EVERY WEEKDAY EVENING, TheJournal.ie brings you the five stories you need to know before you head out the door.

1. #CROKE PARK II: Two more unions have voted to accept the Croke Park Agreement. The Building and Allied Trades Union (BATU), which represents about 125 workers, and the Operative Plasterers and Allied Trades Society of Ireland (OPATSI), which represents 75 workers, both confirmed today that they voted in favour of the proposed extension to the agreement.

Both SIPTU and the ICTU will reveal the final results of their respective ballots this Wednesday.

2. #LAW: Minister for Justice Alan Shatter has dismissed comments made by Mr Justice Peter Kelly that suggested that the government is deliberately attacking judicial independence. Shatter said in a statement that he was “surprised” at the comments and warned that they could affect how Ireland is seen internationally.

3. #COUNSELLING: The CARI Foundation has criticised the HSE for failing to adequately fund specialised HSE counselling services for children who have been sexually assaulted. The CEO of CARI, Mary Flaherty, called the lack of counselling facilities for sexual abuse victims an “inexplicable scandal”.

4. #SUNSET CLAUSE: The additional of a ‘sunset clause’ to any proposed abortion legislation has been rejected by the second cabinet minister in as many days. Justice minister Alan Shatter joined the Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte, who yesterday said that the clause, which would result in the legislation being reviewed after a number of years, would not be appropriate. The pro-life campaign have also dismissed the addition of the clause, saying that it would “do nothing to allay pro-life concerns”.

5. #VENEZUELA: Venezuela’s acting president, Nicolas Maduro, has been declared the winner of the election to succeed his late mentor Hugo Chavez. Maduro won the election with just 50.66 per cent of the vote, compared to 49.1 per cent for Henrique Capriles, who has demanded a recount.