The COVID-19 coronavirus is now growing at a faster rate outside of China than inside, according to the World Health Organisation.
Antarctica is now the only continent in the world without any cases after a Brazilian man was diagnosed yesterday.
Here at home, the HSE is stepping up its campaign on the virus – with posters, leaflets and HSE staff to be posted at ports and airports in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, in Tenerife, a number of Irish tourists are among hundreds of people in quarantine at a hotel.
***
There was a 17% increase in the number of sex offenders jailed last year.
New figures also show there are nearly 550 sex-offenders in prison in Ireland at the moment.
According to details released to Newstalk under the Freedom of Information Act, 287 people were jailed for sex-offences in 2018.
This rose to 336 last year - involving 329 men and seven women.
***
An employee at a US brewery has murdered five of his colleagues in a gun attack.
The 51-year-old shooter turned the gun on himself after the attack at the Molson Coors Brewing Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
More than 1,000 people work at the campus, which houses brewing facilities and corporate offices.
The shooter’s motive remains unclear.
***
The Defence Forces are on standby to provide more help in flooded areas today.
It is the first time the forces have been called in to assist since the recent spell of wet weather began.
The midlands and southwest of the country have been worst affected by flooding, with some families in Athlone forced to leave their homes.
A status yellow snow and ice warning remains in place until midday in Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo and more heavy rain is forecast for tomorrow.
***
Irish primary school students are reading at a higher level than their UK counterparts, according to a new study.
The Renaissance report surveyed the reading habits of more than one million children across Ireland and the UK.
It found that Irish children are reading more difficult books with a greater level of comprehension than children in the UK.
It also found that children who read every day are three times more likely to read above their expected level than those who don’t.
