A further question is whether illegal content reporting mechanisms implemented by TikTok and LinkedIn are easy to access and user-friendly. Another is whether the platforms’ illegal content reporting mechanisms deceive people from reporting content as illegal. The regulator said concerns arose in relation to potential “dark patterns” in the illegal content reporting mechanisms, which it described as deceptive interface designs. “If this is correct, this might mean that the illegal content reporting mechanisms are not effective in preventing the dissemination of illegal content and the rights of people under the DSA might be undermined,” Coimisiún na Meán said. “This review has resulted in several actions which we can announced today, including the opening of an investigation into two online platforms – TikTok and LinkedIn,” Mr Evans said.

Photograph: iStockFrontline uniformed gardaí could be using Taser stun guns almost immediately under a proposal being brought to Government by Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan. The stun guns could be used in policing on the streets of Dublin, Waterford and Kilkenny over the Christmas period, if approved by Cabinet on Tuesday. It would be the first time that uniformed gardaí would be armed with Tasers and would mark a significant step for An Garda Síochána, whose frontline personnel are not armed. However, informed sources stressed there is no consideration being given to arming uniformed gardaí with firearms, like other police forces in Europe. Until now, the stun guns have only been used by the Garda’s specialist units, including the Emergency Response Unit and Armed Support Unit.

With an occupational scheme, employees do not need to contribute, but employers do. Now the State is set to clamp down on companies trying to limit employee contributions by opting for occupational schemes. Another change is that employee consent will be required for enrolment into a pension scheme, given previous concerns. Indeed, employers were previously told there would be no minimum level of contribution required for occupational schemes at least until 2031. And this “last-minute change” is coming at a time when companies are still trying to find out more about the auto-enrolment scheme.

Profit trends in the few big players that pay tax in the State remain strong. Photograph: Getty ImagesWednesday will be a big day for the public finances, with the key November tax returns due to be published. All eyes will be on the corporate tax haul, with Davy estimating that the take in this month alone could be close to €10 billion. Profit trends in the few big players that pay tax here remain strong. Of interest in this context will also be the key VAT and income tax returns in November.

Nienaber said he misses the Springboks while also continuing to love his time coaching at Leinster. So just because I enjoy coaching Leinster players, it does not mean now I don’t enjoy the players of South Africa. “They died for me when I was coaching them, just as the Leinster players die for me when I am coaching them now. Anthony Foley and Jacques Nienaber ahead of a Pro12 game between Munster and Leinster at the Aviva Stadium in October 2016. Photograph: Billy Stickland/Inpho“When the opportunity came to go back to South Africa, we said okay.

I’m far from home, but the similarities between Ireland and Mexico are many. Corn in Mexico is what potato is to Ireland – sacred, shape-shifting and 100 per cent indispensable. When not working as a steward aboard yachts, she can be found taking in the sights, sounds and wonders of Mexico. Every year, she still dreams of an Irish Christmas. Would you like to share your experience with Irish Times Abroad, something interesting about your life or your perspective as an emigrant?

The OECD said it expected no further rate cuts in the euro zone. Photograph: Alex Kraus/BloombergLeading economies will end their current rate-cutting cycles by the end of 2026, according to new Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) forecasts that suggest most major central banks have little scope for looser policy despite an expected slowdown in growth. The OECD said it expected no further rate cuts in the euro zone or Canada, but a steady tightening of monetary policy in Japan, where inflation is stabilising at about 2 per cent. In the UK, rate cuts by the Bank of England “will cease in the first half of 2026”, the OECD said, with Australia’s Reserve Bank set to reach a similar point in the second half of the year. Listen | 37:31“In many advanced economies, real policy rates are already close to or within estimated ranges for real neutral rates [at which monetary policy is neither boosting nor squeezing economic growth] and all are projected to be so at the end of 2027,” the OECD said.

