LAST UPDATE | 1 hr ago

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

1. #BELFAST: Police in Belfast have appealed for “calm heads” after a brutal knife attack on a man in the city last night has led to calls for protests. 

2. #BILL KENNEALLY: The failure of two senior gardaí to conduct a proper investigation into the activities of paedophile Bill Kenneally has been described as “a clear and serious dereliction of duty” even by the standards of the late 1980s. 

3. #ALUMINA: The European Union foreign affairs chief has said that a new series of sanctions will include metals and alloys exports, but Aughinish Alumina is not included as the Irish government must complete an investigation first.

4. #FINE GAEL: Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill is facing some disquiet among some within her own party regarding the approach taken with the Rotunda Maternity Hospital and private care. 

5. #RUGBY: Ireland and Leinster star James Lowe has confirmed his departure from Irish rugby at the end of the season in a heartfelt statement.