Adrian Weckler: O’Leary v Musk and the era of AI slop flooding our social media feedsRyanair used the war of words between Michael O’Leary and Elon Musk to generate what looks like an AI image of the pair duking it out – but what are the deeper implications? An image used by Ryanair to promote a seat sale on the back of Michael O'Leary's spat with Elon MuskAdrian Weckler Today at 06:30We all got popcorn this week to watch the “insufferable idiot” online spat between Michael O’Leary and Elon Musk.

Photographs: Chris MaddaloniLong-delayed flood defences for Clontarf in north Dublin that were due to be in place next year will now not be completed until 2033 “if all goes well”, Dublin City Council has confirmed. Following an “extreme tidal event” in February 2002, which devastated many homes and businesses in Clontarf, the council began planning for the construction of major flood defences along the coastline. The coastal suburb has since been identified as one of the areas most at risk of flooding in the State. However, it was followed by another severe, though less extreme, tidal flood in 2004, with flooding along the Dublin Bay coastline increasing in frequency since. The council secured planning permission from An Bord Pleanála in 2008 to build flood defences up to 2.75m (9ft) tall involving earthen embankments and walls at a cost of €4 million.

Read more Former Fianna Fáil MEP Brian Crowley dies aged 61Deputy O’Flynn said the late Mr Crowley was a wonderful friend and a true gentleman. “We are so saddened to hear of the passing of our exceptional friend and colleague Brian Crowley. Brian was a wonderful friend and mentor to us when we started out. Read more Former Fianna Fáil MEP Brian Crowley dies aged 61“In the first election I stood in he was an inspiration and we have been great friends since. He will be missed greatly within the Fianna Fáil family and beyond.”

Nadia Sawalha stripped down to her bra as she poked fun at Nigella Lawson with a sultry crisp sandwich tutorial. The food writer and TV cook, 66, will replace Prue Leith as the new Great British Bake Off host, it was reported on Thursday. Said 'cheeky banter' was the focus of Loose Woman Nadia's video shared on Instagram on Thursday evening. Impersonating Nigella's sultry presentation style, Nadia acted out a crisp tutorial narrated by the cook while wearing a lacy bra. Nadia - grasping her kitchen implement suggestively - began her video saying: 'And I'm ready to set to with my electric masher'.

Maybe they simply want to generate debate because there are not enough new names in the Ireland squad. I keep seeing demands to overhaul the Ireland squad for the Six Nations. I can state with certainty that the Ireland squad depth will be severely tested, in every position, between now and March 14th. Scrolling down a long list of injuries, Irish fans demanding change should take a breath. Is Ireland's Six Nations squad 'safe'?

A design image of the proposed Edenderry Primary Health Care Centre and GP clinic. Planning application lodged for new primary care centre in EdenderryBy Rebekah O'ReillyA planning application has been submitted to Offaly County Council for the construction of a new purpose-built primary care centre in Edenderry. Dr Maurice Carroll lodged the planning bid for a primary care centre which would include social care services; a GP clinic, a retail unit and ancillary offices across two separate buildings. According to the plans, the proposed primary care centre and GP clinic aim “to deliver modern, integrated healthcare aligned with Ireland’s primary care model,” while also acting “as a civic anchor within the Blundell Masterplan, reconnecting the town, activating public space, and supporting a healthy, accessible and people-focused heart for Edenderry”. According to the plans, the Primary Care Centre and GP clinic aim to provide essential civic and community services that attract consistent daily footfall, while the retail unit, café and office accommodation introduce active ground-floor uses and employment opportunities that support town centre activity throughout the day.

Dua Lipa turned heads as she shared a glimpse into her first week in Cape Town, South Africa, on Instagram on Friday. In the first snap, Dua looked incredible in a mirror selfie while dressed in a cropped red military jacket and blue shorts. Taking to Instagram, Dua shared an array of snaps from the beginning of the year captioned: 'Bigtimecosy ❄️.' Her takings, the equivalent of £124,000 per day, generated a £5.9million pre-tax profit for the Radical Optimism singer. Dua and Callum first started dating in January 2024, and the couple confirmed they were engaged in June this year.

