Secret Santa disasters: ‘I tried to pretend that I got the joke, but I was horrified’
However, what the gift-giver didn’t know was that Goldstein’s relationship had ended shortly before the Secret Santa exchange took place. And she got bought a bondage kit in the Secret Santa.” As a result, the entire team underwent sexual harassment awareness training. Secret Santas are 'giving for the sake of giving in so many ways'O’Brien wasn’t alone in the Northern Ireland Civil Service in having a negative Secret Santa experience. “There were a few other incidents of inappropriate and nasty and spiteful Secret Santas that led to the decision in the Civil Service to ban Secret Santas completely,” he says. Interestingly, Goldstein objects to Secret Santa wishlists, which are filled out ahead of the Secret Santa at her current workplace, despite the fact they could have saved her from receiving a disastrous gift.
Source:The Irish Times
December 16, 2025 18:35 UTC
Woman who set fire to bus during Dublin riots jailed for six years
Photograph: Collins DublinA woman who set fire to a bus during the 2023 Dublin riots, causing nearly half a million euro worth of damage, has been jailed for six years. The judge went on to pass sentence on Kelly, of no fixed abode, who pleaded guilty to criminal damage of a bus on O’Connell Bridge during the Dublin riots on November 23rd, 2023. A victim impact statement from a representative of Dublin Bus was read out in court by counsel. “Employees of Dublin Bus have never experienced anything like the violent, threatening and volatile behaviour on that day,” the statement said. The statement said Dublin Bus employs 4,000 people, including about 3,100 drivers from 85 countries.
Source:The Irish Times
December 16, 2025 17:46 UTC
Plan before Cabinet would see €600m in loans to small builders and developers – The Irish Times
The Christmas socialising season is hitting its stride but there’s still plenty of politics to do before the holidays. Today sees the last Cabinet meeting of the year – “barring emergencies”, says one insider – so expect a lengthy agenda. Cormac McQuinn has the highlights here, which include two meaty items from the new Minister for Finance, Simon Harris. One is a new plan to provide €600 million in loans to small builders and developers to build up to 5,000 new homes of all tenure types in the next few years. Harris will also seek Cabinet agreement for the new – and long-promised – Medium Term Fiscal Framework, which will set fiscal and budgetary rules for the rest of the Coalition’s term.
Source:The Irish Times
December 16, 2025 16:55 UTC
At the top of the 2025 naughty list is the US, now officially in climate denial – The Irish Times
This was a year of extremes when it came to both climate change and climate policy. Cop30 was another missed opportunity to build momentum for a fossil fuel phase-out. At the top of the 2025 naughty list is the US, now officially in climate denial. Even in the US oil and gas hotspot state of Texas, renewables flourished under former president Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) subsidies. Climate leadership was not much in evidence from the Irish Government in 2025, though on paper at least, it remains committed to the 2030 climate targets.
Source:The Irish Times
December 16, 2025 16:54 UTC
Accountant cut after nearly 18 years was ‘laughed at’ when she asked about redundancy payment, WRC hears
Ms McDonagh said she was “laughed at” by her employer when she asked about her lump sum after being told she was being made redundant in January this year. “Why should I liquidate when the company is doing well, flying, and making loads of money?” Ms McDonagh said. Adjudication officer Úna Glazier-Farmer asked Ms McDonagh whether she and “anything to support that contention the company was ‘flying’”. “I probably shouldn’t be saying this – it was a cash business, so it was what they were putting through the banks then. Mr Dunlea said it was “not an unfair dismissal”, arguing there was leeway for a small business in the circumstances.
Source:The Irish Times
December 16, 2025 16:32 UTC
Donald Trump sues BBC for $10 billion over Panorama speech edit
US president Donald Trump has confirmed that he is suing the BBC for defamation over the editing of a speech he made on January 6th, 2021. Video: C-SpanUS president Donald Trump has filed a defamation lawsuit against the BBC for selectively editing one of his speeches in an episode of Panorama. It also accused the BBC of “splicing together two entirely separate parts of President Trump’s speech on January 6th, 2021” in order to “intentionally misrepresent the meaning of what President Trump said”. [ BBC apologises to Trump over speech edit but rejects compensation claimOpens in new window ]Mr Trump said the lawsuit was imminent when he spoke at a press conference on Monday afternoon in Washington. Despite the apology, Mr Trump said he would proceed with legal action for “anywhere between one billion dollars and five billion dollars”.
Source:The Irish Times
December 16, 2025 16:12 UTC
How a 50-year mortgage could help fix Ireland’s housing crisis
A 50-year mortgage would allow someone to borrow for a longer term, which would mean lower monthly repayments, which, in turn, could make housing more affordable. For Joey Sheahan, head of credit at MyMortgages.ie and author of The Mortgage Coach, the most effective solution to our housing crisis will be “the ready availability of housing stock”. A 50-year mortgageThe longer you repay the loan, the smaller the monthly repayments and the more affordable purchasing property might be. If a 50-year mortgage was to really work, then, it would require buyers to get buying at a younger age. These days, most lenders have rowed back on such terms, although Nua Money now offers a mortgage term of up to 40 years.
