5 things you need to know today

1. Two dead in latest  Dublin gangland shootings

Two men have been shot dead in what appear to be the latest murders in a feud that had already cost five lives since last September. Michael Barr was shot in the Sunset House pub on Summerhill Parade in Dublin's north inner city at about 9.30pm.   It is thought he was not the main intended target of the shooting and that the attackers may have wanted to kill a member of the Hutch family.  A second killing was carried out just before midnight in Clondalkin when a man in his mid-30s was shot several times in the chest. He was attacked in the Kilcronan area and paramedics attended to him but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

2. Public patients wait up to 25 times longer for cancer tests

Waiting times for potentially lifesaving tests for cancer are up to 25 times longer for public patients than for those paying privately, a new report reveals.  The report highlights "striking differences" in access for public compared with private patients, with GPs reporting some public patients have to wait up to 480 days for an ultrasound. Public patients wait an average of 119-125 days for an MRI of the spine, musculoskeletal system or brain, while private patients are tested in under six days, the report commissioned by the Irish Cancer Society shows.   Strides have been made in treating cancer but colonoscopy figures show public patients lose out Cancer survivor Gerard Ingoldsby describes how private health insurance saved his life: "If I had had to wait for a colonoscopy on the public list my cancer would have spread to stage four…That would mean a completely different treatment plan, and a hugely reduced prospect of coming out the gap," he says. Meanwhile, patients may be missing out on timely screening for cancer and other illnesses because their GP lacks an established relationship with the hospital consultant conducting the test, a study suggests.

3. Revenue to clamp down on white collar tax evasion

The Revenue is stepping up efforts to tackle tax evasion by high-earning professionals, as part of a clampdown on the so-called shadow economy. Among measures being considered by the Revenue Commissioners is the use of "third-party data" – such as payments by professionals to government departments – to help detect white-collar tax evasion. The move comes less than two weeks after senior tax officials from a number of countries, including Ireland, met at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development offices in Paris to consider actions following publication of the Panama Papers.
The leaking of the 11.5 million documents covering 210,000 companies in 21 offshore jurisdictions has led tax authorities to consider ways to better co-operate to fight widespread tax evasion.

4. Government talks deadlocked over water charges

Talks between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil ended last night with no progress on how long a suspension of water charges should last, leaving the efforts to agree a deal on the formation of a minority Fine Gael-led government deadlocked. Senior figures on both sides are pessimistic about the chances of a deal, though further talks are scheduled this morning.  Dissent is brewing in Fine Gael over the proposal to suspend Irish Water charges. Several Fine Gael TDs have now said they would find it difficult to support a suspension of water charges lasting more than a few months. Independent TDs have raised concerns about the effect the suspension of water charges will have on the thousands of householders on group water schemes.

5. Take your pick…

Hillsborough jury to deliver verdicts on 96 deaths:  Jurors reach decision on whether Liverpool fans were unlawfully killed at the stadium

Spurs lose their nerve to leave Leicester on the brink:  Craig Dawson's header grabs West Brom a point and leaves Foxes one win from title

Call for boost to nightlife on Dublin's north side: Business groups want to encourage people to remain north of Liffey after shops close

Game of Thrones: 10 things we know after episode one of season six:  The opener failed to live up to the hype but was busy laying the foundations for the season to come

Almost 150 face return to rough sleeping as Dublin hostels close: Focus Ireland closing John's Lane hostel to build 31 social housing units on same site