A takeaway in Dublin was ordered to close after a leaky toilet led to unsafe food preparation conditions. Quack N Wok on Maylor Street Lower, Dublin, was served with a closure order under EU legislation on December 8 by the FSAI. Another closure order was served on Ruby’s Cakes in Navan, Co Meath, on December 11 after an active mouse infestation was found. Inspectors noted numerous mouse droppings on food storage and floors, with food, contact materials, and surfaces unprotected from rodents. Chief Executive of the FSAI, Greg Dempsey, said it is "disappointing" to see enforcement action necessary due to fundamental breaches such as pest infestations, poor hygiene, unsafe food storage, inadequate staff training, and missing food safety management systems.

Real Madrid are never afraid of making a ruthless managerial decision and they did that once more on Monday evening when Xabi Alonso was sacked. Twenty four hours later he was gone and replaced by his former Liverpool, Real and Spain team-mate Alvaro Arbeloa. As a player, Arbeloa helped Madrid win eight major honours from 2009-16, including two Champions League and one LaLiga title. The 42-year-old had been coaching their B team, Real Madrid Castilla - often deploying a 4-3-3 formation, since June and prior to that their youth teams. 'He was like a bullet-proof vest for the players,' Arbeloa reflected.

Munster are set to lose World Cup-winning lock Jean Kleyn at the end of the season with Gloucester on Tuesday announcing the South African’s signing ahead of the 2026-27 campaign. Kleyn, 33, in August, was offered a contract to extend his stay at Munster into at least an 11th season following his 2016 move from the Stormers but has instead signed a three-year deal to join the English PREM club. Munster Rugby general manager Ian Costello said: “Jean is an exceptional character and represents everything that is good about Munster. JK has had an immeasurable impact on Munster Rugby both on and off the pitch since joining the province 10 years ago. A more positive update came on Tuesday with Munster saying Casey’s availability to face Castres would be determined later in the week ahead of Friday’s team announcement.

The Irish passport has retained it’s position as fourth in an international ranking of the travel documents. The annual passport index by Henley and Partners has found that Irish citizens can travel to 185 countries visa free. The index ranks all of the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. Singapore has also retained its position as the world’s most powerful passport, offering access to 192 destinations visa-free, the index found. Afghanistan once again ranks last, with its passport holders able to travel to only 24 destinations without a prior visa.

A TV presenter suffered an embarrassing blunder during a live interview in her family home. Eagle-eyed viewers of the programme, Heno, were left very amused after spotting her husband crawling on the floor in the background. Former Llanfairpwll FC footballer Jason Rusell Harvey - who married Elin in 2012 - was on all fours in attempt not to be caught on camera. Speaking to co-host Owain Tudur Jones, Elin revealed how she was stuck at her home in Anglesey. Back in November 2025, Hollywood comedian Nick Offerman left the Sunday Brunch hosts scrambling to apologise after using a swear word live on air.

Crabs caught by Donegal fishermen had been bound for Portugal when the truck transporting them landed in a ditch. File photograph: David Paul Morris/BloombergA team of workers managed to recapture a consignment of about 15,000 live crabs that escaped from a truck after it ended up in ditch on Monday morning last. The crabs were bound for shops and restaurants in Portugal when the incident occurred at Carrickmaquigley, Redcastle, early on Monday morning. Odhran McLaughlin, of McLaughlin’s Light and Heavy Recovery Services of Burnfoot, estimated about 95 per cent of the crabs had been saved. When we arrived a lot of the crabs had spilled out of their containers and were making a bid for freedom into the fields,” he said.

That said, Toulouse, Munster and La Rochelle could all be floating around dangerously as away sides come Sunday evening. Pool 1Glasgow can seal not only first place in this pool by beating Saracens in Sunday’s weekend finale but can guarantee themselves of a top two seeding with a bonus point victory. The three-time champions have effectively already qualified and could overtake Glasgow with a bonus point win while denying the Warriors one. That said, a bonus point win could secure second place were Glasgow to beat Saracens. Harry Byrne’s match-winning penalty in Leinster’s Houdini-esque 25-24 win over La Rochelle in last Saturday night’s thriller has left Ronan O’Gara’s team in fourth place.

