EVERY EVENING, TheJournal.ie brings you a round-up of the day’s biggest news stories, as well as the bits and pieces you may have missed.

• The High Court has dismissed the first part of Sinn Féin’s legal challenge against the Referendum Commission over whether Ireland has a veto on the ESM or not, but a ruling on the remainder of the complaint has yet to be made.
• The Standards in Public Office Commission has released new figures which show that the state gave €12.6m to political parties.
• The trial of two men accused of murdering Tyrone woman Michaela McAreavey has heard that her husband John was noted as a ‘suspect’ in a police register of the crime. An officer told the trial today that he did not know why this had happened.
• More than a dozen people have died after a 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck Italy today – the second to hit the country in a month.
• Several countries including the UK, US and Germany have announced the expulsion of Syrian diplomats in response to Friday’s massacre in Houla, Syria.
• President Obama’s Moneygall cousin Henry Healy has ruled out a career in politics but says he is otherwise open to job opportunities after being let go from his bookkeeping role.
• The parents of six children who were killed by a fire at their home in Derby, England earlier this month have been arrested on suspicion of murder.
• The attempted eviction of a north Dublin council house tenant and her daughter was thwarted today following the intervention of Sinn Féin TD Dessie Ellis.
• The director of the PR company The Communications Clinic Terry Prone has told TheJournal.ie that her husband Tom Savage, chairman of RTÉ, knew nothing about the company being hired by the Irish Missionaries Union ahead of the controversial Mission to Prey programme.

Olympic torch bearer Paul Gavin enjoying his part in the relay today. (Photo: Chris Radburn/LOCOG/Press Association Images)

• Scientists in New York have developed a tiny snake-like robot designed to help surgeons identify diseases as well as perform operations.
• Do you think the Late Late Show is too long? Ryan Tubridy does…
• Here’s the cutest thing you’ll see today – a one-week-old sea lion pup.
• O2 Ireland have been advising customers who had difficulty sending text messages today to simply turn their phone off, then turn it back on again.
• Have you ever seen an elephant playing football?
• Here’s a good explanation of ionic bonds broken down by US high school student Eli Cirino using paper-cut animation – and a bit of romance:

(Video uploaded by weirdamerica)

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