Your Friday morning catch-up

Good morning. Here’s everything you need to know before you start your day.

TOP STORIES - Election 2016

Rising tensions between the coalition parties over the date of the election have forced Tánaiste Joan Burton to declare she is “not a quitter” and is confident the Government will run its full term. Ms Burton held private talks with Enda Kenny yesterday and afterwards denied she and Labour were being “bounced” into going early, after speculation that the Taoiseach is leaning towards a November poll.

Fine Gael says it wants to end the passive welfare culture in Ireland. The Taoiseach has announced the party would introduce a new working family payment if in Government after the election.

The Anti Austerity Alliance will release its pre-budget submission today. It is the second time the group has released such a document and comes a day after it joined forces with People Before Profit for Oireachtas speaking time.

WORLD 

A US airman hailed a hero for helping to stop a terror attack on a French train has been stabbed and seriously wounded outside a bar in his home town, in what police said was an alcohol-related brawl.

’Limited progress’ has apparently been made between the US and Russia over its military operations in Syria. American Secretary of State John Kerry has spoken to his counterpart in Moscow on the phone, concerned groups other than Islamic State are being targeted.