LAST UPDATE | 18 Dec 2020

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

1. #NEW MEASURES: NPHET has recommended bringing in new restrictions from later this month, with Tánaiste Leo Varadkar saying these earlier restrictions could prevent the measures being “tougher” and going on for longer.

2. #NI: Northern Ireland will enter a six-week lockdown from St Stephen’s Day. 

3. #INVESTIGATION: Noteworthy has investigated the long working hours, low pay and other concerning conditions for season employees in Ireland’s horticultural sector. 

4. #DATA: Here’s what the Covid-19 data shows us this week. 

5. #HACK: US federal authorities have expressed alarm about a long-undetected intrusion into computer systems around the globe that officials suspect was carried out by Russian hackers.

6. #HOUSING: The average listed price of housing rose by 7.4% in the past year, according to a new report from property website Daft.ie. 

7. #VACCINE: The head of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said the agency will move to quickly authorise Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine.

8. #MENTAL HEALTH: Over 1,700 people were restrained or secluded across mental health services in Ireland last year, according to a new report. 

9. #CHARITY: Unicef should be  “ashamed” of itself for “playing politics” after the charity launched a campaign to feed UK children during the pandemic, Jacob Rees-Mogg has said.