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

IRELAND

Students from Saint Patrick’s Cathedral Choir School pictured with a pop up book from Branar’s exciting new Ulysses for Children production ‘You’ll See …’ Sasko Lazarov Sasko Lazarov

• A delivery cyclist who stabbed schoolboy Josh Dunne to death was found not guilty of any offence in relation to the fatal stabbing by a jury at the Central Criminal Court.
• Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that the UK’s Bill to unilaterally change the Northern Ireland Protocol is a “fundamental breach of trust” and labelled it “not well thought out”.
• Tánaiste Leo Varadkar announced that the Government is set to phase in a ‘living wage’ over the next four years, under plans to scrap the minimum wage by 2026.
• President Michael D Higgins expressed anger at Ireland’s housing crisis during a speech, describing it as a “great failure” and a “disaster”. 
• Cabinet signed off on the mica grant scheme and has extended it to include homeowners in Clare and Limerick.
• Women’s Aid said nearly 34,000 disclosures of domestic violence, including assaults with weapons and over 5,000 reports of child abuse, were made to it last year.
• Two EU committees objected to a contentious proposal to label gas and nuclear power as sustainable energy sources, casting further doubt over whether it will be adopted.
• A cross-party group of Ukrainian MPs praised Ireland’s response to the war and urged the Government to support their effort to join the EU during an address to the Seanad.

INTERNATIONAL

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy takes notes during an online press conference for the Danish media from his Situation Room. Ukrainian Presidential Press Off Ukrainian Presidential Press Off

#ASYLUM SEEKERS The European Court of Human Rights issued an order to prevent the deportation of one of the seven asylum seekers scheduled to be on the first flight from the UK to Rwanda this evening.

 #BRAZIL Human remains were found in the search for a British journalist and Brazilian indigenous expert who disappeared deep in the Amazon after receiving threats.

#UKRAINE The Russian army said it will establish a humanitarian corridor tomorrow to evacuate hundreds of civilians from the Azot chemical plant in the city of Severodonetsk.

#6 JANUARY Former US President Donald Trump decried a congressional probe into the riot by his supporters last year at the US Capitol as a “mockery of justice” yesterday.

PARTING SHOT

Ricki Wynne at the summit of his 13th climb of Croagh Patrick. Conor Cosgrove Conor Cosgrove

A Leitrim man has broken a world record at the top of Croagh Patrick, and raised a lot of money in the process.

Ricki Wynne, from Drumshanbo, Co Leitrim, broke the world record for most vertical metres ascended and descended in a 24 hour period by running up and down Croagh Patrick 15 times.

Wynne ran 12,000m uphill, and 12,000m downhill for a total distance of 24,000m to break the record in aid of the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association (IMNDA).

At time of publication, Wynne has raised €28,370 of his €30,000 target for the IMNDA.