Your Wednesday lunchtime catch-up

Good afternoon. Here’s all the news you need to know this lunchtime.

TOP STORIES

The Health Minister Leo Varadkar has denied leaking an email to the media in which he said “heads will have to roll” because of the emergency department overcrowding crisis.

Mary Hanafin has been officially added to Fianna Fáil’s election ticket in Dún Laoghaire. The former minister has been added to the ticket despite missing out on a nomination at a convention on Monday night.

Gardaí are investigating the death of a man in his 30s, who was found with head injuries at a house in Co Kildare last night.

The Sinn Féin Lord Mayor of Cork broke ranks with his party last night to vote for a 10% cut in the city’s property tax.

Tributes are being paid to Tipperary woman Cathriona White, who was found dead at her home in Los Angeles on Monday.

WORLD

The upper chamber of the Russian parliament has voted unanimously to let President Vladimir Putin send Russian troops to Syria.

After several denied appeals the US state of Georgia has executed its only female death row inmate despite appeals by her children and Pope Francis to spare her life.