There are no Covid-19 PCR tests available in ten counties, according to the Health Service Executive's portal this morning.

Plans for a multi-million euro development of Cork city's docklands have been announced, which would include the re-purposing of the Odlums Mills building, a new rehabilitation hospital, and the construction of office and apartment buildings.

The Minister for Education has confirmed that antigen testing in schools will come into effect from next Monday 29 November, and that all guidance will be made available to schools and parents this week.

The head of the Child Care Law Reform Project has said that a lack of joint-up service provision, including for mental health, is resulting in some vulnerable children ending up in care without the proper interventions.

Sweden's parliament has elected Social Democratic party leader and current Finance Minister Magdalena Andersson as the country's first woman prime minister, after she clinched a last-minute deal securing key support.

A NASA mission to deliberately smash a spacecraft into an asteroid - a test run should humanity ever need to stop a giant space rock from wiping out life on Earth - blasted off last night from California.

The Biden administration has invited Taiwan to its "Summit for Democracy" next month, according to a list of participants published yesterday, a move likely to infuriate China, which views the democratically governed island as its territory.

New Zealand will keep its borders closed to most international travellers for a further five months, the country's government has said, outlining a cautious easing of coronavirus border curbs that have been in place for nearly two years.

A little known sect led by a pastor who pokes eyes to heal is at the centre of a Covid-19 outbreak in South Korea, as the country reported a new daily record of 4,116 cases and battles a spike in serious cases straining hospitals.

A group of truckers and hauliers is leading convoys from the main motorways around Dublin into the city centre today, protesting for "lower fuel costs at the pump and at home".

If you've been searching for some Christmas activities, you might have noticed a distinct lack of ice-skating rinks in your county.

France and Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema was found guilty of complicity in the attempted blackmail of a former international team mate over a sex tape on Wednesday and sentenced to a one-year suspended jail term.

The Department of Education has announced additional measures to help increase the availability of substitute teachers.

The Department of Health has confirmed 3,666 new cases of Covid-19 as the Chief Medical Officer said that people appear to be heeding public health advice and are reducing their contacts.

Albert Einstein's handwritten notes for the theory of relativity fetched a record €13 million at an auction in Paris.

Dr Mike Ryan of the WHO warned that countries needed to be cautious when considering introducing mandatory vaccination but conceded some "may feel they have no other option".

The Coombe Hospital has apologised to the family a young mother who died of sepsis on Christmas Day three years ago, a week after giving birth.

A "positive" meeting has taken place between the Minister for Education and teacher education colleges on a proposal that final-year students training to be teachers play a greater role in supporting schools during the staffing crisis.