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

IRELAND

A poster held during a protest outside the Embassy of the Federation of Russia in Dublin today. Leah Farrell Leah Farrell

• Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the latest wave of Covid-19 to hit Ireland does not justify further restrictions as a total of 23,125 cases of the virus were reported.
• The Special Criminal Court ruled that there is sufficient evidence for it to consider whether former soldier Lisa Smith was a member of Isis and if she funded the terrorist organisation.
• Britain’s Prince Charles and his wife Camilla were treated to a performance by the Déise Medieval re-enactment group as they visited the southern city today.
• A submachine gun and ammunition were seized by gardaí in Dublin.
• Gardaí launched two investigations after two men died in two separate road collisions in Dublin and Limerick today.
• Academic Dr Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin and former Dublin GAA football manager Jim Gavin were named as the Chairs of upcoming Citizens’ Assemblies.
• The Central Bank of Ireland reprimanded and fined an Irish arm of a major US financial services company close to €11 million over “serious systemic” breaches of its regulatory obligations.
• A senior emergency consultant said the pressure on Emergency Departments (EDs) is at its worst since the Covid-19 pandemic began.
• The newest Labour TD, Ivana Bacik, was confirmed as the new leader of the Labour Party following the resignation of Alan Kelly.
• Education Minister Norma Foley said that there are approximately 700 Ukrainian children who have registered with a school in Ireland since fleeing the war in Ukraine.

INTERNATIONAL

International leaders pose for a G7 leaders' family photo during a Nato summit in Brussels. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

#UKRAINE: US President Joe Biden has backed a proposal to remove Russia from the G20, an intergovernmental forum comprising of the world’s 20 biggest economies, as leaders met in Brussels to discuss their response to the war in Ukraine.

#PERIOD PRODUCTS BILL: Northern Ireland’s assembly passing legislation aimed at tackling period poverty prompted an SDLP politician to break into song in the halls of Stormont.

#US: Former US president Donald Trump filed a lawsuit against Hillary Clinton, Democratic Party leaders and others alleging they falsely accused him of colluding with Russia ahead of the 2016 election.

PARTING SHOT

On this week’s episode of The Explainer, The Journal is asking: How secure is Ireland’s food supply?

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had devastating consequences for the Ukrainian people. The effect on the rest of the world pales in comparison, but there has been an impact – sanctions on Russia have led to global disruptions to wheat supplies, which in turn has caused prices to surge.

There’s a potential knock-on effect for meat and dairy if farmers are saddled with additional costs for their livestock feed. Russia also produces a significant proportion of the key ingredients in fertilisers.

So how worried should we be about Ireland’s food security? To discuss this, our presenter Michelle Hennessy is joined this week by Trevor Donnellan, head of economics and surveys at Teagasc, the agriculture and food development authority.

The Explainer / SoundCloud

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