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

IRELAND

Pictured holding a St Brigid's Cross today is 1st class student Bella Liu (6), as Callie Early (6) holds a tiger to celebrate the beginning of the Chinese Year of the Tiger today, with Zach McGuinness (5) Sasko Lazarov Sasko Lazarov

• The Education Minister has announced plans for a traditional Leaving Cert with “some elements of choice” this year following an agreement by ministers this morning.
• Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said the gathering at his department was “a serious mistake that shouldn’t have happened” after a review published last night found that it was a “serious breach” of Covid guidelines.
• The Enhanced Illness Benefit - paid at €350 per week – has been extended until the end of June.
• Judges in the trial of former Defence Forces soldier Lisa Smith have rejected the argument that the basis of her arrest in December 2019 was unlawful.
• A woman is recovering after she was badly beaten in what gardaí believe was a random attack on a Cork city street. 
• Two investigations are underway into the death of a woman in an incident at a farm yesterday.
• The managing director of Glenisk has said production has resumed at the company’s factory in Co Offaly four months after it was destroyed in a fire. 
• Public health officials have recorded 4,208 positive PCR cases of Covid-19 in Ireland today.

INTERNATIONAL

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Kyiv, Ukraine as he holds crisis talks with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky amid rising tensions with Russia Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

#DOWNING STREET: The findings of a police investigation into parties in No 10 and Whitehall should be made public, UK Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said.

#DENMARK: Denmark has become the first EU country to lift all of its Covid restrictions despite record numbers of cases.

#GREENWOOD: Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood has been further arrested on suspicion of sexual assault and threats to kill and detectives have been given more time to question him.

PARTING SHOT

Wordle. Whether you know what it is or not, there’s no doubt you’ve heard the word in recent weeks. 

Created by engineer Josh Wardle, the game consists of guessing one five-letter word per day in just six tries.

The New York Times has announced it has bought the game for an “undisclosed price in the low seven figures”.

According to The New York Times, the game – which was launched in October – had only 90 players in early November.  

By early January, there were more than 300,000 – and now millions play it daily, fuelled in part by the ease of sharing spoiler-free results on social media.