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

IRELAND

Actor Peter Corboy in Dublin Castle ahead of the Dublin Fringe Festival world premiere of the new play Before you Say Anything. Leon Farrell / RollingNews.ie Leon Farrell / RollingNews.ie / RollingNews.ie

• There were a further 217 cases of Covid-19 confirmed in Ireland today, health officials reported this evening. 
• Education minister Norma Foley has confirmed that the past academic performances of schools will not be used to ‘standardise’ this year’s Leaving Cert students’ results. 
• Covid-19 GP consultations will remain free as part of the government’s measures to suppress the virus this winter, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has confirmed. 
• Traders in Kildare have been welcoming back customers and staff following the lifting of a regional lockdown in the county last night.
• The LVA has said thousands of pubs face defaulting on their mortgages if the Government does not step in and offer a better rescue packed. 
• A teenager stabbed another teen to death in a Dublin park during a “melee” following a row over a bicycle, a barrister has told the Central Criminal Court.
• The education minister has played down suggestions that her Department will issue guidance to schools about pupils who cough threateningly or make inappropriate jokes about Covid-19.

 INTERNATIONAL

Hot air balloons fly over Bristol in the UK as part of a 'sky orchestra'. PA PA

#US: Donald Trump has declined to condemn the shooting of three people, two fatally, last week during a protest over the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

#LONDON: Several people were arrested as Extinction Rebellion protesters kicked off two weeks of civil disobedience outside the UK parliament in London.

#SCOTLAND: A draft bill paving the way for a possible second Scottish independence referendum will be published before next May’s Holyrood elections, Nicola Sturgeon has announced.

PARTING SHOT

Need something uplifting? The BBC has a lovely feature on Khadjou Sambe, Senegal’s first female surfer. 

She’s not short of some inspirational quotes – and the BBC has some lovely photos of her exploits. 

Take this for example to finish your day:

I always think to myself, when I wake up in the morning: ‘Khadjou, you’ve got something to do, you represent something everywhere in the world, you must go straight to the point, don’t give up.’

Give the full piece a read here.