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

IRELAND

Ella Weldon (9) at the launch of the new Cancer Fund for Children on Leeson Street today. Julien Behal Julien Behal

• The inquest into the death of pregnant woman Malak Thawley returned a verdict of medical misadventure.
• The government had admitted that its aim of getting all homeless families out of hotels by July will not be achieved.
• Closing statements continued in the Jobstown trial, with the court hearing that a “peaceful protester” could be facing a life sentence if found guilty.
• A man who sexually assaulted a comatose woman is to be sent to jail following an appeal of an “unduly lenient” sentence.
• Leo Varadkar’s government lost its first Dáil vote since he became Taoiseach.
• The ESRI has warned that a hard Brexit could hit Ireland’s budget to the tune of €500 million over three years.
• The advertising watchdog has handled its first complaint about a Snapchat influencer.
• Water supplies are running low in many areas of the country due to dry weather.
• Ireland is becoming more reliant on foreign-trained doctors, as more continue to emigrate.
• TheJournal.ie was named the most-read news site in Ireland, and five reporters won plaudits at the Justice Media Awards.

INTERNATIONAL

A protester removed from a sit-in at the office of a US senator over controversial healthcare reforms. Jacquelyn Martin AP / Press Association Images Jacquelyn Martin AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

#AFTER ALL THAT: President Donald Trump has said he does not have tapes of that secret meeting with James Comey.

#GRENFELL TOWER: Seven residential high rise buildings in four UK local authority areas are covered in the kind of combustible cladding found on Grenfell Tower.

#REBECCA BURGER: An Instagram fitness star was killed by an exploding whipped cream cannister.

PARTING SHOT

Fidget Spinners may have been the must-have toy of the moment for children in Ireland, but parents in China are worried about the latest craze sweeping the Far East.

Toothpick Crossbows – you’re reading that right – are becoming a very popular toy in China, reports the Guardian.

The miniature handheld crossbows can fire needles and nails and parents are worried that children could seriously hurt themselves and others with the devices.