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

IRELAND

Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Micheál Martin TD hosts Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty of Egypt in Iveagh House for a working dinner this evening. Eamonn Farrell / © RollingNews.ie Eamonn Farrell / © RollingNews.ie / © RollingNews.ie

• A woman has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of eight-year-old Kyran Durnin.
• Newly elected Social Democrats TD Eoin Hayes has been suspended with immediate effect from the Social Democrats parliamentary party after he confirmed he gave incorrect details about when he sold shares he held in a software firm that supplies technology to the Israeli Defence Forces.
• An investigation into inaccurate declaration of interest filings by former junior enterprise minister Robert Troy has found the Fianna Fáil TD “acted in good faith” and would not have made errors if he had sought help with the documents.
• A report into the Peter McVerry Trust has found “significant failings in governance, financial management and conflict of interest handling” at the charity.
• Former TD Ivor Callely has made a €172,937 settlement after being named in Revenue’s list of tax defaulters for under-declaring VAT.
• Former TDs Anne Rabbitte, Joe Flaherty, and Alan Farrell have been appointed to the Seanad by the Taoiseach following their unsuccessful bids to return to the Dáil.
• A prolific sex offender from Northern Ireland, who posed as a teenage boy on Snapchat and Instagram to trap his child victims, has been sentenced to 27 years in prison.

INTERNATIONAL

People watch and take photos as opposition supporters celebrate in the courtyard of the Umayyad Mosque in the old walled city of Damascus, Syria. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

#SYRIA: The rebels who ousted president Bashar al-Assad and are now in power in Syria have appointed a transitional head of government to run the country until 1 March.

#ISRAEL: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised defiantly to refute the corruption allegations against him as he began giving evidence in his trial today.

#UNITEDHEALTHCARE: New York City prosecutors have filed a murder charge against Luigi Nicholas Mangione in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive, according to an online court document.

#NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand lawmakers have announced that the greyhound racing industry will be banned, citing animal welfare concerns and the “unacceptably high” number of injured and dying dogs.

PARTING SHOT

WHAT IS FOOTBALL’S rainbow laces problem?

On the 42FM, Gavin and Sinéad explore the controversy around the Premier League’s Rainbow Laces campaign, a long-running visibility and inclusivity campaign in support of the LGBTQ+ community which two Premier League captains and the Manchester United team chose not to support fully last week.

You can listen here, or wherever you get your podcasts.