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

IRELAND

Sasko Lazarov Sasko Lazarov

• The receivers appointed to Brian O’Donnell’s house in Killiney have nailed a court order to the gates of the home.
• The government has paid €4 million to firms linked to Big Tobacco since 2013.
• A witness told the Graham Dwyer trial that he fantasised about stabbing a woman to death during sex.
• A suspended sentence for a man who raped and sexually assaulted his wife’s 13-year-old sister has been ruled unduly lenient.
• The state has begun its bid to stop Joe O’Reilly attempting to have his conviction for murder ruled a miscarriage of justice.
• Dublin firefighters are to vote on industrial action in response to a decision to change how ambulance dispatches are carried out in Dublin.
• The government says its new insolvency regime needs to be ‘energised’.
• Sinn Féin TDs are being told to pay more respect to the national flag and stop ‘throwing it around‘. 
• Dr Eddie Murphy answered YOUR questions on mental health today.

INTERNATIONAL

#BRISTOL: The family of missing teenager Becky Watts say they are devastated that police have found body parts.

#ISLINGTON: Police have released CCTV footage that shows 15-year-old Alan Cartwright being brutally stabbed in the chest while cycling.

#NEW YORK: A blogger has been jailed for poisoning her five-year-old son to death with salt.

#WHITE HOUSE: This official Bill Clinton portrait contains a subtle reference to Monica Lewinsky.

INNOVATION

• This is why you’ll soon use your phone to pay for everything. [TheJournal.ie]
• A brand has created an ad that viewers can’t help but watch to the very end. [TheJournal.ie]

PARTING SHOT

An acrobat wearing a Spiderman costume performed for children of foreign migrant workers during a Purim party in Tel Aviv, Israel, today.

AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

The Jewish holiday of Purim commemorates the Jews’ salvation from genocide in ancient Persia, as recounted in the Book of Esther, which is read in synagogues.

Other customs include: sending food parcels and giving charity; dressing up in masks and costumes; eating a festive meal; and public celebrations.