, and why are the apparent successes coming all at once?
[ Irish house prices forecast to increase by 5% in 2017 ]
Global ratings agency Moody’s has forecast that house prices in Ireland will rise by 5 per cent this year due to a shortage in housing supply, the relaxation of mortgage lending rules for first-time buyers, and growing demand from those borrowers who stand to benefit from the State’s new help-to-buy scheme.
Moody’s said mortgage arrears would continue to decline slowly, particularly long-time arrears as those borrowers were less likely to be offered a modification to their loan.
It said that while the housing market recovery and declining arrears are credit positive for Irish banks, elevated balances of mortgages in long-term arrears and a large proportion of restructured loans continue to pose downside risks to banks’ creditworthiness.