GOOD MORNING. 

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

Budget 2026

1. Yesterday saw Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe deliver Budget 2026 – and while last year’s pre-election Budget was widely described as a giveaway, this year’s was anything but.

Some of the measures announced have already entered force.

Flotilla

2. The latest flotilla bound for Gaza, which has five Irish citizens on board boats, has been intercepted by Israel in the Mediterranean Sea.

Junior Cert

3. Over 73,000 students will find out how they got on in their Junior Certificate exams today. 

Mount Everest

4. Nearly 1,000 hikers and support personnel have been rescued and returned to safety after heavy snowfall stranded them over the weekend on the Tibetan Plateau near Mount Everest.

Public safety

5. Gardaí will be patrolling Dart and Luas lines in Dublin and intercity routes across the country today in a bid to prevent anti-social behaviour.

Jobstown

6. An infant boy has died following a fatal road traffic incident at a housing estate in Dublin.

Spain

7. Emergency services in Madrid have recovered the bodies of four people after a building that was under construction collapsed in the city.

Punishment

8. Conor McGregor has accepted an 18-month ban for a violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy.

Dolly Parton

9. Dolly Parton’s sister has asked fans to pray for the American country singer after she postponed several concerts due to health issues.