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

IRELAND

People in sailboats near Poolbeg as the weather turns a bit colder. Leah Farrell / © RollingNews.ie Leah Farrell / © RollingNews.ie / © RollingNews.ie

• Tánaiste Simon Harris has said he doesn’t believe that weapons are being flown through Ireland’s airspace to Israel – but he said it was “a real challenge” to know what is being carried through Irish skies and said more work was needed in this area.
• The chaos of the housing tsar story this week is a symptom of a longer running dysfunction in the housing department, according to a number of sources within Leinster House and the department. 
• Two men have been arrested after gardaí seized €3m worth of heroin as part of investigations targeting transnational and Dublin based organised crime gangs.
• Camogie players from the Kilkenny and Dublin senior teams were forced to change by match officials after the two teams arrived to the pitch wearing shorts rather than the mandated skorts this afternoon. 
• A large garda presence kept pro and anti-immigration protesters apart during separate gatherings in Letterkenny today.
• An Irish executive director of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the world is “breaking the bodies and minds” of the children of Gaza.

INTERNATIONAL

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, his partner Jodie Haydon and son Nathan react as they meet the party faithful after winning a second term following the general election in Sydney. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

#AUSTRALIA: Australia’s left-leaning Prime Minister Anthony Albanese triumphed in national elections, crushing his conservative rival in a contest swayed by economic upheaval and Donald Trump.

#KHAN YUNIS: Gaza’s civil defence agency said that an overnight Israeli strike on the Khan Yunis refugee camp killed at least 11 people including three babies up to a year old.

#PARADE PLANNING: The United States will stage a military parade on 14 June to mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US Army, with the event also falling on President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday.

#WHITE HOUSE: US President Donald Trump has posted an AI-generated image of himself as the pope on his Truth Social platform, which has since been posted to the White House’s official X account. 

PARTING SHOT

CAN YOU IMAGINE a Catholic Cardinal singing John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’?

It’s easy if you try, though some conservative accounts online have been claiming that this alone should disqualify Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle from becoming the next pope.

A clip of Cardinal Tagle singing along to Imagine in 2019 has gone somewhat viral in Catholic corners of social media.