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

IRELAND

Katie Daffy from Kildare joined Amnesty International and supporters at a demonstration outside Government Buildings calling for the eighth amendment to be repealed. The vigil will see 12 members added to it daily over the next two weeks – symbolising the number of Irish women and girls who travel to the UK for abortions each day. RollingNews.ie RollingNews.ie

• No criminal charges will be brought in the case of the Berkeley balcony collapse that saw six young people killed in California last June.
• Up to 14 vehicles were involved in serious crash on the Midleton to Cork city road.
• More Luas strikes look likely to go ahead at the weekend.
• Gardaí urged motorists to be extra cautious because of heavy rain and hail showers.
• Police in Northern Ireland released images of an officer’s injuries after she was hit in the head with a brick.
• Renua’s director of communications and political strategy John Drennan has quit the party in the wake of its disastrous general election result where it failed to win any seats.
• The US Embassy reminded all Irish passport holders that, from Friday onwards, they’ll need a valid electronic passport if they want to visit America under the Visa Waiver Program.
• A batch of ginger nut biscuits on sale at Aldi has been recalled over fears about their preparation.
• Almost 500,000 people tuned in to watch Centenary last night – the centrepiece of RTÉ’s Easter Rising commemoration coverage.

INTERNATIONAL

US President Barack Obama waves as he boards Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base. Andrew Harnik / AP/Press Association Images Andrew Harnik / AP/Press Association Images / AP/Press Association Images

#CYPRUS: An Egyptian man who hijacked an EgyptAir passenger plane and forced it to divert to Cyprus demanding to see his ex-wife surrendered after a six-hour airport standoff ended peacefully.

#CANADA: Seven people have died after a small plane crashed on a group of islands in the east of Canada.

#WASHINGTON DC: The US Capitol in Washington DC went into lockdown for the second day in a row, due to two unattended, suspicious packages.

#US: Donald Trump’s campaign manager Corey Lewandowski has been charged with assaulting reporter Michelle Fields at an event earlier this month.

#TAIWAN: A man suspected of decapitating a four-year-old girl was beaten by an angry mob.

INNOVATION

• The world’s first virtual reality rollercoaster has opened at Alton Towers.
• A new wine bottle is designed to connect to your WiFi.

PARTING SHOT

The Polish embassy in Dublin has produced this lovely video to mark the centenary of the Easter Rising.

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Originally published: 9pm