Some 25,000 medical appointments have been cancelled today, as nurses take to the picket lines for a third day.

Their dispute with the Government shows no sign of ending, with both sides holding firm on the issue of pay.

Injury units are closed, as are day centres for older people and those with disabilities, while community nursing and respite admissions will not take place.

****

British Prime Minister Theresa May heads to Brussels seeking concessions from top EU officials in relation to the Brexit backstop.

She is seeking a time limit on the border guarantee, following a vote by British MPs.

The visit follows remarks from European Council President Donald Tusk, following a meeting with the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, in which he said there was a "special place in hell" for those who promoted Brexit without even a plan to carry it out.

****

People have a fundamental human right to have a proper investigation into the circumstance around a death.

That is according to the Irish Council of Civil Liberties (ICCL) who are today launching a research project on the workings of the coroners' system in Ireland.

Families with experience of the process, coroners, Gardaí and lawyers will be asked for their views.

****

A body has been recovered from the wreckage of a plane that was carrying footballer Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson.

Investigators say remotely operated vehicles in "challenging conditions" were used to pull the body out of the water "in as dignified a way as possible".

The body is being taken into the care of a coroner in Dorset, an Air Accidents Investigation Branch spokesman said.

****

A study into bees has found they are able to carry out basic maths.

Experiments in Melbourne, Australia also suggests they could be taught to recognise colours as plus and minus symbols.

They were then set basic mathematical tasks with a completion success rate of 75%.