LAST UPDATE | 16 Jan

GOOD MORNING.

Here’s all the news you need to know to start the day. 

Fine line

1. Confusion caused by faded road markings has resulted in some people failing their driving test, according to a major driving school.

Clodagh Branagan, the director of Ladybird Driving School, told The Journal that the difficulty of tests has been increased by unclear or “invisible” lines and symbols.

RTÉ

2. RTÉ Chief Financial Officer Mari Hurley has resigned from the position less than 18 months after starting the role to take up a new post outside of the national broadcaster.

Gaza

3. Donald Trump has announced the formation of a Gaza “Board of Peace”, a key phase two element of a US-backed plan to end the conflict in the Palestinian territory.

The US President said he will chair the body himself, with members to be announced “shortly”. 

Minneapolis

4. Meanwhile, Trump has threatened to invoke an emergency law that allows the domestic deployment of the military, after federal agents killed one person and injured another in Minnesota, sparking mass protests.

Jetting off

5. A record 36.4 million people passed through Dublin Airport in 2025, representing a more than 5% increase on the previous year.

South Korea

6. Former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol has been sentenced to five years in prison for obstructing justice and other crimes linked to his disastrous martial law declaration in 2024.

Income Tax

7. The Department of Social Protection is now sharing information with the Revenue Commissioners on Carer’s Allowance and Carer’s Benefit, which were previously self-declared. 

Here you go

8. Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has said she presented Donald Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize during what the White House called “positive” talks – despite the US president sidelining her.

Offline

9. Tech giants have blocked 4.7 million accounts under Australia’s world-first social media ban for under-16s, the country’s online safety watchdog said.