Source:The Irish Times
December 16, 2025 16:03 UTC
The Bondi Beach massacre makes both Jews and Muslims feel less safe
Mourners cover their faces during a moment of prayer at a tribute to those killed in the shooting attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, on Monday. Photograph: Matthew Abbott/The New York TimesSunday’s massacre of at least 15 people at a Jewish event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach shocked Australia, a country Jews have long regarded as welcoming and safe. Sunday’s candle lighting on Bondi Beach was one of the first such Hannukah events this year, as the sun set hours earlier than most of the rest of the world. The exchange highlights the fact that Netanyahu will use the Bondi Beach massacre to reinforce his narrative that connects support for Palestinian statehood and opposition to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza with anti-Semitism and attacks on Jews around the world. The Bondi Beach massacre will make both Jews and Muslims feel less safe at a moment when the peace process in Gaza remains fragile and uncertain.
Source:The Irish Times
December 16, 2025 16:00 UTC
EU to scrap combustion engine ban in win for carmakers
Under the new proposal, tailpipe emissions will have to be reduced by 90 per cent by the middle of the next decade. Photograph: iStockThe European Union is set to propose softening emissions rules for new cars, scrapping an effective ban on combustion engines following months of pressure from the automotive industry. The commission will set a condition that carmakers need to compensate for the additional pollution by using low-carbon or renewable fuels or locally produced green steel. The stepback — to be unveiled Tuesday — is the result of intense lobbying from companies such as Stellantis NV and Mercedes-Benz Group AG. The European Commission declined to comment on the proposals.
Source:The Irish Times
December 16, 2025 15:56 UTC
Why has Ireland abruptly decided the European Convention on Human Rights goes too far? – The Irish Times
The substance of the Danish statement could well lead to a fundamental weakening of the protection of human rights for everyone in Europe. Ireland has a proud history of championing the European Convention. The first inter-state case before the court was also initiated by Ireland, concerning the practice of torture and inhuman and degrading treatment against detainees in Northern Ireland. Last year, Ireland initiated another inter-state case against Britain on the right to an effective investigation of killings during the Northern Ireland conflict. Liam Herrick is chief commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission
Source:The Irish Times
December 16, 2025 15:52 UTC
Gerry Thornley: Things have truly become nonsensical in the Champions Cup
Photograph: EJ Langner/Steve Haag Sports/InphoSo, another weekend has passed which encapsulated the good, the bad and the ugly of the Champions Cup. Given such a savage trip and upcoming Top 14 games against Bayonne, Toulon and Toulouse before returning to the Champions Cup in January, O’Gara had little choice. What’s the point of having teams in the competition who evidently couldn’t care less whether they are in the Champions Cup or not? The former had four try assists against La Rochelle, , two of which were particularly memorable. Bordeaux's Matthieu Jalibert is tackled by Eddie James of Scarlets during last Saturday's Champions Cup match at Stade Chaban-Delmas in Bordeaux.
Source:The Irish Times
December 16, 2025 15:50 UTC
DAA set to suspend CEO and what to make of a 50-year mortgage – The Irish Times
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has advised affiliates representing members in the private sector to lodge pay claims for between 4.7 per cent and 6 per cent “where sustainable” in 2026. Cantillon looks at what could be next in the DAA-Kenny Jacobs dispute, while also assessing the next direction on interest rates for the ECB. In Your Money, Donald Trump has been pushing the idea of a 50-year mortgage in recent weeks as a way on to the property ladder for some people. Dominic Coyle answers a reader question on what happened to a person’s retirement fund after they die. Diplomatic efforts are intensifying to see whether there is sufficient support among European capitals to approve the controversial Mercosur trade deal.
Source:The Irish Times
December 16, 2025 15:40 UTC
‘We realised we don’t know English, not the way it’s spoken in Ireland’
Not long after the war started, Riabova stepped up to a more senior position. As the winter went on, Riabova found the situation was taking a great toll on her mental health. I’m still kind of a young person and I want to live my life in the fullest way possible. That was probably the moment that we realised okay, we don’t know English, not the way it’s spoken in Ireland.”In September 2023, Riabova discovered the Accommodation Recognition Programme which pays Irish people to house refugees. We would like to hear from people who have moved to Ireland in the past 10 years.
Source:The Irish Times
December 16, 2025 15:27 UTC
Minister intends to build new hospital to help address problems in health service in Midwest
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeil said a new hospital will be build in the Midwest. Photograph: iStockMinister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has announced her intention to build a new hospital to help address the deficiencies in the health service in the Midwest. In addition, she told RTÉ Radio’s News at One, there will be an expansion of acute bed capacity at University Hospital Limerick‘s Dooradoyle site and the development of a second site nearby to increase capacity. The first option was to expand capacity at UHL’s Dooradoyle site. “Option A is an immediate development of acute bed capacity on the Dooradoyle site.
Source:The Irish Times
December 16, 2025 15:05 UTC