This time it is with Level Health, a joint venture with insurer Aviva Insurance Ireland, which celebrated its first anniversary this month. This is part of the Irish “community rating” health insurance system, where everyone pays the same premium for a given policy, regardless of age or health. “Younger people, who typically opt for lower levels of cover, might pay €900 or €1,000 for a health insurance plan. “But I would argue that the Health Insurance Authority and Department of Health are not concerned about this. [ Numbers paying for private health insurance climb despite price hikesOpens in new window ]“There’s no strategy in the department for private health care.

Dubbed Sweden’s “second city” – a moniker that is resented locally – it is playing a key role in the country’s efforts to dethrone Ireland as the Silicon Valley of Europe. There are about 3,500 Irish people currently living in Sweden, and many of them moved there to set up businesses. “Sweden has been championed as the Silicon Valley of Europe,” he says. The political side is of course a big part of this.”Sjöstedt says the Irish market is one of the company’s strongest in terms of market share. Sweden is now Ireland’s sixth largest export market, with Irish exports surpassing €1 billion for the first time last year.

Based inside a former fruit factory, The Complex is the latest in a series of cultural sites to close in Dublin. “It’s not just losing a venue, a gallery, artist studios, a workplace, but it’s also this community of people that would be scattered. It comprises 18 artist studios, a gallery and a large warehouse performance space with a capacity of 350 people. Artists affected by the closure held a meeting after receiving the eviction notice and were determined to protest, he said. “There’s a feeling of frustration and really strong sense that we can’t let this happen,” he said.

A former clinical nurse manager who made modifications, in his favour, to his time and attendance record has been found guilty of professional misconduct by a nursing fitness-to-practise committee. An investigation by the Mater Private Network led to 290 allegations being put to Mr Valenton in September 2022, the inquiry had previously heard. At the hearing in July Mr Valenton admitted modifying some payment listings, but said that his actions were not inappropriate and did not amount to professional misconduct. The inquiry also heard that subsequent to being presented with the 290 allegations of the Mater Private Network investigation Mr Valenton agreed to make repayments of €20,000 to the Mater Private Network and completed these. He also resigned from Mater Private on that day.

Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskiy enters the Dáil Chamber to make a special speech in a joint sitting of the two Houses of Parliament in Leinster House Dublin. Photograph: Tony Maxwell/Pool/AFP via Getty ImagesLeinster House authorities are to seek feedback on the handling of the visit by Ukrainian president Volodomyr Zelenskiy amid criticism from some TDs over tight security measures. However, Labour’s Duncan Smith said there was a “low level of inconvenience” within the Leinster House complex that was “well within tolerance and totally understandable considering we were hosting a wartime president”. The visit led to major traffic curtailments around the capital as Mr Zelenskiy travelled between Áras an Uachtaráin and Government Buildings. A security cordon was in place around Leinster House and Government Buildings, with tight screening of those admitted to the secure “bubble”.

An aerial view of some of the modular homes on a site in Brittas, Co DublinSouth Dublin County Council is seeking court orders requiring the removal of an “uncontrolled” development of modular homes allegedly being built without planning permission on a site in Brittas, Co Dublin. Photographs put before Dublin Circuit Civil Court indicated about 28 homes have been constructed to date, with foundations laid for at least 12 more. The council wants the development by Branach Developments Ltd on adjoining sites at Chianti Park and Hillsbrook Lawn removed and the sites restored. A local resident, John O’Neill, who lives with his family about 200m from the site, also sought orders restraining the development. Addressing claims the structures are not “new” structures, counsel said they are entirely different structures in terms of their design and their permanent nature.

Motorists commuting from Co Kildare to Dublin are calling for a dedicated incident response unit to be set up on the M7/N7, one of the country’s busiest roads. Now locals travelling from Naas and Newbridge in Kildare are calling for increased Garda patrols and a dedicated incident response unit to clear breakdowns more efficiently. Data from Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), the State agency that manages the country’s road network, shows eastbound traffic begins to build from about 4am at Kill as traffic feeds on to the N7 from Newbridge, Kildare and Kilcullen. Thiago Barbosa takes the train between Newbridge and Hazelhatch in Co Dublin on the border with Kildare which he says is “completely full”. He said TII would not rule out extending its own motorway incident services on roads such as Dublin to Kill in Co Kildare on the M7.

Welcomed back into the mainstream of the international community, Syria, now led by Islamist militia leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, is a very different place, though the shadow of Assad’s legacy weighs heavily. Many of the bodies bear clear signs of torture, including emaciation, bruising, bloodied and swollen faces, bloodied body parts, bandaged limbs, visible lacerations and missing teeth. The files reveal the chilling meticulousness of Assad’s security bureaucrats charged with recording the workings of their killing machine and reporting on this to the courts. Assad, now reportedly living under asylum in Russia, is, unfortunately, well away from the reach of Syrian or international justice. Israeli bombing raids in the south and occupation of Golan make normalising regional relations impossible.

