Newsround: what Wednesday's papers say

Cyber attack hits firms in Ireland and bin charges to soar after fees overhaul

Tuesday's papers

The top stories in Wednesday's newspapers:

THE IRISH TIMES

- IT systems at the Irish operations of a number of international companies were affected by a major new global cyberattack yesterday, the paper says. US pharmaceutical company MSD said its IT systems had been "compromised" by the suspected "Petya" virus.

- It also reports that the Central Statistics Office has suspended the publication of any further crime figures for the Republic until a Garda review into homicide cases is completed. It is only the second time the CSO has suspended publication of such data since it assumed responsibility for it in 2006.

- Toiaseach Leo Varadkar has told ministers he cannot guarantee controversial judicial appointments legislation will be enacted by the Dáil summer recess. Varadkar told the cabinet yesterday the government would seek to pass the bill in the coming weeks but acknowledged a commitment to Transport Minister Shane Ross may not be met.

- The paper reports that the number of TDs is to increase from 158 to 160 with Dublin Central, Kildare South and Cavan-Monaghan to gain an extra deputy while the three Laois-Offaly constituencies should be merged to form a five-seater, according to the recommendations of the Constituency Commission which were released by the Department of Housing.

FINANCIAL TIMES

- The FT reports on the European Commission's €2.42 billion fine for Google for abusing its dominance in search, which it describes as a decision with potentially far-reaching implications for the tech sector and already-strained transatlantic relations.

- It also says that the Bank of England has told lenders they will need to build a special buffer of £11.4 billion over the next 18 months as it tries to make banks more resilient to the risk posed by mounting consumer debt.

- Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has paused her push for a second independence vote, an issue that some in her party blame for the loss of 21 seats in the UK general election. But the nationalist leader said voters should still have a chance to decide the question after the UK leaves the EU.

- Fifa and Qatar's World Cup in 2022 came under further pressure following the release of a confidential report that revealed how the Gulf nation engaged in questionable transactions with football officials in its effort to secure the tournament.

IRISH INDEPENDENT

- Families will pay more to dispose of household waste after the government announced a ban on flat-fee charges, the paper says, reporting that Environment Minister Denis Naughten has resurrected plans to penalise households which refuse to recycle.

- It also says that forensic accountants are to be considered by a government agency to discover why nursing home care in the east is up to 30 per cent higher than the rest of the country. A new report from the National Treatment Purchase Fund said the anomaly of higher-priced nursing homes in Dublin and the extended region existed prior to Fair Deal and "remains a challenge".

- Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe has given a firm indication that middle-income earners are in line for income tax cuts in October's budget as he said it was "unfair" that many workers are losing €5 out of every €10 in overtime in income tax.

- Snapchat has moved to allay fears by parents' groups over a new feature that shows a Snapchat users' location on a map, the paper says. The feature, called Snap Map, is an opt-in service which users have to switch on to choose how public they want their location to be.

IRISH EXAMINER

- The Central Statistics Office is to serve court summons on up to eight people for failing to fill out their census forms, with some claiming they did not want to do so in case the information was passed to Irish Water, the paper says.

- It also reports that schools may be allowed share PPS numbers and other information about children applying for admission places under proposals by Education Minister Richard Bruton. A list of planned changes to his School Admissions Bill would also see the children and grandchildren of past pupils entitled to priority for up to 25 per cent of school places.

- Many unsuitable people will be appointed as judges if the government pushes through controversial legislation, the Dáil has heard. During a debate on the bill, Fianna Fáil Justice spokesman Jim O'Callaghan claimed it was "a bad piece of legislation".

- In its business section, the paper reports that Rupert Murdoch's £11.7 billion bid to take full control of Sky has been given the green light by regulators in Ireland, leaving the UK's decision as the lsat remaining hurdle for the deal.