A look at what is making the headlines in Friday's papers.

Mr Ahern said he did not want to run as an Independent, but accepted he would not be the Fianna Fáil candidate.

Over the past year, the UK and Irish Governments have engaged in a process for ‘root and branch’ reform of the Legacy Act and the ICRIR.

Andrew McGovern, aged 38, of School Lane, Rathowen, Co. Westmeath, who was responsible for the "sinister" and "blatantly false" messages and posts on Twitter, now called X, was sentenced by Judge Bernadette Owens at Mullingar District Court on Thursday.

In a statement on Thursday, Ombudsman Dr Niall Muldoon criticised the response of the Government and Tusla.

Smoke was seen coming from a building behind a restaurant on Oliver Plunkett Street at around 7pm today.

She is also seeking to quash the determination of the Cork City Coroner at what she described as an extremely short inquest on May 1st last, which, she alleges, had not been based on verified facts.

Fine Gael presidential candidate Heather Humphreys has again defended her record on disability matters following criticism from a senator.

Tusla CEO Kate Duggan described the case of the missing boy in Donabate as ‘really awful and harrowing’.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a man in Co Armagh.

Labour TD Alan Kelly has reiterated that he will not support Catherine Connolly for president despite his party voting to back her campaign.

Police figures show that racist hate crimes in Northern Ireland have reached record levels.

Nine-year-old Harvey Morrison, who had scoliosis and spina bifida, died on July 29th.

Ms Ní Bhriain told the Neil Prendeville show on Cork’s Red FM that, contrary to press reports, there is no confirmation or evidence of any other nests in Ireland other than the one that was detected last month.

Father-of-two Martin McCarthy is charged with both a public order offence and also criminal damage following an incident at Lower Main Street in Letterkenny on the afternoon of August 20th last.

Senator Tom Clonan said Heather Humphreys ‘very strongly pushed’ for tiered welfare supports for disabled people.

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has hit out at the main contractor of the new National Children’s Hospital over when it will be completed.

Patrick Lavery, 40, of Ballynamoney Road in Lurgan was convicted at Craigavon Crown Court for sex offences from 1999 to 2009.

Michael Carey stepped down as chair of the enterprise body and the Housing Agency in June after his company East Coast Bakehouse failed to file its accounts on time.

Bernard Gloster, who was in charge of Tusla when the boy went missing, said child protection cases are ‘exceptionally complex’.