NEED TO CATCH up? The Journal brings you a round-up of today’s news.

IRELAND 

Púca Festival launches its 2021 programme with performers from Luxe at Slane Castle in County Meath. Leon Farrell Leon Farrell

• Minister Simon Coveney won a confidence vote in the Dáil this evening after a rancorous session that saw accusations fly across the Dáil chamber. 
• A large crowd gathered outside Leinster House to demand more action from the Government on housing.
• Dublin could be like Berlin or New York, the culture minister said today as she launched a new plan to revive Irish nightlife. 
• A hospital in Donegal asked families of patients to get in contact if they have any concerns about care after a video of an anti-Covid campaigner encouraging a patient to leave the hospital against medical advice went viral on social media.
• Public health officials confirmed 1,185 new cases of Covid-19 in Ireland. As of 8am today, there were 292 patients with Covid-19 in hospital, including 65 in ICU.
• The Foreign Affairs Committee is to ask the former Minister to appear before it to answer questions about the aborted effort by the government to appoint her to a UN role. 
• Fianna Fáil TD Marc MacSharry resigned from the parliamentary party. 

THE WORLD

Prime Minister Boris Johnson departs 10 Downing Street, Westminster, London, to attend Prime Minister's Questions at the Houses of Parliament. PA PA

#UNITED STATES: The country’s top military officer twice called his Chinese counterpart to assure him the two nations would not suddenly go to war in the last weeks of Donald Trump’s presidency, a new book claims. 

#UNITED KINGDOM: Liz Truss was appointed Foreign Secretary as Boris Johnson dramatically reshaped his top team to hand Michael Gove key roles while Dominic Raab was demoted and Gavin Williamson sacked.

PARTING SHOT

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