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

1.#GALWAY Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman said the suspected arson attack on a hotel earmarked for asylum seekers in Co Galway was “deeply sinister”.

2.#GAZA Israel has kept up heavy bombing of Gaza today as it faces accusations from a human rights group that it is deliberately starving Palestinians in its campaign sparked by the 7 October Hamas attacks.

3.#AOIFE JOHNSTON The HSE announced a new investigation is to be carried out into the death 16-year-old Aoife Johnston at University Hospital Limerick.

4.#VATICAN Pope Francis formally approved allowing priests to bless same-sex couples.

5.#NO-EL KELLY Ryan Tubridy described the day he was due to appear before two Oireachtas committees as “Christmas morning – flipped” in a new interview with fellow-broadcaster Doireann Garrihy on her podcast ‘The Laughs of Your Life’.

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The 5 at 5 Five minutes, five stories, five o’clock…

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.