After three weeks of murder, deceit and throwing Faithfuls under the bus, Rachel Duffy and Stephen Libby's fate will finally be sealed in the finale of The Traitors. It's fair to say that Rachel and Stephen have had a stressful few weeks in the Scottish Highlands, but away from the turret, their lives are far more fun. An associate of the 43-year-old communications director told The Mail on Sunday: ‘Rachel is the life and soul of any party. On social media, rumours cropped up that Lou was the landlord of Stephen and his actor boyfriend Daniel Quirke. So dedicated was Stephen to win The Traitors that he re-watched former series to get a game plan together.

Six players could miss Arsenal vs Man Utd as Michael Carrick confirms injury timelineManchester United will be looking to dent Arsenal's title aspirations and significantly boost their own Champions League hopes when they meet on Sunday afternoon. View 3 Images Michael Carrick will be without two players for Man Utd against Arsenal. That was, incidentally, against Sunday's opponents, Man Utd, last month. ‌Manchester United injury newsThe feel-good factor is back at United after their impressive win against Manchester City during Carrick's second coming as the club's interim head coach. ‌FOLLOW OUR MAN UTD FB PAGE!

Tom TuiteA repeat offender, who "beat the crap" out of his ex-fiancée shortly after serving a prison sentence for attacking her previously, has been jailed for two and a half years. Garda John Creegan told Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court, "There were visible cuts and scrapes to her neck and chest", and the woman was "uncontrollably" upset and told gardaí, "Kevin beat the crap out of me". He told the court he was drunk on the night of the attack and that he was now sorry. Earlier, a probation report indicated that he cut his Vodka intake from a litre to a naggin a day. However, before he was remanded in custody last April, the judge stated the accused was still in the throes of addiction.

The Premier League, like Deloitte, may want to focus on the cash rolling in, making top-flight revenues a full 3,000 per cent higher now than they were in 1992. ‘Yes, the Premier League is successful in bringing in money,’ says Maguire, football finance specialist and co-host of The Price of Football podcast. Everton, a catastrophically managed club in recent years, have never finished higher than fourth in the Premier League, yet have amassed £633m in losses. Spurs fans, with two League Cups and a Europa League since ’92, would gladly swap, taking no delight from their club being far more in the black than any other club across the Premier League era. At Arsenal, like all of franchises, he has been unwilling to sanction top salaries, yet there has been an eventual realisation of what is needed and the Premier League now does look attainable.

The things that kills you is the hope. Tough to move on from the exit from the Champions Cup, but all the more brutal given the circumstances. After the Leinster game, I got the training structure wrong, on reflection. If I had my time again we would have done nothing bar a captain’s run, resting them for the week. I am gutted with myself for getting that wrong.

Small gas cylinders (nitrous oxide) on the ground at the Square in Portobello, Dublin. Photograph: Dara Mac DónaillYoung people in Ireland are increasingly being diagnosed with spinal cord damage from recreational use of nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas or whippets, a new study has found. The findings, published in the American Journal of Neuroradiology, showed that cases of spinal cord damage caused by nitrous oxide have spiked significantly since the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the drug can interfere with the body’s ability to process vitamin B12, leading to a condition called subacute combined degeneration (SACD) of the spinal cord. Although most patients in the study improved after treatment, none made a full recovery, with all experiencing some degree of lasting neurological damage.

Paul Scholes says he will not apologise after mocking Man United defender Lisandro Martinez as their war of words continues to rumble on. Scholes and Butt both laughed on their podcast last week when Butt joked: 'Haaland would pick Martinez up and run with him. 'If you're going to get so emotional about someone saying something about you and react like that, you shouldn't be at a big football club,' he added. You're going to get get your ups, you're going to get your downs. 'It's just ridiculous... and if you're going to get that precious you better be s**t hot every week.'

The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office show that house price growth is slowing, but not by enough. Unfortunately, the slowdown in price growth does not appear to be driven by increased supply. Instead, it appears likely that affordability – or the lack of it for many buyers – has slowed price inflation a bit. Even so, the growth rate of prices is still ahead of average wage growth and so affordability will be getting more stretched for many. The Government will hope that its new strategies to accelerate housing and infrastructure delivery will soon start to lift supply levels.