GOOD MORNING.

Here’s all the news you need to know as the weekend gets underway.

Kildare

1. A man arrested as part of an investigation into a fatal assault in Newbridge, Co Kildare, has been released without charge. 

A post-mortem is due to take place on the body of the man who died in the incident. He was discovered with serious injuries at around 10.30am on Wednesday morning outside a residence in the Piercetown area of Newbridge.  

Match of the Day

2. BBC’s Match of the Day is to air today “without studio presentation or punditry” after several pundits pulled out following the broadcaster’s statement that Gary Lineker would be “stepping back” from presenting the show. 

Commentators also won’t be taking part in the show.

Hong Kong

3. A court has sentenced three former organisers of the city’s annual Tiananmen square vigil to four-and-a-half months in jail for refusing to hand over records to national security police.

The candlelight vigil to mourn victims of China’s bloody crackdown on peaceful protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on 4 June, 1989 was banned by Hong Kong authorities in 2020, weeks before China imposed a sweeping national security law to silence political dissent in the city.

Finals

4. Dubliner Rhasidat Adeleke has advanced to the final of the women’s 400m at the women’s 400m at the National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA] in Albuquerque, New Mexico after clinching second place in her semi-final run.

Otherwise known as the American college indoor championships, Adeleke came into this event having recently broken her own Irish 200m and 400m records.

Germany attack

5. A former Jehovah’s Witness member shot dead six people of the Christian group’s congregation in the German city of Hamburg, before turning the gun on himself, in an attack on Thursday.

Eight other people were wounded, including four seriously, in the attack, said Hamburg interior minister Andy Grote, calling it “the worst crime in our city’s recent history”.

Suspended

6. A Garda detective has been arrested and suspended from duty as part of an on-going criminal investigation into gardaí suspected of working for organised crime groups.

€40,000 in cash was seized during a search of several locations, one of which was the detective’s home.

 CHAT GPT

7. With the rise of artificial intelligence software, universities across the country are grappling with major changes as they attempt to deal with technology that can produce college level essays in seconds.

Limerick City

8. Limerick City has won the bid to host a major film conference amid a trade mission to the US that aims to capitalise on Ireland’s Oscar buzz.

The announcement was made today in LA that the city had won the competitive bid to host the Cineposium conference. 

Weather warnings

9. A Status Yellow ice warning for 11 counties remains in place until 10am this morning, with Met Éireann saying that freezing temperatures, widespread frost, and icy surfaces will lead to hazardous travelling conditions.