Monday 19 October 2026Lunchtime (Europe/Dublin)
DailyBotThe lunchtime paper
Lunchtime edition
17 stories
Europe live: Macron has refused his interior minister's resignation after huge protests, saying Laurent Nunez should stay to ensure the chain of command with police and security forces.
The French prime minister has called for 'local and partial curfews' as he blames the ultra-left for exploiting the protests; the interior minister conceded police lost control, with forces in cities including Paris and Lyon overwhelmed.
Macron has criticised 'unbridled violence' after days of unrest, with ministers, officials and police under pressure over the response to protests as the government holds crisis talks amid a 'colossal failure of the state'.
France has been hit by a debt sell-off as the protests unnerve investors, with the gap between French and German 10-year borrowing costs widening after the violence.
Explained: why are people protesting across Europe? School conditions, housing costs and the cost of living have brought demonstrators onto the streets in several countries.
The US gave no warning of Russian strikes on Kyiv's power plants, Zelenskyy says, accusing Washington of a 'denial of reality' in the ongoing row with Trump over apparent support for Moscow.
Ukraine briefing: Trump accuses Zelenskyy of not wanting to end the war and defends waiving some Russia sanctions; Lithuania foils an attack on a Starlink site; Kyiv hits another oil terminal. What we know on day 1,699.
Australian independent MP Helen Haines is fighting for life after an incident in Wangaratta; Anthony Albanese says his thoughts are with the Indi MP after the arrest of a driver.
'Everything you would want from a politician': who is Helen Haines? Condemnation across the political spectrum after the Wangaratta incident, with a nearby Nationals MP saying she is 'not a divisive figure'.
An African island is fighting an offshore gambling network linked to a UK family; London-based property investors deny selling licences to casinos claiming to be based on Anjouan in the Indian Ocean.
Downing Street has delivered a rare rebuke to a senior Trump administration figure, saying Hegseth was 'wrong' to claim most non-US Nato soldiers didn't fight.
Tap water is no longer drinkable in a Norwegian town after climate-related damage: residents of Longyearbyen in Svalbard, one of the fastest-warming places in the world, told not to use the water - a warning for other Arctic communities.
Trump has branded a federal judge a 'crazed lunatic' amid clashes over his projects to reshape Washington landmarks, including the East Potomac course.
Sticker tycoon, Trump cheerleader, rapper, congressman? Anthony Constantino wants to fill Elise Stefanik's New York seat, but his lead in the formerly Trump-loving district is narrowing.
Obama has condemned comments by Trump's 'border czar' that Ilhan Omar could be deported, urging Americans to defend the congresswoman: 'there's no reason to believe it will stop with her'.
Three deaths from float crushes have raised safety concerns over Japanese festivals, after the deputy mayor of Saijo died trapped under a float, days after two similar incidents elsewhere.
Amelia Earhart researchers have left a remote atoll empty-handed after a metallic glint spotted in the waters off Nikumaroro proved not to be her plane.
21 stories
Gardai believe a trio arrested after an M50 pursuit were involved in an incident in which three masked males armed with golf clubs smashed up a car and damaged a house in Malahide early on Sunday.
Any pay deal reached with unions must have productivity elements, the Taoiseach says; Forsa chief Kevin Callinan says unions will now test whether the Government has understood protesters' position.
Cutting a Palestine flag necklace from a Cheap Irish Homes episode was a misjudgment: the participant wearing it was not informed of the edit before broadcast and has complained to Coimisiun na Mean.
Sally Rooney knows what she's doing and is willing to pay the price: very few writers are as famous, and almost none as willing to leverage that fame as bravely for a moral cause.
The best and worst companies in Ireland for customer experience: Irish companies overall seem to be doing better than counterparts abroad, but there are recidivist offenders and a notable debutant on the naughty list.
Broke in Australia, I took a street sales job - but sidelined my better judgment: we were taught how to convince strangers you were trustworthy enough to hand over their bank details.
The escalation of the legal aid dispute was 'entirely avoidable', Sinn Fein's justice committee chairman Matt Carthy says, criticising Jim O'Callaghan's handling of the issue.
Rain and wind are expected this week ahead of a 'blustery' bank holiday weekend, Met Eireann forecasting very windy conditions and heavy rainfall on Thursday.
