NEED TO CATCH up? The Journal brings you all of today’s top stories.

IRELAND

Nienke and Ruben Labuschagne, enjoying the Dawn Chorus at Glengarriff Nature Reserve, Co. Cork, led by Conservation Ranger, Jay Cornish, National Parks and Wildlife Service, at 4.37 am nature lovers were treated to the first song bird at 4.37 am - which was the Song Thrush, followed by the Blackbird and the Robin. valerie O'Sullivan valerie O'Sullivan

• Twelve people were injured on a flight to Dublin due to turbulence. Eight people were taken to the hospital after the plane landed safely at Dublin Airport.
• Gardaí announced that they had detected some 50 people attempting to enter Ireland from the UK illegally last week.
• Met Éireann issued a Status Yellow thunderstorm warning for all of Leinster that took effect before 2pm and is due to last until 8pm.
• It was revealed that coroners in Dublin complained that they were conducting around 50% fewer inquests last year despite a doubling of the number of coroners because of a serious shortage of administrative staff.
• An opinion poll showed that support for Sinn Féin has dropped to a level almost on par with Fine Gael, putting the two parties neck and neck as the government faces a decision on when in the next year to call a general election.
• Here is a rundown of the candidates standing for election in the Midlands North West constituency.
• A look at how the ‘over €100,000 per home’ estimate is trying to put a figure on the cost of Ireland’s urban sprawl.
• It was revealed that the Irish Prison Service (IPS) is in discussions with the Defence Forces to reopen a mothballed military prison in The Curragh to ease overcrowding in Irish jails.

WORLD

Israelis protest last night in Tel Aviv calling for release of hostages in Gaza and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu to step down. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

#ISRAEL: Hamas fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza that set off air raid sirens as far away as Tel Aviv for the first time in months in a show of resilience more than seven months into Israel’s massive air, sea and ground offensive.

#NORTHERN IRELAND: The UK said it will examine “sensitivities” regarding Northern Ireland in the context of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plan to introduce military service for young adults.

#PAPUA NEW GUINEA: people were believed to be dead after a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea.

PARTING SHOT

Iran’s hardline president Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash along with several others last week.

Raisi did not have full power within the country’s power nexus – that goes to Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – but it still raises some questions over Iran’s future given the sky-high tensions in the Middle East right now.

Listen to the latest episode of the Explainer to find out what this means for Iran, its allies and its enemies.