Late Late Toy Show

2. This year’s Late Late Toy Show kicked off with a bang last night as we were transported somewhere over the rainbow to the merry old land of Oz. 

As always, it was the kids rather than the toys that stole the show. Here are some of the highlights if you missed it. 

Housing protest

3. A rally calling for Government action on the housing crisis is set to take place this afternoon, with all opposition parties set to support the protest.

The protest and concert is being organised by Raise the Roof, which is made up of trade unions, housing and homelessness services, political parties and women’s groups.

Their ‘Rally for Housing’ is due to kick off at 1pm this afternoon at Parnell Square in Dublin city.

Attempted hijacking

4. Two men are due in court this morning following two robberies and the attempted hijacking of a vehicle in Co Dublin on Wednesday evening.

At approximately 9.30pm on Wednesday, two men attempted to hijack a car that was parked in the vicinity of a train station in Booterstown.

Arrest over discovery of man’s body

5. A woman who was arrested by gardaí investigating the discovery of a man’s body last March has been released without charge.  

A Garda spokesperson said a file will now be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions in relation to the case.

The man’s body was found on the the night of Thursday, 24 March at a house in Buttevant, Co Cork. He was aged in his early 60s.

St Anne’s Park

6. The Marlet Group has lodged an appeal with An Bord Pleanála against Dublin City Council’s decision to refuse planning permission for 580 apartments planned for a site near St Anne’s Park in Raheny in north Dublin.

Last month, City Council concerns over the Light Bellied Brent Goose put paid to the contentious residential plan for the 16.5 acre site on lands to the east of St Paul’s College at Sybil Hill, Raheny, Dublin 5. 

Citizens’ assembly

7. The Citizens’ Assembly on biodiversity loss is set to hear from conservationist Dr Jane Goodall at its final meeting this weekend before voting on recommendations for the government.

The 99 members of the assembly and its chair have met over the last seven months to hear from experts and develop policy advice for tackling the biodiversity emergency that was declared in 2019.

Deaths in Kherson

8. Russian shelling on the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson have killed 15 civilians, officials said, as engineers across the country sought to restore heat, water and power to major cities.

Throughout the country, Russian air strikes over recent weeks have brought Ukraine’s energy infrastructure to its knees as winter approaches and temperatures approach freezing, spurring fears of a health crisis and a further exodus.

London Fire Brigade

9. Pornographic videos, helmets filled with urine and stories of racist bullying are among the accounts of the culture within the London Fire Brigade.

An independent review lays bare the experiences endured by members of staff, with the report referring to a “toxic culture” and a conclusion that finds the organisation “institutionally misogynist and racist”.