Senior officials at the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) and Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) are progressing talks over creating a single union representing almost 40,000 teachers at second and third level. The outline of a proposed merger is likely to be presented to members before the end of the current academic year and could be a “seismic moment” in education, according to the presidents of both unions.

Air traffic into Dublin Airport was left in chaos early on both Monday and Tuesday morning, due to a shortage of available air traffic controllers (ATCs). On Monday, seven flights into Dublin Airport were left in a holding pattern over Knock Airport after Dublin’s airspace was closed twice due to a lack of available ATCs. Airnav attributed the staff shortage to training and sick days but an air traffic controller said it had to do with 'low morale due to overwork' and 'too much overtime'. 

Legislation allowing for pubs and nightclubs will be published in February with the hope of getting the new laws enacted by summer 2024. Justice Minister Helen McEntee intends to bring the heads of the revised scheme of the Sale of Alcohol Bill to Cabinet by the end of the month, it has been confirmed. 

Dozens of zero-emission electric buses ordered by the National Transport Authority (NTA) 18 months ago are not yet in service, partly due to delays in installing charging infrastructure at two Dublin bus depots.

And 2023 is "virtually certain" to be the warmest in 125,000 years, European Union scientists have said, after data showed last month was the world's hottest October in that period. Last month smashed through the previous October temperature record, from 2019, by a massive margin, the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said.