5 things you need to know today

Everything you need to know to be informed on Thursday morning

This image released yesterday by the Italian navy shows the sinking of a boat of migrants off the Libyan coast. At least five migrants drowned after the heavily overcrowded fishing boat they were sailing on overturned, the Italian navy said Photograph: Italian Navy (Marina Militare)/AFP/Getty Images
This image released yesterday by the Italian navy shows the sinking of a boat of migrants off the Libyan coast. At least five migrants drowned after the heavily overcrowded fishing boat they were sailing on overturned, the Italian navy said Photograph: Italian Navy (Marina Militare)/AFP/Getty Images

1. More questions for Garda Commissioner

Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan will today face further questions on the O'Higgins Inquiry report when she attends a meeting of the Policing Authority, the body charged with oversight of An Garda Síochána.  There was relief in Government circles yesterday when Ms O'Sullivan issued a statement clarifying her instructions to her lawyers at the inquiry. However, she will likely be asked to explain failures in policing and management when she meets the authority. The Garda Commissioner  asked the Minister for Justice to refer allegations that senior officers sought to mislead the inquiry to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc). The fallout from the report of the O'Higgins commission report is not over. The Dáil will today continue its debate on the report, and last night there was some trenchant criticism of the Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan and some pertinent questions to which answers have not yet been supplied.

2. Man engineered his arrest due to fears after Hutch murder

A man who presented himself to gardaí after the murder of Gareth Hutch did so because he feared he would be shot dead when people saw detectives searching his house after the killing. The Irish Times understands the man has claimed he was not involved in the murder but effectively engineered his arrest for questioning to avoid being attacked in revenge. The man is from the north inner city and his home was searched on Tuesday after Hutch (35), a father of one, was shot dead in the locality. Hutch family members, many of whom have no involvement with criminal activity,  have been warned their lives are in danger because of their name, sources in the north inner city have said. There are believed to be well over 100 extended members of the family in the area and even those with no links to criminal activity are in fear of their personal safety as the feud with the Spain-based Kinahan cartel continues.  With gunmen working for the Kinahan drugs gang murdering on the streets of Dublin, apparently undeterred by the increased armed Garda presence, the prospect of ending the bloodshed soon seems remote.

Dublin's north inner city lives in fear of gangland feud:  Community senses that the Kinahan-Hutch dispute is different from the others

Miriam Lord:  Loquacious leaders declare war on rhetoric

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3. Tesco to remove Irish food section from UK stores

Tesco in the UK is to remove a section of its supermarkets specifically stocked with Irish products and reduce the amount of food brands from Ireland on offer. From July, the Irish food area will be removed from the larger "World Foods" section in many of the chain's bigger supermarkets.  Tesco has said the most popular of the products will continue to be stocked on the main shelves. However, it could not detail how many of the brands would remain. The news comes as a strike by Tesco workers belonging to the Mandate trade union which was due to be held on Thursday has been called off pending further talks between the parties. As many as 5,000 workers were due to take part in the industrial action on Thursday, according to the union, but both parties have now agreed to take part in further talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).

4. ‘No fry zone’ near schools opposed by council bosses

A ban on fast-food outlets setting up within 400m of schools, parks or playgrounds is being opposed by Wicklow County Council management. Wicklow councillors are due to vote on the proposed ban in the coming weeks. The ban, written into the council's draft development plan last November, received 206 submissions during a period of public consultation, 202 of them in favour, two calling for more debate and two – including one from Kentucky Fried Chicken – against. Pressure for the ban came from Greystones-based No Fry Zone 4 Kids, a campaign group formed after the council granted planning permission to McDonald's for a restaurant, drive-thru and takeaway on a site immediately opposite a three-school campus. While most submissions in favour of the ban came from the public, others came from the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland's Policy Group on Obesity, the HSE, DCU, TCD, UCG, the Irish Heart Foundation's Nutrition Council, Safefood, and the Association for the Study of Obesity, among others.

5. O’Neill to leave final Euro 2016 selection until deadline

Martin O'Neill says that the majority of his players will know if they are going to France well before next Tuesday's game against Belarus, but the remaining squad members look set to learn their fate after the game in Cork, with the manager still anxious, it seems, to resolve some dilemmas, primarily in relation to central midfield. "I won't announce the squad but by the weekend 90 per cent will already know if they are travelling," said the manager after the extended group had trained in Abbotstown. It should make for a hectic night in Cork with the game scheduled to finish less than 90 minutes before Uefa's deadline for the submission of squad lists for the finals. O'Neill said telling some of his Republic of Ireland players they will not be going to the Euro 2016 finals will be one of the hardest parts of his job to date. Meanwhile,  France has revealed a 90,000-strong security force for the tournament amid fears of attacks.

Misc:

Government amendment on water charges carried:  Michael Fitzmaurice calls for referendum to ensure water supply not privatised

Third motion on Dublin-Monaghan bombings passed:  All-party motion calls for Britain to release documents on 1974 atrocities that killed 34

Migrant crisis: Italian navy says boat flipped, 550 rescued: No details of nationalities issued, however five fatalites reported in wake of capsize

Dozens of women vanish on Canada's Highway of Tears: Failure to investigate disappearances of aboriginal women has become political scandal

Days and nights are getting warmer, study finds:  New research on climate change is said to have 'significant ramifications' for Ireland

Eleven US states fight order on transgender bathroom policy: Officials sue government over directive allowing students use facilities matching gender

Baghdad cannot put off Falluja offensive any longer: Iraqi forces are going slow while advancing on Islamic State fighters controlling the iconic city of Falluja in a battle long postponed by Baghdad.