LUNCHTIME BULLETIN: Everything we know about Melbourne car attack; Stander signs IRFU contract

Your lunchtime news bulletin.

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IRELAND: Ryanair has written to IMPACT setting out its plans to recognise the pilots’union.

IRELAND: Gardai are investigating after a man’s body was discovered in a derelict premises in Nenagh this morning after a fire broke out in disused pub.

IRELAND: It has emerged Dublin Zoo has been defrauded out of almost €500,000.

IRELAND:  The Master of the National Maternity Hospital has blamed the Eighth Amendment for distorting clinical judgements.

WORLD: A driver arrested after a car was driven into pedestrians in Melbourne was a 32-year-old Australian of Afghan descent with a history of drug use and mental health problems, police have said.

WORLD: North Korea has said a US accusation that it was behind a major ransomware attack was a "grave political provocation" and vowed to retaliate.

BUSINESS: The parent group of the retail discounter Dealz and Poundland stores is facing huge pressure in Germany following an accounting scandal in South Africa.

SPORT: Munster back-row CJ Stander has signed a new three-year contract with the IRFU.

... SOME DISTRACTION

SHOWBIZ: Irish newcomer Ferdia Shaw has been selected to play Artemis Fowl in Disney’s live-action adaptation of Eoin Colfer’s bestselling fantasy book series Artemis Fowl.

VIRAL: The trailer for the new Mamma Mia! movie has dropped – featuring Lily James alongside stars of the previous film, Amanda Seyfried, Meryl Streep, Julie Walters and Colin Firth.

FEATURE: Don’t rush into buying your child a smartphone at Christmas, says Richard Hogan.