Rebember, it's not like Vegas – what happens at the Christmas office party rarely stays at the Christmas office party“In my younger years, a well-to-do colleague hosted the Christmas office party,” actor and comedian Norma Sheahan tells me. “I wasn’t flush at the time, so I stole a fancy-looking bottle of wine from my parents’ house to take along.”At the event, Norma, full of Christmas cheer, opened the bottle and enjoyed a few glasses. “It turned out the drink was, in fact, poitín hidden inside a bottle of wine. And unlike Las Vegas, what happens at the Christmas office party rarely stays at the Christmas office party. Leaving before things get messy is rarely a decision you’ll regret.”To ensure good reputations are preserved, precautions must be taken in advance of the event.

Photograph: Kurt Desplenter/AFP via Getty ImagesThree people have been arrested and the offices of an EU agency searched in an investigation into the awarding of a publicly-funded contract to run training courses for junior diplomats. The fraud inquiry is focused on the so-called “European diplomacy academy” which was set up in recent years. The inquiry is being led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, an agency that investigates suspected fraud involving EU funds. The European diplomatic academy started out with an annual budget of close to €1 million. A spokeswoman for the EEAS confirmed police searches took place at the offices of the EU’s diplomatic corps.

Irish households are keen on savings accounts but not on investing, new reports have found. Ian Curran takes a look at the reports from the Central Bank and Banking and Payments Federation Ireland. Also seeking planning is five-star Dromoland Castle, which is hoping to turn stables on its site into 13 new bedrooms before the Ryder Cup returns to Ireland in 2027. Hugh Linehan asks whether now, with the passing of its original presenter, David Hanly, the time is right for RTÉ’s flagship news programme, Morning Ireland, to go for a full refresh? It has taken two decades to finally bring auto-enrolment to Ireland, ensuring that most Irish workers will have some private pension income when they retire alongside the State pension.

The infrastructural acceleration plan also promises to streamline the visa process for construction workers coming to work here. Under this heading, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is to have “whole-of-Government oversight” of infrastructure delivery as part of a reformed process. The consenting process for projects, notably in the water sector, is also to be streamlined. Under the separate heading of “public acceptance” in the recommendations, State bodies are to be obliged to co-operate in making land available and accessible for critical infrastructure. There is also to be a drive to help the public understand the vital role of big infrastructure projects.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (centre) receiving a standing ovation as he arrives into the Dáil chamber on Tuesday afternoon during his visit to Ireland. Photograph: Tony Maxwell/Maxwells

All Blacks legend and two-time Rugby World Cup winner Dan Carter, Australia’s most-capped player James Slipper and 2016 Olympic gold medallist Alicia Lucas will presenter the coverage. Manu Tuilagi following England's win over Argentina in the bronze final at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. But the 12 teams in the third and fourth bands will compete in the Nations Cup next year, so will have more matches and preparation time for the next World Cup. Chile’s brand of rugby was a joy at the last World Cup, while World Rugby will be praying the USA show signs of something before hosting the 2031 tournament. Portugal – Similarly, Ireland have never met Portugal in a World Cup but enjoyed a record 106-7 victory in their first-ever meeting in Lisbon last July.

The derelict site at the corner of Townsend Street and Lombard Street in Dublin city centre that is now earmarked for a tourist hostel. Photograph: Alan BetsonA seven-storey, 434-bed hostel development has been granted planning permission at an “eyesore” location on Townsend Street in Dublin 2. The site is now set for partial demolition, but the facade at 114 Townsend Street is to be retained. The planning consultants described the area as “highly accessible” and noted they considered it “highly appropriate for a tourist hostel”. He described the derelict site as “an eyesore for the neighbourhood” but called upon the council to request a “more beautiful and robust design” for the hostel development.

I'm a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! 2025: Vogue Williams. Photograph: ITVIrish presenter and podcaster Vogue Williams has become the third contestant to be voted off I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! [ Patrick Freyne: Vogue Williams, top Irish export, like Kerrygold, Bono and alcoholismOpens in new window ]Williams’s departure comes after comedian Eddie Kadi was voted out on Sunday and sports broadcaster Alex Scott was voted off on Friday night. I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here!