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

IRELAND

Nine-year-old Quinn Bradly pictured at the launch of ‘TradFest In Fingal’ at the recently renovated Ardgillan Castle, Balbriggan. TradFest in Fingal will run from 24-28 January, 2024. Photocall Ireland Photocall Ireland

• Health Minister Stephen Donnelly commissioned a statutory review by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) into the use of unlicensed springs in surgeries at Temple Street Children’s Hospital in Dublin.
• Gardaí are to be bussed into Dublin from rural areas on Budget Day to police the capital in the wake of a Garda group’s call to not work overtime.  
• A man died following a workplace incident at a garage in Co Weathmeath.  
• Tánaiste Micheál Martin defended rifle training given to Ukrainian soldiers by the Irish State, saying it is ‘minor’ compared to the aid given by other European countries. 
• The Government will have no role in deciding whether compulsory redundancies or pay-cuts are implemented in RTÉ, Catherine Martin said today. 
• Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald issued an “unreserved apology” to Máiría Cahill, stating that she wishes her “nothing but the very best”. 
• A teenager accused of the murder of Lorna Woodnutt in Offaly was remanded in detention for another two weeks.
• USC cuts, a private jet tax and scrapping carbon tax increases were among the proposals included in Sinn Féin’s alternative budget.
• A Meath man who set up two companies providing illegal access to television content including Sky Sports and Motion Pictures is to be sentenced next week. 

INTERNATIONAL

British Home Secretary Suella Braverman listening to PM Rishi Sunak as he delivers his keynote speech at the Conservative Party annual conference. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

#CONSERVATIVE CONFERENCE Rishi Sunak proposed raising the smoking age by one year, every year, effectively meaning that 14 year olds today will never legally be sold a cigarette.

#ASYLUM SEEKERS EU countries today agreed to the final part of an overhaul for rules on how they handle asylum seekers and irregular migrants, setting up a push to make it law by elections next year.

#TUPAC A self-described gangster who prosecutors say masterminded the fatal shooting of Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas in 1996 appeared in court charged with murder.

#WORLD CUP The 2030 FIFA World Cup will be hosted across three different continents for the first time ever.

#RUSSIA An exiled Russian reporter who protested Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine live on state TV has been handed over eight years jail in absentia for spreading disinformation about Moscow’s army.

#ENGLAND A murder investigation was launched in England after a man was savaged by what police believe was an XL bully dog.

#GB NEWS Former GB News presenter Laurence Fox has been arrested after footage on social media showed police officers searching his home.

PARTING SHOT

Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Videos of bedbugs scurrying across the fabric-covered seats of the Paris Metro have made people’s skin crawl across the world in the last week, as the city’s deputy mayor has called for an urgent action plan to tackle infestations. 

Bedbugs are small, reddish-brown parasitic insects that feed on the blood of humans and animals. Typically, they live in crevices around beds and come out at night to bite exposed flesh. 

So, other than being grossed out by the plethora of bedbug related videos on our social media feeds, how worried should people visiting Paris be? 

Co-founder of the Irish Pest Control Association Brendan Ryan spoke to The Journal on the issue, and said he wouldn’t let reports of a bedbug outbreak in the French capital put him off travelling to see Ireland play in the Rugby World Cup.