Fine Gael TD Peter Fitzpatrick has resigned from the party.

In a statement, the Louth TD said he has been feeling increasingly isolated within the party and his views were not being listened to.

The Taoiseach said Deputy Fitzpatrick had recently committed to staying in the party for the remainder on the Dáil term.

He expressed his disappointment that he had changed his mind.

His departure leaves the minority government's numbers for passing key votes on an even shakier footing.

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The British government is facing calls to clarify its position on the Irish border.

It's after the British Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond said a hard border is likely in the event of a 'No Deal' Brexit.

It is the first time a senior British government minister has admitted a hard border may be imposed.

Sinn Féin Brexit spokesperson David Cullinane said that if the British Government’s position has changed, the UK Prime Minister has to “come out and say it.”

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Aid agencies are struggling to find survivors and provide shelter, food and water to people caught up in the devastation of last Friday’s earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia.

More than 840 people have died after Friday's quake and tsunami, according to official figures, but the actual number is believed to be far higher - possibly in the thousands.

According to UN estimates, around 191,000 people are now in urgent need of help after the quake and tsunami wave - which measured up to 6m (20ft).

Meanwhile, four more earthquakes between 5.0 and 6.0 magnitude hit Indonesia late on Monday night, said the US Geological Survey.

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The Latvian community in Kerry is coming to terms with the deaths of three men in Sunday evening’s tragic fishing accident.

The men’s families have lived in Killarney and Tralee for a number of years and their relatives have travelled from Latvia to be with them.

The Marine Casualty Investigation Board has begun the task of piecing together the events of Sunday, to try and understand what happened.

Meanwhile, the results of the post-mortems carried out on the men’s remain will be outlined when a coroner's inquest takes place in a few months time.

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A number of people have been held overnight by Gardaí in relation to an ongoing investigation into child abuse allegations in the south west.

They were arrested yesterday and taken to a number of Garda stations in the south and south west region.

The case is the subject of reporting restrictions, which were ordered by the courts to protect the alleged victims.