*‘I want nice, thin blood’: Trump defends heavy aspirin use amid health questions* Donald Trump takes “more aspirin” than his doctors recommend but says his “health is perfect”, according to an interview given to the Wall Street Journal after the outlet recently questioned the 79-year-old US president’s health. Mr Trump told the Journal that the large dose of aspirin he takes daily causes him to bruise easily and that doctors have encouraged him to take a lower dose – but he declined the advice because he has been taking it for 25 years. https://tinyurl.com/2vw4x2z5

*Enoch Burke legal saga set to continue as courts grapple with teacher’s ‘moral universe’* “I won’t back down.” Tom Petty’s well-known song used in several political campaigns over the years, would be a fitting backtrack to the lengthy legal saga surrounding Enoch Burke. Since the onset of the litigation between Wilson’s Hospital School and Burke more than 3½ years ago, the dispute has been subject of multiple court listings, more than 60 court orders, and at least 25 judgments of the High Court and Court of Appeal. https://tinyurl.com/4zpa8z6c

*‘There was panic’: Neighbour tells of rescuing children from Finglas home targeted by arsonists* A child whose family home was petrol-bombed in a case of mistaken identity managed to run to safety and alert neighbours that her siblings and mother were trapped inside by the flames. One neighbour who helped to rescue the family at Meakstown near Finglas, north Dublin, told The Irish Times he could see children looking down at him from an upstairs bedroom window as fire spread towards them. “I thought because the [child] had run out of the house then I’d be able to go in,” said Emmanuel Bello (26) whose family home is near the property mistakenly targeted on Creston Avenue. “But then I saw that fire spread. My mum was saying, ‘Don’t go inside, the fire’s really bad’. I was about to break down, to start crying, because you can’t just stand there and do nothing. https://tinyurl.com/222unwhn

The Irish man who died in a drowning incident off a beach in Australia on New Year’s Eve has been named locally. https://tinyurl.com/mva28ncp

A man in his 30s is in a critical condition in hospital after an alleged serious assault in Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon, in the early hours of New Year’s Day. https://tinyurl.com/ekasmc6h

Members of the Communications Workers’ Union employed at Covalen in Sandyford, south Dublin, will strike on January 6th in a dispute relating to redundancy proposals for up to 420 staff. https://tinyurl.com/44x2brnj

*Met Éireann forecasts snow and ice as weather warnings issued for all of Ireland this weekend* A number of status yellow weather warnings have been issued for the entire country this weekend as temperatures are forecast to fall to as low as -4 degrees, Met Éireann has said. The weather across Ireland will turn colder, with the mild temperatures of recent days dropping to below zero. Met Éireann said wintry showers in many areas could result in snow accumulations, leading to potentially hazardous travel conditions and poor visibility. https://tinyurl.com/yv5t72kk

*Snow and sleet possible as temperatures of –4 forecast for weekend* Temperatures are expected to fall to as low as –4 degrees at the weekend, with chances of snow and sleet in the northwest of the State, Met Éireann has said. A status-yellow snow and ice warning for all of Northern Ireland, issued by the UK Met Office is in place until 10am today. The weather across Ireland will turn colder, with the mild temperatures of recent days dropping to below zero. https://tinyurl.com/5db2cm77

*Healy-Rae urges ‘serious rethink’ of planned short-term lets crackdown* There should be a “serious rethink” of the Government’s planned crackdown on short-term letting (STL) “before irreparable damage is done to rural Ireland”, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Michael Healy-Rae has told senior Coalition figures. The Independent junior minister and Kerry TD said the existing plans are “not the solution to the housing crisis ... It is scapegoating and I cannot and will not support it.” https://tinyurl.com/3k3bj8rn

*Irish homes now selling for 52% more than pre-Covid levels, says Daft report* The Republic’s housing shortage will drag into this year as home building continues to lag demand, one expert predicts. Most estimates of the number of new houses built in the State in 2025 run to about 30,000, which is about half the 60,000-70,000 that are needed. Construction is likely to increase in 2026 but there is little hope of reaching 60,000-70,000 this year, Ronan Lyons, professor in economics at Trinity College Dublin has said. https://tinyurl.com/3fjtsb8n