January was also a difficult month for the prime minister due to the provocations of Elon Musk, who was the then-incoming US president Donald Trump’s closest confidante. This time, the prime minister chose not to rise to Musk’s bait. Like the UK prime minister, Farage tried his best not to fall into the trap of getting into an unwinnable verbal war with the US president’s most powerful confidante. Chancellor of the exchequer Rachel Reeves (right) crying as prime minister Keir Starmer speaks during prime minister's questions in the House of Commons in July. November and DecemberThe UK prime minister said it was “working to remove” all royal titles held by Andrew.

Photo: Sam Boal/Collins PhotosThe Government has committed to limiting the annual increase in public spending to 6 per cent a year for the next five budgets. The pledge was contained in the Government’s Medium Term Fiscal and Structural Plan which Minister for Finance Simon Harris described as a “fundamental change” in Irish budgetary policy. The strategy envisages spending, capital and current, increasing from €110 billion this year to €147.3 billion by 2030. Attempts by the previous Government to adopt a 5 per cent annual spending cap were abandoned while much of the additional spending introduced during the high-spending Covid years has now been built into the Government’s expenditure base. “It gives greater certainty to Government departments and state agencies in terms of getting on with the job,” Mr Harris said.

Dolphins find it difficult to find their way out of rivers after extended periods as they become 'completely confused'. File photographA dead dolphin was found along the banks of a river in Co Carlow on Wednesday. It was discovered by a resident, washed up along the river Barrow in the St Mullins area. The common dolphin carcass appeared scratched and was partially submerged in water. “Over the period of a couple of days, there’s absolutely no harm to seeing dolphins in river systems.

But it also highlights a broader question of the correct balance between patient care and the management of public funds. Blister packs, or monitored dosage systems, have for years been supplied through community pharmacies to help patients – especially older people and those with cognitive impairments – manage complex medication regimens safely. Opposition politicians and advocacy groups were swift to decry the phasing out of State funding as both ill-timed and insensitive. That should involve informed input from patient groups, clinicians, pharmacists and health economists, and be grounded in a precise understanding of when and how blister packs truly benefit patient safety. In the complex interplay of public funding, private provision and diverse patient needs that characterises Ireland’s health services, anomalies are to be expected.

Building on the site at St James’s Hospital in Dublin began in 2016 after years of disagreement over its the location. Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) is to get access to the new children’s hospital from Monday, eight months after that phase of the project was due to begin. Building on the site at St James’s Hospital in Dublin began in 2016 after years of disagreement over its location. CHI, which runs paediatric healthcare and will operate the new children’s hospital upon its completion, has been under consistent pressure in recent months, particularly around the provision of orthopaedic care for children. Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill announced in September that CHI will be subsumed back into the Health Service Executive (HSE).

Bringing the annual growth in spending down from 9.4 per cent to 6 per cent will be a stern test for Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris. Budgets are drawn up and delivered every October only to be torpedoed by spending overruns and supplementary estimates the following year. Bringing the annual growth in spending down from 9.4 per cent to 6 per cent will be a stern test for Harris. Listen | 37:08It is forecast to rise from €110 billion this year to €147 billion in 2030, equating to a 24 per cent increase. Instead we have a self-imposed 6 per cent spending commitment which Harris and Chambers have now staked their reputations on.

Seeking a pardon under Trump had become “a rational thing” for convicted criminals and those fighting charges, one defence lawyer said. “We are seeing an industrial-scale pardon business,” said one lawyer with knowledge of the process. But what matters most, say people involved in petitioning for Trump pardons, is getting to the president’s inner circle. A White House official told the Financial Times that “no one from White House Counsel ever met the Schwartz lobbyists”. His co-defendant Fred Daibes hired lobbyist Keith Schiller, a former Trump bodyguard and White House official, for $1 million, seeking “executive relief”.

Kate O’Connor, who crowned an unbelievable breakthrough year by winning silver in the heptathlon at the World Championships in Tokyo in September, is The Irish Times Sport Ireland Sportswoman of the Year 2025. In a year of outstanding achievements her silver at the World Championships in Tokyo was the crowning glory. Although it was only her second appearance on the outdoor World Championships stage – she placed 13th two years ago - O’Connor arrived in Tokyo in the form of her life. In addition to her county medals, Staunton won six All-Ireland ladies club football championships with her club Carnacon. Several years ago she was asked by The Irish Times what advice she had for young people looking to get into sport.

