Public health officials have appealed to people not to let their guard down as the phased easing of Covid-19 restrictions begins.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has announced that Israel, Albania and St Lucia will no longer be designated states under the system of mandatory hotel quarantine.

The HSE has failed to address significant breaches of regulations in nursing homes it runs for older people and is in breach of its legal responsibilities, according to HIQA.

Hideki Matsuyama has won the Masters at Augusta National by one shot over Will Zalatoris to become the first Japanese man to win a major.

The National Immunisation Advisory Committee will meet to consider further possible recommendations on the use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged people to "behave responsibly" as pub gardens reopened and restaurants resumed outdoor dining in a major easing of England's coronavirus lockdown.

The Garda Representative Association has criticised the Garda Inspectorate's report on tackling garda corruption describing it as "a spin operation to bulk up figures to justify draconian oversight."

Protests broke out last night after US police fatally shot a young black man in a suburb of Minneapolis - where a former police officer is currently on trial for the murder of George Floyd.

Nearly 90% of this year's Leaving Certificate candidates are opting to sit exams and receive accredited grades, according to figures published by the State Examinations Commission.

The next phase of easing coronavirus restrictions in Northern Ireland has begun with the Stormont Executive's message to "stay at home" being replaced by messages for people to "stay local" and "work from home".

EU and UK officials are embarking on a process of technical and political talks which could result in a new joint document on resolving the outstanding issues around the Northern Ireland Protocol, RTÉ News understands.

The number of Covid-19 infections in Germany has crossed the three million mark, according to figures published by the Robert Koch Institute disease control centre.

Construction activity declined for the third month running in March as most building sites remained shuttered due to Covid-19 restrictions.

A survey of students and staff experiences of sexual harassment and sexual violence in higher education settings gets under way today.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said the figure of 303 new cases of Covid-19 is the lowest number of daily cases reported since mid December.

An Irish man who challenged the lawfulness of his detention in mandatory hotel quarantine has been released this afternoon.

There have been Covid-19 outbreaks linked to at least three flights into Ireland in the past fortnight, according to a spokesperson from the Department of Health.

A Government plan to bring 28 child refugees to Ireland is in doubt because gardaí may not be allowed to travel to Greece due to safety concerns related to Covid-19.

County Waterford trainer Henry de Bromhead, who saddled the first and second horses in this year's Aintree Grand National, has described his success there and before that at Cheltenham as beyond his wildest dreams.

Caution has been urged ahead of a major easing of England's lockdown, which will allow pubs and restaurants to serve customers outside and hairdressers and non-essential shops to resume business.