• The Dáil has rejected legislation would have permitted abortion in limited circumstances, where the life of the mother was at risk. Fine Gael, Labour and Fianna Fáil united to reject the Bill by 111 votes to 20.
• The aftermath of the debate was slightly overshadowed by one TD’s contribution, however. FG’s Michelle Mulherin provoked some ire after blaming “fornication” for the majority of unplanned pregnancies. Defending her remarks on radio later, Mulherin said she had not “invented” the definition of ‘fornication’ (sex between an unmarried couple), adding that taking “responsibility” for the welfare of women was “an elephant in the room”.
• Gavin O’Reilly (no relation) has stepped down as chief executive of Independent News & Media after a board meeting this afternoon. O’Reilly said he had stepped down to try and ease “public shareholder tensions”. His move is expected to lead to renewed efforts from Denis O’Brien to take full control of the media empire.
• The Dublin City Sheriff’s office in Temple Bar was today occupied by members of the Occupy Dame Street movement, in protest at the eviction of Brendan and Asta Kelly from their home in Killiney yesterday.
• South Dublin County Council and Tallaght Hospital have put forward joint proposals to build the new National Children’s Hospital adjacent to the existing building.
• Some good news on the mortgage front? Bank of Ireland has unveiled new mortgages which could allow customers in negative equity to move home.
• Anders Behring Breivik has revealed he had planned to capture and decapitate the former Norwegian prime minister, Harlem Brundtland, during his shooting massacre on Utoya Island.

“We’re onto a winner here, lads.” Enda Kenny helps to launch the Dublin hub of Sandbox, a global community of young achievers and innovators under the age of 30. (Photo: Stephen Kilkenny)

• The chief executive of TV3 has said his broadcaster wouldn’t have made the same errors that RTÉ made in its A Mission To Prey documentary - because it would not have been able to pay a settlement as large as RTÉ had.
• The cotton swab used to clean Michael Collins’ corpse has been withdrawn from an auction next week, following criticism from his descendants. It follows a lock of his hair which was pulled from sale on Tuesday.
• Here’s an evening guessing game for you: how many people do you think will turn 100 in Ireland this year?
• Time to roll out the blankets and climb up onto the roof: the brightest meteor shower of the year will be visible over Ireland on Saturday night.
• Just like the old days: Manchester United are back on top of Forbes’ list of most valuable sports clubs, though they’re likely to lose the spot next year.
• Too many games of Snake, perhaps? Nokia has managed to lose €900 million in three months, as it lost market share to rivals in the smartphone market.
• For sale: one 32-year-old plane. 16,132 flying hours. One careful, sovereign owner. May not actually be able to fly any more.
• If you’re still looking for a way into Leinster’s Heineken Cup semi-final in Bordeaux, this job offer could be… just the ticket. (Sorry.)
• Finally tonight: It’s a shame that this shop doesn’t have much of a business model, because we really really like it: