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

Ireland

RollingNews.ie RollingNews.ie

• Taoiseach Micheál Martin has issued a landmark state apology to the survivors of mother and baby homes.
• Opposition TD Richard Boyd Barrett has called both the mother and baby homes report and the governments response a “whitewash”.
• The Sisters of Bon Secours have said that they failed to respect the basic dignity of the women and children in the Tuam mother and baby home
• There are now 1,750 people in hospital being treated with Covid-19, with 158 in ICU.
• An investigation has been launched by the Gardaí after shots were fired in Clare this morning.
• Health Minister Stephen Donnelly says that the government is planning on having 700,000 people vaccinated by the end of March.
• A Garda order that directed officers to come back to work after five days despite being close contacts of Covid-19 cases has been rescinded. 
• There are currently 7,000 healthcare staff out of work due to being diagnosed with Covid-19 or being a close contact.
• The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has said that hospitals are overloaded and have called on the government to intervene urgently.

International

SIPA USA / PA Images SIPA USA / PA Images / PA Images

#IMPEACHMENT The US House of Representatives has voted to impeach outgoing President Donald Trump for a second time.

#COVID-19 UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has admitted that ICU’s could be overwhelmed unless Covid-19 rates are brought under control.

#VACCINE The CEO of Pfizer has said that there is “encouraging” data surrounding whether the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine stops the transmission of Covid-19

Parting Shot

Shutterstock / Featureflash Photo Agency Shutterstock / Featureflash Photo Agency / Featureflash Photo Agency

With the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden just one week away, an announcement has been made that Tom Hanks will host a 90-minute special called “Celebrating America” to celebrate the inauguration.

While it’ll be prime-time viewing in the US, any Irish viewers will have to stay up until 1:30am to see musical acts including Jon Bon Jovi, Justin Timberlake, Demi Lovato and Ant Clemens.

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can make sure we can keep reliable, meaningful news open to everyone regardless of their ability to pay.

Support us Learn More