Slightly mixed messages from yesterday's NPHET briefing left sub-editors struggling with their Covid angles this morning. The Indo holds out the prospect of a good summer, the Times warns of real trouble, while the Examiner sails close to the wind. 

In any case, there's to be an increase in the number of permissible visits to residents of nursing homes were vaccine rates are high, and RTÉ has confirmation that three stillbirths have been caused by the virus. 

On the business pages, the Indo says a third of Daa staff will have left the embattled airport operator within the next few weeks, and most titles carry details of a second-hand stockbroker for sale: One not-so-careful owner.

Elsewhere, Britain's oven-ready Brexit again looks distinctly under-cooked as the nation postpones checks on EU imports. Inspections of UK exports into Europe have been in place since January.

On Capitol Hill, senators have finally found something they can agree on: Expect bipartisan support for the Good Friday Agreement in the wake of the Tories' infringement of the Northern Ireland protocol. Back home, John FitzGerald warns that Ireland will come off worst in that spat.

Finally, the Examiner's Daniel McConnell reports that the civil war parties have agreed a pact in the hope of carving up the two Seanad seats currently up for grabs.

And Bonzo's back, if only for Zen purposes.

That's it for this week.

Bernard