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

IRELAND

An awareness campaign for benefits for the self-employed was launched in Dublin's City Hall today. Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie / RollingNews.ie

• Gardaí have searched 31 premises in 12 counties as part of an operation targeting those with pornographic images of children.
• The young woman at the centre of a high-profile rape trial in Belfast confirmed she consensually kissed Paddy Jackson prior to the alleged rape.
• The judge in the trial told the jury that Irish rugby captain Rory Best attended proceedings last week ‘because he was directed to’.
• Sinn Féin councillor Noeleen Reilly is resigning from the party, alleging “an orchestrated bullying campaign” against her.
• Police in London forwarded a sexual assault allegation against Harvey Weinstein to An Garda Síochána for investigation.
• A teenage boy is in serious condition after being struck by a car in a Dublin hit-and-run.
• The Disclosures Tribunal heard that a remark by Martin Callinan resulted in “open season” on whistleblower Maurice McCabe.
• Payments firm Stripe founded by billionaire Collison brothers the has announced plans to open a new engineering hub in Dublin.
• Sinn Féin’s Gerry Kelly, who removed a clamp from his car outside a gym in Belfast, has said he has now paid the fine.
• The National Planning Framework 2040, which outlines plans for the country for the next two decades, was launched.

WORLD

Roy Lichtenstein's Whaam! 1963 goes on display at Tate Liverpool. Peter Byrne / PA Images Peter Byrne / PA Images / PA Images

#UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE: UK politicians have reacted angrily to a tweet from US President Donald Trump attacking its public healthcare system.

#SALAH ABDESLAM: The last surviving suspect in the 2015 Paris attacks arrived at a court in Brussels amid tight security. The 28-year-old was once Europe’s most wanted man.

#ABUSE: Pope Francis received a victim’s letter in 2015 that graphically detailed how a priest sexually abused him and how other Chilean clergy ignored it.

PARTING SHOT

@coin_artist @coin_artist

A secret code hidden in a painting that gave access to an online wallet containing Bitcoin worth $50,000 (£35,500) has been cracked after nearly three years.

A 30-year-old programmer has won the prize but their identity has not yet been revealed (BBC News)

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