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

IRELAND

Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie / RollingNews.ie

• Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said it would be unacceptable for the DUP to refuse to form a new Stormont executive following the historic result of this week’s elections
• In Longford town, rising crime is holding a community hostage, and residents are getting fed up
• Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis urged DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson to nominate a deputy first minister to allow resumption of fully functioning devolved government
• Cork County Council expressed disappointment at “persistent, distressing negative online commentary” which led an artist to remove a sculpture of the late Hollywood actress Maureen O’Hara from public display in Glengarriff
• A man was arrested after Gardaí seized over €1.5 million of suspected drugs and over €39,000 in cash following search operations in counties Kildare and Meath yesterday

WORLD

Smoke rises from the Metallurgical Combine Azovstal in Mariupol during shelling. Alexei Alexandrov / PA Alexei Alexandrov / PA / PA

#UKRAINE: Up to 60 people are feared dead after a village school was hit by an air strike

#RUSSIA: The country celebrated its annual Victory Day, which marks the end of World War II there, but pride and patriotism was mixed with apprehension and unease as soldiers once again leave to fight in armed conflict

#HONG KONG: Former security chief John Lee was declared victorious in the race to replace Carrie Lam as leader, but the EU’s foreign policy chief said the process violated democratic norms

PARTING SHOT

The Edge and Bono of U2 Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Bono and the Edge travelled to Kyiv to perform in an underground metro station which is being used as a bomb shelter.

In a tweet, the U2 band members said they were invited to perform by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “show of solidarity” with the Ukrainian people.