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

IRELAND

Nuns cast their vote at St Columba's National School in Glasnevin, as voting gets underway in Dublin Central byelection

• Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he asked Pope Leo XIV that “every effort” be made to get religious orders to engage on redress for historical abuse.
• Fourteen Irish citizens who were illegally detained in international waters by Israel while taking part in a Gaza-bound aid flotilla are expected to return home on Saturday.
• Here’s a brief rundown on who these 14 Irish citizens are.
• A “number” of reports and complaints have been sent to gardaí and Dublin City Council over stencilled images of Gerry Hutch near a polling station.
• A planned 72-hour work stoppage by members of the National Ambulance Service next week was stood down following “significant progress” in talks with the HSE.
• Tributes have been paid to Alex Coughlan, who died after an assault in Blanchardstown, in Dublin, on Sunday.
• Seán Rock’s widow Catherine Bailey said a misclassification of her late partner’s role at RTÉ has left herself and her two young children in a “very disadvantaged” position financially.
• The High Court ruled that a judge erred when he refused to impose convictions on drivers caught speeding in what he deemed an “unjust speed zone”, where he said prosecutions were being taken not for safety, but for “targets, statistics and finance”.
• Re-Turn decided against increasing the 2.2 cent handling fee paid to retailers for each container returned through their stores, despite complaints from shop owners that the scheme is costing them money.
• A former Mayo senior intercounty footballer was among four men to appear in court today charged in relation to an alleged serious assault which occurred in Castlebar last year.

INTERNATIONAL

Pep Guardiola will leave Manchester City at the end of the season, the club have announced Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

#ISRAEL: The Netherlands agreed to ban the import and trade of goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. 

#CANADA: The government of Alberta announced a referendum on 19 October 2026, asking voters to decide on a number of measures, including whether the province should begin the process towards a future independence referendum.

#DEATH PENALTY: The execution of an inmate by lethal injection in the US state of Tennessee was halted on Thursday after medical staff were unable to tap a vein. 

#EPSTEIN FILES: Detectives investigating Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will consider allegations of sexual misconduct in their inquiry into potential misconduct in public office.

#MAN CITY: Pep Guardiola is to leave Manchester City at the end of the season, the club officially announced.

PARTING SHOT

Supporters gather at the entrance to the Ed Sullivan Theater for the final show The Late Show With Stephen Colbert in New York City on Thursday. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Late Show host Stephen Colbert presented his final episode of the 33-year-old show last night – but the Pope, who the devout Catholic presenter has long said is his dream guest, couldn’t make it.

The Late Show, which Colbert hosted since 2015, was cancelled by CBS last July, three days after Colbert slammed the network for settling a lawsuit with Trump.

“The pope, who was definitely my guest tonight, has cancelled,” Colbert joked last night.

But it wasn’t all bad as the Beatles’s Paul McCartney led an all-star line-up for the final episode.