NEED TO CATCH up? TheJournal brings you all the day’s top stories.

 IRELAND

Firefighters at a blaze at a former nursing home in South Dublin early this morning. Dublin Fire Brigade Dublin Fire Brigade

• Justice Minister Helen McEntee has said she is “appalled” at what she called an attack on a vacant former nursing home in south Dublin that was being assessed for possible use as accommodation for asylum seekers.
• A man who was seriously injured after being hit by a car in Cork on Thursday died from his injuries.
• Gardaí arrested two men on suspicion of murder in the investigation into the death of Kieran Quilligan in Cork.
• It was announced that the State is to regularise the deployment of specialist paramedics to the country’s two air ambulance bases.
• Restaurant owners appealed for Government support and warned that without it, we will see a tidal wave of closures across the country.
• It was revealed that a training centre purported by the government to “help make transport accessible for everyone” ending up costing €1.5 million more in public funds than its initial grant allocation of €2 million.
• The SDLP in Northern Ireland has suspended the whip from one of its MLAs after he left Stormont early for a GAA match.

WORLD

Clowns arrive at the annual Grimaldi Clown Service at All Saints in Hackney, London. Now in its 78th year, the event sees people pay their respects to Joseph Grimaldi, who popularised the role of clowns in British pantomimes, as well as their slapstick humour and striking make-up. Jonathan Brady / PA Jonathan Brady / PA / PA

#GAZA: Israeli strikes in Gaza killed dozens of people overnight, with battles raging today as Hamas reviews a new proposal for a pause in fighting in exchange for releasing hostages.

#CHILE: A State emergency was declared in parts of Chile as wildfires killed at least 64 people.      

#YEMEN: The US and the UK carried out strikes on 36 Houthi targets in Yemen across more than a dozen locations associated with weapons storage and missile launchers.

PARTING SHOT

Things can get a bit much sometimes, so this Bank Holiday Sunday take some advice from that most positive of men, Franz Kafka:

Be calm, at least on Sunday !

Franz Kafka, 1912.

— The sunny side of Franz Kafka (@AmschelKavka) February 4, 2024