Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous

Confucius, China's most famous philosopher, was asked by a student if there was one word that could represent a guiding principle in life. His answer was "shu" - meaning a reciprocal arrangement exists between yourself and others, so consider their needs when you do something. It's a good rule of thumb for any individual, but governments should particularly bear it in mind, because a mutual connection exists between a government and its electorate that any administration ignores at its peril.

Alan Walsh, in his 40s, was riding the e-scooter when it was involved in the crash at the junction of Manor Hill and Hennessy's Road in Waterford City at about 11 am on Christmas Day. He was taken to University Hospital Waterford where he died. His funeral mass is to be held on January 3 at the Sacred Heart Church in Waterford.

Gardaí have received over 2,500 reports of drug-related intimidation in the past five years, with a senior detective saying that violence linked to the drug trade impacts every parish in Ireland. Crime statistics also show that drug debt enforcement has risen by 27pc since 2021, with criminals mainly using threats to kill, blackmail and attacks on property to intimidate victims.

The Mariupol Drama Theatre, destroyed in a Russian airstrike in 2022 while hundreds of civilians were sheltering in its basement, is to open its doors again, with Russian occupation authorities heralding the reconstruction as a sign of renewal, while former actors at the theatre denounced the reopening as dancing on bones. The Kremlin has made the reconstruction of Mariupol a calling card of its rule in occupied Ukraine, but Moscow's

In this holiday special, The World visits Greenland. Former Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute B. Egede stated this year, "We do not want to be Danish, we do not want to be American. We want to be Greenlandic." We look at divided opinions around the territory's independence. Also, a look at Denmark's controversial parenting test that resulted in a disproportionate number of Inuit families being separated.

For years, the mostly closed-off lives of the nuns living in a retirement home in Raiano, a mountain village in Italy's Abruzzo region, followed much the same daily rhythm. They woke early, prayed, went to the chapel, had lunch, and perhaps whiled away the afternoon reading. But their routine switched pace when, under pressure from the eldest of the 22 women Sister Maria Chiara, 98 to liven things up, they broke out into social media.

Former Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute B. Egede stated this year, "We do not want to be Danish, we do not want to be American. We want to be Greenlandic." We look at divided opinions around the territory's independence. Also, a look at Denmark's controversial parenting test that resulted in a disproportionate number of Inuit families being separated. And, an official apology from Denmark for forcing Indigenous women and girls from Greenland into using contraceptive devices beginning in the 1960s.

Dr Dermot Farrell says he welcomes 'signs of a new urgency in public policy', but politicians must be 'bolder' in addressing issues

Live updatesLive updates, Russian attack on Ukraine's Zaporizhia region kills at least one and injures three, according to its governor. At least one person has been killed and three injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine's Zaporizhia region, including the city of Zaporizhzhia, according to its governor. Ukrainian overnight drone attacks hit Moscow and sparked an industrial fire in the Tula region, which lies directly south of the Russian capital, regional authorities say.

Hundreds of thousands of workers are due to be automatically enrolled in the My Future Fund from new year's day. Employers will be forced to sign up workers and make contributions into the new scheme if the staff do not have a works-based pension or a private one and if they meet other criteria. But Mr Calleary has been concerned that some companies have been trying to circumvent signing up staff for the new scheme by putting them into company schemes with peppercorn contributions.

For Maga politicians, European tech regulation hits hard in two areas: at the economic interests of Silicon Valley and at their view of free speech. The action against five Europeans who are taking on harmful content and the platforms that host it has had an inevitable feel to it, given the increasingly vociferous reactions to the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) and the UK's Online Safety Act (OSA).

Analysis by Deutsche Bank investigated how much a 5km journey cost in a cab in cities across the world, as part of its Mapping the World's Prices 2025 report. The data included both traditional taxis and cabs ordered through an app like Uber or Bolt. London came in fifth place, with around £17.26 per 5km ride, ahead of other expensive cities including Amsterdam, Milan and Tokyo.

A new pavilion opens on Mount Royal, the highest point in Montreal and home to the landmark basilica Saint Joseph's Oratory. Designed by architecture practice Lemay, the intervention climbs four stories along the upper slopes of the mountain park. It's embedded into a wooded landscape and reframes the experience of arrival at one of Quebec's most visited cultural and religious sites.

Russian forces launched one of their largest drone assaults in weeks overnight, striking multiple regions across Ukraine and inflicting more damage to the country's energy network. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia deployed 116 attack drones early on December 24, nearly 90 of which were Iranian-made Shahed models. Ukrainian air defenses destroyed 60 drones, while 48 managed to hit targets in 19 locations, the military said.

Sarah Ryan has waived her legal right to anonymity, saying she wants people to know what her former partner did because, she believes, silence protects abusers. Nathan Grant McNulty (27) of Ballyogan Avenue, Carrickmines, Co Dublin was jailed for eight years last week for the rape and coercive control of Ms Ryan. Ms Ryan said she is "still in shock" after a four-year legal battle.

They tried to kill us. They failed. Let's eat, Andrew Walters said. It is an old Jewish joke that's as relevant as ever in Greater Manchester in the face of today's threats. For Walters, the independent councillor for Kersal and Broughton Park, Salford, the joke encapsulates the good-humoured resilience that is a defining feature of his Orthodox Jewish community. This vibrant neighbourhood was identified as a target by an Islamic State sleeper cell, whose plot to kill as many Jews as possible in a marauding firearms attack was thwarted.

On earth, there is no room for God if there is no room for the human person. To refuse one is to refuse the other, said the pope during the solemn service, attended by about 6,000 people inside the basilica. Leo, the first US-born pope, is celebrating his first Christmas after being elected in May by the world's cardinals to succeed the late Pope Francis.

However, Ukraine's president said sensitive issues around territorial control in Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland, along with the management of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), remain unresolved. Mr Zelensky spoke as the US showed the 20-point plan, hammered out after marathon talks in Florida in recent days, to Russian negotiators. A response is expected from Moscow today, Mr Zelensky said. The Ukrainian president briefed journalists on each point of the plan yesterday but his comments were embargoed until this morning.

"It is brilliant. It has been a rollercoaster. We can only imagine what Maureen and Féile have been through. Thankfully, Féile made the 400km long journey yesterday from Crumlin Hospital yesterday by Bumbleance. A load of people turned up to welcome her home and to wish her well along the way with many having bonfires lighting on the road. It really illustrates how happy and grateful people are that Féile is home. Féile has been in hospital since July 2."