LAST UPDATE | 12 Dec 2024

GOOD MORNING.

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

Household mortgages

1. Households are spending almost as much of their incomes on mortgage repayments as they were in the latter stages of the Celtic Tiger, according to new economic analysis.

The ESRI warned that homeowners spending a high proportion of their income on mortgage repayments are vulnerable to risks such as any fall in real wages or increase in unemployment.

New Syrian leader

2. Syria’s new prime minister has said his Islamist-led alliance that ousted president Bashar al-Assad will guarantee minority rights, as he called on the millions who fled the war to return home.

Assad fled Syria after a lightning offensive spearheaded by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group and its allies, which brought to a spectacular end five decades of brutal rule by his clan.

Government formation talks

3. Government formation talks continue today, as the third arm of the Fianna Fáil – Fine Gael coalition is yet to be confirmed.

Labour will meet today, where its leader Ivana Bacik will provide an assessment of their engagement to date and ultimately decide if the party wants to go into government again.

CEO murder suspect

4. The gun found on the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive matches shell casings found at the crime scene, New York’s police commissioner said on Wednesday.

Commissioner Jessica Tisch also said lab results matched suspect Luigi Mangione’s prints to a water bottle and protein bar wrapper found near the scene of the killing.

Gaza ceasefire

5. The UN General Assembly has overwhelmingly adopted a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, a symbolic gesture rejected by the United States and Israel.

The resolution, adopted by a vote of 158-9, with 13 abstentions, urges “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire,” and “the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages” – wording similar to a text vetoed by Washington in the Security Council last month.

Eileen Gleeson

6. Eileen Gleeson will not be offered a contract extension as head coach of the women’s national team, the Football Association of Ireland have confirmed.

The news comes following Ireland’s failure to qualify for the Euros amid a playoff defeat to Wales earlier this month.

Fossil fuels

7. Ireland must stop using harmful fossil fuels by 2039 to have a chance of achieving climate action targets, the Climate Change Advisory Council has said.

New advice for policymakers details that Ireland must reduce its emissions by an average of at least 6.3% each year.

Lebanon ceasefire

8. Israeli forces have conducted a withdrawal from a town in south Lebanon and were replaced by the Lebanese military under a ceasefire deal, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) has said.

“This is an important first step in the implementation of a lasting cessation of hostilities and lays the foundation for continued progress,” a US Central Command leader said.

Scratch cards

9. The National Lottery Regulator is urging adults not to gift scratch cards to children this Christmas.

It comes as the independent office carried out a recent mystery shop operation, which saw almost three in ten stores willing to sell scratchcards to under 18s.