Angie Benhaffaf with her sons Hassan and Hussein at the awards ceremony in the College Green Hotel in DublinA mother of formerly conjoined twins was named the Lidl Family Carer of the Year for 2025 by Family Carers Ireland. In a ceremony in the College Green Hotel, Dublin, on Thursday, Angie Benhaffaf, from Co Cork, received the title in recognition of the care she gives to her twin sons Hassan and Hussein. [ Benhaffaf twins attend first day of primary school in Co CorkOpens in new window ]Their mother described them as “typical teenage boys. Family Carers Ireland, a national charity supporting family carers across the country, said each week more than half a million people provide more than 19 million hours of care, a contribution valued at more than €20 billion a year. The regional Family Carers of the Year are: Alison McManus, from Dublin (Leinster winner); Brendan Dee, from Leitrim (Connacht winner); and Mary O’Sullivan, from Cavan (Ulster winner).

Organisers of the Dublin Marathon have announced there were a record 47,000 applications in the lottery-based ballot for the 22,500 places in next year’s event. While the demand is now well over double the supply, the number of general entry places was the same as 2025. The organisers also scrapped the priority entry system for 2026, a move aimed at increasing women’s participation and the number of first-time runners. “With demand at its highest level ever, the Dublin Marathon organisers know some runners will be disappointed not to have received a place this time. Applications for entry for the 2026 Dublin Marathon via the ballot system opened for six days on Wednesday, November 12th until Monday, November 17th, with all applicants informed of their outcome over the last two days.

Plump for the tasting menu to enjoy the full experience, paired with well-chosen wines. The tasting menu echoes the room, with pared-back dishes that pack quite a punch. Although this is a small restaurant, it is big in attitude and character, with a sublime tasting menu experience. The restaurant’s social media doesn’t profile current dishes, meaning that diners will truly be experiencing dishes for the first time. JCThe Glass CurtainThompson House, MacCurtain Street, Cork, Co Cork; 021-4518659, theglasscurtain.ieScallop crudo, saffron sabayon, spring flowers at The Glass Curtain, Cork.

Photograph: Saher Alghorra/The New York TimesThere remains “considerable legal uncertainty” as to whether including services in the Occupied Territories Bill is permissible under European Union (EU) law, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade has said. Ms McEntee said the Government has always been clear that enacting the legislation in terms of services is “more complex”. The Fine Gael TD also said she has not yet received the draft Bill, which is aimed at banning trade between Ireland and Israel’s illegal settlements in occupied Palestinian territories but expects to “soon”. “The next steps in the process, including the timeline for the progress of the Bill, are being considered by Government,” she said. Mr Ó Laoghaire said the Occupied Territories Bill still mattered and that the Israeli government was “continuing its actions, even now, against the backdrop of a ceasefire”.

Ireland’s Blue Book is a collection of 67 Irish country house hotels, manor houses, castles and restaurants located throughout the island of Ireland. Experience the charm of Ireland’s finest country houses, historic hotels, and gourmet restaurants, where every stay is a celebration of flavour, comfort, and timeless hospitality. Indulge in the very best of Irish hospitality, where every stay is paired with exceptional dining experiences. From gourmet meals crafted with the finest local ingredients to intimate, award-winning restaurants within historic manor houses and castles. For your chance to win, simply fill in the form below.

The four-star country house hotel is nestled within the scenic countryside of Wicklow, just an hour’s drive from South Dublin. In the evening, enjoy dinner in The Strawberry Tree Restaurant, led by Head Chef Jeff Gillick, together with the restaurant brigade they are committed to wild and organic produce. With every dish a testament to BrookLodge & Macreddin Village’s commitment to their food ethos of produce that is entirely natural, untainted by artificial preservatives or pesticides and traceable to the exact point of origin. You and a guest will enjoy a warm welcome and wonderful service in a beautiful dining room, overlooking the Village Green of BrookLodge & Macreddin Village. For your chance to win, simply fill in the form below.

Earlier on Wednesday, shots were heard near the election commission headquarters, presidential palace and interior ministry, although it was not clear who was responsible. Both he and his main rival, Fernando Dias, claimed they won in the first round of elections, held on Sunday. Earlier on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Embaló claimed the shots were being fired by gunmen affiliated to Dias. Embaló claimed to have survived three coup attempts during his first term in office, the most recent in October. However, critics claimed Embaló had fabricated the putsch attempts, using them as an excuse to repress opposition.

