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

IRELAND

Lord Mayor of Dublin Alison Gilliland with dancers from Samba Dance Brazil, Alma Boliviana Dance Ballet and CICI India during the launch of the 2022 St. Patrick’s Festival Sasko Lazarov Sasko Lazarov

•  A Minister of State has advised citizens to switch suppliers to combat inflation and rising energy prices, in response to claims that the Government has been slow to react to the cost of living issue.
• Jim Mansfield Jnr has been jailed by the Special Criminal Court for 18 months.
• The vote to fill the Dublin City Council seat held by the late councillor Anthony Flynn has been deferred for another month.
• A man who raped a sleeping woman while another man kissed her has been jailed for five and a half years.
• A revolution in military hierarchy, more cyber security specialists, a larger navy and more aircraft are among the key recommendations from the Commission on the Defence Forces. 
• An anti-Covid vaccination campaigner has been arrested by gardaí in Co Donegal.
• Sinn Féin’s Stormont Leader Michelle O’Neill has urged politicians to work to “salvage” what they can from the “chaos” caused by the DUP.
• Amnesty International has pressed Northern Ireland leaders to make temporary nominations for first and deputy first ministers in order to deliver an official apology to victims and survivors of historical institutional abuse.
• RTÉ has said it is “in talks” with the production company behind Australian soap Neighbours following after the future of the popular show was thrown into doubt. 

INTERNATIONAL

A cyclist fell to her death when a drawbridge connecting Palm Beach to the Florida mainland began rising before she could reach the other side Meghan McCarthy / The Palm Beach Post Meghan McCarthy / The Palm Beach Post / The Palm Beach Post

#GERMANY: Germany will send up to 350 more soldiers to Lithuania to help bolster the NATO alliance’s eastern flank amid fears that Russia could invade Ukraine.

#STARMER: UK police had to bundle Labour leader Keir Starmer into a car after a mob shouting “traitor” ambushed him near the Houses of Parliament.

#MOROCCO: A funeral has taken place in Morocco for a five-year-old boy who was trapped in a well for days as rescuers struggled to reach him.

PARTING SHOT

An Garda Síochána are beginning the rollout of a new uniform this week, with over 13,000 Gardaí set to receive the updated uniform during the rollout.

The new uniform is set to be operational before the end of March.

The delivery of a new Garda Uniform to frontline operational Gardaí commences this week.

This new operational uniform will be delivered to over 13,000 uniform members of An Garda Síochána

More Info: https://t.co/isSIFhloVQ pic.twitter.com/OeYzsKDBGU

— Garda Info (@gardainfo) February 7, 2022