NEED TO CATCH up? The Journal brings you a roundup of today’s news.

IRELAND

Magdalena Sedlmayr from Germany at a Climate Action Protest outside Leinster House today. Leah Farrell Leah Farrell

• The Taoiseach said he is “quietly confident” that an agreement between the EU and UK on the Brexit Protocol could be achieved “within the next week or two”.
• New Irish research outlined the significant emotional harm caused to individuals who underwent ‘conversion’ practices targeted at the LGBT+ community.
• A suspect was charged in relation to a public order incident in which a woman pulled a Garda’s hair and attempted to bite Garda members.
• Details of 67 new or enhanced bus services across Ireland were announced.
• Murder accused Stephen Silver told detectives that Garda Colm Horkan “shot himself accidentally”, the Central Criminal Court heard.
• The Irish Tourism Industry Confederation expressed “grave concern” about the scheduled return of the lowered 9% VAT rate for the industry to 13.5%. 
• Justice Minister Simon Harris said there has been a “worrying increase” in the number of spiking incidents reported to the gardaí.
• Gardaí handed over four men to the Polish National Police who “posed a risk to communities in Ireland”.

INTERNATIONAL

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte shake hands during a joint meeting with the media in Kyiv. ABACA / PA Images ABACA / PA Images / PA Images

#WAR Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would not give up any Ukrainian territory to end Russia’s war in his country, saying Russia would “keep coming back” for more if he did.

#TYRE NICHOLS Five former Memphis police officers have pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges over the violent arrest of Tyre Nichols.

#REFUGEE CRISIS 18 migrants were found dead in an abandoned truck in Bulgaria, as the Balkan nation struggles with an increase in illicit border crossings.

#EARTHQUAKE Five Syrian children and their parents died in a fire that struck a Turkish home they moved to after surviving last week’s earthquake, according to local media.

#SPY BALLOON US officials said efforts to recover remnants of the large balloon shot down off the coast of South Carolina have ended and analysis of the debris reinforces conclusions that it was used for spying by the Chinese.

PARTING SHOT

Legendary Irish actress Brenda Fricker turned 78 today. 

Fricker’s career has spanned six decades and seen her star in a range of famous films, including The Field, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Veronica Guerin and Albert Nobbs.

In 1990, she became the first Irish actress to win an Oscar when she won Best Supporting Actress for her role as the mother of Christy Brown in My Left Foot.

Here she is accepting the award. 

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