Five things you need to know today

1. Taoiseach dismisses proposals for bilateral agreement with UK
The Taoiseach dismissed a proposal by the House of Lords EU committee for a bilateral trade and customs deal between the UK and Ireland if Britain leaves the customs union after Brexit. "A bilateral deal is not available in the context of Ireland being a member of the European Union negotiating team.
We have agreed because of the common travel area which has applied since 1922 that nobody should lose any benefits from that. We've made it very clear to all of the leaders the importance of the peace process, our own economy, Interreg funds, and no return to a hard Border," he said at the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday.
http://iti.ms/2hMZkPV

2. Rent rise cap of 4% on the way as FF drops objection
A 4 per cent ceiling on rent increases in Dublin and Cork, with other cities and commuter counties to follow, will be introduced next year after Fianna Fáil withdrew most of its objections to a package of measures published earlier this week by Minister for Housing Simon Coveney.
However, officials had to scramble to salvage the legislation on Thursday night after Sinn Féin spotted a drafting error that would have allowed annual increases of up to 8 per cent.
http://iti.ms/2gHOxkT

3. Threat of hospital bed closures as nurses vote for action
Planned industrial action by nurses will, if it goes ahead, almost certainly lead to the closure of hospital beds and the curtailment of services from early February.
Such developments would also potentially exacerbate the existing serious overcrowding problem in public hospitals which saw 540 patients on trolleys at one stage this week.
The Government last night described the planned strikes and industrial action by nurses and midwives over staffing levels and working conditions as "regrettable".
http://iti.ms/2hN98cB

4. Homelessness protestors take over Dublin Nama building
About 100 "concerned citizens", including high-profile personalities, have gathered in Dublin on Thursday night to take over Apollo House, a Nama property, in order to accommodate the homeless.
The coalition, calling itself 'Home Sweet Home', includes trade unionists, charities, poets, actor John Connors and high-profile artists such as director Jim Sheridan and singers Hozier and Christy Moore.
Describing the property in the south inner-city as "lying empty and belonging to us, the Irish people", trade unionist Brendan Ogle said the "intervention" had two "key components" - a practical one to provide "safe, warm accommodation", and to "focus national and international attention on the unacceptability of buildings lying empty while people are homeless".
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Threat of hospital bed closures as nurses vote for action

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Foster and Bell give conflicting accounts of energy scheme

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Rent rise cap of 4% on the way as FF drops objections

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Taoiseach dismisses proposals for bilateral agreement with UK

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5. Arlene Foster and Jonathan Bell give conflicting accounts of renewable energy scheme
Former DUP minister Jonathan Bell and the First Minister Arlene Foster have provided conflicting accounts about the controversial Renewable Heat Incentive scheme which could result in an overspend of more than £400 million.
Both DUP politicians accused one another of acting aggressively to each other with Ms Foster also rejecting a claim by Mr Bell that he wanted to close down a revised version of the scheme in January but that she insisted it be kept open for an additional two weeks.
Mr Bell also alleged that some DUP Stormont special advisers interfered so that an earlier and more costly version of the scheme, which he said he wanted to end in October last year, was kept open for several additional weeks.
http://iti.ms/2gHO2HN

And finally: Gillian Bowler: 'The first successful business woman many of us actually noticed'
Kathy Sheridan on the tough and driven travel entrepreneur who disrupted the entire Irish tourism industry.
http://iti.ms/2hN91h7