Updated 11.30pm

NEED TO CATCH up? TheJournal.ie brings you a round-up of today’s news…

Vitali Klitschko former heavyweight boxing champion and Ukrainian politician joins a pro-Ukraine rally while walking through Dublin on his way to the the convention centre, in Dublin, to attend the European People’s Party Congress. (Image Credit: Brian Lawless/PA Wire/Press Association Images)

IRELAND

• The Public Accounts Committee is to seek more information from Rehab Group.
• Electric Ireland could be reminded of its “social responsibility” a week after lights were switched off at housing estate.
• Speaking in Dublin, recently-released Ukrainian leader Yulia Tymoshenko said her country wants to be part of the EU.
• Four gardaí were injured in clashes with protesters at European People’s Party congress.
• No Irish university appeared on a list of top 100 colleges in the world.
• Figures revealed a large drop in the number of foreign nationals working or claiming social welfare.
• 160 jobs are to go at a pharmaceutical manufacturer in Dublin, while WIT said it aims to create 600 in the South East.
• Paddy Power stopped taking bets on the Pistorius trial.
• A survey found a shortage of midwives in every public maternity unit.
• Kieran Mulvey was called in to mediate talks between residents and Garth Brooks concert organisers.
• The ECB kept interest rates unchanged for the fourth month in a row.

INTERNATIONAL

Masked gunmen stand near a Ukrainian naval base in Perevalnoe, Crimea. (Image Credit: Stanislav Krasilnikov/Photas/Tass/Press Association Images)

#CRIMEA: The region’s parliament was dissolved after plans were announced for a referendum on joining the Russian Federation.

#UGANDA: Irish aid to the country will not be cut due to its anti-homosexuality laws.

#LIBYA: The son of the late dictator Muammar Gaddafi was found in Niger. He has been handed over to authorities and imprisoned.

#SOUTH AFRICA: Oscar Pistorius was found praying over the body of his girlfriend reeva Steenkamp after shooting her, a court heard. [The Telegraph]

#TUNISIA A state of emergency in place since 2011 was lifted. [BBC News]

INNOVATION

• Spotify dealt a blow to its rivals by purchasing a music recommendation service.
• Getty made 35 million images free to use.
• One 1 in 10 Americans think HTML is a sexual transmitted disease, a survey found. [Geek.com]
• The creator of Bitcoin was reportedly found. [The Guardian]

PARTING SHOT

This is the most intense ad for a bacon-scent alarm clock you will watch today. [Geek.com]

(Video Credit: oscarmayer/YouTube)

Originally published 9pm

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