Negotiations will begin between Sinn Féin and other left-leaning parties today regarding the prospect of forming a coalition Government. The party’s team of negotiators, led by Pearse Doherty along with Matt Carthy, Eoin Ó Broin and Louise O’Reilly, will first meet with representatives from Solidarity People Before Profit and the Green Party, with further meetings expected with the Social Democrats and the Labour Party as the week progresses.

The culture of underpaying or not paying artists is a hidden subsidy to Ireland’s cultural life that is unfair and unsustainable, according to the Arts Council, which yesterday launched a policy to ensure artists are paid fairly. Arts Council chairman Kevin Rafter said its new policy, Paying the Artist, aims to end “the idea that it is acceptable to get artists to work as a ‘freebie’, or to offer work without proper payment because it might somehow enhance an artist’s career”. He said artists should be paid fairly and equitably for their work.  

RTE reports on The Irish National ICU (Intensive Care Unit) Audit Report for 2018, which says that a shortage of these beds is leading to delays in admission to ICU for patients, which increases the severity of their illness and affects eventual survival. It has called for the number of intensive care beds in public hospitals to be increased much faster than planned. The health service plan is to increase the number of these beds to 430 by 2031. Today's report puts the number of ICU beds in 2018 at 249.

Meanwhile, a new report from the Health Information Quality Authority (HIQA) has found that staffing shortages and poor infrastructure are threatening the long-term sustainability of Ireland's maternity services. Read more about that here. 

The Central Bank has said the economy is close to operating at full capacity and that any incoming government should follow a prudent fiscal policy and reduce the level of national debt. In its Quarterly Bulletin, the bank also highlights how exports of Irish goods are becoming increasingly concentrated in pharmaceuticals and computer processors.

Elsewhere, The Department of Social Protection has confirmed that it carries out biometric processing and uses facial recognition technologies as part of its controversial public services card (PSC) programme. The confirmation prompted concerns among data-protection experts, who said there are questions over the proportionality of creating a database of facial recognition images due to the risks attached. In a revised version of its privacy statement published on Monday night, the department stated that the biometric processing of photographs would be used to identify cases of welfare fraud. 

Senator Bernie Sanders has won the Democratic primary in New Hampshire with 26% of the vote. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren followed in third and fourth place respectively, while there was more disappointment for former US Vice President, Joe Biden. 

And finally, The Meath Chronicle covers Friday's CE supervisor strike. Read more about that here.

For our zen this morning we have some Beatles with a twist. This gem was featured in the movie JoJo Rabbit, which I would highly recommend you go see. 

Have a good day folks.