GOOD MORNING.

Here’s all the news you need to know as you start your day.

Redacted Lives

1. In our Morning Lead today, Órla Ryan details the “power nexus” that existed between the Catholic Church and the State after Ireland gained independence from Britain.

That’s one of the topics explored in High Walls, the latest episode of The Journal’s Redacted Lives documentary series.

Becoming pregnant outside marriage was viewed as one of the most shameful things a person could do.

Qatar World Cup

2. The 2022 Fifa World Cup kicks off today, with Ecuador taking on the hosts Qatar at 4pm Irish time.

The decision to award the World Cup to Qatar 12 years ago was viewed by many as the culmination of decades of moral turpitude at Fifa, the moment the House of Football had finally gotten too high on its own supply.

The 42′s Gavan Cooney will bring you the latest from Doha.

COP27

3. The UN COP27 summit has wrapped up with a landmark deal on funding to help vulnerable countries cope with devastating climate impacts – and deep disappointment over a failure to push further ambition on cutting emissions.

The two-week talks, which at times appeared to teeter on the brink of collapse, delivered a major breakthrough on a fund for climate “loss and damage”.

Donald Trump’s Twitter

4. Former US President Donald Trump has had His Twitter account reinstated after the platform’s new owner Elon Musk ran a poll in which a narrow majority of voters supported the move.

Trump was banned from the platform early last year for his role in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol by a mob of his supporters seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Financial advice

5. There has been much turmoil in the tech sector recently, with layoffs announced in the likes of Twitter, Meta and Stripe.

While news like this is never easy to hear, it’s tougher still in the midst of a cost of living crisis.

Writing in our Voices column, Mark O’Sullivan of Provest expl theains financial steps you can take to alleviate the stress of losing a job.

Brexit

6. Senior figures in Rishi Sunak’s government are reportedly considering putting the UK on the road to a Swiss-style relationship with the EU.

The Sunday Times has reported that the move could take place over the next decade as the Government eyes up a closer relationship with the EU that avoids the current barriers to trade.

Covid-19

7. China has reported its first death from Covid-19 in six months as it contends with a rising outbreak despite stringent measures to eliminate infections.

The last major economy still welded to stamping out Covid flare-ups, China has enforced lockdowns, mass testing and quarantines even as the rest of the world adjusts to living with the virus.

Westminster

8. UK Labour leader Keir Starmer would abolish the House of Lords and replace it with an elected chamber if he becomes prime minister, The Observer has reported.

There have long been warnings that membership of the House of Lords is becoming excessive while Boris Johnson courted controversy with some of his appointments to the unelected chamber.

She Said

9. In 2017, the New York Times published a major exposé on Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct in Hollywood, which lead to his imprisonment and spark a global movement to tackle sexual harassment and violence against women.

Now, a new film tells the story behind the article, and how reporter Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey spent months trying to convince survivors of Weinstein’s behaviour to speak on the record.

The Journal’s Aoife Barry met the journalists, and some of the stars of the film, to discuss the impact of the story and whether Hollywood has truly changed since its publication.