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

IRELAND

The fourth edition of Brigit: Dublin City Celebrating Women returns from Friday, 31 January to Monday, 3 February Sasko Lazarov Sasko Lazarov

• A woman attacked and killed in her home in Cavan was named locally as Annie Heyneman, as gardaí launched a murder investigation.
• Hit-and-run incidents made up almost 10% of all serious or fatal collisions on Irish roads in the last two months, according to new statistics. 
• Solicitors for Nikita Hand were seeking an injunction to stop Conor McGregor from publishing CCTV footage that was shown in court during her civil case against the MMA star.
• Government formation talks ramped up this week as meetings continued today ahead of the Dáil’s return next week. 
• A Dublin taxi driver, who subjected a female passenger to “interrogation” by repeatedly asking if she was single or lived alone and saying she looked “sexy”, was not given a criminal conviction.
• A man was in critical condition following an alleged assault at a car park in Dublin on Saturday evening.
• Ryanair pleaded with airport bars to limit passengers to just two alcoholic drinks each.
• A man who was killed in a workplace incident at Garda Headquarters in Dublin last year died as a result of multiple traumatic injuries after falling from a 30-feet height, an inquest heard.
• The Lord Mayor of Dublin was planning to meet providers of soup kitchens later this week over proposed draft byelaws that would prohibit volunteer groups from providing on-street food to the city’s homeless.
• A man in his 30s was found dead at his home following an unreported crash in Co Galway on Thursday.
• An “athletic” young man who tragically died after he suffered a hypoxic blackout at the bottom of a leisure centre pool was himself a qualified lifeguard, a jury heard today.

INTERNATIONAL

A car drives past homes and vehicles destroyed by the Palisades Fire at the Pacific Palisades Bowl Mobile Estates in LA, USA Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

#EU: The European Commission denied covering up the illness of its president Ursula von der Leyen and said she was “recovering well” from “severe pneumonia”.

#PALESTINE: A Gaza truce and hostage release deal was close and could be finalised in the last week of US President Joe Biden’s term, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said today.

#NORTH KOREA: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared an interrogation video taken of two wounded North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces.

#USA: The death toll from massive wildfires that have ravaged Los Angeles rose to 24, with officials warning of incoming dangerous winds that could whip the blazes up further.

PARTING SHOT

Moglai Bap (as Naoise O Caireallain) Mo Chara (as Liam Og O Hannaidh) DJ Provai (as JJ O Dochartaigh) in Kneecap (2024) Alamy Alamy

IRISH RAP GROUP Kneecap have been awarded the prize for Best Actor at the Palm Springs International Film Festival for their ‘authentic and explosive’ performance in their self-titled movie.

Kneecap (2024) follows the story of the Belfast rap-trio and the dramatised tale of their career growth as one of the first hip hop acts to perform as Gaeilge.

Musicians Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí, made their acting debuts with the film. 

In its statement explaining why Kneecap were chosen, the jury said the group’s performance was “seamless”, despite it being their first acting roles.