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

IRELAND

The recently unveiled Portal off O'Connell Street, which provided a live link between Dublin and New York City, has been temporarily shut down after anti-social behaviour. Rollingnews.ie Rollingnews.ie

• The Chief of  Staff of the Irish Defence Forces, Lt Gen Sean Clancy was appointed as the chair of the European Union military committee.
• The HSE apologised to the family of a 34-year-old woman with severe postnatal depression, who killed her baby son and took her own life in 2020. 
• The Portal to New York on Dublin’s North Earl Street was temporarily shut down again, following what’s been described as “inappropriate behaviour”, including incidents documented on social media.
• Micheál Martin said that he will raise concerns about the pace of how the Lebanese authorities are progressing the prosecution of alleged suspects in the murder of Private Séan Rooney.
• Graffiti in a Waterford housing estate appearing to target Sinn Féin, which included the message ‘Hang traitors’, has been criticised by one of the party’s senior TDs.
• Ukrainians living in state accommodation will have the chance to appeal cuts to the the social welfare payments they receive, Finance Minister Michael McGrath said. 
• There will be a “substantial increase” in the number of speed and safety cameras on Irish roads, as the Garda Commissioner pledged to crack down on the number of drivers who speed.
• The Government is paying millions per year for security at an asylum seeker centre in Dublin, but a number of the staff who worked there were not always garda vetted and did not always hold appropriate licences, The Journal revealed. 

INTERNATIONAL

#SLOVAKIA Robert Fico, Prime Minister of Slovakia, was taken to hospital in a life-threatening condition after being shot multiple times in an assassination attempt.

#PALESTINE ISraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted there was no “humanitarian catastrophe” in Rafah as he announced nearly 500,000 people had been evacuated from the south Gaza city amid intense fighting.

#FUGITIVE Interpol issued a red notice at the request of France for the arrest of the convict who escaped in an attack on a prison van that killed two guards yesterday.

#UKRAINE: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cancelled planned trips abroad as Russian forces pushed deeper into the Kharkiv region. 

#USA Joe Biden and Donald Trump scheduled dates for two presidential debates in June and September that will not feature third-party candidates. 

#GEORGIA The EU’s foreign affairs commissioner issued a strong warning to Georgia that it must withdraw its controversial “foreign influence” law or face a tougher path towards becoming an EU member state.

PARTING SHOT

Slovakian PM Robert Fico Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

ROBERT FICO, THE Prime Minister of Slovakia was rushed to hospital after he was shot multiple times this afternoon.

Fico was shot in the town of Handlova, some 150 kilometres north east of the capital Bratislava. He was rushed to hospital in a life-threatening condition. The Slovakian government has called the shooting an “assassination attempt”.

Fico is a longstanding Slovakian politician and has served four terms in power, first leading the country from 2006 to 2010 as head of his Direction – Social Democracy (SMER) party.

To find out more about the controversial Prime Minister, read our explainer article here.