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

Image of Brendan Behan statue along the Royal Canal in Dublin today. Leah Farrell Leah Farrell

• The chief medical officer has confirmed a further 49 reported deaths of patients diagnosed with Covid-19 and 631 new cases of the disease in Ireland.
• Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that a proposal is being considered to give the partners of healthcare workers paid leave in order to help alleviate childcare needs.
• The number of homes available to rent in Dublin city centre has increased by 75% in the last 12 months, according to data published by property website Daft.ie.
• A man has been jailed for eight-and-a-half years for the repeated sexual assault of a four year old child his partner was babysitting.
• RTÉ will avail of the government’s Covid-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme, it has been revealed.
• New guidance issued to healthcare workers has advised staff to wear face masks within two metres of a patient. 
• Supermacs will begin providing a limited service in a number of outlets this week after closing its premises last month due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Secondary school teachers have raised concerns about how practical parts of the Leaving Cert examination can be carried out in a short time span and in an environment where social distancing rules must be adhered to.

INTERNATIONAL

People gather outside the Missouri Capitol to protest stay-at-home orders put into place due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Jeff Roberson Jeff Roberson

#THE STATES The state of Missouri has sued China’s leadership over the Covid-19 pandemic, seeking damages over what it described as deliberate deception and insufficient action to stop the pandemic.

#THE UK Deaths linked to Covid-19 in the UK may have already reached 41,000, according to new analysis.

#FAMINE The Covid-19 pandemic could nearly double the number of people around the world facing acute hunger and lead to multiple famines of “biblical proportions”, the United Nations’ World Food Programme has warned.

Parting Shot

With Covid-19 restrictions set to continue for many weeks to come, we’re all searching for new books, TV shows, hobbies to keep us entertained during the pandemic. Well if you haven’t listened to TheJournal.ie’s Stardust podcast already – then look no further. 

The six-part podcast exploring the tragic fire at a Dublin nightclub in 1981 won the gold medal in the category of Best Narrative/Documentary Podcast at the prestigious New York Festivals Radio Awards.

It was nominated alongside podcasts from Bloomberg, ESPN, Sky News and The Washington Post, among others.

• You can search for it on the podcast app of choice by typing in ‘Stardust’ or ‘TheJournal.ie’.
• You can also find us on your podcast app of choice by clicking the link below…