Newsround: what Wednesday's papers say

The top stories in Wednesday's newspapers:

THE IRISH TIMES

- The government has dismissed British proposals to avoid a customs border on the island of Ireland after the UK leaves the European Union, the paper says. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said the proposed measures to deal with the issue of a customs border, formally tabled last week, were insufficient.

- Six people were being treated in three Dublin hospitals last night after a car mounted a footpath in the city centre and hit five pedestrians, it reports. The rush-hour incident occurred near the junction of Adelaide Road and Earlsfort Terrace in the south inner city at about 6.15 pm.

- Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy has pledged to enforce breaches of planning laws by landlords who abandon long-term letting in favour of short-term lets using Airbnb. He said his department is close to agreeing a memorandum of understanding with Airbnb which will ensure the online accommodation service is being used appropriately by homeowners.

- In its business section, the paper reports that Ireland has received one of the highest international ratings on tax transparency from the OECD. Three jurisdictions -- Ireland, Norway and Mauritius -- received the highest possible overall rating of "compliant".

FINANCIAL TIMES

- Provident Financial lost two-thirds of its market value yesterday after the FTSE 100 subprime lender issued its second profits warning in two months and said its chief executive would step down with immediate effect after a botched reorganisation of its doorstep lending arm, the FT reports.

- German Chancellor Angela Merkel, campaigning for next month's general election, came under fire from her main opponent Martin Schulz who accused her of pandering to Donald Trump and preparing the country for a new arms race.

- The Trump administration has raised the pressure on Moscow and Beijing to isolate the North Korean regime by imposing sanctions on an array of Chinese and Russian companies and individuals it accused of helping Pyongyang develop nuclear weapons, the paper says.

- A cyclone in Madagascar has put vanilla ice cream under threat as the price of vanilla pods for some manufacturers surged tenfold after the storm, sparking a scramble for supplies, the paper says. Meanwhile, one high-end London gelato chain has taken vanilla off the menu.

IRISH INDEPENDENT

- Elderly residents who attend Mass in their private nursing homes are being asked to pay a €20 contribution in some cases, the paper says. The levy, which has been brought to the attention of the HSE and Health Minister, is the latest "top-up" charge to emerge in the controversy over additional fees foisted on many private nursing home residents.

- It also reports that armed gardaí are on permanent patrol at one of the country's busiest hospitals amid fears of a bloodbath after a 42-year old man was stabbed 11 times by an associate. The mayhem broke out in a Sligo town at the weekend, it says.

- More than a quarter of college students will be broke once their rent is paid this year, according to the Union of Students in Ireland. An online survey conducted earlier this year found 29 per cent of third-level students do not have an income exceeding €500 a month, even though 58 per cent of students expect to pay between €250 and €500 a month in accommodation costs.

- In its business section, the paper reports that Ryanair would be interested in bidding for the whole of insolvent German carrier Air Berlin but it needs access to more data on the airline's finances, chief executive Michael O'Leary has said.

IRISH EXAMINER

- More than 60,000 Irish investors who lost millions in deposits paid on unbuilt Spanish property may get all or most of their money back following rulings by Spain's Supreme Court and the European Court of Justice. Spanish banks have begun to settle cases with Irish clients, according to Pauline McDonagh, a retired detective garda who is chasing deposits on behalf of investors.

- The paper also reports that an organisation representing 900 community and voluntary organisations in Co. Cork is lobbying TDs and senators in an effort to scrap a major boundary extension to Cork city which it says will be a "complete disaster" for rural communities if it goes ahead.

- A California jury has ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay €354 million to a woman who claimed she developed ovarian cancer after using the company's talc-based products such as Johnson's Baby Powder for feminine hygiene. The verdict was the largest yet in lawsuits alleging J&J failed to adequately warn consumers about the cancer risks of its talc-based products.

- In its business section, the paper reports that business confidence in Ireland is at its strongest in six quarters as fears surrounding Brexit and possible US policy changes haven't emerged, according to the KBC Bank Ireland/Chartered Accountants Ireland business sentiment index, which found that business confidence had risen to its highest level since late 2015.