5 things you need to know today

1. Kinahan gang is part of a ‘huge crime conglomerate’

The Russian mafia and notorious Marseille mafia were among the groups working alongside the Irish Kinahan gang in southern Spain, creating "a huge crime conglomerate", one of the Garda's most senior and experienced officers has said. Assistant Commissioner John O'Mahony said the police forces from all of those countries whose gangs had a presence in Spain were looking for the help of the Spanish authorities in catching them. The new Garda taskforce established to tackle organised crime in direct response to the gangland feud would base members in Spain and other jurisdictions if required, the Assistant Commissioner said. Mr O'Mahony, who is in charge of the crime and security section of the Garda and is a former head of the Criminal Assets Bureau, suggested the Garda was competing in that environment. He did not name the international drugs gang led from Spain by Dubliner Christy Kinahan, the group that is suspected of carrying out six of the seven feud murders in Ireland since Gary Hutch (34) was shot dead in Spain last September.

Analysis: Kinahan gang went out of sight and out of mind: Cab formation after Guerin murder led to criminals in exile flourishing

2. Birmingham campaigner urges bombers to tell the truth

The woman who led the successful campaign to reopen the inquest into the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings has called on the men responsible for planting the bombs to come forward and tell the truth about what happened. Julie Hambleton, whose sister Maxine died when bombs exploded in two crowded pubs in the city, appealed directly to the three surviving bombers who have been reported to be living in Dublin. "Come forward, do the right thing. If you have any level of humanity and any moral compass, then by rights, you should come forward," she said. It comes 25 years after the Birmingham Six, who were wrongly convicted for the bombings, had their convictions overturned and were released from prison. The Provisional IRA has never formally admitted responsibility for the murders, although senior figures in the organisation have said it was one of its operations. The police opposed reopening the Birmingham pub bombings inquests, telling the coroner there was "no evidential basis" to do so. The fresh inquest will be an enhanced one, which will go beyond a simple finding about how and when the 21 victims died to include an investigation into the state's alleged failure to protect them.

Birmingham bombings inquest: However long it takes for imperfect justice

3. Kenny defends abortion stance

The implications of pregnancy and the risk of the Zika virus for Irish women travelling to Brazil for the Olympics were raised in the Dáil during a heated debate on abortion. In a row over referring the issue of repealing the Eighth Amendment to a citizens' assembly, People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith asked Taoiseach Enda Kenny if he would advise women going to the Olympics not to get pregnant because of the risk of the Zika virus, as the Brazilian government had advised women. She added: "If they get pregnant while in Brazil and are at risk of a deformed foetal abnormality, will they return to Ireland to be told they cannot have medical treatment here?" Mr Kenny said the Zika virus was not the only mosquito virus that could cause difficulties. It was not for him to dispense advice. He said the decision to travel "is a choice they must make themselves". The sharp exchanges emerged at Taoiseach's questions. Mr Kenny had told the Dáil the assembly would be established within six months. No politicians would be involved and the Government would not be under any obligation to accept the assembly's recommendations. He said it would deal with the repeal of the Eighth Amendment, fixed-term parliaments and whether "super-referendum" days should be held, with a significant number of referendums on the same day.

4. 10 things you might not know about Irish pubs

Did you know that pubs were once allowed to store dead bodies? The Coroners Act of 1846 decreed a dead body had to be brought to the nearest public house for storage until further arrangements were made. The beer cellars were cool and slowed decomposition, and it became common for publicans to have marble tables in their cellars for autopsies. This legislation was not removed from the statute books until 1962, and the dual role of publican and undertaker is still common in Ireland. From the Brehon laws of old to the Cocktail bars of new, Irish pubs and licensing laws have created some strange traditions – learn about 24-hour opening laws, corpses, bona fides, dog shows, the oldest pub and oldest graffiti.

5. Keane calls on players to justify selection for Euro 2016 finals

Having suggested not long before that he "wanted to kill a few of them," over the course of Tuesday's game against Belarus, Roy Keane has called on the players that made Martin O'Neill's travelling party for France to justify their Euro 2016 selection during the weeks ahead. O'Neill's assistant was appalled by some of the performances in the team's final friendly but hopes the unexpected defeat might be for the best as peripheral players up their game on the training pitch and so improve the manager's matchday options. "It would probably have been no good winning 4-0 last night," he says, "with everyone thinking we're a decent team and then going over there and coming unstuck. It was a good reality check for everyone; that's what football does to you.

Keiren Westwood fully committed to Republic of Ireland cause: Recent form of Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper has him on the plane to Euro 2016

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