We should not ignore the reality that, for the first time since independence, a superpower has formally affirmed its right to hegemony over Ireland. For a long time, kids in Irish schools were taught that they should take considerable pride in being “born in the same hemisphere as the United States”. The northwest of Ireland is formed by the North American Plate. The National Security Strategy envisages Europe as being in imminent danger of “civilisational erasure” and the catastrophic decline of Irish Catholicism is Exhibit A in this apocalyptic narrative. The most uncomfortable aspect of these blatant infringements on Irish sovereignty is that, while they are absurd, they are also rooted in economic reality.

234 arrests following 187 immigration enforcement raids in Northern IrelandBy Rebecca Black, Press AssociationSome 234 people have been arrested following 187 immigration enforcement raids in Northern Ireland. Businesses, including nail bars, car washes, barbers and takeaway shops, were among those targeted in more than 17,400 raids UK-wide, which resulted in more than 12,300 arrests. In Northern Ireland, 187 raids were carried out in 2025, leading to 234 arrests – a 76 per cent and 169 per cent rise respectively compared to 2024. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated there is “no place for illegal working in our communities”. “I will stop at nothing to restore order and control to our borders.”Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said: “Illegal working undercuts honest businesses across Northern Ireland and fuels the criminal gangs who profit from human exploitation.

A new library at the University of Galway is set to be named after “bright, kind, loving and caring” Cork doctor Karen Guinee, 23, who was murdered a week before her graduation. The Guinee family said that they are “so proud” of the decision to name the new university library in memory of Karen. The Dr Karen Guinee Library will serve as a living tribute to Karen. “We are honouring Dr Karen Guinee not because of the tragedy that occurred, but because of the life she lived. “The Dr Karen Guinee Library is more than a building; it is a legacy.

Whether you work in PR, finance or IT, it can be easy to get caught up in workplace trends. A team from Kickresume have compiled a list of the most popular workplace buzzwords that reflect the top trends of 2025. Their analysis reveals that sending ‘spamplications’ – using AI to send out hundreds of CVs - is one of the top trends of last year. Meanwhile ‘workslop’, which involves using AI to produce low-quality work, could also be putting your career at risk, they said. ‘We’ve seen a rise in “workslop” and using AI to spam hundreds of companies at once with your resume.

An Egyptian tennis player whose disastrous professional debut was branded the worst in the sport's history is now suspected of cheating her way into the tournament. Ms Schaedel was even forced to tell Ms Abdelkader where to stand on the baseline in order to serve. The Egyptian wild card entrant served 20 double faults during the match and landed just eight per cent of her serves. Nancy Nduku, the secretary general of Tennis Kenya, later acknowledged the error, saying: 'Tennis Kenya acknowledges that this wild card should not have been granted. The Egyptian Tennis Federation confirmed Ms Abdelkader is an Egyptian national who lives in Kenya and has not competed in her home country.

Bank of Ireland is carrying out a massive upgrade of its ATMs infrastructure on the island of Ireland as part of a €60m investment. Bank of Ireland is rolling out a massive upgrade of its cash machines. It said this was part of a plan to renew its entire ATM fleet, improving reliability, accessibility and energy performance across the network. Bank of Ireland is carrying out a massive upgrade of its ATMs infrastructure on the island of Ireland as part of a €60m investment. Bank of Ireland has 182 branches across the island of Ireland – 169 in the Republic of Ireland and 13 in Northern Ireland.

A waitress filmed wearing a crash helmet and carrying the sparklers that allegedly started the fatal Swiss nightclub fire was among those who perished. Photos and videos show the young woman sitting on a colleague's shoulders holding two champagne bottles with sparklers attached, before the ceiling catches fire. Mr Moretti, 49, eventually broke open the door to the basement from the outside, and found Cyane dying, while surrounded by 'a pile of bodies'. Pointing to the 'service door' rather than an exit, Mr Moretti said it was 'closed and locked from the inside with a latch, whereas it usually wasn't. It reads: 'Whatever the investigation reveals, this young woman followed her employers' instructions.

A builder has accused his sister of leaving him with 'virtually nothing' of their late mother's £5million fortune after she squandered the inheritance on meals at The Ivy, a court has heard. Mr MacDougall has now sued his sister, Sandra Thomas, 65, and her husband, Lloyd, claiming the pair plundered his mother's £5million fortune while she was still alive. This allegedly included purchases on holidays, expensive meals at the Ivy and their daughter's wedding at the five-star Savoy Hotel. Mr MacDougall and Ms Thomas would split the small amount that was left. Mr MacDougall claimed said his sister and brother-in-law were guilty of 'financial abuse' of his mother while looking after her affairs under a power of attorney.