Frost and ice will form on Thursday night as temperatures drop to 0 to 4 degrees Photograph: Collins PhotosMet Éireann has warned that temperatures will dip as low as 0 degrees later in the week with some patches of frost, ice, sleet and snow. As low pressure dominates across the country, spells of rain, low temperatures and windy weather can be expected on Tuesday and Wednesday. Highest temperatures of 9 to 13 degrees. Frost and ice will form on Thursday night as temperatures drop to 0 to 4 degrees. Highest temperatures of 5 to 8 degrees.

US president Donald Trump last night threatened Tehran with 'death, fire and fury' if the regime continues to block oil exports. Last night, one woman was killed in an Iranian attack on Bahrain as Tehran attacked its Gulf neighbours. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said it would not allow any oil to leave the region if attacks from the United States and Israel continue. After speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump said the United States will waive oil-related sanctions on 'some countries' to ease the shortage. Tehran was choked in black smoke after an oil refinery was hit, an escalation in strikes on Iran's domestic energy supplies.

Since the capture by the US of Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, Venezuela has undergone sweeping – if uneven – changes. Opposition leader María Corina Machado – in Washington at the time – did not attend Trump’s state of the union address last month. Recently released from detention, Márquez described satisfaction with the US operation and has since returned to Venezuela without interference. In response to Rodríguez’s warnings that Machado must answer to Venezuelan authorities, Trump said such remarks reflected Rodríguez’s political obligations. [ Why Trump has refused to back Venezuela’s ‘Iron Lady’Opens in new window ]Civil liberties remain frozen.

Petrol, pensions, mortgages and food: All the ways the Middle East conflict will hit you in the pocketWith so much uncertainty in the Gulf region, global fallout is affecting many sectorsThe oil price on international markets has surgedCharlie Weston Today at 06:30The US-Israeli attacks on Iran and the Iranian counterstrikes are already causing chaos to energy markets and to worldwide shipping.

By 1969, UCD had developed a points system for medicine and architecture to assist in offering a fair admissions process based on order of merit. The statistic that stands out the most is the figure of just over 1.5 million applicants who have accepted a CAO offer since 1977. The CAO has adapted over the years to meet the needs of applicants and the institutions that it serves. However, the CAO is always at pains to explain the difference between the CAO system and points. CAO points are decided by the principles of supply, demand and performance of applicants each year.

Ireland is nowhere near meeting its retrofit targets, a new report has warned. Ireland’s Climate Action Plan targets 500,000 residential retrofits and the deployment of 400,000 heat pumps, plus the delivery of up to 2.7 terawatt hours of district heating capacity by 2030. “Linear projections based on post-pandemic trends imply that even continued acceleration leaves substantial shortfalls by 2030, with district heating similarly unlikely to meet targets,” it said. “In the context of an acute housing shortage, and with delivery of new housing units falling short of recent targets, there is an immediate trade-off between upgrading existing homes to meet retrofit goals and building new homes to meet housing demand,” it said. “This review synthesises the empirical evidence on residential heat decarbonisation progress and challenges in Ireland,” Muireann Lynch of the ESRI said.

As Middle East conflict rages on, electricity is next to rise, while experts warn of two ECB increasesEnergy costs only to get worse as conflict continues, say expertsAs crude oil price surges, there are fears gas and electricity costs will be hit too. Stock imageCharlie Weston Today at 06:30Electricity prices are expected to increase, with financial markets now pricing in two European Central Bank (ECB) interest rate rises by the end of the year, as the conflict in the Middle East shows no signs of ending.

Rural Ireland is being closed down, one basic service after another – and it’s killing our communitiesPopulations are soaring in country towns as more and more housing estates are built, yet post offices, banks, pubs, and independent shops and restaurants are disappearing' How is it that Ireland is richer than ever and yet can feel like such a poor place to live?' Photo: Don MoloneyHannah Quinn-Mulligan Today at 06:30We would be lost without our local post office. In a rural town where all the banks, credit unions and even restaurants have closed down, all we’re left with in our local town these days are pubs, a bookie’s and a busy Spar supermarket which kindly hosts the post office, after the actual building where the post office sat for what felt like the last millennium was closed and sold.

