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

IRELAND

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar pictured at the Holi Festival in Adamstown, Dublin today. RollingNews RollingNews

• The head of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) has said that the government should ensure that families made homeless don’t resort to attending at Garda stations because there are no facilities to house them.
• Gardaí from Bray and Wicklow Drugs Units arrested two men in their 20s and seized cocaine and suspected cannabis herb amphetamine during searches in County Wicklow yesterday.
• A man in his 50s was killed in a road traffic incident this morning on the N12 outside Monaghan town.
• A man arrested as part of an investigation into a fatal assault in Newbridge, Co Kildare, has been released without charge. 
• PSNI detectives investigating the attempted murder of Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell on 22 February have arrested a 25-year-old man in connection with the claim of responsibility made following the attack.
• Irish author John Boyne has spoken about his issues with the modern publishing world, and addressed the claims that he was involved in a spat with the Auschwitz Memorial Museum, saying that it “never happened”. 

INTERNATIONAL

French riot police charge during violence as ten of thousands of people march in the centre of Paris against pension reform plans. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

#FRANCE Nationwide rallies and marches today were the second round of protests in four days against President Macron’s pension reform proposals.

#DOLMIO DAY Aldi stores in the UK will remove all customer limits on buying fresh produce as supply issues which led to widespread shortages begin to ease.

#UKRAINE Russian forces have made progress in the frontline hotspot of Bakhmut but their attack will be hard to sustain without further harsh losses, according to UK military officials.

#MEDITERRANEAN Over 1,000 people were brought to safety at two Italian ports today after the overcrowded migrant boats they were on encountered problems in the Mediterranean, news reports said.

PARTING SHOT

France celebrating ANDREW FOSKER / INPHO ANDREW FOSKER / INPHO / INPHO

Reigning Six Nations champions France inflicted England’s heaviest home defeat of all time with a crushing 53-10 win at Twickenham today.

An utterly dominant France ended their 18-year wait for a Six Nations success at Twickenham by running in seven tries.