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

Nuala O’Connell, Andrew Parkes and Margaret Casey pictured rehearsing at the launch of The Conference of Birds. Ireland’s endangered birds will be the focus of a unique intergenerational performance taking place at DLR Mill Theatre Dundrum from May 15 to 16. Photocall Ireland Photocall Ireland

IRELAND

• Danny Healy-Rae has rejected Minister Norma Foley’s assertion that he may have had an influence on his brother Micheal’s vote of no confidence in the government yesterday.
• Taoiseach Micheál Martin was on the defensive during Leaders’ Questions as he criticised opposition party leaders for how they responded to last week’s fuel protests.
• A 45-year-old man has been charged with assault causing harm to his father, who was found dead at his home in Waterford on Monday evening.
• A woman in her sixties has died following a two-car collision in Dundalk, Co Louth shortly after 1:45pm today.
• An actor who appeared on Irish crime drama series Love/Hate has been jailed for four years for attempting to rob a café and later robbing a till from a convenience store.
• The state agency responsible for home energy efficiency schemes told the Oireachtas Climate Committee today that “cash upfront is an issue” for homeowners hoping to retrofit.  
• Three Fianna Fáil TDs have expressed “real and deep concern” over the government’s response to fuel protests, stating that the “social contract is strained to breaking point”. 
• Lelia Doolan, a 91-year-old rights activist, has completed a 220km walk in protest against the use of Shannon Airport as a stopover for US military flights.
• Conor McGregor has reached a settlement with his former sparring partner over a dispute relating to a whiskey brand.
• Jim Gavin has said he’ll “never” run for president again, describing last year’s tumultuous campaign for Fianna Fáil as “bitter and intense”.
• The new measures taken by the government to reduce the cost of fuel are taking effect today, although the fuel industry’s representative group has said customers will not see those cuts reflected at the pump immediately.

INTERNATIONAL

Members from the organisation Jewish Voice for Peace, along with over a dozen affinity groups, block the entrance outside the offices of US Senate today. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

#IRAN: Iran’s military warned it would block trade through the Red Sea, along with the Gulf and Sea of Oman, if the US naval blockade on Iranian ports continues.

#LOOKSMAXXING: American “looksmaxxing” influencer Clavicular has returned home after he was hospitalised for a suspected overdose on a livestream on Tuesday night.

#KATY PERRY: US pop star Katy Perry is under investigation in Australia over allegations of sexual assault made by actor Ruby Rose, police and media today said.

#GAZA: Gaza’s civil defence agency has said a toddler was among 10 people killed in separate Israeli strikes in the northern part of the Palestinian territory yesterday.

PARTING SHOT

Anti-ageing, biohacking, looksmaxxing. Face lifts, Botox, fillers, rapamycin, Resveratrol, Senolytics… the list goes on. A whole ecosystem, offering us a shot at perfection, has exploded in the last decade, driven at speed by social media.

Don’t want to get old? No problem, here’s an exhaustive list of all the things you NEED to start doing today, before it’s too late… because the clock is ticking, and none of us wants to end up with grey hair and aching joints. Perish the thought.

And your face! If you aren’t injecting Botox by the age of 16, it’s game over. Kiss your youthful looks goodbye. No one will love you with wrinkles. And of course, skincare begins at age nine; we all know that.

You can read Dr Catherine Conlon’s full Voices article here.