LAST UPDATE | 21 Dec 2020

EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you all the news you need to know as you start the day.

1. #GROUNDED: Flights and passenger ferries from Britain to Ireland are suspended for two days in an effort to stop the spread of a new coronavirus strain to Ireland.

2. #FREIGHT: France has blocked all lorry freight from the UK raising fears that trade flows could be severely disrupted.

3. #HAULAGE: The president of the Irish Road Haulage Association has said that no truck driver should leave Ireland unless they have a confirmed booking to travel directly to the continent.

4. #BREXIT: Talks on a post-Brexit trade deal look set to continue into next week after another weekend of tense negotiations failed to achieve a breakthrough.

5. #BUBBLES: The Northern Ireland Executive has agreed to reduce the five-day Christmas bubbling arrangements in the region to just one day.

6. #HPSC: The Health Surveillance Centre (HPSC) is to receive a €3 million funding boost to create 43 permanent positions, the HSE has confirmed.

7. #US: Advisors to US President Donald Trump reportedly floated the idea of invoking martial law at a meeting on resisting the election result, triggering outrage and disbelief in Washington.

8. #LOANS: The Central Bank of Ireland has urged consumers to be wary of firms offering quick and easy loans over the festive period.

9. #MISINFORMATION: How anti-vaccine misinformation took aim at the Toy Show – and what can be done about it.