Davina McCall has revealed a new health battle against cardiovascular disease, urging women to be aware of their health and not brush things off.
An 'Islamist' bomb threat email was sent to up to 300 Northern Ireland schools; the PSNI is treating the letters as a hoax, although some schools have closed.
There has been a huge rise in claims of unlawful detention linked to the withdrawal of legal aid: almost 90 challenges mounted since July at costs of 20,000 to over 40,000 euro per case.
Solemn guard of honour: Waterford residents paid tribute to four family members killed in the house fire, with Johnville football club, where 12-year-old Callum English played, providing the guard of honour.
Gugai MacNamara of the Roisin Dubh: 'There's a wildness to Galway' - the music booker on the pull of Galway, the importance of grassroots venues, and the negativity around immigration.
A man (40s) is due in court charged in connection with an organised crime investigation after being arrested alongside two women following the seizure of more than 300,000 euro in cash in Dublin.
Who was George Gabriel Stokes? The Irish mathematician whose 180-year-old equations OpenAI claims to have proved - tech rivals are less than impressed.
Being Irish and Jewish: I love my home, but I am so angry - the pride I once had in being Irish is fleeting.
Fr Dougal Maguire hit on an under-recognised truth about faith and doubt: Catholic theologian Tomas Halik argues the difference between belief and non-belief is not as great as you'd think.
Melanie C in Dublin review: the Spice Girl meets her teenage raver in a night of likeability, confidence and liberation at 3Olympia, on a tour promoting Sweat, her ninth studio album.
Love is complicated, but neurodivergent people often bond around special interests: the third of a four-part series on neurodiversity and the family by John Sharry.
'Nobody ate, nobody drank': inside the strange culture of San Francisco, where soaring wealth, rising rents and widening social divides are changing the city again.
Elon Musk's 'flying' Tesla: car of the future or just more hype? In the News podcast with Bernice Harrison.
12 stories
The Drumcree legal challenge has heard the PSNI believed it was 'possible' disorder would result from the parade, and 'highly likely' the protest would continue to involve significant numbers.
Hospital campaign groups have united in an effort to save rural acute services, calling on the Executive to recognise the cross-departmental impact cuts will have on rural patients.
A 1m pound compensation bill has been run up over injuries at Northern Ireland's school playgrounds, with the highest payout year 2023/24 at 520,000 pounds.
A road has been closed following a 'serious' crash in Newry, with police saying it is expected to remain closed for some time.
The car used to kill Catholic teenagers Thomas 'Tucker' Donaghy and Margaret McErlean, murdered by the UDA/UFF in February 1974, was stolen from an RUC man.
Parents who send children to schools other than the nearest option could face changes, with Education Minister Paul Givan saying the definition of a 'suitable school' will be examined in any future review.
Noel Doran: Jeffrey Donaldson's carefully crafted Christian image - shortly after he became DUP leader, he felt able to compare himself with Joseph from the Book of Genesis.
The Drumcree legal challenge is returning to the High Court, launched after the parade was banned from the nationalist Garvaghy Road.
A mum of autistic sons fears 'isolation' as the regulator tells a charity it can no longer provide support: 'My sons deserve to be part of society,' says the Armagh mother who got her life back thanks to the charity.
The Side Bar: the team behind popular Belfast pub The Garrick are preparing a new bar and restaurant on Chichester Street, creating 20 jobs.
Tom Kelly: another report on paramilitary transition? What a load of nonsense - almost three decades after the Good Friday Agreement, it's time to change the record.
Don Mullan: it's time to talk about King Billy's links to the slave trade - both James II and William III are implicated in the expansion and rewards of slavery.
37 stories
A letter from convicted paedophile Jeffrey Donaldson tells of the comfort he took from his Bible in the days before he was handed a 15-year sentence.
A former bomb investigator has raised questions over undisclosed 'Omagh, Omagh, Omagh' intelligence, the ex-lead detective asking whether further intelligence remains undisclosed.
'Some people settle down with a book or the TV... I rummage in skips': special needs assistant Paula transforms trash into treasure.
A union claims a strike by offshore workers could disrupt flights.
A man is due in court over an alleged assault on an officer.
Comment: 'The Yank' memoir suggests the IRA was less sophisticated than believed - unionist MP Alex Easton recently raised John Crawley's alleged 'confession' to shooting a police officer.
