22 new COVID-19 deaths announced
The latest coronavirus figures in the Republic of Ireland have shown 22 more people diagnosed with the virus have died, bringing the total number of deaths here to 120.
It brings the total number of COVID-19 related deaths here to 120, and represents the highest number of deaths in a day to date.
Meanwhile, new 424 cases have been confirmed today - meaning the total number of cases here now stands at 4,273.
18 of today's deaths were recorded in the east, three in the south and one in the west of the country.
Kelly becomes new Labour leader
Alan Kelly will be the next leader of the Labour party after beating off the challenge of Aodhan Ó Ríordáin.
The Tipperary TD reached the quota in the party’s leadership contest this evening.
Sorting of nearly 2,000 postal votes began this afternoon.
Both candidates and their teams had to watch the count via video link due to the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.
Central Bank warns of “severe negative shock”
The Central Bank has warned the coronavirus has triggered a severe negative shock to the Irish economy.
In its quarterly bulletin, it says this is "fundamentally different" in nature and scope from anything previously seen.
"Given the uncertainty of the situation, it is not possible to produce a conventional forecast," the bank says.
Instead it looks at judgement and draws on a range of analytical tools.
Cameron Blair told friend not to worry with final words
The Central Criminal Court has heard the dying words of Cork IT student Cameron Blair were to tell his friend not to worry, and that he didn’t want to be fighting.
His parents and younger brother delivered victim impact statements to the court today at the sentence hearing of the teenage boy who murdered him.
Cameron Blair, a 20-year-old chemical engineering student from west Cork, was stabbed in the neck outside a house on Bandon Road in Cork city on January 16th.
He’d been at a party, and was acting as bouncer, deciding who was allowed in and who wasn’t.
Legendary soul singer Bill Withers has died at the age 81.
The man behind classics including Aint No Sunshine, Lean On Me, Grandma’s Hands and Lovely Day died from heart complications according to a statement from his family.
“We are devastated by the loss of our beloved, devoted husband and father,” they wrote.
“A solitary man with a heart driven to connect to the world at large with his poetry and music, he spoke honestly to people and connected them to each other.”
