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

Taoiseach tests positive

1. Taoiseach Micheál Martin has tested positive for Covid-19 during his visit to Washington DC.

Our political correspondent, Christina Finn, reported early this morning that the traditional St Patrick’s Day events with the US President will now go ahead virtually.

War in Ukraine

2. There is a humanitarian crisis brewing in the Ukrainian city of Lviv, as over 200,000 people seek refuge in the city.

The city is acting as a transit hub for Ukrainian refugees due to its proximity to the Polish border, where a majority of refugees are fleeing to.

The city’s mayor told a press conference that Lviv now has one of the biggest refugee populations in the world.

Rocket strikes

3. One person has been killed and three people injured after a downed Russian rocket hit an apartment building in Kyiv this morning.

According to rescuers, there were 30 people rescued from the 16-storey building early this morning.

Phone thefts

4. Gardaí issued a warning urging people who are socialising over the St Patrick’s Day weekend following a high number of phone thefts in Dublin city.

President’s St Patrick’s Day message

5. President Michael D Higgins has condemned the “immoral and unjustified” invasion of Ukraine and called for people to unite in demanding an immediate ceasefire.

In a message that touched on both climate change and vaccine inequality, Higgins extended his “warmest greetings and sincere good wishes” to Irish people throughout the world.

Vaccine patent waver

6. The Chief of the World Trade Organisation has hailed a breakthrough in talks between the EU, US, India and South Africa on waiving the intellectual property rights for Covid-19 vaccines.

According to the WTO, EU member states will still have to agree on the proposal, which has not yet been publicly revealed.

Politico has reported that the waiver is likely to be for between 3 and five years.

St Patrick’s Day parades

7. If you’re planning on heading out to any of the St Patrick’s Day parades around the country, here’s our guide to the biggest parades.

Tsunami warning lifted

8. A tsunami alert has been lifted following a powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake in Japan yesterday.

The earthquake occurred in northeastern Japan, near the site of the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

At least one person has died due to the earthquake and dozens have been injured.

Today’s forecast

9. Met Éireann is forecasting that today will be cloudy and there will be a few showers spreading out across the country.

As the afternoon rolls in, these showers will ease with bright and sunny weather set to arrive.