The first opinion poll published since campaigning for General Election 2020 got underway has handed Fianna Fáil a 12-point lead over Fine Gael.
The Sunday Times Behaviour and Attitudes poll has seen Fine Gael’s popularity fall by 7% - while Fianna Fáil is up 5%.
The poll was carried between January 2nd and 14th – before the campaign got underway and at the height of controversy over the planned RIC commemoration and record hospital overcrowding figures.
The poll, carried out using face-to-face interviews among less than 1,000 people, puts Fianna Fáil on 32% while Fine Gael on 20%.
***
A second person has died after a crash in County Kerry over a week ago.
It happened at Kilcummin on the outskirts of Killarney on Thursday the 9th of this month.
An elderly man died in the crash and two women also in the car were injured.
One of them was in a critical condition at University Hospital Kerry - and she passed away yesterday.
***
Both sides of the Trump impeachment trial have laid out their case in previews ahead of legal proceedings.
The US president's team says he 'categorically and unequivocally' denies charges of abuse and obstruction.
The House Democrats claim he betrayed public trust with behaviour that was the “worst nightmare" of the founding fathers.
The trial's due to get underway in the Senate on Tuesday.
***
17 more people have been diagnosed with a new form of viral pneumonia in central China.
The respiratory illness has killed two patients and is linked to a new type of coronavirus – a family of bugs that can cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to SARS.
More than 60 cases have been identified so far in the Chinese city of Wuhan, while three others have been recorded in Thailand and Japan.
At least a half a dozen countries in Asia and three airports in the US have started screening incoming passengers.
***
Motorists are being warned to take care on the roads this morning with a Status Yellow Ice warning in place for the entire country.
Met Éireann said temperatures would fall to -3C or -4C in many areas overnight and stay below freezing until mid-morning.
Forecaster Joanna Donnelly said there is a real risk of icy patches on untreated roads.
The icy patches and fog are expected to clear slowly during the morning to give way to dry and bright conditions with sunshine for a time.