Ophthalmologist Gavriel Simha Furedi has been permanently removed from the Irish medical register and is forbidden from practising in Ireland. Photograph: FacebookA doctor who lacked basic medical knowledge, including how to perform injections, has been removed from the Irish register four years after he was struck off in Norway. He has now been permanently removed from the Irish medical register and is forbidden from practising in Ireland. The Irish Medical Council’s investigation into the doctor was delayed for several years by the Irish authorities’ inability to obtain certain documents relating to the case from their Norwegian counterparts. The Irish Medical Council has said proper procedures were followed in all cases.

After causing a devastating Second World War, Germany now seeks to re-create “the strongest conventional army in Europe”. [iii]Similarly, the French government has been preparing its public opinion for the prospect of war with Russia for months. [iv] “War is a present reality,” says French President Emmanuel Macron as he recently announced that the impending war with Russia would trigger military conscription. [xxiii]And now these European oligarchs who have destroyed their countries from within are openly talking about an impending war with Russia. In times of war, of course, a state of emergency can be declared and all elections cancelled across Western European nations.

David Cullinane claimed the 24-hour shifts were being recorded 'under Irish Aviation Authority approvals' under 'factoring' system. Photograph: Barry CroninIrish Coast Guard search and rescue crews are obliged to work 24-hour shifts that are being recorded as only 16.5 hours under rules being applied that are putting lives at risk, the Dáil has heard. Sinn Féin health spokesman David Cullinane claimed the safety of rescue crews is being compromised by shifts that breach European Union working time directives and European Court of Justice rulings. Mr Dillon said issues around working hours and shift patterns “are entirely a matter for the Irish Aviation Authority”. Mr Ahern claimed “it is about circumventing the annual limit of 2,000 working hours” and “fewer crew members are hired and those that are hired are being paid less per hour”.

Revenue says it has collected more than €3.3m over the last five years from 'social media influencers, content creators or other individuals operating through online platforms'. Illustration: Paul ScottOnlyFans creators and social media influencers who face being named on Revenue tax defaulters’ lists say they fear for their personal safety if their addresses are published. Content creators who stream material on OnlyFans, which is often sexually explicit, and other social media figures, fear for their personal safety if Revenue publishes their home addresses, according to tax adviser, Brendan Brady. “The tax obligations applicable to influencers, content creators or other individuals operating through online platforms are no different than those operating in other sectors,” Revenue said. Revenue tracks online performers using details provided by OnlyFans and other platforms, along with publicly available information, the agency confirmed.

The five-year review from Coimisiún na Meán of Ireland’s public service media is essentially a historical document, but it offers food for thought about the present and future of Ireland’s two public service broadcasters, RTÉ and TG4. Public service media are required to meet audiences where they already are. Perhaps naively, the organisation’s then management anticipated a significant rise in public funding which did not materialise. Minister for Communications Patrick O’Donovan has pointed out that projected public media funding for 2026 and 2027 represents a substantial allocation. This has had the effect of eroding the arm’s length principle that once insulated public media from political influence.

Tailbacks on the M50 south bound lane stretching from the Airport junction to the toll bridge. Photograph: Alan BetsonThere is no “quick fix solution” for worsening traffic congestion along Dublin’s M50 traffic artery, Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien has said, conceding that journeys on the motorway can be “tiresome and frustrating”. [ M50 congestion can only be fixed through Government policy change, says TIIOpens in new window ]“Where there are alternatives, [people] will use public transport because it’s affordable. However, he conceded there was no quick fix for the M50, “other than the investment which we’re putting in between now and the end of this decade alone, of just short of €25 billion euro in transport projects. They’re really critical.”[ Drivers to face higher tolls on M50 and Dublin Port Tunnel from JanuaryOpens in new window ]

A developer's challenge to approval for plans to extend the Dart line to Drogheda is close to resolution, the High Court has heard. Photograph: Getty ImagesA company controlled by developer Sean Reilly is set to resolve its High Court action over a grant of planning permission for an extension to the Dart line, the court has heard. As part of the plans for Dart+ Coastal North, CIÉ proposes to acquire sections of these lands, some permanently and others temporarily. According to court documents, CIÉ – a proposed notice party to the action – says the land is required for the extension of the line.. In its judicial review proceedings, Alcove Ireland Three claims the commission’s decision to grant permission for Dart+ Coastal North is invalid for various reasons, including that it interferes with the company’s property rights.