A man and woman have been left shaken and a house damaged after it was set alight in an arson attack in north Belfast on Sunday evening.
Jeffrey Donaldson will have to serve 2,850 days behind bars: outrage as the child rapist gets the automatic half-off jail term.
'The worst sinners still need prayer': a shamed ex-Tory MP turned Anglican priest tells how he sent a 'message of hope' letter to paedophile Jeffrey Donaldson.
Jeffrey Donaldson 'cried himself to sleep' after sentencing; the paedophile ex-politician is set for transfer to Magilligan Prison once the dust on his sentence settles.
Jeffrey Donaldson is to be questioned behind bars by Met Police over an allegation he sexually assaulted a woman in his House of Commons office in 2016.
Paedophile Jeffrey Donaldson will be under threat every day of his sentence in Maghaberry jail, a former governor of the Maze prison has warned.
Taylor Swift dazzled in a dress designed by Northern Irish global fashion icon Jonathan Anderson at a major Hollywood red carpet event on Saturday.
A Russell Brand rape accuser was 'appalled' when the star was rehired as a presenter after the alleged assault, she has told his trial.
Pollution breaches, explosions and a complaint: environment chiefs are 'very concerned' over recent incidents at a Co Down site.
The SDLP 'stands firmly behind' Justin McNulty after he received a letter from the PSNI over his presence at a protest on the Garvaghy Road.
The DUP is facing huge pressure to collapse Stormont as the Drumcree row deepens, with a court challenge over the Garvaghy Road parade ban to hear a police assessment that the Provos are still operational.
How MLAs traded insults during the three-hour debate before the vote - none of the votes received cross-community support.
The DUP could be the biggest losers from Drumcree as a new poll looms - another big day awaits as the Garvaghy parading row heads back to court.
Gone but not forgotten: 30 of Northern Ireland's lost restaurants - from greasy spoons to gourmet cuisine, Ivan Little goes on a culinary trip down memory lane.
Disgraced All-Ireland GAA star Kevin McGourty has dodged prison but been told to do unpaid work and engage with addiction services.
Battle of the supermarkets: Lidl Northern Ireland has hit out at rival Tesco for opposing planning permission for new premises in Londonderry.
A paedophile loyalist bandsman is under UVF death threat after admitting his crimes; the pervert, kneecapped by the gang as a teenager, has been told to stay out of east Antrim.
'My dad was murdered by the IRA and the state let it happen': Austin Stack on how his personal mission to find out what happened to his father took him into the dark world of the paramilitaries.
London shouldn't give Stormont any more money: Stormont's financial chaos, moral hazard and failing services exposed as London cash keeps flowing - but John O'Dowd says enough is enough.
And the only person in the world to publicly support Jeffrey Donaldson: Donaldson and Jonathan Aitken have plenty in common, both having strode the corridors of power at Westminster.
NI airport ground staff used an internal system to target passengers: Swissport says it took 'all appropriate action' during the investigation into the underhand practice.
A Belfast family is searching for answers after their mother, who had dementia, was allegedly assaulted in a care home; a doctor said the incident significantly contributed to her declining health before her death four months later.
A right-wing politician is to be reported for purporting to be an election candidate: despite repeated warnings, the former Tory MP has not deleted the post.
Ask Allison: my husband has ADHD and recently went through a late diagnosis - psychologist Allison Keating on struggling with a partner's volatile moods and what can change.
West Belfast maintains the highest antisocial behaviour rate of any Housing Executive area in Northern Ireland every year since 2021, figures show.
'Sisters are great... they give you their honest opinion': the siblings bringing tinting from the salon to the bathroom.
Jailed cocaine kingpin 'Trigger' has been expelled from the paramilitary gang, a move against the former commander jailed last week for three years.
'We're going to be dealing with the death on our roads for years': a consultant warns children will live with the effects of a crash for years.
'I didn't even know if my carers could come out': technology from Elon Musk's Starlink is being installed to support residents of a Newtownards community during severe weather.
Comment: Jeffrey Donaldson's incessant trips to the developing world - constant foreign missions, luxury travel and paedophilia, and how his hidden overseas career raises dark questions about child sex abuse.
Public backlash as the Altnagelvin A&E upgrade is shelved: members of the public have shared 'horrendous' experiences of long waits as it emerged upgrades will not be delivered.