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

IRELAND

A Syrian family, separated by war for eight years, reunited in Ireland with support from the Irish Red Cross. Pictured are reunited sisters Jihan Osso and Lilav Mohamed in Clones, Co. Monaghan. Tony Gavin Tony Gavin

• A woman was arrested after the discovery of the body of a six-year-old boy near a seaside cove in Co Wexford.
• Former Taoiseach John Bruton was described as “a visionary” and “a great statesman” at a removal mass in Co Meath this evening. 
• The HSE issued an urgent public health alert over the possibility that some people may have been exposed to measles in the last two weeks. 
• A man was charged with the attempted murder of PSNI Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell.
• A man who who was wrongly linked to the Parnell Street attack on social media last year initiated legal action against online news publication Gript and its editor John McGuirk. 
• Veritas announced it is set to wind down its business operations and close its retail outlets.
• Fiba, the international basketball federation, indicated it is reviewing whether an Israeli player accusing Irish players of being antisemitic broke any rules or regulations.
• Rap group Kneecap launched a legal challenge against a British government decision to block them from a UK-wide funding scheme for music artists.
• A motorist clocked at 228km/h on the M1 was among the nearly 3,000 speeding offences over St Brigid’s Bank Holiday weekend.
• Re-turn, the operators of the Deposit Return Scheme, issued further guidance for shoppers on how the scheme works and how you can secure your deposit.

INTERNATIONAL

Palestinians inspect the damage and rubble of destroyed homes and cars following Israeli airstrikes on several homes in the city of Rafah. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

#GAZA: Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to prepare a plan to evacuate the population of Rafah ahead of an expected Israeli invasion of the southern Gaza town, one which Washington warned it would not support.

#US: Joe Biden insisted he did not share classified information and angrily denied claims in a special counsel’s report that his memory was poor.

#RUSSIA: Vladimir Putin gave his first interview to Western media since 2019 – to one Tucker Carlson.

#UK: Prince Harry settled the remaining parts of his phone hacking claim against the publisher of the Daily Mirror, the British High Court has heard.

#WALES: A baby born Wales three months early and weighing barely over a pound has celebrated his first birthday.

PARTING SHOT

Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Consumers may be left feeling a little flat next week when they realise the cost of making pancakes has increased.

Pancake Tuesday, or Shrove Tuesday, is the day before Lent.

The tradition of eating pancakes arose from families making use of ingredients that would otherwise be restricted during the Lenten season.

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) today published research showing the cost of making a basic pancake has risen by 3% in the year to December 2023.  

The average cost of 2 kilograms of white, self-raising flour has gone up by 10% over the last 12 months, while the price of a half-dozen large eggs has increased by 3%.

The only basic pancake ingredient that has fallen over the past year is a two litre carton of full fat milk, which is down 3%.