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

IRELAND

Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Green Party leader Eamon Ryan and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar at Government Buildings today Julien Behal Photography Julien Behal Photography

• Government ministers will make more than 30 high-level visits to countries around the world this March on St Patrick’s Day.
• Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney told an Oireachtas Committee that the photo of the gathering in Iveagh House in 2020 was a “careless mistake”.
• Public health officials confirmed 3,780 positive PCR cases of Covid-19 in Ireland today and 5,585 more positive antigen tests for a combined total of 9,365.
• Construction is to begin later this year on a new Cork Events Centre, with an additional €7 million of funding approved today.
• A new citizens’ assembly on biodiversity will meet for the first time in April.
• Minister for Justice Heather Humphreys promised to open domestic violence refuge spaces in the nine counties that currently have no services.
• An application for a judicial review of the contentious Galway Ring Road plan has been lodged with the High Court.
• Military police are investigating unsolicited lewd images sent by an Air Corps member to a colleague. 
• The FSAI ordered five food businesses to close in January over failures to comply with food safety legislation.

THE WORLD  

Sunrise over Tower Bridge and London City Celia McMahon Celia McMahon

#UK Jacob Rees-Moggs is the British government’s new Brexit minister in a Cabinet reshuffle.

#AFGHANISTAN A Taliban delegation is in Geneva for a week of talks as Afghanistan remains in a humanitarian crisis.  

#RUSSIA-UKRAINE French President Emmanual Macron said that Russia’s Vladimir Putin told him he would not escalate the Ukraine crisis further.  

PARTING SHOT

Irish actors Jessie Buckley and Ciarán Hinds are among the nominations in this year’s Oscars.

Actors Leslie Jordan and Tracee Ellis Ross announced the nominees for the 94th Academy Awards live from Los Angeles this afternoon.

Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical film Belfast received seven nominations in total. Judi Dench was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film, while Ciarán Hinds, who was born in Belfast, was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role.