LAST UPDATE | 4 Mar 2019

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

1. #ONLINE SAFETY New internet safety laws that would see the appointment of an Online Safety Commissioner to prosecute companies who break rules will be introduced by the government today.

2. #SNOW GO A number of passengers were forced to sleep on the ground in Dublin Airport last night after experiencing long delays as a result of de-icing issues.

3. #FREE CONTRACEPTION Minister for Health Simon Harris is set to establish a working group that will examine the removal of the cost of the contraceptive pill.

4. #OVERSPEND Dublin City Council has warned that a deidicated team that will be set up to enforce new short-term letting rules will cost almost double what was originally estimated. 

5. #THE BUST IS BACK Irish consumer sentiment fell sharply in February, with fears of a no-deal Brexit and the nurses’ strike driving a poor economic outlook last month, according to a new report by KBC. 

6. #US At least 23 people have been killed after two tornadoes swept through the US state of Alabama last night.

7. #DRUGS SEIZURE Three men will appear in court this morning in connection with the seizure of cannabis plants worth an estimated €640,000 on Saturday.

8. #COURTS A new report is set to reveal that the average waiting time it takes for a Supreme Court appeal to be heard has fallen from five years to one year, RTÉ reports.

9. #WEATHER A yellow snow-ice warning in place from last night has been lifted, but motorists have been urged to drive with caution this morning following reports of icy conditions around the country.

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