1. Dublin Bus to halt services at 9pm
All Dublin Bus services are to stop at 9pm on Wednesday to allow the buses to be brought back to depots ahead of a strike on Thursday and Friday.
A spokeswoman for Dublin Bus said the decision was made on health and safety grounds as employees were due to begin industrial action from midnight.
About 400,000 people face having their travel plans disrupted on Thursday and Friday as a result of strike action by staff over pay.
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2. State admits it will accept Apple €13bn if plea fails
The Government has acknowledged the €13 billion award in the Apple tax case will have to be accepted by the State if its appeal against the European Commission ruling fails.
A briefing paper released by the Department of Finance said the Revenue Commissioners is now obliged to collect the €13 billion sum and it will be put into an escrow account.
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3. VHI warns soaring claims could overwhelm system
The private health insurance model currently operated in Ireland will be unsustainable in the years ahead due to the surging cost of claims from an ageing population, VHI has warned.
The State-owned company, which is the country’s largest health insurer, forecast that the cost of claims in the overall market will rise by about 80 per cent to €3.4 billion by 2025.
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4. Syrian forces ‘drop chlorine bombs on Aleppo’
Syrian government aircraft have dropped suspected chlorine bombs on a crowded district of Aleppo, injuring dozens, activists and rescue workers said.
The report could not be independently verified.
Accusations involving the use of chlorine and other poisonous gases are not uncommon in Syria’s civil war, and both sides have denied using them.
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5. Kenny meets Tusk as Dáil gathers to debate Apple tax ruling
European Council president Donald Tusk arrives for his first official visit to Ireland amid deepening tensions between Dublin and Brussels over last week's Apple tax ruling.
Today’s visit takes place as the Dáil reconvenes to debate the Government’s decision to appeal the European Commission’s finding that Ireland granted Apple €13 billion in illegal state aid.
A lunchtime meeting between Mr Tusk, pictured above, and Enda Kenny will be the first face-to-face encounter between the Taoiseach and one of the EU’s most senior figures since the controversial decision.
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And finally. . . Kathy Sheridan: Limited terms for politicians sound appealing but would change little
"Isn't it grand to see the confidence of some of the newbies in the Dáil? In situ just a few months and already Sean Canney, the Independent Alliance TD for Galway East, has concluded that a couple of terms will suffice to achieve everything required of him as an office holder and presumably, every political goal he has mapped out for himself."