• A 10-year-old boy has been awarded an €11.5 million settlement by the High Court, after sustaining brain and spinal injury in a car accident in 2008. Cullen Kennedy was being driven to school by his mother when he was injured.
• A man in his mid-20s will appear in court this evening charged with the fatal stabbing of Jason Ryan at his home in Wexford in January.
• Vita Cortex has pulled out of mediation talks at the Labour Relations Commission, saying it has difficulty engaging with SIPTU which does not represent around a third of the company’s former workers.
• Dublin City Council has deferred its Supreme Court appeal against the High Court’s order that it cover the costs of housing the Priory Hall residents, warding off the possibility of the former residents becoming homeless next week.
• The Dáil this afternoon formally approved legislation which will require a referendum on the Fiscal Compact, voting 93-21 to hold a ballot on the treaty. SIPTU has said it will not support the treaty unless it gets the promise of an economic stimulus plan.
• Speaking of the compact, there’s a ‘town hall’ meeting in Bray this evening featuring the thoughts of Stephen Donnelly, Shane Ross, and economist Constantin Gurdgiev. You can watch the debate live on this stream, and if you want you can submit questions through Twitter using the hashtag #braydebate.
• A passenger jet with 127 people on board has crashed into wheat fields as it was trying to land in a thunder storm at an airport near Islamabad, Pakistan.
• Park safely: Dublin City Council’s parking appeals officer has recommended increasing the price of de-clamping cars by at least €50 to €130.

A bodybuilder enters the stage with a toy gun at the FIBO Power in Essen, Germany. The FIBO is a leading international trade show for fitness, wellness and health. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

• Legislation in the US Senate, which would have allowed Irish immigrants to apply for a class of visa currently restricted to Australians, looks like it’s going to stall ahead of this year’s elections, because there is not enough Republican support to overcome a filibuster.
• Bill Cullen was today asked to give some advice to a 20-year-old who lost his life savings in a failed business venture. His advice was probably not what you’d expect.
• A conference of US nuns has reacted scornfully to the report of the Vatican’s theological watchdog, which criticised it for taking too active a stance on social justice issues, and not spending enough time on Church teachings.
• Candidates in the French presidential election are making a final push for votes ahead of this Sunday’s election.
• What did Gavin O’Reilly (again, no relation) get up to on his first day after quitting INM? Click here to hear it from the horse’s mouth.
• ISPCA inspectors have rescued a grey mare found in a poor and weak condition in Cork this week.
• It’s Friday, and around here Fridays mean cute animal slideshows. Presenting today: the little-known Capybara.
• This odd Japanese fast food is quite possibly the most labour-intensive fast food you’ll ever see. (We still want some though.)
• Finally, at the end of a busy week with some crazy weather, a weather update from Carlow: is it just us, or do those hailstones look suspiciously big?