Your Wednesday lunchtime catch-up

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

Wed, 09 Dec, 2015 - 00:00

IRELAND

Wexford TD Mick Wallace has been arrested in Dublin. Mr Wallace was taken into custody at Clontarf Garda Station earlier today.

Former Fianna Fáil Councillor in Sligo Joe Queenan has broken his silence on the RTE documentary on politicians and the planning process. He was one of three Councillors who appeared to accept offers of money or future investment from a fake wind farm company - in return for help with planning.

Education Minister Jan O'Sullivan is to repeal a 50-year-old regulation which gives religion in primary schools a privileged status. This comes as a recent poll suggested that almost half of the population would not choose a Christian school for their child, if they had the choice.

Local authorities are warning that flooding along the River Shannon could reach 2009 levels in the coming days. Areas from Limerick up to Athlone are on high alert for the rest of the week, with rain and wind warnings in place again today.

Some of the Irish students who witnessed the Berkeley balcony collapse are suing the owner, builder and manager of the building for emotional distress.

WORLD

This is the video police in the US have released showing dash-cam footage of a carjacker who is eventually shot and killed by police. The footage shows the carjacker speeding the wrong way up a one-way street, firing out of the window at pursuing officers and finally spinning his stolen sports car as it is rammed by police cars.

Smog hovered over Beijing as limits on cars, factories and construction remained in force after the city imposed its first red alert for air pollution.

SPORT

Tyson Fury has been stripped of his IBF world heavyweight title after refusing a mandatory defence, according to a report from the BBC. The British fighter, 27, beat Ukraine’s Wladimir Klitschko in Dusseldorf on November 29 to win the WBA, WBO and IBF world titles.

A green jersey bearing a shamrock logo is being sold in support of British military charity ‘Help for Heroes’. The charity, whose slogan is ‘Support for our Wounded’ runs recovery centres and provides individual support for British soldiers. The IRFU say the jersey does not carry their logo and they “cannot control” the production of all green jerseys with shamrocks.

BUSINESS

DCU's innovation campus has announced plans for 800 new jobs over the next two years. The Dublin university will rebrand the new campus as DCU Alpha, it currently hosts 30 companies and 300 jobs.

Two of the four largest published tax settlements in the last quarter were made by businesses in the Cork region.

ANALYSIS

Two of the councillors fingered on Monday night’s RTÉ Investigation Unit programme have resigned from their respective parties — Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael — but in most developed democracies, the resignations would have been from public office, writes Michael Clifford

LIFESTYLE

This season, fashion is about texture: mixing feathers, suede, leather, and the ubiquitous sequins. Paula Burns shows you how to master what can be a tricky look

VIDEO

VIRAL

A wife who has been having a tough time recently got a boost from her husband who wrote a testament of his love for her on her bedroom mirror.

A heartbreaking photo of a US policeman comforting his dying patrol horse has gone viral after being posted to Facebook.

TECHNOW

GAMING: Ubisoft will go back to their Assassin's Creed Chronicles in 2016 with new entries taking in the sights of India and Russia

MOVIES: Ant-Man was a bit of a laugh right? It turns out making the film was pretty entertaining too and you can get a taste of that with the latest gag reel.

TECH: We recently got the chance to experience the HTC Vive first hand, and it's an incredibly immersive experience that could well herald the future of how we engage with all kinds of digital content.