1. Tribunal of inquiry into McCabe smear allegations now likely
A full tribunal of inquiry into the alleged smear campaign against Garda whistleblower Sgt Maurice McCabe is now likely after a day of division and contradiction in Government.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin will meet this morning in an attempt to agree a way forward through a controversy that has brought the nine-month-old minority Government to the brink of collapse.
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2. Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn resigns
US president Donald Trump must now fill a vital post in his administration after the resignation of national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Mr Flynn stepped down late on Monday, ending days of speculation about his fate following reports that he had misled US vice-president Mike Pence and other officials about his contacts with Russia.
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3. Average rents hit highest level since 2002 and climbing
The average cost of renting a home is at the highest level on record and climbing faster than at any point since Daft.ie started tracking figures in 2002, a report published this morning has found.
According to the property website’s quarterly report, rents went up 13.5 per cent in the 12 months to the end of December, taking the average monthly rent across the State to €1,111.
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4. Who is enjoying plenty of sex and feeling so much better?
Bing Crosby once crooned that love is wasted on the young. Ireland’s middle-aged and late middle-aged agree, since they are having plenty of sex and feeling all the better for it.
Six out of 10 adults aged over 50 are sexually active, most of them regularly, according to a Trinity College Dublin study released to mark St Valentine’s Day.
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5. Women die due to wait for gynaecological check, says GP
Women with serious gynaecological problems are dying as a result of having to wait up to two years for an appointment at one of the country’s busiest hospitals, a GP has claimed.
Dr Mary Favier, who works in general practice in the north of Cork city, said her patients seeking an appointment at Cork University Maternity Hospital can wait for up to two years unless they are suspected of having cancer.