Five things you need to know today

A new housing strategy, explosions in Thailand, and further ticketing developments

Mark O’Halloran: “Panti gave me 30 or 35 cast-off wigs.” Photograph: Alan Betson
Mark O’Halloran: “Panti gave me 30 or 35 cast-off wigs.” Photograph: Alan Betson

Olympics tickets

The great ticket scandal rumbles on as Brazilian Olympic organisers now say the British company at the centre of the controversy did not have the right to sell tickets for the event, either in Brazil or abroad.

Thailand

A number of people have been killed in a series of explosions in Thailand with opponents of the country's ruling junta suspected of carrying out the attacks.

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Baccalaureate

If your parents are moneybags multinational executives then you might end up doing the international baccalaureate instead of the Leaving Cert. Investors are seeking to set up a private secondary school in Dublin which w ould teach an alternative to the Leaving Cert.

Top business pay

Speaking of money, What are the 14 long-standing bosses of Ireland's largest public companies paid? About €2 million.

Housing

The State's decades-old local authority housing waiting list rules are to be overhauled in a bid to ensure all properties are occupied. Minister for Housing Simon Coveney proposed the move after figures show nearly 2,000 housing offers were turned down last year.

And finally...

Mark O'Halloran talks to Tara Brady about how he and Paddy Breathnach wound up making a film about a drag performer in Havana – with a little help from Panti Bliss and her wig collection