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

Ireland

• Health officials have reported an additional 26,122 new cases of Covid-19 in Ireland today, with 917 in hospital and 83 in intensive care. 
• All 5-11-year-olds who are registered for a vaccine will be able to get their primary dose from today.
• Gardaí are seeking the public’s help in finding 45-year-old Bernadette Connolly, who is missing from the Swords area of Dublin since Friday, 7th January 2022. 
• Singer Sinéad O’Connor’s son Shane has died at the age of 17, representatives of the singer have confirmed.
• Veteran broadcaster Charlie Bird appeared on RTÉ’s Late Late Show yesterday and spoke of his plan to climb Co Mayo’s Croagh Patrick on 2 April to raise money for the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association and Pieta House. 

International

Supporters hold up a picture of Djokovic, reading: Let's go Nole (Novak) during a protest in Belgrade, Serbia today. Darko Vojinovic Darko Vojinovic

#AUSTRALIA: Novak Djokovic secured a Covid-19 vaccine exemption from Tennis Australia and the Australian government because he had tested positive for the virus in December, which should have qualified him for entry into the country, his lawyers argued today. 

#INDIA: The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has asked Indian authorities to immediately release a journalist in disputed Kashmir, days after police arrested him for uploading a video clip of a protest against Indian rule.

#ALBANIA: Albanian police have intervened to move away protesters who broke into the headquarters of the country’s main opposition party in an internal squabble over the party’s leadership.

#KAZAKHSTAN: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held a “lengthy” phone conversation to discuss the situation in Kazakhstan following unprecedented unrest, the Kremlin has said.

#ETHIOPIA: Several high-profile Ethiopian opposition figures tasted freedom today after the government granted a surprise amnesty for prominent political detainees, including Tigrayan party leaders.

Parting Shot 

Sure, Covid-19 has taken over the headlines for the past two years — and the information can seem never-ending, but if you fancy a dive into what we can learn from South Africa on the Omicron outbreak, take a look at our latest episode of The Explainer.