EU leaders have agreed to increase sanctions against the regime of Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko after he ordered the forced landing of a Ryanair plane in order to arrest and detain an opposition journalist.

Guidelines for the reopening of the hospitality sector are expected to be published today, ahead of Friday's Cabinet meeting which will look at a further easing of Covid-19 restrictions in June and July.

Belarusian journalist Roman Protasevich, who was detained in Belarus after the Ryanair flight he was on was diverted and forced to land on Sunday, began his digital activism in his teens.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has held separate meetings at Shannon Airport with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

More than half of people injured in e-scooter accidents were not wearing helmets, according to new research carried out in Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown in Dublin.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage will today mark the anniversary of the Burning of the Custom House as part of the Government's Decade of Centenaries.

The Minister for Health has been urged to publish terms of reference and a timeline for a review of Ireland's abortion law.

Australia's second largest city, Melbourne, reinstated Covid-19 restrictions as authorities scrambled to find the missing link in a fresh outbreak, prompting New Zealand to pause a "travel bubble" with the state of Victoria.

Ireland will open a new embassy in Morocco later this year to build on the growth in trade with Africa, the Minister for Foreign Affairs has said.

The national vaccination programme is continuing, despite the impact of the cyber attack on the Health Service Executive and other service areas.

US President Joe Biden marks the anniversary today of the police murder of George Floyd by hosting the African American man's family for private talks at the White House.

Press Ombudsman Peter Feeney has said 2020 was a good year for Irish media as print and broadcasting rose to the challenge of broadcasting through pandemic, but he was critical of online coverage.

Ryanair Flight 4978 sent 20 departure delay messages while it was on the ground in Minsk, according to an internal report by the European air traffic management organisation, seen by RTÉ News.

Drugs worth an estimated €2.2 million and €150,000 in cash have been seized by gardaí in Dublin.

The wearing of masks in crowded places could still be required in autumn and early winter, the Minister for Health has said.

Arrested Belarussian opposition blogger Roman Protasevich has said he is cooperating and admitting to charges of organising protests in a video circulated by state TV channels.

EU leaders have announced a ban on all Belarusian flights into EU airspace and a ban on the country's state carrier Belavia from landing at EU airports.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has held separate meetings at Shannon Airport with the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly intends to have a meeting with his Northern Ireland counterpart later this week to discuss the Covid-19 situation on the island.