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

IRELAND

A wild Sika Stag watches over his group as Leinster's Highest Mountain, Lugnaquilla (The Lug) was covered in snow yesterday afternoon. Eamonn Farrell / Rollingnews.ie Eamonn Farrell / Rollingnews.ie / Rollingnews.ie

• Public health officials have confirmed a further eight deaths and 6,888 new cases of Covid-19 in Ireland.
• Northern Ireland has recorded 17 deaths and 1,112 new Covid-19 cases.
• The Taoiseach is to give an apology in the Dáil on behalf of the state to people were impacted by the Mother and Baby Homes.
• Minister Roderic O’Gorman is seeking an investigation into how details of the Mother and Baby Homes report became public before they were shared with survivors and families.
• Private hospitals have begun to take urgent non-coronavirus patients as the HSE braces for a continued rise in hospitalisations.
• Family and friends of George Nkencho paid tribute to the deceased 27-year-old at a memorial today.
• Disability advocacy groups are meeting with the Minister for Education tomorrow to discuss concerns over the closure of special education schools.
• A fire at a recycling centre in Ballyfermot was brought under control, while in Cork, fire services continued to operate after a fire at Cork Port.
• A springer spaniel stolen last year was found in the UK and returned to her family in Co Cork.
• A man is due to appear in court tomorrow after gardaí seized cannabis and cash in Dublin on Friday.

THE WORLD

PA PA

#INDONESIA Black boxes from a crashed Indonesian plane have been located by authorities.

#US Donald Trump has faced new calls to resign as president, including from some members of the Republican party.

#SPAIN Emergency crews in central Spain have cleared hundreds of roads and people stranded in vehicles as the country recovers from its worst snowstorm in recent memory.

#GERMANY A sharp drop in the number of asylum requests was recorded by Germany’s interior ministry in 2020 compared to 2019. 

#JAPAN Support for holding the postponed Tokyo Olympics has reached a new low among Japan locals.

PARTING SHOT

You’ve probably heard about the variants of Covid-19 that have been identified in the UK and South Africa.

Both of the new variants have been found in Ireland, and most people have questions about what that means going forward.

Our reporter Stephen McDermott took an in-depth look at out how the variants differ from the dominant virus we’re more familiar with and how they could impact Ireland’s response to the pandemic.