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

IRELAND

Independent presidential candidate Maria Steen with her husband Neill outside Leinster House after she failed to get the required 20 nominations to become a candidate in the presidential election. Leah Farrell Leah Farrell

• Maria Steen’s bid for the Áras has ended in disappointment as the conservative activist missed out on nominations to get on the ballot.
• A judge has ruled that key hearsay evidence in the trial of a former paratrooper accused of two murders on Bloody Sunday can be admitted as evidence in his trial.
• A search is underway for a man who escaped garda custody in Kilkenny on Monday evening.
• With nominations now closed for this year’s presidential election, the race for the Áras has officially begun. 
• Children’s Health Ireland (CHI), the entity that runs Dublin’s three dedicated children’s hospitals, is set to be integrated into the HSE by 2027.
• Tánaiste Simon Harris has said he intends to raise the overnight attacks on the Global Sumud Flotilla, which is carrying aid and activists to the Gaza Strip in Palestine in an effort to break Israel’s blockade, at a UN meeting today. 
• FAI Chief Executive David Courell insists the organisation’s “conscience is clear” regarding their safeguarding procedures and how they dealt with historical abuse claims from female footballers in the 1990s.
• People looking to quit vaping are being turned away from HSE-funded smoking cessation services due to a lack of capacity and funding for a dedicated vaping service.
• Broadcasters Mary Wilson and Áine Lawlor have signed off from RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland for the final time.
• A lobby group for Dublin city centre businesses has called for new measures to tackle anti-social behaviour and violence by some individuals in the capital.

INTERNATIONAL

The body of a shooting suspect is placed in the medical examiners van near the scene of a shooting at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Dallas. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

#ICE: Two detainees were shot dead and one was wounded in a sniper attack at a US immigration facility in Dallas, the Department of Homeland Security said.

#KIMMEL: Jimmy Kimmel has made his return to late-night television in the US after broadcasters facing pressure from US government regulators abruptly pulled it off the air last week.

#ESCALATORGATE: The White House launched an investigation after UN escalator stopped working when Trump stepped on.

PARTING SHOT

It’s one month to the day until voters head to the polls for the presidential election.

Lampposts will soon fill up with the names and faces of Áras hopefuls. But as the posters multiply, so does the debate around them: are they still necessary?

Some feel that the posters represent unnecessary waste and unsightly clutter. For others, they are considered an essential part of the election process.

So, take our poll and tell us your thoughts: Should election posters be banned?