LAST UPDATE | 16 Dec 2025

GOOD MORNING.

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

Drug deaths

1. The number of drug-related deaths in 2022 fell by 8% compared with the previous year, according to newly published statistics from the Health Research Board (HRB).

Bondi shooting motives

2. A father and son were driven by “Islamic State ideology” when they fired on crowds at Bondi Beach in one of Australia’s deadliest mass shootings, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

Childcare plan

3. Minister for Children Norma Foley will today present Cabinet with phase one of the long-awaited childcare plan, which will pave the way towards reducing the cost of childcare to €200 per month.

$10 billion lawsuit

4. US President Donald Trump has filed a defamation lawsuit against the BBC for selectively editing one of his speeches in an episode of Panorama.

Personal injuries

5. Changes to the jurisdiction of the District Court and Circuit Court could lead to a reduction in legal costs, including in personal injury cases. 

DWTS

6. The final dancing with the Stars contestant has been revealed ahead of the next season of the show, which will begin in January.

Former Cllr jailed

7. A former Fine Gael councillor and cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council has been jailed in relation to theft of money from a mental health housing charity.

Rob and Michele Reiner

8. Nick Reiner, the son of film director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele, has been arrested after the couple were found dead in their home in the early hours of this morning.

Winner

9. The National Lottery has revealed Lidl in Creighan on the Athlone Road in Cavan as the location where a winning ticket for the EuroMillions draw was sold.