Kerry crash
A woman in her 60s has died following a crash in Kerry.
The single-vehicle collision occurred shortly after 5.30pm on Wednesday evening on the Rock Road in Killarney.
The woman, who was the driver of the car, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The road is currently closed as Garda forensic collision investigators conduct a technical examination of the scene.
Drug-testing equipment
New Garda equipment will be operational from Thursday and will make testing for drugs faster and more comprehensive on the roadside.
The device will not only check for the likes of cocaine and cannabis, but also Amphetamine and Methamphetamine such as speed and ecstasy.
It will work like an antigen test with a result in less than eight minutes and comes as Gardaí launch their Christmas and New Year road safety appeal.
Pfizer jobs
Between 400 and 500 jobs will be created following the announcement by Pfizer of a €1.2 billion investment at its Grange Castle site in Dublin.
It will bring the total number of Pfizer employees in Ireland to approximately 5,500.
The announcement follows a €40 million investment in the site last year when it was brought onto the global Pfizer Covid-19 manufacturing network.
Monaghan deaths
Gardaí have launched investigations into two deaths, which are possibly linked, in Co Monaghan.
The body of one of the dead men was discovered in a house close to Castleblayney. A second man was killed in a road traffic crash close by.
Garda sources told The Irish Times separate inquiries had been opened into the two deaths. They added while the cases may be linked in time, that was not yet confirmed.
The man found dead in the property on Thursday morning had sustained what appear to be significant injuries.
EU packaging waste
The European Commission has proposed new rules to reduce packaging waste through increased recycled content in plastic drinks bottles and targets for reuse of take-way cups and materials used for online deliveries.
Under the proposal, all 27 EU members will be required to reduce packaging waste per capita by 5 per cent by 2030 and 15 per cent by 2040 compared with 2018 levels. Packaging now accounts for 36 per cent of municipal solid waste.
The Commission said packaging waste, notably plastic, would continue to rise if no action were taken, increasing emissions of greenhouse gases and so jeopardising the EU's target of net-zero emissions by 2050.
