EVERY WEEKDAY EVENING, TheJournal.ie brings you the five biggest stories of the day.

1. #LEAVING CERT: Alternative assessment models were discussed by various stakeholders at a meeting about the holding of Leaving Cert examinations during the Covid-19 pandemic. Most students want the exams to be cancelled, according to a new survey.

2. #TESTING: The broadening of criteria for Covid-19 testing has raised questions about whether Ireland could once again face a major backlog. The criteria provided to GPs has now been expanded so that people only need to have a new cough, fever or shortness of breath in order to be eligible for a test.

3. #UNEMPLOYMENT: Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe has said the Pandemic Unemployment Payment will continue beyond its original end date but that the level of the payment may change.

4. #UK: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has faced questions about his government’s approach to handling the coronavirus pandemic after it was revealed the UK has the highest death toll in Europe, and the second highest in the world.

5. #HAIRCUTS: Hairdressers are being offered “three or four times” the normal price of a salon haircut by clients desperate to have their hair done during the current lockdown, according to industry representatives.