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

Ireland

Stewards stationed beside Dublin’s iconic Molly Malone statue RollingNews.ie RollingNews.ie

• Micheá Martin condemned Israel’s siege of the Gaza Strip as a war crime.
• Former Armagh football captain Aidan Nugent appeared in court, charged with alleged sexual assault offences.
• Salesforce was ordered to pay an employee €1,000 in the first-ever compensation awarded under remote working laws.
• RTÉ journalists called on the broadcaster to boycott the Eurovision.
• Paschal Donohoe said he does not expect Brendan McDonagh to carry his €430,000 Nama salary with hem when he returns to the NTMA.
• Former Irish Nationwide boss Michael Fingleton’s civil case opened at the High Court.
• A TD raised concerns over children being served 0% beer in pubs.
• A cyclist died after being struck in north Dublin.

International

Flames and smoke rise following Israeli airstrikes on several locations, in Sanaa, Yemen Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

#TENSIONS Indian missiles struck a number of sites in Pakistan.

#GAZA Israel’s far-right finance minister said that a victory for his country in its war against Hamas means the Gaza Strip will be “entirely destroyed”.

#SANAA Israeli forces also destroyed Yemen’s main airport in a series of airstrikes near its capital.

#ZWEIMAL FEAR Germany’s parliament unusually took two attempts to vote Friedrich Merz as the country’s new chancellor. 

#UNITED STATES OF NEVER Canadian prime minister Mark Carney told Donald Trump that his country his not for sale during a meeting at the Oval Office.

Parting Shot

The Conclave begins tomorrow. There’ll be (literal) smoke, (metaphorical) fireworks and rolling news coverage of the Sistine Chapel’s chimney as Cardinals vote on the successor to Pope Francis.

At 10am tomorrow, the Cardinals will have Mass ahead of the conclave and then at 4.30pm, it’ll be their turn to take an oath of secrecy ahead of the first ballot.

The Journal’s Diarmuid Pepper is in Rome for the impending drama, and wrote about what everyone can expect – based on how things went down in 2013 when Francis was elected:

“Sometimes the cutthroat nature of the conclave made itself known. At the age of 21, Francis had a part of one of his lungs removed but this had been twisted into a grander story by Cardinals who didn’t want to see him succeed.

“One Cardinal asked him if he was missing a lung. “‘No,’ Francis replied, ‘they cut away the upper lobe because I had three cysts’. “And when did it happen?” ‘A long time ago, in 1957. The cardinal turned red, uttered a swear word, and clenched his teeth: “These last-minute manoeuvres!” he exclaimed.

“”It was then that I began to understand. I understood at least that the danger was there.””

You can give yourself a primer by reading his full piece here.