The Government’s repeated breaching of its own spending rule has resulted in €6.6 billion of additional expenditure since 2021, the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (Ifac) has warned. 

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has used a rarely exercised power, urging members of the UN Security Council to demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire as the conflict in Gaza continues, invoking Article 99 of the UN Charter. Article 99 allows the secretary-general to inform the Security Council of matters they believe threaten international peace and security.

Brendan O’Connor, President of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) has appealed for training standards to be maintained as garda trainees will leave their studies in Templemore a month early. A majority are on their way to police the streets of Dublin over the Christmas period as part of plans to boost visibility of officers on patrol in the wake of last month’s riots. 

As we had no digest yesterday here's a selection of the coverage of public sector pay talks that appeared on Wednesday, mostly focused on the Minster's signal that he is willing to consider repealing FEMPI, so a multi year deal is back on the table. Take a look at coverage by  Ciannan Brennan in The Examiner here, Brian O'Donovan on RTE here, and Emmet Malone in The Irish Times here.