1. Enda Kenny faces leadership challenge unless he names date of departure
Taoiseach Enda Kenny will face a leadership challenge next week if he does not give a firm indication of when he will step down, Fine Gael sources have said.
The Government survived a confidence vote in the Dáil on Wednesday night 57 votes to 52 but the fallout from the Garda whistleblower affair continued when senior Fine Gael figures put the Taoiseach’s continued leadership of the party on the agenda.
Cabinet Ministers Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney – regarded as the leading contenders to succeed Mr Kenny – told fellow TDs they needed to be ready for a general election.
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2. HSE signals end of lung disease drug due to cost
More than 20 Irish patients with severe lung disease are facing the removal of a "life-changing" drug within weeks following its rejection by the HSE on cost-efficiency grounds.
The patients, who have genetic emphysema, are due to see their use of Respreeza – provided through a compassionate-use programme – end in two weeks, the deadline set by the manufacturer, CSL Behring.
Most have been on the treatment for up to a decade and fear a rapid deterioration of their condition if it is no longer available.
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3. Donald Trump says US not committed to Israel-Palestine two-state solution
Decades of US policy towards resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict appeared to be overturned on Wednesday as US president Donald Trump said he would consider a "one-state solution" to resolve the decades-long conflict.
Speaking alongside Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu in the White House, Mr Trump said that while he once thought a two-state solution would be “easier” he was not so sure now.
“I’m looking at a two-state and a one-state solution and I like the one that both parties like,” he said.
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4. President Michael D Higgins meets Raúl Castro as landmark Cuban visit begins
President Michael D Higgins held three hours of talks with his Cuban counterpart Raúl Castro on the opening day of his state visit to Cuba.
The discussion, described as “warm, long and comprehensive” by a spokesman for Mr Higgins, included exchanges on human rights, LGBT rights and civil society.
Mr Higgins is the first Irish president to visit Cuba and the first European head of state to travel to the Caribbean island since the signing last December of a political dialogue and co-operation agreement between the EU and Cuba. The agreement is seen by both sides see as a milestone in their relationship.
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5. Malaysia arrests second woman over Kim Jong-nam murder
Malaysian police have arrested a second woman suspected of involvement in the apparent poisoning of the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at Kuala Lumpur airport.
Malaysia’s official news agency Bernama reported that the woman, who had an Indonesian passport identifying her as 25-year-old Siti Aishah, had been remanded in custody for seven days.
Kim Jong-nam was preparing to fly back to Macau on Tuesday when he was attacked at the airport with what appears to have been a fast acting poison. He died en-route to hospital and a postmortem on his body has been completed.
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And finally: Without a whistleblower to call upon, you're nobody
Miriam Lord writes that a whistleblower is the must-have accessory in Leinster House these days.