File photographOne in five doctors on the Irish register were working abroad or not practising last year, according to new data from the regulator. A report from the Medical Council, published on Friday, showed that in 2024, 26,591 doctors retained their place on its register. Dr Maria O’Kane, chief executive of the Medical Council, said the report highlighted “priority areas for supporting and retaining doctors in Ireland”. Dr Suzanne Crowe, president of the Medical Council, said it was important to understand what motivated someone to renew their registration yet opt to travel and work overseas. “Irish doctors have long travelled abroad for experience and training ... but we want to see them coming home,” she said.

After a century-long pitched battle with billions spent on advertising, taste tests, reformulations and several spectacular marketing blowouts, the Cola Wars appear to have fizzled out. It not only defined the soft drink industry but set the standard for marketing and advertising across multiple sectors. According to Pepsi, a majority of Americans chose its product over Coke and there was some truth to the claim. Pepsi ParadoxWhy people often chose Pepsi over Coke in blind tastings but preferred to buy Coke became known as the “Pepsi Paradox”. One neuroscientific study indicated Coke’s branding exerted a stronger emotional response that effectively overrode the blind taste preference.

With that in mind, here’s my round-up of last-minute, considered gifts sure to elicit an “ooh” – for him, for her, for you, for teens and tweens. Charlotte Tilbury Mini Viral Beauty Icons Gift setCharlotte's Mini Viral Beauty Icons setCharlotte Tilbury’s Christmas offering is, as ever, engineered to please the masses. While there is a vast array of gift options at almost every price point, none appeal to me more than Charlotte’s Mini Viral Beauty Icons Set (€54 from Brown Thomas). Trinny London Back to Life Skin SetBack To Life Skin setThis Trinny London gift set contains the cutest pair of mini stainless-steel cryo globes. Chanel Beauty Lips and Hands Set (€151 from Brown Thomas) is limited edition and utterly exquisite.

The Government's plan to cut growth in day-to-day spending will mean tougher budgets, with a focus on delivering housing and infrastructure. Photograph: Getty ImagesTighter budgets and a squeeze on unplanned spending increases in the coming years are in prospect as the Government prepares to unveil its Medium Term Fiscal and Structural Plan later today. It will pledge to keep the increase in current spending to an average of 6 per cent over the remaining term of the Government. Current spending – spending on day-to-day public services, public sector wages and social welfare – increased by an average of 8.5 per cent a year between 2019 and 2024, according to official figures. This means reducing the growth of current spending is essential to leave enough money in the State coffers.

A bitter wind blows up Bow Street in Dublin’s North Inner City, buffeting the hundreds queuing outside the Capuchin Day Centre. It’s 6.30am but some have been here for half an hour already, waiting for the doors to open and the special Christmas vouchers to be passed out. The queue at the Capuchin Day Centre on Bow Street, Dublin in the early hours of Friday morning. Or maybe a pair of shoes.”Baronita Kostas from Romania will spend her Christmas voucher from the Capuchin centre on baby formula. Martin Cuffe, a recovering gambling addict, at the Capuchin centre in Dublin on Friday.

Photograph: Bryan O’Brien / The Irish TimesPowering transport and heating with electricity instead of fossil fuel could save the Republic €2.8 billion a year, experts say. Electrifying heating and transport would lessen Irish reliance on imported fossil fuels, which provide 80 per cent of energy here, according to an agency report on the Republic published on Thursday. “Replacing oil- and gas-based boilers and vehicles with electric alternatives could cut direct fossil fuel imports by 38 per cent and lower annual import bills by €2.8 billion,” the agency calculates. This would continue to leave the Republic exposed to volatility in supplies of the fuel and its price. The Climate Action Plan wants to replace fossil fuels with electricity, generated mostly from renewables, to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Judicial reviews have got a “bad rap” in recent debates surrounding delays to big infrastructure projects, the president of the High Court has said. Mr Justice Barniville was speaking to The Irish Times in advance of the end of the legal term on Friday. Noting the possibility of legal challenges against the Government’s plan, Mr Justice Barniville said he could not address the specifics of the proposals. Mr Justice Barniville said he hopes to assign at least one more judge to the court next year when more High Court judges are appointed. Mr Justice Barniville stressed that judges are not immune from criticism – but personalised attacks, either online or offline, are not acceptable.