GOOD MORNING.

Here’s all the news you need to know as you start your day.

Belfast visit

1. Taoiseach Simon Harris will pay his first official visit to Belfast today where he will meet with First and deputy First Ministers, Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly.

Their meeting is expected to touch on developments since the restoration of the Stormont executive in February, areas of common interest and potential opportunities for practical all-island cooperation.

Europa League Final

2. Gardaí are preparing a major security operation to prevent serious disorder during this month’s UEFA Europa League final in Dublin.

The force’s management has cancelled leave for all gardaí and declared it an “extraordinary event” on the scale of a national security operation.

US campus protests 

3. Police have arrested more than 2,100 people during pro-Palestinian protests at college campuses across the United States in recent weeks, sometimes using riot gear, tactical vehicles and flash-bang devices to clear tent encampments and occupied buildings.

One officer accidentally discharged his gun inside a Columbia University administration building while clearing out protesters camped inside, authorities disclosed on Thursday.

‘Xenophobic’ 

4. US President Joe Biden Biden has called allies Japan and India “xenophobic” countries that do not welcome immigrants, lumping the two with adversaries China and Russia as he tried to explain their economic circumstances and contrasted the four with the US on immigration.

UK Labour

5. Labour has won the Blackpool South parliamentary by-election in the UK and made gains in council contests to heap pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to call a general election.

In the contest triggered by the resignation of former Tory MP Scott Benton following a lobbying scandal, Labour’s Chris Webb secured 10,825 votes, a majority of 7,607.

Immigration

6. Extra staff will be hired to work across government to improve communication on migration and integration at a local and national level, with a senior civil servant tasked to head up the effort to be appointed to the Department of Integration. 

The Cabinet committee on migration met yesterday afternoon, where ministers agreed that work is to get underway to challenge disinformation and improve communications.

Bryan Dobson 

7. Longstanding RTÉ broadcaster Bryan Dobson will retire today from RTÉ after 37 years at the broadcaster. 

Dobson first joined RTÉ in 1987, and has gone on to present all of the station’s flagship news programmes. He is best known as the face of the Six One News, which he anchored for 21 years.

Johnny Logan

8. Past Eurovision winner Johnny Logan will be among the performers at this year’s contest, returning as an interval act.

It’s his latest involvement in a long history with the contest, having won it twice as a solo artist with hit songs What’s Another Year (1980) and Hold Me Now (1987).

He was the first ever person to win two Eurovision titles.

Dublin riot

9. A man has been charged in connection with the Dublin riots last November.

Gardaí said the man (30s) has been charged in connection with the riots, which took place on 23 November and saw widespread damage caused to the capital.