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

IRELAND

The first 10 double-deck hybrid buses for Dublin Bus were unveiled today, and no, we're not sure what the hand gestures are about either. Leah Farrell Leah Farrell

• The European Court of Human Rights declared that complaints against the Irish State by Irish women who underwent surgical symphysiotomies are inadmissible
• Fine Gael TDs questioned Sinn Féin TD Martin Browne’s chairmanship of a Dáil Committee following comments he made on radio about the IRA
• Two men were arrested in relation to the murder of Keane Mulready-Woods
• The clinical director of CervicalCheck urged women to trust the screening service after acknowledging that faith in the programme “has been eroded”
• A woman was arrested at Dublin Port after a mortar launcher was discovered
• There have been 15 deaths and 310 new Covid-19 cases confirmed in Ireland.

WORLD

'The Irish Guards' - a regiment of the British Army that guard the royal family - got a new canine mascot today: an Irish wolfhound called Turlough Mór PA Images PA Images

#BREXIT: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have said Sunday is the deadline for a decision on the future of trade talks.

#SKY NEWS NEWS: British presenter Kay Burley has agreed to stay off air for six months “for a period of reflection” after she and other Sky News reporters gathered at a London restaurant at the weekend for Burley’s 60th birthday.

#STIMULATING: The European Central Bank has increased its €1.35 trillion emergency bond-buying programme by €500 billion and extended it into March 2022.

PARTING SHOT

‘We Didn’t Start the Fire by Billy Joel, but it’s Ireland 2020′ by Michael Fry is a comedic masterpiece. To quote just two lines from this wonderful mashup:

Normal People Connell’s chain, There is no St Patrick’s Day,
Dustin comes back with the Den, Kanye runs for President.

One of TheJournal.ie reporters knows the lyrics from Joel’s original off-by-heart – now to learn this one off, too…

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