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

IRELAND

Gardaí questioning people at a checkpoint on O'Connell Street in Dublin as the Covid-19 crisis continues. Niall Carson Niall Carson

• 22 new fatalities from Covid-19 were recorded in Ireland.
• The HSE said that some of the personal protective equipment (PPE) flown in from China “is not appropriate” for use.  
• Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he wants to avoid “another era of austerity” as the Central Bank has predicted the unemployment rate could rise to 25%. 
• A court heard that student Cameron Blair was acting as a peacemaker when he was stabbed to death.
• Finance minister Paschal Donohoe admitted that there’s a “gap” in the wage subsidy scheme for low paid workers.
• A man in his 60s died after being attacked by a bull on his farm in Charleville, Co Cork.
• There are fewer properties for sale in the country than at any point in the last 14 years, according to the latest house price report by Daft.ie. 
• Minister for Social Protection Regina Doherty defended the Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment. 
• Ryanair has said it expects to carry “minimal if any” traffic this April and May as the coronavirus pandemic forces its fleet to stay largely grounded.

THE WORLD

The funeral of 13-year-old Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab in London. The teen died after testing positive for the coronavirus. PA PA

#RIP: Legendary soul singer Bill Withers died aged 81. The American musician is best known for hits such as Lean on Me and Lovely Day.

#SPAIN: 932 deaths were recorded in Spain in 24-hours as the Iberian country’s death toll rose to 10,935.

#UK: The death toll from Covid-19 in the UK rose to 3,605 as 684 fresh fatalities were announced.

PARTING SHOT

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Video conferencing app Zoom has been one of the unexpected stars of the Covid-19 pandemic, as offices all over the world switch to working from home.

The app’s virtual background feature has been a hit with users as people trapped in bedrooms and kitchens get to masquerade as if they’re hanging out beside the Golden Gate Bridge or the Long Walk in Galway.

But one man has taken the platform to exceptional new heights by creating a background of himself accidentally walking in on himself. Zoom-ception.

Can’t see the video? click here.