EVERY WEEKDAY EVENING, TheJournal.ie brings you the five stories you need to know as you head out the door.

1. #GARDAGATE: Minister Leo Varadkar has said he is concerned that former Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan waited more than four months to inform the Government about the illegal recording of telephone conversations at garda stations.

2. #EXPLOSION: Gardaí are trying to trace a man believed to have been seriously injured in a car bomb explosion in Dublin city last night. The man got into a taxi while injured and bleeding  shortly after the attack in Dublin 8.

3. #CRIME STATS: New figures show crime fell in most categories in recent months, although the rate of homicide – which includes road deaths – remains high.

4. #CONSUMERS: The National Consumer Agency and the Competition Authority are to be merged to create a new watchdog to protect consumers under new legislation published today by the Government.

5. #PROPERTY TAX: The deadline for filing property tax returns has been extended until Wednesday evening after thousands of calls were made to the Revenue helpline this morning.