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Independent.ie •

Irish and Indian cultures are worlds apart but have so much in common

Azmia Riaz on the bonds that have made it easier for her to make her home in Ireland

In the Indian state of Kerala where I’m from, you can find roads with rows of empty homes. Although it’s just a sliver of land at the very edge of the country, more than two million of its people live abroad. We’re called Malayalis and, among the community, there’s a joke that you could travel to the moon and still find one of us running a little tea shop there.
Independent.ie •

‘Dublin gave me a fresh start’ – writer’s guide to heartbreak and healing

Khanyisile Mbukwane will perform a selection of her poems at Street 66 on November 29

There are four stages of being Khanyisile Mbukwane: trauma, heartache, healing and power.

The 23-year-old South African-born writer and artist moved to Dublin over two years ago and credits the city with bringing her “a lot of growth”.

At the Projects Arts Centre last weekend, Khanyisile moved in circles through a spellbound audience, reciting 12 of her most profound poems.

“I wanted to have a conversation
Independent.ie •

Twice the fun – Refugee family prepare to mark first Irish Christmas with second Ukrainian one

Host Liz D'Arcy with Ukrainian refugees Iryna and Maksym Zaika with their sons, David (7 weeks old) Danylo Zaika (2), and Denis O'Faherty. Photo: Patrick Browne

A family in Wexford who welcomed Ukrainians into their lives are excited to celebrate two Christmases this year – a traditional Irish one on December 25 and another on January 6, when Christmas in Ukraine begins.

Ukrainian refugees Iryna, her sons, David (seven months) and Danylo (2) and husband Maksym, are planning to mark the occasio
Independent.ie •

Young Iranians in Dublin tell of fears for those back home — 'We were trying to make out the faces in the videos that leaked out, looking for our loved ones'

People protest against the Iranian regime outside the GPO in Dublin

Every Saturday, a group of at least 50 people gather near The Spire in Dublin to protest executions in Iran. Just under 3,000 Iranians live in Ireland, but support has been strong from other nationalities too.

Last weekend, protesters from Iran and Russia joined forces to denounce the actions of their respective governments.

For international students and protesters from Iran, showing support to the cause comes at great risk
The New Indian Express •

The Bridge Course Programme is bringing literacy to over 2K kids in Kerala's Attappady

The air grows a little colder as you manoeuvre the hairpin bends to Agali, Palakkad. Set atop a hill in the area, the office of the Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA) peeks through thick forest trees and walls of red brick that feels cold against my travel-worn hands. In the halls, the light filtering through small windows and crevices found a way to highlight the mothers of the community kitchen huffing as they carried hot utensils back and forth, the little children sitting on the