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

IRELAND

Passer-by Bonnie Walker and her granddaughter Audrey meet the stars of the Gaiety's new panto - The Little Mermaid - during a promo shoot. Leon Farrell / Photocall Ireland Leon Farrell / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

• NPHET warned that unvaccinated people are having a “disproportionate impact” on the health service as 2,066 new Covid-19 cases were confirmed.
• Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he “can’t guarantee” that the remaining Covid-19 restrictions will be lifted next week following a “wrong turn” in the trajectory of the virus.
• The EU proposals to address practical difficulties around the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol were broadly welcomed by political leaders, however, the DUP said the plans were “far short of the fundamental change needed”.
• The Chief Executive of Dublin City Council apologised for his comments about student accommodation but rejected calls from councillors to resign for his letter to UCD Students’ Union.
• Minister of State Jack Chambers said he is a “constitutional republican” and that his attendance at next week’s church service in Armagh is about “trying to build up trust”.
• A funding row between the families of the Stardust fire victims and the Department of Justice is expected to be resolved in the coming days, a preliminary inquest hearing was told.
• The hospitality industry is “at rock bottom” in regard to working conditions, pay and workers’ rights, an Oireachtas committee heard.
• The Data Protection Commission recommended that Facebook Ireland be fined up to €36 million over breaches of its transparency obligations under the European General Data Protection Regulation, according to a draft decision.
• Senior management in the Irish Aviation Authority has accused air traffic controllers of seeking to undermine and “sabotage” the company.
• Gardaí arrested a Belfast pensioner at Busáras in Dublin over a seizure of more than €300,000 worth of MDMA.

WORLD

A Danish artist is seeking to get back his sculpture in Hong Kong commemorating the victims of China’s 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Jens Galschioet is hoping to protect the statue after Hong Kong University demanded its removal. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

#DOMINIC CUMMINGS: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson never understood what his Withdrawal Agreement with the EU really meant, his former chief adviser claims.

#REOPENING: The US will reopen its land borders to non-essential travel next month, ending a 19-month freeze due to the Covid-19 pandemic as the country moves to require all international visitors to be vaccinated.

#TALIBAN: Afghanistan’s new Taliban warned US and European envoys that continued attempts to pressure them through sanctions will undermine security and could trigger a wave of economic refugees.

PARTING SHOT

Star Trek’s William Shatner made history today as the oldest person in space after blasting off from the Texas desert in a rocket built by Jeff Bezos’s company.