Donald Tusk, Poland's prime minister (left), and Friedrich Merz, Germany's chancellor, during a news conference in Berlin on Monday. Photograph: Liesa Johannssen/BloombergModern German-Polish relations have had more reboots than the Spider-Man movie franchise, and Monday’s latest effort came as ties hit their lowest ebb in 25 years. Meanwhile, one in four Poles expresses an active dislike of the Germans, up 10 points in a decade. Merz (left) and Tusk at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, on Monday. Former Polish ambassador to Berlin Janusz Reiter sees a long-standing vicious circle on the German side: a lack of interest compounding a lack of knowledge of Poland.

It was also the day that changed the life of the cult indie musician John Maus, after he was wrongly labelled a Trump fanboy – a misunderstanding that might well have destroyed his career. “Is John Maus going right-wing?” one wondered on Reddit. They’ll never let a populist left ascend. But billionaires aren’t going to have any reason to get behind a populist left – a legitimate one. Photograph: Paul MaffiFor the full John Maus experience, you have to see him in concert.

Photograph: Getty ImagesThe Republic is lagging the rest of the world when it comes to the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace, according to a report from PwC. The report on “hopes and fears” in the workplace involved interviews with almost 50,000 workers across 48 countries and regions, including 1,018 workers in the State. The Irish figure is up from 3 per cent last year. “AI users in Ireland see higher productivity, higher quality of work and greater creativity in their jobs,” the report noted. Overall, 49 per cent of Irish workers say their team treats failure as an opportunity to learn and grow, as against 54 per cent globally.

A fifth case of bird flu has been confirmed at a turkey farm, it has been confirmed. A Department of Agriculture spokesman confirmed the outbreak of the highly pathogenic avian influenza HPAI H5N1, at a turkey farm in Co Cavan on Monday. This follows outbreaks at farms, all producing turkeys, in counties Laois, Monaghan, Meath and Carlow since last month. This latest outbreak comes as two flocks in Northern Ireland have returned preliminary positive results and alongside circulation of the virus in wild birds across the island. “Housing will also mean that birds are fed and watered indoors and therefore, the potential for feed or water to be contaminated by wild birds is also reduced,” says department guidance.

Over 5,000 people have been conferred as new Irish citizens over the course of two days in Killarney, Co Kerry. “I’m ecstatic to be an Irish citizen,” Wade said, sporting an Irish flag. Applicants from across all 32 counties made a declaration of fidelity and loyalty to the State to become Irish citizens during the last ceremonies of 2025. Fossum said becoming an Irish citizen undoubtedly would make life easier as she travels a lot to Europe in the course of her work. His wife too will soon be an Irish citizen and the couple’s son born last year was already an Irish citizen.

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Jack Chambers will on Tuesday brief Cabinet colleagues on the report of the Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce. Photograph: Sam Boal/CollinsLarge extensions to critical infrastructure should be exempted from requiring planning permission, according to a report due to be presented to today’s Cabinet meeting. Included in the plan is a proposal to amend legislation to allow large extensions to major pieces of infrastructure, such as substations, without the need for planning permission. Minister for Culture Patrick O’Donovan will outline plans for the National Famine Commemoration next year at Portumna Workhouse, Co Galway. Mr Lawless will brief Cabinet on plans to spend €4.55 billion in tertiary education and research, expanding healthcare and veterinary education, and modernising campuses.

'My son is considering dropping out, but has no idea what he might do if he does.' As well as not liking his course, he is overwhelmed by college and life and finding it difficult to find his place. Many students find that the transition from the structure of school to the independence of college life can be challenging. However, before making any decisions, I’d strongly encourage your son to avail himself of support services at his current college. For details on PLC options, contact your local Further Education colleges.

