GOOD MORNING.

Here’s all the news you need to know to start the day. 

Chickens

1. Denmark’s animal welfare minister has said he wants a ban on fast-growing chickens nationally and across the EU over animal welfare concerns.

An outcry in Denmark over chicken welfare has now sparked debate in Ireland, where the fast-growing Ross 308 chicken breed dominates the broiler (chickens raised for meat rather than eggs) sector, which produces over 100 million birds each year for the domestic and export markets.

Prison overcrowding 

2. Irish jails were so overcrowded that a proposal to cut 40 days from the sentence of every prisoner in the State was put forward by authorities struggling to find more space.

An Irish Prison Service analysis said the measure would lead to the immediate release of 150 people.

That included 24 prisoners convicted of sexual offences, two of homicide offences, and 37 of attempts or threats to murder.

Crypto hack

3. Cryptocurrency platform Binance said on Thursday it had fallen victim to a major hack that hit around $6.3 billion (€5.66 billion) in funds, with about half that amount frozen to prevent a massive theft.

The company — the world’s largest crypto exchange by daily trading volumes — posted a series of sometimes contradictory messages on X, insisting that “user funds are completely safe” but also saying it would “cover all losses.”

The company said later on its X account for Latin America that “the total estimated impact is around $6.3 billion.”

Patrick Stewart

4. Tributes have poured in following the death of legendary stage and screen actor Patrick Stewart at the age of 86.

Stewart “wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love,” Ian McKellen said of his “X-Men” co-star and dear friend.

McKellan recounted meeting Stewart in London and hearing about his “Star Trek” offer, warning him he may get lost in Hollywood and to think of his stage career.

“Well, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did.”

‘Manosphere’ health harms

5. The ‘Manosphere’ should be addressed as a public health problem with harms caused online tackled similarly to the tobacco industry, academics have argued.

The authors of a new report defined the manosphere as “a diffuse commercial ecosystem and loose collection of online communities united by shared beliefs about masculinity, misogyny and male victimisation”.

They argued the movement – which centres around a so-called crisis of masculinity and a shared conviction that feminism has systematically disadvantaged men – has contributed to many health harms.

Trump cancels rallies

6. US President Donald Trump is scrapping two of his last midterm election rallies, his Republican Party said Thursday, as the 80-year-old leader lashed out at a reporter who asked if he was tired of travelling.

Instead of the events in Kansas and Iowa, Trump will hold a “large number” of virtual “telerallies” in a series of states, the Republican National Committee said.

Israeli election 

7. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his chief rival, Gadi Eisenkot, have both fallen short of securing a parliamentary majority, Israel’s final election results show, leaving a path to forming a government unclear.

Results released early on Friday showed the pro-Netanyahu bloc winning 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, and 48 seats for Eisenkot’s bloc.

Two Arab-led parties won the remaining 19 seats.

Dealz

8. Dealz staff in Ireland are “in the dark” about the future of the company and their jobs as UK arm Poundland, owned by the same parent company, is potentially edging towards insolvency. 

Owners Gordon Brothers on Thursday moved to appoint administrators AlixPartners to the business, which will give the business 10 working days to secure a sale deal without being pursued by creditors. 

The Board of Poundland Limited issued a statement on Thursday evening which said that over the last two months it has been working on a “formal sale process for Poundland” but that despite “enormous efforts” they haven’t had an “acceptable offer” for the business as a whole. 

Garda Colm Horkan

9. Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly has committed to meeting the family of murdered Detective Garda Colm Horkan.

Horkan was aged 49 when he was murdered while on duty in 2020.

He was shot several times with his own gun on 17 June 2020 in Castlerea, Co Roscommon. 

Steven Silver, of Aughavard, Foxford, Co Mayo, was found guilty of his murder in 2023.