Papers lead this morning of warnings from the cabinet that further restrictions are likely to be recommended by public health experts in the next two weeks.

Our head of education, Andy Pike, spoke on Today with Claire Byrne about the additional measures needed to improve the Covid-19 situation in our schools. You can listen back to the full interview here.

The Irish Independent reports that thousands of vulnerable people in their 60s face spending Christmas on the sidelines without the protection of a Covid-19 booster amid forecasts of up to 400,000 cases of the virus next month.

The HSE’s agreement to a record €30 million birth injury settlement for a teenage boy with cerebral palsy is likely to spark demand for higher settlements and awards for catastrophically injured plaintiffs. Oran Molloy sued the HSE over alleged negligence in the circumstances of his birth at Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe on December 31st, 2006.

As reported by the Business Post, The National Broadband Plan may not be back on track and achieving its initial targets until 2023. This is according to the Green Party leader Eamon Ryan who indicated that the multi-billion-euro rural broadband scheme had encountered a number of challenges in the first two years of its rollout which had delayed its progress. 

ZEN

Today is the birthday of Hollywood superstar and actor Owen Wilson. Perhaps best known for comedy films like 'Wedding Crashers' and 'Starsky and Hutch' Wilson has established himself as one of the most sought after comedy actors in Hollywood. He is also famous for his use of the work 'Wow'. Now a meme, the video below illustrates why his use of 'Wow' has been shared millions of times on the internet.