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

1. #HOSTAGE: An Irish man who was one of a number of hostages being held at a gas field in Algeria has been freed, the Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed. However there are a number of conflicting and unconfirmed reports about the other hostages, with some reports indicating that there have been a large number of fatalities during a military rescue operation.

2. #HORSE MEAT: Results from the most recent round of tests carried out on meat samples from two processing plants where horse meat was found in beef burgers are expected to be made known this evening.

3. #HMV: Representatives from Deloitte Ireland – the receiver to HMV’s Irish operation –  are talking to employees of the music store around the country today as staff at two Limerick stores continue to stage a sit-in on the premises saying they are owed wages. Around 300 jobs look set to be lost at HMV’s 16 stores in Ireland.

4. #NURSES: The main nursing union has said that its boycott of the new graduate hiring scheme is working as the HSE has extended the deadline for applications and opened it to a wider group of graduates in a bid to attract more applicants.

5. #PAY INCREASE: Around 14,000 employees of Dunnes Stores are to receive a pay increase of 3 per cent – the first increase for staff since December 2007 – under a Labour Court agreement made this morning.