German vote exposes Merz weakness and some CDU members’ far-right ambitions
He is juggling a tight, 12-seat Bundestag majority with 18 rebels among the younger CDU parliamentary party. At a test vote on Tuesday evening, many younger CDU MPs – with an eye on their future electoral prospects – fell into line. “In every [parliamentary] vote you have to look at what consequences ... voting behaviour will have,” said Spahn on German television, warning that Friday’s vote could “have consequences, with everything drawing to a halt”. As federal welfare minister, responsible for pension policy, she has made clear that Friday’s vote will decide “the future of the coalition”. On Tuesday, with that in mind, leading German agitprop group ZPS erected a life-size bronze statue outside the CDU’s Berlin headquarters of Walter Lubke, a Merz party member shot dead by a far-right extremist in 2019.
Source:The Irish Times
December 04, 2025 03:17 UTC
Teacher’s conviction for raping a family member affects his fitness to teach, panel hears
A teacher’s conviction for raping and sexually assaulting a family member affects his fitness to teach, a panel has heard. Tuesday’s inquiry heard the offences occurred primarily in the family home, over 20 years ago when both the teacher and his victim were children. At the time of the offences, the teacher was in his mid-to-late teenage years while the family member was in their preteen and early teenage years. The sexual misconduct consisted of incidents of sexual touching, oral rape and an anal rape. In his submission Mr O’Sullivan said that “on any analysis” the convictions against the teacher affects his fitness to teach.
Source:The Irish Times
December 04, 2025 01:58 UTC
Meghan Markle’s holiday special review: The reek of forced fun is ever-present. Even Harry looks embarrassed
A jolly red-faced man looms into view towards the end of Meghan Markle’s latest Netflix turkey, With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. Clocking in at an ominous 56 minutes, Meghan’s Holiday Celebration begins with our hostess skipping among the pines at a Christmas-tree farm and busying herself with making an advent calendar stuffed with positive aphorisms for her kids. There is an unpleasant bauble lurking at the bottom of Holiday Celebration insofar as it marks the end of the most lucrative phase of the Sussexes’ relationship with Netflix. Far from it: she wants very badly for Holiday Celebration to dazzle. But like an office party where HR mandates that everyone participate in the karaoke, the reek of forced fun is ever-present.
Source:The Irish Times
December 04, 2025 01:39 UTC
Irish Times journalist wins award at Mental Health Media Awards
Photograph: Fennell PhotographyIrish Times journalist Kitty Holland has won an award at the Shine Mental Health Media Awards for her investigative reporting into the historic institutional confinement of people in the country’s State-run asylums. The awards recognise excellence in media coverage of mental issues, reflecting the challenges, experiences and realities of people living with mental ill health. Ann Murphy, a reporter at the Irish Examiner, part of The Irish Times Group, was inaugural winner of mental health champion award for her sustained commitment to covering mental health issues. News reporter Órla Ryan was nominated for the “Refugee Mental Health Award” for her report on families struggling to find alternative accommodation after being told to leave International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres in Dublin. Irish Times contributor Emer McLysaght was nominated for the “Special Recognition Award”, which recognises those who share their lived experience to educate wider audiences.
Source:The Irish Times
December 04, 2025 01:28 UTC
‘It’s already started, believe me’ – Andy Farrell admits Ireland’s World Cup preparations are under way
Preparations are already being made for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia following the draw on Wednesday where Ireland were placed in Pool D along with Scotland, Portugal and Uruguay. “So, these things have to be planned way in advance, especially when you’re trying to navigate yourself to the other side of the world. It is the third time in a row for a World Cup that Ireland and Scotland have been in the same pool, while Ireland have beaten Scotland in the last 11 meetings. “We’d have the ambition to win a World Cup, otherwise what’s the point. “You might think that you know a certain side, but by the time you meet them in the World Cup, they [have] become a completely different entity.
Source:The Irish Times
December 04, 2025 01:18 UTC
Gordon D’Arcy: Reactionary thinking threatens to force rugby to be something it’s not
In the time before the 20-minute red card was enshrined in law, the sport lived in a reasonably stable environment. I’ve written before about this obsession with reshaping rugby into something it isn’t, solely to attract people who may or may not exist. We tend to produce hybrid props, excellent rugby players, technically sound around the field, but without the same number of scrummaging miles as their counterparts in South Africa, France or England. Back to Europe, the only thing the EPCR (European Professional Club Rugby) can truly control is the brief given to referees. Photograph: Billy Stickland/InphoFrom a player’s point of view, there are maybe six meaningful matches between now and the Six Nations squad announcement.
Source:The Irish Times
December 04, 2025 01:04 UTC
High rents mean meeting mortgage payment no longer the major concern for aspiring homebuyers
First-time buyers viewing new estate in Dublin, the biggest obstacle to home ownership for the cohort remains the cost of property. High rents have resulted in those seeking to buy property no longer regarding managing future mortgage payments as a big issue, with 89 per cent feeling secure about their ability to do so. On top of high rents, 50 per cent of the cohort reported saving between €500 and €1000 each month towards deposits. Nearly 90 per cent of first-time buyers value BER (building energy rating) of homes, the survey found. Mr Hartley said it was encouraging to see “so many buyers prioritising BER ratings” and noted that savings habits among hopeful first-time buyers are stronger now that in the past.
