People need to be on their guard against Covid-19 “every minute, every hour and every day”

He will now not go to New York where a UN event is being held as was initially planned.

Green leader Eamon Ryan has promised to prioritise supports for young house buyers and farmers instead of tax cuts for workers if his party enters government after the general election.

The Government has ruled out setting up a system of community banking for consumers on the basis that post offices and credit unions are already prevalent in areas.

A minister says a new investment in rural Ireland will bring more tourism and stag parties to the west of Ireland.

Rural Affairs Minister Michael Ring has warned "anything could happen" in the battle for the final two seats in the Midlands North West European election when the official counts start to be announced tonight.

Mallow Castle, the Ring of Kerry and Lough Gur are among 78 outdoor recreation projects which are to share an €11 million investment in greenways, blueways and walking trails around the country.

GAA pundit Pat Spillane has criticised an “urban perception” that rural Ireland is simply a drain on the economy.

Recession-hit towns and villages will get access to millions of euro in grants to help support local projects such as hubs, employment initiatives and rural growth schemes.

Struggling mortgage holders must be offered debt write-downs instead of so-called foreign vulture funds, Paschal Donohoe has been told.

Rural Ireland has been left behind with new figures showing almost half of IDA visits for new business were in the capital last year.

Ministers insist they now believe the Cabinet’s national planning framework will help both rural and urban Ireland, despite failing to give any example of what last-minute changes have been made to ensure this will happen.

The Cabinet will hold a special meeting today to discuss “radical” alterations to its national development plan amid mounting criticism of it.

Agriculture Minister Michael Creed has revealed that he cannot support unrestricted abortion and that in his opinion the unborn deserves protection in law where the health of the mother is not at risk.

‘Legalise all abortions, without restriction, for unborn babies up to 12 weeks.

The majority of Cabinet members want to repeal the Eighth Amendment and allow abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Catch up on this morning's headlines...

Michael Ring, the Rural Affairs Minister, is understood to have launched a “ferocious” broadside at Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at last Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, the Irish Examiner can reveal.

The Government has been accused of neglecting rural Ireland after it was revealed that just 0.06% of grant funding available has been awarded to help communities.

Fighting rural migration and worrying levels of unemployment in towns and villages around the country must be a priority, newly promoted Rural Affairs Minister Michael Ring has been told.

The Government has announced a €20m fund under its Action Plan for Rural Development aimed at supporting “measures which have a clear economic impact on rural towns and villages”.

Ray Ryan reports on efforts to plan ahead for the risk of forest fires, which have caused huge damage to Irish woodlands in recent years.

Fine Gael’s general secretary has warned TDs and senators to “get your act together” and not repeat the “embarrassing” election expenses mistakes which saw deputy leader James Reilly referred to gardaí by the State watchdog.

The Government has been forced to defend plans to rejuvenate rural towns and villages after the opposition claimed the promised €60m cash injection will amount to just €100,000 per community.

Licenses to shoot protected red deer in the vicinity of Killarney National Park are being sold to American hunters for “substantial sums”, it has been claimed.

Airbnb hosts outside Dublin earned €27m over the last year by renting, occasionally sharing, a spare room or their entire home.

Fianna Fáil has called on the government to put aside an inter-departmental “turf war” and clarify which department has ultimate responsibility for the National Broadband Plan after recent comments added to confusion over the issue.

Rural Affairs Minister Heather Humphreys’ specific role in the delivery of the State’s €275m National Broadband Plan is yet to be determined.

Flood-hit areas are facing more misery with further heavy rain due at least into the middle of next week, followed by another round of rising river levels and many more weeks of cleaning up ahead.

EU corporate governance officials have been asked to examine the Government’s Irish Water conservation grant over claims that it is simply an “inducement” to encourage people to sign up to charges.

Any political party which gains power in the next general election must ensure its policies undergo strict social and economic tests to examine what impact they will have on rural areas left “devastated” by the recession.

The Fine Gael-Labour coalition and Fianna Fáil have begun an open war for rural votes in the next general election, after launching separate policy documents promising a series of long-delayed measures within hours of each other.

The Labour party national conference has passed a motion calling on the Government to obtain certain guarantees around employment and other issues at Aer Lingus if it is to accept any future offer from IAG.

The founders of a family-run whiskey distilling company, based in Co Carlow, yesterday turned the sod on what will be the country’s largest independent whiskey distillery, once completed.

FINANCE Minister Brian Lenihan stamped his authority on budget policy last night by dismissing the views of Tánaiste Mary Coughlan on the Bord Snip report and insisting her comments made little difference.

Electric shock dog collars are to be banned in Wales, it was announced today.

The Delphi adventure centre in Co Galway is to create 60 new jobs in the area following a recent redevelopment.

A site in Wales is under investigation after it was linked to the Surrey farm with the latest case of foot-and-mouth disease, it emerged today.

RURAL Affairs Minister Eamon Ó Cúiv will publish ambitious new plans to resolve the ongoing row over access to the Irish countryside within the next month.

AS an organisation working to improve the quality of life of older people, Age Action welcomes proposals by Rural Affairs Minister Éamon Ó Cuív to increase funding for rural transport services.