Smoke rises from apartments after a major fire swept through several blocks at a residential estate in Hong Kong's Tai Po district. A firefighter was among the 36 killed, and 29 people were in hospital, Hong Kong leader John Lee told reporters. It was Hong Kong’s worst fire since 41 people died in a commercial building in the heart of Kowloon in November 1996. Photograph: Isaac Lawrence/Getty ImagesResidential buildings burn at Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong. Wang Fuk Court is one of many high-rise housing complexes in Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

The chief executive of Tusla has apologised for the wording of a statement issued after the alleged sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl. She said that several children in care go missing a day, either from school or while on a trip. His case prompted a series of “wellbeing checks” carried out on thousands of Tusla cases that were closed during the pandemic, from March 1st, 2020, and February 28th, 2022, and a rapid review of the boy’s case. Further questions were raised of Tusla last month after a 10-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted in west Dublin after being in State care earlier that day. Nine in 10 children in State care are in education, she added.

Mr Cosgrave resigned as CEO in late 2023, weeks before its flagship conference in Lisbon. He returned to lead Web Summit in April 2024, just six months later. In 2024, Web Summit hosted its first-ever conference in Qatar in addition to its regular events in Lisbon, Vancouver and Doha, which likely contributed to the sharp rise in revenues. [ Bitter Web Summit dispute struck out and settled at High CourtOpens in new window ]The settlement is subject to a “non-disclosure” agreement, according to a separate note within the filings. In return, Mr Cosgrave told reporters outside the court that his former business partners had “finally publicly accepted that I – and I alone – founded Web Summit in 2009″.

Southwesterly winds are due to become strong and gusty, with near gales or gales developing on western and northwestern coasts. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA WireMet Éireann has issued a yellow wind warning for Co Donegal and Co Mayo from 4pm on Thursday to 6am on Friday. Thursday morning will see further outbreaks of rain and drizzle as well as some lingering mist, hill and coastal fog, Met Éireann said. Southwesterly winds are due to become strong and gusty, with near gales or gales developing on western and northwestern coasts. The outlook for the coming days is for more changeable and unsettled weather with showers or spells of rain.

Thanksgiving, which Americans – including those living in Ireland – celebrate today, is his favourite holiday. “American holidays are very commercialised whereas there’s nothing about Thanksgiving other than eat, drink, family and sport,” he says. The couple were attending a Thanksgiving event with other Americans when the riots broke out in November 2023 and they couldn’t get home. “The major thing with Thanksgiving is family so it’s a weird experience being away from family,” she said. “Thanksgiving – it’s tradition and it’s part of me.”[ US students drawn to Ireland struck by hard realities of rental marketOpens in new window ]

Between 20 and 30 homeless asylum seekers are sleeping rough nightly in sometimes freezing temperatures in Dublin city, volunteers say, as figures show almost 3,500 beds in refugee accommodation centres lie empty. These included 2,430 “mixed-accommodation beds”, 600 “single-male beds”, and 450 “family-only beds”. They show that on the night of October 24th Ipas centres had beds for 36,128 people while those accommodated numbered 32,648. “The current policy, which requires male IPAs [international protection applicants] to sleep rough to demonstrate need for accommodation, is more dangerous than ever. “Single male applicants for international protection have been particularly affected by shortages ...

The rat box is just one in a series of critter-filled containers that Angry Ginge sticks his head in over the course of several minutes. Give Angry Ginge a mysterious box and he’ll stick his noggin in. Unlike Winston Smith, Angry Ginge isn’t being psychologically manipulated into a totalitarian mindset by this box of rats. No, Angry Ginge is tasked with rotating plastic stars with his tongue inside a box of rats so that celebrities can eat delicious crocodile feet. And now she is a successful Irish export, like Kerrygold, Bono and passive-aggressive alcoholism.

Graffiti near River Lodge in Newtownmountkennedy in 2024 shortly after protests over plans to accommodate international protection applicants at the site. Photograph: Nick BradshawAbout €400,000 was spent on a mothballed tented accommodation centre for asylum seekers in Co Wicklow that was the site of major disturbances last year. The site – River Lodge at Newtownmountkennedy, the site of anti-immigration protests in April 2024 – was used as emergency accommodation for international protection applicants. Due to the impact of the weather, the department said, it was not possible to continue using River Lodge as an emergency tented accommodation centre. He said that there has been an increase of 13.5 per cent in arrivals of unaccompanied minors during this year, when overall international protection numbers have reduced.