Source:The Irish Times
December 04, 2025 01:00 UTC
M50 congestion can only be fixed through Government policy change, says TII
M50 traffic at a standstill on the northbound lanes between Clondalkin and Lucan in May 2024. Photograph: Colin Keegan/Collins DublinTransport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) has said it has “done everything we can do” to alleviate traffic congestion on the M50, with capacity now “beyond Celtic Tiger numbers”. The western side of the circle was built in the form of the M50, which was completed in sections, opening from 1990 to 2010. The eastern side, however, which would have required a tunnel under or bridge over Dublin Bay, never went ahead. [ Drivers to face higher tolls on M50 and Dublin Port Tunnel from JanuaryOpens in new window ]
Source:The Irish Times
December 04, 2025 00:28 UTC
The Christmas tree looks like the sort you slowly slide down a wall beside to have a cry – The Irish Times
You know – those candidates for a slightly unimpressive “second” Christmas tree that you put in a less-exalted location in the house in a stringently budgeted attempt to make it more festive. I eye an unnaturally slender little tree dusted in artificial snow. I suspect it might be the sort of Christmas tree you slowly slide down a wall beside to have a cry. The Australian Christmas aesthetic is fir trees, baubles, sweaty crevices and bare limbs. I might go back for the sad little tree.
Source:The Irish Times
December 03, 2025 23:35 UTC
Focus turns to ‘fog of war’ Pete Hegseth over US missile strike on Venezuelan boat
“Our message resonated across the district that Washington is not working for working families,” Behn said at that stage. The defence secretary offered a robust defence for the September 2nd US missile strike on an alleged Venezuelan gunboat. The revelation emerged that two people who had survived the first strike were subsequently killed in a second strike, which Democratic politicians and some legal experts say could constitute a war crime. And that’s the way president Trump has authorised the war department to look at these cartels. Meantime, both Republican and Democratic strategists will read the tea leaves in the returns from the Tennessee heartland rural counties such as Benton and Humphreys.
Source:The Irish Times
December 03, 2025 22:56 UTC
Ireland second highest in EU for greenhouse gas emissions per person
Emissions totalled 10.4 tonnes per person in Ireland, above bloc's average of 6.9 tonnes. Illustration: Paul ScottIreland had the second highest greenhouse gas emissions per person in the European Union, latest comparisons show. Ireland was also far removed from the EU average for forestry cover, with just 11.6 per cent of the total land in forest. The country’s total greenhouse gas emissions were 53.8 million tonnes last year, a 2 per cent reduction on 2023. Farming and forestry combined were responsible for 38 per cent of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions.
Source:The Irish Times
December 03, 2025 22:54 UTC
New operator of Shelbourne Hotel generates €10m in revenue in first two months
The new operator of the five-star Shelbourne hotel on Dublin’s St Stephen’s Green generated revenues of €10.12 million in its first two months of running the hotel last year. Photograph: Chris MaddaloniThe new operator of the five-star Shelbourne hotel on Dublin’s St Stephen’s Green generated revenues of €10.12 million in its first two months running the hotel last year. Revenue from rooms came to €4.9 million while the hotel made €5.2 million in other revenue. Separate accounts recently filed by Kennedy Wilson Shelbourne firm, KW Shelbourne Ops Ltd, show that the previous operator of the hotel recorded revenues of €43.69 million over the first 10 months of last year. Archer SB Hotel Ltd’s cash funds totalled €18.77 million while the book value of the company’s tangible assets totalled €176.9 million.
Source:The Irish Times
December 03, 2025 21:39 UTC
Win the Remington Proluxe Collection.
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Source:The Irish Times
December 03, 2025 20:54 UTC
Win the Ultimate Russell Hobbs Bundle.
Grind & Brew Coffee Maker – €119.99: Freshly ground coffee, exactly how you like it. Quiet Brew Technology – up to 50% quieter* for peaceful mornings. Perfect for coffee lovers who appreciate convenience and fresh flavour every time. Visit the Russell Hobbs website to find out more. For your chance to win, simply fill in the from below.
Source:The Irish Times
December 03, 2025 20:54 UTC
Win an overnight night stay at Travelodge Plus.
The best nights out in Dublin this Christmas deserve to end in comfort, and Travelodge PLUS Dublin City Centre can welcome you into their warm and stylish surroundings just ten minutes after the party ends. Whether you’re dancing your socks off at the office Christmas do, catching up with friends over mulled wine, or strolling under the twinkling lights of Grafton Street, you’ll never be far from bed. Located just a 10-minute walk from Temple Bar and Grafton Street, Travelodge PLUS is the perfect festive companion. Expect cosy, stylish rooms with those extra PLUS touches, prices that leave more in your pocket for presents, and a great breakfast waiting for you in the morning (because nothing cures Christmas cheer quite like a full plate). For your chance to win, simply fill in the form below.
Source:The Irish Times
December 03, 2025 20:54 UTC