NEED TO CATCH up? The Journal brings you a round-up of today’s news.

IRELAND

File photo of John Gilligan in 2019. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

• Veteran gangland criminal John Gilligan was fined and given a suspended sentence by a court in Spain after admitting to smuggling cannabis and sleeping pills into Ireland and being in possession of a weapon.
• The funeral of a three-year-old girl killed in a road collision in Co Laois heard that she was a “bright star” and a “beautiful little angel”.
• There was backlash from some within the Green Party and online to comments made by the party’s housing spokesperson Noel Francis Duffy who stated that reinstating the eviction ban would be akin to “a communist state”.
• The Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said the use of speed detection cameras operating on Irish roads is to increase by 20%.
• The announcement was made after 127 vehicles were found to be speeding in the first five hours of National Slow Down Day, an initiative to encourage drivers to comply with the limits.
• The jury at the inquest into the Stardust fire heard that the main door of the nightclub was locked and the key was removed and held by a doorman on the night of the fatal fire.
• The Chief Constable of the PSNI Simon Byrne resigned with immediate effect following an emergency meeting of the Policing Board.
• Finance Minister Michael McGrath welcomed “broadly positive” tax data to the end of August but said a €1 billion drop in corporation tax shows “underlying vulnerabilities” still remain in public finances.
• Nicotine products for smokers wanting to quit will soon come under the the Drug Payment Scheme (DPS).
• The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) expressed its concern after it found that an increased number of people are planning to retire relying on cash savings, rather than investing in a pension.

INTERNATIONAL

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a meeting in Sochi today. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

#BELGIUM Allegations that someone hacked and sent a damaging message from Luke Ming Flanagan’s Twitter account were heard by a Belgian criminal court today.

#BLACK SEA Russian President Vladimir Putin said a deal that allowed Ukraine to export grain safely through the Black Sea will not be restored until the West meets its obligations to facilitate Russian agricultural exports.

#WHOOPS UK education secretary Gillian Keegan apologised after being caught on camera saying she had done a “f****** good job” over a concrete crisis while others “sat on their arse”.

#ASSAULT A 42-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault after football pundit Roy Keane was reportedly headbutted at Arsenal’s home ground the Emirates Stadium.

#THE TROUBLES Images of victims of the Troubles were projected onto the Houses of Parliament ahead of the expected passing of the UK Government’s controversial legacy Bill.

PARTING SHOT

Steve Harwell, the lead singer of Smash Mouth, has died aged 56.

The band’s manager Robert Hayes confirmed his death in a statement to US media today.

Smash Mouth was formed in 1994, with Harwell as one of its founding members, and is best known for the 1999 hit All Star.

All Star was widely praised upon its 1999 release, but achieved newfound fame when it was used in the 2001 animated movie Shrek.

You can listen to the famous hit below.

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