GOOD MORNING.
Here’s all the news you need to know as you start your day.
National security
1. Politicians on the Oireachtas Committee for Defence and National Security believe the government has worked deliberately to stop the group from having any real oversight of defence or security in the country.
Niall O’Connor reports in this morning’s lead story that the issue has come to a head after An Garda Síochána’s Special Detective Unit and officials from the Department of the Taoiseach declined an invitation to a recent meeting to discuss national security concerns.
Suicide reduction strategy
2. There has been a reduction in the number of people who present to Irish hospitals with self-harm related injuries, a review has found.
The National Suicide Research Foundation reported that in 2024 there were a total of 12,621 self-harm presentations in hospitals by 9,436 individuals, a decrease of 5% overall, and the rate 19% lower than the peak rate the foundation recorded in 2010.
Appeal
3. A renewed appeal has been launched for Sandra Collins, who went missing today in Co Mayo 25 years ago.
The last confirmed sighting of Sandra was on the night of Monday, December 4, 2000 at approximately 11pm at the Country Kitchen premises George’s Street, Killala. She was aged 28 at the time.
Seán Binder
4. Amnesty International said “humanity is on trial” as court proceedings are due to get underway later in Greece against Irishman Seán Binder.
The organisation said Binder and 23 other defendants are on trial for their work as volunteer rescuers, which included helping people in distress and at risk of drowning at sea.
Ukraine
5. Donald Trump said he believes Russia’s Vladimir Putin wants to end the Ukraine war despite inconclusive talks in Moscow, as US officials prepared for a follow-up meeting with Kyiv’s top negotiator.
The Kremlin said afterward it found parts of the US plan to end the war unacceptable, even though the proposal includes Ukraine ceding parts of the eastern Donbas region it still holds nearly four years after Russia’s invasion.
Eurovision
6. Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest will be debated at a two-day meeting of member broadcasters in Geneva starting today, following calls to exclude the country over its Gaza war tactics.
Countries including Ireland, Iceland, Spain and the Netherlands, have threatened in recent months to pull out of the 2026 contest if Israel takes part.
Gaza
7. Gaza’s civil defence agency said that an Israeli strike on the Palestinian territory killed five people including two children.
The Israeli military said it had struck a “Hamas terrorist” in southern Gaza in response to a clash with Palestinian militants in the area that wounded five soldiers.
Bluetongue
8. Surveillance for bluetongue is being ramped up in the Republic after two cases were confirmed in the North.
Bluetongue is a disease which is mainly spread by biting midges and affects sheep, cattle, and other ruminants such as deer and goats.
