Catch-up with what you've missed with our morning briefing
IRELAND
The Taoiseach will formally call the General Election today. Enda Kenny will travel to Aras an Uachtaráin and polling is expected to take place on Friday 26.
Two adults have been confirmed with the Zika virus in Ireland, health chiefs have said. The cases – the first of their kind in the country – are unrelated to each other and both patients are said to be currently well and fully recovered.
4,000 lecturers at the country's Institutes of Technology will go on strike today in a row over cutbacks and staff levels.
The funeral of Kenneth O'Brien, will take place later today in Ballyfermot in Dublin.
The Christian owners of a bakery are to begin their appeal against a court ruling which found they discriminated against a gay man.
WORLD
The US presidential candidates have started campaigning in New Hampshire after voters in Iowa served up some major surprises.
A judge is expected to rule on whether to throw out a sex crimes case against US comedian Bill Cosby.
More than 260 asylum seekers face being deported from Australia to Nauru after Australia’s highest court rejected a challenge to the legality of the government’s refugee policy.
SPORT
It is almost four months since Sean O’Brien was ruled out of Ireland’s World Cup quarter-final against Argentina, a retaliatory swing at Pascal Papé of France leading to his suspension for a knockout game in which Ireland were furthered hampered by injuries. Sunday’s visit to Dublin of Wales on the opening weekend of the 2016 Six Nations will therefore provide O’Brien with the first opportunity to wear a green shirt since then, but he isn’t framing the occasion according to what happened last October.
GAA director of finance Tom Ryan is not perturbed by the prospect of losing the potential for money-spinning replays outside of All-Ireland and provincial finals.
Manchester United showed their neighbours and manager-in-waiting Pep Guardiola that they are not ready to go away just yet with one of their finest performances under Louis van Gaal to secure a morale-boosting win over Stoke City.
BUSINESS
Yahoo is laying off about 1,700 employees in a shake-up likely to determine whether chief executive Marissa Mayer can save her own job.
Leading Irish economists and stockbrokers are telling their international clients the Coalition will fall short of a majority, but could likely form the next government with the support of smaller parties and a handful of Independent deputies.
ANALYSIS
Not informing a family that they were placing a vulnerable relative with people accused of the most horrific abuse is absurd and, in PAC members’ views, negligent, writes
LIFESTYLE
Arlene Harris is still reeling from her beloved dad’s death. As World Cancer Day approaches, she’s urging everyone to be aware of the symptoms of common cancers as most cancers, if caught early, can be treated.
VIDEO
The Deadline Day window shut without any major drama, but all eyes were on Manchester City as Pep Guardiola dominated the headlines.
VIRAL
A firefighter from Liverpool has seen off more than 20,000 hopefuls to clinch the role of Cadbury’s new modern Milk Tray Man by impressing judges with a line in thoughtful banter while performing a rescue lift.
Last July, the PAWS Animal Rescue centre in Mullinahone, Co Tipperary, rescued a dog that was so traumatised that she couldn’t pry her face from the wall of her kennel.
TECHNOW
: The Witness is a game about walking around a pretty island solving line puzzles. They start out easy and very quickly become utterly brain bending, in a way which will tantalise some players and totally bamboozle others. Azore definitely didn't get bamboozled (what a fun word!) and managed to speedrun the entire game in just 25 minutes and 53 seconds.
The best part about this new teaser video for Alice Through the Looking Glass is hearing Alan Rickman's voice once more
Cat videos pretty much rule the internet, and now they're moving in on our public spaces too!
SHOWBIZ
Rumours are mounting that Bruce Springsteen will be playing Croke Park – as apart of his upcoming world tour.
MOST READ RIGHT NOW
A land-zoning change in the Cork county development plan is being sought in a preliminary move to facilitate a €40m development.
