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

IRELAND

The rooftops of streets in Dublin 3 as seen from Croke Park. Leah Farrell Leah Farrell

• The eight-year-old Ukrainian girl who was brutally stabbed in refugee accommodation in Co Clare last week “is out of danger” from the injuries she sustained in the assault.
• Two men were arrested following a fatal assault at a funeral in Tralee, Co. Kerry.
• A man pleaded guilty two days into his trial at the Central Criminal Court for the murder of mother-of-two Sharon Bennett in Co Clare last year.
• Minister Eamon Ryan met energy companies today to “to see what additional measures we can put in place to protect people” on pay-as-you-go meters.
• Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the introduction of a ban on evictions this winter is being kept under review by Government.
• New laws to strengthen the monitoring of sex offenders are to be brought forward by Justice Minister Helen McEntee, with Gardaí set to be granted new powers.
• An international Irish dancing organisation is investigating claims of “grievous” conduct breaches involving the fixing of competitions.
• The ESRI’s latest quarterly commentary said house prices in Ireland could be over-valued by around 7%, due in part to the number of “institutional investors”.  

INTERNATIONAL

A Russian rocket sticks in a forest near Oleksandrivka village, Ukraine. Francisco Seco / PA Francisco Seco / PA / PA

#NURSERY ATTACK A former police officer shot dead at least 35 people, most of them children, when he stormed a nursery in Thailand in one of the kingdom’s deadliest mass killings.

#UKRAINE Russian strikes battered the central Ukraine city of Zaporizhzhia today, authorities said, in fatal attacks that tore through high-rise buildings and left a toddler injured.

#ME TOO Kevin Spacey appeared in a New York court today to face a civil lawsuit brought by actor Anthony Rapp, who accuses the disgraced Oscar winner of assaulting him as a teenager, in 1986.

#PYONGYANG North Korea fired two ballistic missiles today and flew warplanes, while claiming its recent blitz of sanctions-busting tests were necessary countermeasures against joint military drills by the United States and South Korea.

PARTING SHOT

Marine Institute Marine Institute

Ireland’s new research vessel, RV Tom Crean, was commissioned today at an event at Dingle Harbour in Kerry. 

The vessel is named after the legendary Irish Explorer from Kerry, who undertook three ground-breaking expeditions to the Antarctic in the early years of the 20th century.

It will be based in Galway and will enable the Marine Institute to continue to carry out vital surveys that contribute to Ireland’s position as a leader in marine science.

Tom Crean’s granddaughter, Aileen Crean O’Brien, christened the ship at the ceremony.

Godmother of the #RVTomCrean is Aileen Crean O’Brien, granddaughter of the famous explorer Tom Crean.

⚓️Did you know that a ship’s godmother is a female who is invited to 'sponsor' a vessel, and bring a feminine benevolent spirit to the ship and protects the future sailings. pic.twitter.com/6BQKM65PGY

— Dept of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (@agriculture_ie) October 6, 2022