Some 6,000 members of the Psychiatric Nurses Association will begin an overtime ban from today in an escalation of their dispute with the HSE.
The union says it is in response to a lack of meaningful progress in talks at the Workplace Relations Commission over recruitment and retention issues in mental health services.
Earlier this week, Health Minister Simon Harris said the action will have a negative impact on the delivery of care for patients.
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The Dáil will vote today on a Sinn Féin's motion calling for the Mercosour agreement to be rejected.
Farmers strongly oppose the trade deal because of the amount of beef that would be allowed into the EU from South America.
Fianna Fáil has confirmed that they will support the Sinn Féin motion.
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An American official says five Iranian boats have tried unsuccessfully to seize a British oil tanker off Iran's coast.
The US defence source says the vessels pulled back after a UK warship warned them over radio.
Last week, Iran said it would retaliate when British marines helped detain an Iranian super-tanker thought to be heading to Syria against EU sanctions.
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US President Donald Trump has ordered an investigation into France's proposed tax on technology companies.
The US said it was "very concerned" by the planned digital service tax.
US trade representative Robert Lighthizer said there were concerns the tax "unfairly targets American companies".
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Ireland is now the second most expensive country in the EU for creche places for children under the age of three.
New figures from an EU Commission study show that the average creche cost for this age group is €771 per month.
In countries like Latvia, Lithuania and Romania, childcare is completely subsidised by Government, with parents paying only for their children's meals.
