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

IRELAND

Leinster House in Dublin tonight, featuring a light display for “Solas: Awakening Ireland” Sasko Lazarov / Rollingnews.ie Sasko Lazarov / Rollingnews.ie / Rollingnews.ie

• The Taoiseach has urged people to have a Covid safe St Patrick’s Day and avoid congregating. 
• 18 further deaths and 349 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in Ireland.
• People have also been asked to stay home tomorrow as 2,500 gardaí set to be on duty nationwide.
• Ministers in Stormont agreed a cautious path to begin easing lockdown in Northern Ireland.
• A “reclaim the streets” protest was held in Dublin following the murder of Sarah Everard as the police officer charged with the crime appeared in court in London.
• Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said that he “isn’t distracted” from his job and has rejected suggestions he should step aside.
• Labour called for a more nuanced approach towards anti-lockdown protests.
• Ireland is to get an extra 110,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in the second quarter of this year after a deal reached by the European Commission.
• Mary Lou McDonald said Sinn Féin abstained in an abortion bill vote because it was a DUP “stunt”. 
• An unaccompanied learner driver who was texting at the time of a fatal crash was given a two-year prison term.
• Gardaí seized bar equipment and beer kegs after searching a suspected shebeen in Monkstown.

INTERNATIONAL

The Duke of Edinburgh was released from hospital earlier today. PA PA

#ASTRAZENECA: The European Medicines Agency is “firmly convinced” that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine “outweigh the risks of the side effects”. 

#LUCKY ESCAPE: Rescuers saved two people out of a truck dangling over a 100ft deep gorge in Idaho.

#RIP: Actor Yaphet Kotto, who starred in Live And Let Die and Alien, has died aged 81.

PARTING SHOT

This piece on the BBC today had the enticing headline of “Who truly was the most dishonest president?”.

I should stress it’s about the US, but it’s a decent read all the same.