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

IRELAND

Sam Boal Sam Boal

• The Green Party has suspended two TDs who voted in favour of a Sinn Féin motion that calls for the new National Maternity Hospital to be fully public and located on publicly owned land.
• Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said it will be up to UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss to confirm or deny whether or not she made remarks saying that the impact of a no-deal Brexit in Ireland would only “affect a few farmers with turnips in the back of their trucks”.
• The wife of former solicitor Michael Lynn has told his multi-million euro theft trial that she didn’t know if he was “dead or alive” for five days after he went into a Brazilian prison.
• A murder trial witness with several previous criminal convictions has denied that he carried out a “vicious attack” on a food-delivery cyclist on the night schoolboy Josh Dunne was killed and had only stopped after he was stabbed in the back by another person.
• A court has heard how a 42-year-old woman harassed a former Sinn Fein TD, phoning and texting him over 5,500 times over a six-month period.
• Experts investigating sudden onset hepatitis cases in children have ruled out a link with dogs, a leading professor said
• People on social welfare will be able to earn up to €14,000 a year in rent without it impacting on their payments, the Minister for Social Protection has announced.
• The garda watchdog has recorded a marked increase in complaint investigations from the general public in 2021 — though 39% have been ruled inadmissible. 
• Teenagers and young adults in Ireland are to get greater access to clinical cancer trials under a new HSE framework for patients aged 16-25, as cancer incidence rises in Ireland.
• A leading archaeologist has criticised the sale of metal detectors by a well-known supermarket chain, warning that their use by amateurs is illegal in Ireland.
• A grocery shop owner in Cork says gardaí did not tell him to stop selling Animal Bars – despite a sign saying they did so going viral on social media earlier today.
• Twitter has suspended over 300 accounts for violations of its platform manipulation and spam policy after investigating activity around a post from the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly.

INTERNATIONAL

Photo taken from video released by the Russian Defense Ministry. Ukrainian servicemen as they leave the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, AP / PA Images AP / PA Images / PA Images

#NORTHERN IRELAND: The UK government has taken further legislative action in a bid to ensure the full delivery of abortion services in Northern Ireland.

#FORMULA: The US government will airlift baby formula on commercial aircraft contracted by the military in order to ease a major shortage plaguing the country, the White House said yesterday.

#FOOD CRISIS: The United Nations chief has warned of a global food crisis, but said he is in “intense contacts” with Russia and other key countries and is “hopeful” of an agreement to ease the problem.

#UKRAINE: The Russian military has said that more Ukrainian fighters who were making a last stand in Mariupol have surrendered, bringing the total who have left their stronghold to 1,730, while the Red Cross said it had registered hundreds of them as prisoners of war.

#BUFFALO: The white teenager accused of gunning down 10 black people during a racist rampage at a supermarket in New York state was back in court today.

#GAFFER Former US president George W. Bush made an embarrassing slip of the tongue when he accidentally condemned the “wholly unjustified and brutal war in Iraq”. 

PARTING SHOT

Photocall Ireland! / Rolling Images Photocall Ireland! / Rolling Images / Rolling Images

Ever wonder why Ireland never wins the Eurovision anymore? Our entry to this year’s Eurovision, Brooke Scullion, was a big hit on the semi-final night – as the cheers in the stadium proved. But unfortunately, she didn’t make it through to the final. We had a great song, it was going down well with the fans – so why didn’t it work? We’ve asked this question for quite a few years, mainly because we had such a great run of it in the 1980s and 1990s.

If you fancy a dive into our great Eurovision past and present, we’ve got some great news: Our latest Explainer podcast takes a look at all the glitter, drama, and mystery that is the Eurovision song contest.