In a letter to the editor of the Irish Examiner on Friday (6th Dec), a number of civil society leaders, including Fórsa's general secretary, highlight the fact that the Central Bank of Ireland, by facilitating the sale of Israel bonds, "is in breach of the Genocide Convention and is violating the legal obligation to end complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza and its illegal occupation and apartheid regime."

As the post-election dust settles, Pat Leahy writes in the Irish Times about what he sees as Ireland’s 'five biggest problems': "War, climate change, an EU crisis, housing and Trump: The next government faces immense challenges that require guile, nerve, judgment and luck."

The Irish Examiner reports that new data from the HSE shows more than 2,500 children are being seen by just seven children’s disability network teams in the greater Dublin area. 

Elsewhere, The Currency (paywalled) has an interview with Ibec's Maeve McElwee, opening with her account of how how Ireland’s traditionally voluntarist model of industrial relations sets it apart from the collective bargaining frameworks prevalent in much of Europe: "Do I see a big shift towards joining a trade union? I don’t really.” 

Zen

Beth McKernan writes in The Guardian about the reunion of families in Syria following the collapse of the Assad regime and the release of political prisoners: Many emerged frail and emaciated into the bright December sunlight, greeted by weeping family members who had no idea they were still alive. Some struggled to comprehend that Assad was gone; a few held even longer had never even been told that he had succeeded his father, Hafez, who died in 2000. 

Have a lovely week.

Niall