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

IRELAND

Flowers left outside Sinéad O'Connor's former home in Bray on the morning of her funeral. Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie / RollingNews.ie

• Large crowds turned out in Bray, Co Wicklow to bid farewell to Sinéad O’Connor, as the cortege passed by before a private burial.
• Domestic violence victims will receive their full pay if they need to take leave as a result of the abuse, the Department of Equality has said.
• Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said there is a “reluctance” within the UK government to work with colleagues in Dublin to restore the Stormont Assembly.
• Today FM’s Dermot and Dave Show is coming to an end soon as Dermot Whelan plans to say “goodbye” to radio and Dave Moore taking on a new show in the coming weeks.
• A garda investigation is underway after residents had to be evacuated from the Academy Square apartment buildings in Navan after a fire broke out yesterday evening.
• A Rural Independent Group TD described a move towards a cashless ticketing system at this year’s National Ploughing Championships as a “decision to push a cashless agenda”.
• Gardaí in Dublin made over 500 arrests in the last week, as well as 689 searches.
• A youth was beaten, “slashed”, and scarred from ear to the back of his neck after briefly making eye contact with a man on a double-decker bus in Dublin, a court has heard.
• Three men suspected of being members of the Kinahan organised crime group have been charged with firearm offences, Britain’s National Crime Agency has said.
• An immunuology expert told The Journal that a new Covid variant is probably in Ireland, but there’s no need to be ‘overly-concerned’.

INTERNATIONAL

Mohamed Toumba, one of the soldiers who ousted Nigerian president Mohamed Bazoum, addresses reporters. Sam Mednick / AP) Sam Mednick / AP) / AP)

#UKRAINE The death toll from two Russian missile strikes that hit apartment blocks and other buildings in an eastern Ukrainian city has climbed to seven as officials accused the Kremlin’s forces of targeting rescue workers.

#NIGER US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned against Russia’s Wagner mercenaries taking advantage of instability in coup-hit Niger, whose neighbor Mali has become a partner of Moscow.

#PORTUGAL Hundreds of firefighters battled a wildfire that has burned for four days in Portugal, which, like neighbouring Spain, is sweltering in a heatwave that has triggered widespread weather alerts.

#CLIMATE CHANGE Antarctica is “suffering” because of burning fossil fuels which is causing extreme events that were unthinkable 30 years ago, scientists have said.

PARTING SHOT

200 Natterjack toadlets were released today onto a farm in Castlegregory, Co. Kerry, as part of a joint project between the NPWS and Fota Wildlife Park. valerie O'Sullivan valerie O'Sullivan

A project which has seen over 9,000 natterjack toadlets released in their native habitats has been described as the “future of agriculture” by one of the farmers involved.

The joint project between the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and Fota Wildlife Park involves releasing endangered natterjack toadlets into ponds which have been specially created for them by local farmers.

It’s hoped that this will help protect the natterjack toadlets and enable them to return to its natural habitat.

The project began seven years ago and so far this year, over 1,600 toadlets have been released.

This afternoon, 200 were released onto Tommy Reidy’s farm in Castlegregory, Co Kerry and you can read more about his participation in this project here.