EVERY WEEKDAY EVENING, The Journal brings you five of the biggest stories of the day. 

1. #LEBANON: A group of nations including the US and France have jointly called for an immediate 21-day ceasefire to allow for negotiations in the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that has killed more than 600 people in Lebanon in recent days.

2. #SECURITY HUT: The chair of the Committee on Finance and Public Expenditure has said the €1.4 million spent on a security hut at Government Buildings highlights a “lack of respect for taxpayers’ money”.

3. #Nightlife: A long-awaited law to allow pubs and nightclubs to extend their opening hours is expected to be brought to government in October, the Taoiseach has confirmed to The Journal.

4. #RAIN: Met Éireann has warned there’s “plenty of rain on the way over the next day or so” with Status Yellow alerts in place across Dublin, Louth, Meath and Wicklow.

5. #ISRAEL: Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said that Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe is “clear that he did not make any such phone call” to an Israeli minister about the Occupied Territories Bill.