I was away from Beirut for one week and in that time full-blown war began. My apartment, like the homes of so many others, appears to be inside the evacuation area. My neighbourhood is not in the area known as Dahiyeh, or Beirut’s southern suburbs, though it is very close to it. Once outside the evacuation zone, I called a taxi through an app and got a lift to my friend’s house. The taxi driver told me that he, too, was displaced by evacuation orders: he was sleeping in the streets with his family.

Ursula von der Leyen is making a grab for more power over European foreign policy. Von der Leyen’s foreign policy power grabUrsula von der Leyen used a speech to European Union ambassadors yesterday to call for the EU to project its power more assertively and to put security at the heart of all its activities. Von der Leyen said Europe could no longer be “a custodian for the old-world order” and could no longer rely on the rules-based system as the only way to defend its interests. Von der Leyen became commission president in 2019 following an undistinguished ministerial career in Berlin that culminated in a stint as German defence minister that was broadly judged to have been a disaster. While von der Leyen demands an end to national vetoes over EU foreign policy decisions and is seeking more influence through a new European security strategy, Europe’s global position has diminished under her leadership.

Jean's Journal: Our islands and our folkby Jean FarrellI wrote about the islands on Lough Ree, recently. This lovely photograph shows a group of Athlone folk on a day trip to Carbery Island. Most Athlone folk know of ‘Charlie’s Island’. Barges on their way from Leitrim to Limerick could not pass through Athlone town by river. Apparently, much muck was dug up from the bed of the river here in Athlone town during these works.

The Government is to spend €135,000 on wool scarves to give to European dignitaries when Ireland takes on the EU presidency later this year. From July 1, Ireland will assume the EU presidency for the first time since 2013. It will come at a significant cost to the State as it plays host to numerous high-level meetings and must cover security costs throughout the presidency. In its request for the scarves, it said the programme for the presidency includes a series of meetings and events. It comes as the Taoiseach held a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Tuesday to discuss preparations for the EU presidency.

A University of Galway spokesman said there will be 'broad consultation; with academic staff over proposed reforms of arts courses. Photograph: iStockAcademic staff at the University of Galway have said they were “blindsided” by a report proposing a reform of its arts degrees, with the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) warning of a potential dispute due to a “lack of engagement”. The Irish Times previously reported the university is considering a “transformation” of its arts offering due to a downward trend in student numbers. An internal report issued to staff within the university’s arts college noted that reform has become “urgent” due to this “sustained decline”. Although the university said the proposals are an “early-stage consultation”, McNamara, like staff members who spoke to The Irish Times, believes the “decision’s been made”.

Environmental group An Taisce says the plan, the sixth and latest instalment of the nitrates action programme (NAP), will allow water quality to deteriorate further. The group applied to the High Court on Monday seeking judicial review of the NAP which was adopted by the Minister for Housing and Heritage last December. A number of technical and procedural issues are also raised in the group’s application to the High Court. An Taisce says this shows the NAP is not in compliance with the Habitats Directive or the Water Framework Directive. The groups says if the High Court grants the judicial review and strikes down the sixth NAP, the nitrates derogation would also fall.

A status yellow warning for wind has been issued for three counties as Met Éireann says strong and gusty winds are expected. Met Éireann said the strong winds, especially in coastal areas, can lead to difficult travelling conditions, debris/ loose object displacement, as well as fallen branches or trees. Meanwhile, some sleet, snow, frost and ice is expected later this week as Met Éireann says low pressure will dominate before cooler air comes in with "wintry hazards" possible. Clear spells and some scattered showers will come in from the west, mainly affecting Atlantic coastal counties, with a chance of hail. It will take a turn on Wednesday evening, with showery outbreaks of rain moving eastwards with strong winds.