Newsround: what Thursday's papers say

The top stories in Thursday's newspapers:

THE IRISH TIMES

- The paper reports that police were last night investigating a network around the man who killed 22 people in Monday's suicide bombing at the Manchester Arena, with possible links to Syria or Libya. Manchester police have arrested six men in connection with the attack, including the brother of Salman Abedi.

- It also says that new information has emerged about financial irregularities at the Garda College in Templemore, including the alleged existence of offshore bank accounts in the college's name. More than 400 pages of documents have been sent to the Dáil Public Accounts Committee by An Garda Síochána.

- Twelve homeless families, including more than 30 children, were told to go to Garda stations in Dublin on Tuesday night because no other emergency accommodation was available, the paper says. Among them were three families, recently evicted from their homes, who presented at Store Street Garda station but eventually chose instead to sleep rough in a nearby park.

- In its business supplement, the paper says that Ryanair may have to stop selling flights to and from the UK at the end of 2018 if Britain and the EU fail to agree a post-Brexit aviation deal, according to its chief executive Michael O'Leary. He said the airline was prepared for a worst-case scenario where the UK is no longer part of the EU's Open Skies air transport treaty.

FINANCIAL TIMES

- The paper also reports that the Manchester suicide bomber who killed 22 people at a pop concert on Monday was part of a larger terrorist network with possible ties to Syria or Libya. Ian Hopkins, chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, said it was "very clear" that Salman Abedi, the suspected bomber, was only one member of a broader cell.

- European leaders will make a last-ditch effort this week to persuade US president Donald Trump to stick with the landmark Paris agreement on climate change, which he has threatened to abandon. French president Emmanuel Macron and his counterparts are looking to seize on the US leader's first visit to Europe to salvage the international agreement to tackle global warming.

- The European Central Bank has ruled out the possibility that Brexit could pose a major threat to the euro zone economy, rejecting warnings from the Bank of England that a messy UK withdrawal could leave EU companies without vital services.

- In its Companies & Markets section, the paper says that Marks & Spencer suffered a sharp fall in earnings last year owing to shake-up costs and lower clothing sales after chief executive Steve Rowe pledged to fill its shelves with clothes that customers would buy without a discount.

IRISH INDEPENDENT

- Pressure is mounting on the government to deal with the fallout from the Anglo trial collapse, the paper says, as Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said that the criminal case against former bank boss Seán FitzPatrick represented "a catastrophic systemic failure".

- It also reports that the Manchester suicide bomber was repeatedly flagged to the authorities over his extremist view but was not stopped. Counter-terrorism agencies were facing questions after it emerged Salman Abedi told friends that "being a suicide bomber was OK", prompting them to call the government's anti-terrorism hotline.

- More than 30 migrants, mostly toddlers, drowned yesterday when about 200 people without life jackets fell from a boat into the sea off the Libyan coast before they could be hauled into waiting rescue boats, the paper reports.

- In its business supplement, the paper reports that US vulture fund Lone Star is set to flip the Jurys Inn chain, and is likely to make at least a €300 million profit on the business in which taxpayer-owned IBRC and other banks wrote off €300 million in loans in 2013.

IRISH EXAMINER

- The Manchester bombing dominates the front page as the paper reports that suicide bomber Salman Abedi's father and brother have been arrested in Libya while six people have been detained following a series of raids across Britain.

- The paper reports that Irish shoppers are choosing to buy homegrown brands despite the continued rise of own-label products. The top four brands in the country are Avonmore in top postion, Brennans in second, Denny in third and Jacobs in fourth.

- It also says that the race to be the next Taoiseach will heat up this evening as rivals Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney go head-to-head in the first of four nights of hustings for the Fine Gael leadership contest.

- Petrol and diesel prices are at their lowest levels his year, after falling for a second successive month, the paper says. Petrol prices fell by an average of 1.5 cent in the past month while diesel prices are down by 2.5 cent per litre, according to the AA.