Lunchtime briefing: Bertie Ahern invited to rejoin FF for 'electoral reasons'. Catch up on the headlines

Good afternoon. Here’s all the news you need to know this lunchtime.

IRELAND

The decision to invite Bertie Ahern to rejoin Fianna Fáil was made for purely electoral reasons according to the Chairman of Dublin Central.

142 people is the average number of rough sleepers in Dublin City this winter, up 58 people compared to this time last year. This is a 56% increase in homelessness in the space of 12 months.

The Government has been accused of 'stroke politics' after blocking Fianna Fáil legislation from proceeding to committee stage.

Bus drivers are accusing the National Transport Authority of being the - HSE on Wheels. The National Bus and Railworkers Union has announced a new campaign aimed at protecting rural transport services.

WORLD 

The President-elect of America has announced his intention to leave his “great business in total” in order to focus on his duties at President of America in the near future.

Syrian activists say at least 21 people have been killed in an artillery barrage on a housing area for those displaced in rebel-held eastern Aleppo.

Tobacco giants have lost the latest round of their legal battle against the British Government's new plain-packaging rules.

Germany's largest airline has cancelled 890 flights today as pilots continue to strike in a row over wages.

SPORT

Brazil's leading football clubs have pledged to loan players to Chapecoense for free and asked for them to be safeguarded from relegation from the top flight for the next three seasons following a plane crash in Colombia which left 75 people dead.

A bonus points system will be used in this season's RBS Six Nations Championship.

With three wins, including a first over New Zealand, November has been a hugely encouraging month for Joe Schmidt and Irish rugby in general. So what were the major discussion points?

Monica and Sabrina Flores wore different jerseys while playing at the Women’s Sub-20 World Cup but family ties remained strong after the final whistle.

OPINION

Senators lost the run of themselves yesterday with the visit of Scotland’s first minister to the Upper House.

BUSINESS

Cork-headquartered tech support company Voxpro has said it should have the capacity to grow employee numbers in its home city by a further 400 in the next 12 months.

LIFESTYLE

Caroline Hennessy creates a feast of not so fictional food: Spiced hot chocolate, Swedish ginger snaps, home baked beans, and roast eggs.

SHOWBIZ

She’s back and she means business. Una Healy has announced two headline shows for 2017.

VIRAL

This Christmas you might want to support a charity, but if you're finding it difficult to afford a donation there is another way you can make a difference.

It may have been icy here this morning, but over in Saudi Arabia they’ve been having full blown, proper snow.

VIDEO - OUR CHOICE

A consultant who wrote a book about death has been named Cork Person of the Month.

TECHNOW

GAMING: It’s been ten years but at last the newest installation in the Final Fantasy series is finally here as Final Fantasy XV drops.

MOVIES/TV: Well who hasn’t been excited for this film? It has everything one would want, Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, robots, space. It’s all there. With the release date for Passengers looming more clips have begun to emerge from the film.

TECH: The e-retailing giant Amazon could be revamping the look of one of their most popular products, the Amazon Echo.

MOST READ RIGHT NOW

With three wins, including a first over New Zealand, November has been a hugely encouraging month for Joe Schmidt and Irish rugby in general. So what were the major discussion points?