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

IRELAND

• The retirement package of the former chief of the Central Remedial Clinic may be more than was previously disclosed, TheJournal.ie has learned
• RTÉ has said that part of an interview with drag performer Rory O’Neill was removed over ‘legal issues’
• Irish Water executives appeared before the Public Accounts Committee, saying that charges will be announced in August
• Gardaí made their fifth seizure of cannabis in County Clare in the last week
• The Department of Education announced that they had renamed the Junior Certificate
• Dublin City Council said that it had no plans to rename the Spire in Dublin after Nelson Mandela
• The PSNI said that they are close to bringing charges against those involved in the murder of Constable Ronan Kerr
• Former US President Bill Clinton will visit Belfast in March to open an Institute in his name
• The Taoiseach said he will not be asking Phil Hogan to resign over the Irish Water controversy

INTERNATIONAL

A cyclist rides through heavy fog on New York’s Brooklyn Bridge today as thick fog settles over the US city. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

#HOLLANDE: The French media has been criticised for their “deference” to their President. British Newspapers rounded on their French colleagues for not questioning Francois Hollande over his alleged affair with a French actress.

#SAUDI ARABIA: Four British men who alleged they were tortured in Saudi Arabia have been told that they cannot sue the Kingdom, because it has State immunity. The men complained to the European Court of Human Rights over the case, but the ECHR ruled that their right to a court had not been violated.

#SPAIN: Sex workers on the Spanish island of Ibiza have formed a co-op in order to pay taxes and receive social welfare. The ten women have formed the group, the first in Spain, to give themselves legal cover, a spokesperson said. Spaniards spend around €50 million a day on prostitutes.

INNOVATION

• Ah, bees. The most misunderstood creatures of them all. Or are they? Well they’re misunderstood enough to prompt a group of scientists to strap sensors to 5,000 of their backs. [Geek.com]
• Video games are big business, everyone knows that. But, how much money does it cost to make a AAA or blockbuster title? Less than you’d think in some cases, far more in others. [Kotaku]

PARTING SHOT

Ever wondered what it takes to make an Oscar winning movie? Or just stuck for a plot for your own awards-magnet? Let the people at Time help you out. Sample plot: “An athlete, a star-crossed lover and a bigot in Washington, D.C. work through memory, jealousy and journalism.”