Good morning colleagues, 

Syrians across the world have been celebrating the shock ousting of longtime president Bashar al-Assad, He has reportedly fled to Moscow, just hours after the fall of his regime in Damascus.

Also in today's top stories, The Irish Times reports that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael remain interested in a three-party coalition involving the Labour Party, Christmas is getting more expensive but don't ask a politician to do the maths for you (says former Taoiseach).