EVERY DAY, TheJournal.ie brings you a round-up of all the day’s main news as well as the bits and pieces that you may have missed.

Referendum round-up:

• Taoiseach Enda Kenny has urged voters to ratify the Fiscal Compact in Thursday’s referendum in order to further bolster the prospects of an Irish economic recovery. In a live TV address, Kenny insisted the treaty would enforce “good housekeeping rules” without threatening Ireland’s corporation tax or budgetary independence.
• Three of the country’s trade unions – who between them have around 100,000 members – have joined forces to call for a No vote. They believe the treaty enshrines the very policies which have have been damaging to Ireland thus far.
• Kenny’s speech was a response to Gerry Adams’ turn in last night’s Ard Fheis; both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have attacked Adams for being “misleading” when he asserted that Ireland could still access funding from the European Stability Mechanism without voting Yes first.
• The man who walked from Limerick to Dublin in order to drum up support for a new political party says he didn’t meet a single person during his 123-mile walk who said they’d be voting Yes. Martin Critten says his new political movement will become a party later this summer.

The day’s other news:

• Two people have been killed at a rally race in Co Cavan. The man and woman died when a racecar went out of control at a corner and struck a group of spectators.
• Gardaí investigating the seizure of €1.5 million in cannabis resin in Limerick have recovered explosives and ammunition in a follow-up raid. Hand grenades, pistols and ammunition were discovered in a planned search, with the Defence Forces’ bomb disposal team summoned to deal with the findings.
• Police in Tokyo have arrested two men after the death of Irish student Nicola Furlong in the city earlier this week. One of the two was in the room in which Furlong was discovered in the early hours of Thursday morning.
• The United Nations’ Security Council is meeting this evening to discuss Friday’s massacre in Syria, in which 90 people – including 32 children – were killed. Eamon Gilmore has condemned the slaughter, but the Syrian government says it was not responsible for the killings.
• Leo Varadkar has dismissed a newspaper report which suggested that the boxing club of Olympians Katie Taylor and Adam Nolan was being given pitiful grants to renovate its gym. Varadkar said the €24,000 funding was only due to replace a toilet, with a full renovation to be covered under separate funding.

Look out below! Will Power of Australia, drives under England’s Mike Conway after they made contact in the first turn during the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway today. (AP Photo/Tom Hemmer)

• Gardaí have confirmed the last known sighting of Dean Reynolds, the 28-year-old who has been missing from Rathfarnham since last weekend.
• Michael Noonan has confirmed that AIB has been in talks with people who might buy some of the government’s shares – but says it’ll be a while before someone could be interested in a purchase.
• The head of the Central Bank of Switzerland says he doesn’t expect the eurozone to break up – but he’s drawing up plans on how to cope, just in case…
• The French government has been criticising a former minister – who just happens to be the head of the IMF – for telling the Greeks that they should pay their taxes. The Greek citizens are, unsurprisingly, also not amused at Christine Lagarde’s comments.
• Good news if you’re afraid of needles… academics are working on a technique which can administer drugs by firing them at your skin rather than through it.
• The headline says it all really: ‘Miami officer shoots dead naked attacker found ‘eating’ other man’s face‘…
• They’re on their way: the Republic of Ireland squad left for their pre-Euro 2012 camp in Italy today. Here they are, wearing their Sunday best.
• “There is no reverse, the steering is locked, it can’t turn right, it can’t turn left. We’re heading straight into whatever lies ahead.” – Who said that, and what were they talking about? Find out in the week in quotes.
• It’s been a crazy day in the sporting world: there’s been a Grand Prix in Monaco, the final of the Pro12, not one but two hard-fought Munster clashes including Tipperary, and a tight match in the Leinster football championship.
• Indonesia would have gone gaga for the lady… but she’s not coming. Lady Gaga has pulled her planned gig after an Islamic group threatened violence if she showed up.
• This Brazilian man decided to expose himself at feminists holding a demonstration against sexual violence. Bad idea, pal.
• You may not be familiar with the work of Neil DeGrasse Tyson, who may be among the best-known astrophysicists in the world. This, in short, is why people like him. Warning: your brain might melt during this…

(YouTube credit: MaxSchlick)

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