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

IRELAND

The National Association of General Practitioners held a protest outside the Dáil today Leah Farrell Leah Farrell

• An Garda Síochána has been informed by at least two women that their intimate photographs have been posted online without their consent. 
• Nurses at a mental health facility have been working for nearly 24 hours and expect to have to work through the night again.
• UK Prime Minister Theresa May will visit Dublin on Friday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has confirmed.
• The HSE has initiated legal proceedings against the ‘fake’ MyOptions.ie website for unplanned pregnancy services.
• A retired surgeon accused of groping a number of boys in his care has told a jury that it was “unfair” and “unjust” to put events which allegedly occurred decades ago to him at this stage in his life.
• A garda rescued a couple and their baby from an overturned car this afternoon just before it caught fire.
• Three people have been arrested in connection with the murder of Michael Keogh in May 2017. 
• Nurses across the country are set to take part in a third day of strike action tomorrow in an ongoing dispute over pay and retention issues. 

INTERNATIONAL

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and European Council President Donald Tusk during a press conference in Brussels Francisco Seco Francisco Seco

#BREXIT: European Council President Donald Tusk has said there’s a “special place in hell” for those who pushed for Brexit without a plan.

#THATCHER: Margaret Thatcher’s home town has cautiously backed plans to erect a statue of her — but only after putting it on a plinth tall enough to keep vandals at bay.

#POPE: Pope Francis has admitted that Catholic priests and bishops had sexually abused nuns.

PARTING SHOT

A total of 230 new emojis are set to be available this year, according to the BBC. 

These include dozens of new accessibility themed emojis, such as hearing aids, wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs, and guide dogs. 

Another notable addition to the emojis is a drop of blood. This follows a campaign by Plan International UK, who held an online vote in 2017 about what a period-themed emoji should look like. 

(Click here if you can’t see the tweet)