As part of their manifesto Fianna Fail have pledged that they will raise the weekly pension rate to €350 through yearly increases of €12 - the current rate is €277.30

Inflation has come down sharply in recent months but that does not mean that prices are falling, as voters in Co Meath flagged the soaring cost of living as a key issue as the General Election campaign kicks into gear,

Mauritius was holding a parliamentary election on Sunday, with Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth and his main rivals all promising to tackle a cost of living crisis in the Indian Ocean archipelago.

Polling places around Mauritius, an Indian Ocean island nation that held general elections on Sunday, came under threat after voting ended. Leaders of the main alliances called for calm.

Mauritians are set to find out Monday who will govern their Indian Ocean island nation for the next five years after a hotly disputed election race.

Several incidents of unrest were reported in Mauritius after voting drew to a close in Sunday’s general elections, and leaders of the main political alliances called for calm as the focus turned to the tallying of results.