The European Central Bank has refused to backstop a €140 billion payment to Ukraine, dealing a blow to an European Union (EU) plan to raise a “reparations loan” backed by frozen Russian assets. Photograph: Kirill Kudryavtsev/GettyThe European Central Bank has refused to backstop a €140 billion payment to Ukraine, dealing a blow to an European Union (EU) plan to raise a “reparations loan” backed by frozen Russian assets. Under the European Commission plan, EU countries would provide state guarantees to ensure the repayment risk on the €140 billion loan to Ukraine is shared. But commission officials said the countries would not be able to raise the cash rapidly in an emergency, and this could put markets under pressure. The EU has frozen Russian assets worth about €210 billion since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Inside were Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy and first lady Olena Zelenska, who had made history before they had even got off the plane. Both of them were now here as part of the first ever official visit of a Ukrainian president to Ireland. Mr Zelenskiy needs Europe’s help to ensure Ukraine’s sovereign interests are represented in any peace deal that is being negotiated by the United States. Infrastructure plansMr Zelenskiy’s visit has upended most of the quotidian Irish political schedule today, but Ministers will still attend a cabinet meeting this morning. The Seanad also won’t resume its ordinary business until 6pm this evening, after Mr Zelenskiy has long left Leinster House.

Russia's president Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with governor of the Kursk region at the Kremlin in Moscow on Monday. Mr Putin said Russian troops had taken the city of Pokrovsk in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region in a video announcement posted late Monday by the Kremlin. Mr Putin has signaled an openness to talks, saying last week that Trump’s proposals for ending the war could be “the basis for future agreements,” while adding that no final version exists yet. Taoiseach Micheál Martin welcomes Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy on an official Irish state visit at Dublin Airport on Monday night. After Russia drove Ukrainian troops out of Kursk, with help from North Korean soldiers sent by Kim Jong Un to support Putin, Moscow renewed strikes on Pokrovsk during the summer.

Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser in the office of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, pictured in Kyiv on Monday. Photograph: Daniel McLaughlin“It’s fundamentally important,” Mr Podolyak said on Monday of the need for European peacekeepers to back up any peace agreement in Ukraine. Taoiseach Micheál Martin during a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskiy at Shannon Airport last February. France's president Emmanuel Macron welcomes his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy prior to their meeting at the Élysée palace in Paris. “This is a discussion for Ireland, but Ukraine was also militarily neutral when Russia attacked us in 2014,” Mr Podolyak says.

Dublin-headquartered management consultancy, Primecore, says it is set to create 100 jobs over the next three years as it aims to more than double its revenues by 2028. Specialising in consulting on life sciences operations, Primecore employs 50 people and says the new positions will be based in Ireland and the US. Eighty per cent of the firm’s $12 million (€10.3 million) annual revenue is generated in the US where the firm has offices in Philadelphia and Boston. The new management team is aiming to grow annual revenue to $30 million by 2028. Mr O’Dwyer is part of a new ownership group, alongside Mr Kent and Mr Roche, who previously worked together at consultancy, engineering and construction management company, DPS Group until its sale to Arcadis for €232 million.

The continuing exodus of small landlords from the rental market as reported by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) is an entirely predictable consequence of Government policy in this area – most recently the introduction of six-year tenancies from next March. Research from the ESRI shows that while rents remain high the rate of increase is moderating. Even allowing for such mitigating factors the fact remains that the housing shortage could last another 15 years, according to the Department of Finance, and a functioning rental market requires landlords. The Minister should not lose sight of the fact that small landlords are and will remain an important cog in the machine of a functioning property market. The chronic housing shortage means there is no shortage of buyers when they sell out, but their departure has consequences for a deeply dysfunctional rental market.

ECB chief Christine Lagarde has been signalling 'steady as she goes' several times in recent comments. The debate in Europe and regarding the European Central Bank’s (ECB) next move is all but closed. The final reading before the ECB meets on December 18th is expected to confirm the no-change bias. The inflation outlook hinges on the impact of US tariffs, which has yet to play out. At the moment, markets are pricing no further interest rate cut in December.

The disclosure by Daly means it is possible to put the Connolly trip in a wider context than was possible during the presidential election. Photograph: Declan HayesThe November 2017 trip to Syria organised by Hayes included, among others, Wallace, Daly and a number of left-wing activists. In January 2018, the Irish Syria Solidarity Movement issued a statement criticising Wallace, Daly, O’Sullivan and Connolly, saying they were “horrified” by comments made during the Dáil debate. When Connolly, Wallace, Daly, O’Sullivan and others visited, they were accompanied by a man called Saed Abd Al-Aal. During the Connolly election campaign, her office said her trip to Syria was funded using her parliamentary activities allowance.