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

Paddy Jackson and was acquitted of rape today at Belfast Crown Court. PA Wire / PA Images PA Wire / PA Images / PA Images

IRELAND

• All four defendants in the rugby rape trial were found not guilty on all charges.
• The government announced the referendum on repealing the Eighth Amendment will be held on 25 May.
• Homicide figures increased by nearly 20% after a review found gardaí inaccurately recorded all types of crime.
• A cyclist was killed in a collision with a truck in Kilkenny.
• New figures show the number of homeless children in Ireland continues to rise.
• A report into the murder of Garda Tony Golden found gardaí misclassified two domestic violence incidents involving the victim he was accompanying at the time.
• Former Tipperary ladies footballer Rachel Kenneally died, aged 26.
• The number of recorded rapes jumped nearly 30% last year.
• Dr Rhona Majony joined the Together for Yes repeal campaign.
• Trinity College reversed its decision to introduce a €450 fee for resit exams.

French police officer Arnaud Beltrame was laid to rest today. Xinhua News Agency / PA Images Xinhua News Agency / PA Images / PA Images

WORLD

#HERO: The police officer who sacrificed his life in an Islamic attack in France was laid to rest today.

#DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS: China and North Korea confirmed Kim Jong-Untook a secret trip to Beijing.

#ALLEGATIONS: R Kelly has been accused of grooming a 14-year-old girl.

#LONDON: The decision to release serial rapist John Worboys from prison has been overturned.

PARTING SHOT

If you need a smile at the end of the day, reading this complaint from a little girl to RTÉ in 1987 about the broadcaster sabotaging her commitment to Lent might just do it.

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