The Last Word with Matt Cooper

The newly identified strain of Covid-19 has resulted in a fall off in the financial markets of the US and Europe. Travel, leisure and hospitality stocks were hit hardest in this initial stage of the reaction. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2021/11/26193243/2611Biz.mp3"][/audio] Lorcan Allen - Business Post joined the Last Word to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the Play button on this page.

NPHET have advised that children should curtail their indoor socialising over the next couple of weeks. In primary schools from 3rd class upwards it has been advised that children should wear masks for some part of the day. This means no playdates, sleepovers or even going along to the school nativity play. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2021/11/26191734/2611Covid.mp3"][/audio] Jen Hogan, irish Times Parenting columnist, Tanya Ward, CEO Children’s Rights Alliance and Niall Collins, TD, Minister of State at the Department of Higher and Further Education joined the Last Word to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the Play button on this page.

The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave a speech to business leaders this week in which he raved about Peppa Pig World. He also lost track of his script halfway through the process and there was an embarrassing pause where Johnson looked flustered. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2021/11/26185841/2611Trending.mp3"][/audio] Eoghan Tomas McDermott, Communications Clinic and Breda Brown, PR Director, Unique Media joined the Last Word to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the Play button on this page.

A government report in the UK has found that Octopus, Lobster and Crab can feel pain and are deemed to be sentient beings. The findings showed that octopus, lobster and crab have highly complex brains and nervous systems. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2021/11/26175104/2611Lob.mp3"][/audio] John Gibbons, environmental commentator joined the Last Word to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the Play button on this page.

It is time for The Last Word Gadget Show, the annual radio event celebrating technology deals galore. First Matt and the contributors looked at televisions, speakers, headphones and soundbars. The New Sony XM4 Noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones are Andy's pick in the headphones department. The noise-cancelling is superb and they have been described by our panel as ''the closest thing to perfect an over-ear headphone can be''. This pair is excellent for calls and they are foldable so can be easily stored. These retail at €299. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2021/11/24190857/2411Tech.mp3"][/audio] In the second segment, the panel looked at laptops, security cameras, smart speakers, webcams and coffee machines. Pamela Joyce raved about the Amazon Echo Show which is essentially a smart speaker with a screen. The device is user friendly and can answer questions. The portable device has an eight-inch display perfect for watching Netflix or Youtube. In the Health and lifestyle segment of the gadget show, the contributors focussed Kindles, Fitbits, e-scooters, smartphones and air purifiers. Today FM's Alison Healy was reviewing and praising the Fitbit Sense which retails at €239 for Black Friday. The partner app that comes with the device is easy to use and intuitive. The device tracks the quality of the user's sleep, heart rate and daily step count. For the Final Segment of the Last Word Gadget Show Mark Finnerty of Entertainment.ie focussed on Gaming. Mark spoke first about the ''Must have item for Christmas 2021'' the Play Station 5. The graphics capability of the new console have been described as ''A Pixar Film Come to Life''. The device doesn't just do games so for movie buffs it can play movies in 4k resolution. Andy O’Donoghue Technology journalist, Ed Smith, Today FM presenter, Elaine Burke, editor Silicon Republic, Today FM's Alison Healy, Pamela Joyce, Today FM presenter and Mike Finnerty, who writes about games and gaming for entertainment.ie joined The Last Word Gadget Show to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the Play button on this page. Brought to you by Currys, check out their incredible Black Friday deals here