GOOD MORNING.

Here’s all the news that you need to know as you start your day.

Energy 

An inbound European cold snap could significantly increase already inflated Irish household energy bills as soon as January, experts have warned.

While the forecast for Ireland is not as grim as it is for much of Europe, Ian Curran writes in our lead story this morning, the arrival of freezing temperatures in parts of France, Germany, Denmark and the United Kingdom over the coming days will likely increase European energy demand. 

This could feed into higher Irish household gas and electricity bills as soon as January.

No new measures 

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said there are “no plans for meetings this week” to discuss the Covid-19 situation, our Political Correspondent Christina Finn writes. 

He added that he could not rule out further discussions to assess matters after Christmas. 

The Taoiseach’s comments come as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson also rules out any further restrictions for Christmas.

New scheduler

Booking a booster should be a bit easier from this morning – the HSE has opened an online self-scheduler to allow people to book their own appointment at a number of vaccination centres. 

No schedule

Staying with Covid-related news, Dublin Bus has cancelled its Nitelink buses indefinitely from tomorrow night.

The hospitality industry in the city centre, usually experiencing its busiest period at this time of year, is expecting a quiet Christmas due to the current set of Covid-19 restrictions.

Unfriendly steps 

On the international front, Russia’s Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia is prepared to take military steps in response to “unfriendly” Western actions over the Ukraine conflict, in a sharp escalation of rhetoric.

He also called for “serious negotiations” on Russian security demands put to the United States and NATO during his first call with new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who in turn called for “de-escalation”.

Koalas killed

Australian authorities have charged a landowner and two companies with more than 250 counts of animal cruelty.

It’s over the deaths of dozens of koalas during a clearance operation last year.

It’s alleged 21 koalas were found dead and dozens more injured in Cape Bridgewater, about 377 kilometres southwest of Melbourne in February 2020, CNN reports.

Testing 

Back home, the number of animals used in testing in Ireland has halved since a European Union directive came into effect in 2013, according to new figures.

Animal rights activists have said the number of animals used in testing is still too high, with almost 138,000 used last year. 

The outlook 

There’s a bit of a change in the weather today, with heavy and persistent rain at times – especially in the south. 

It’s likely there’ll be a bit of rain around on Christmas Day too, but the forecast remains a little uncertain at this stage, Met Éireann says.

Quiz time? 

In a change to our usual schedule, we’re running extra quizzes each night over the Christmas period. 

Last night’s one is about Christmas movies – have a try if you’ve a few minutes to spare. 

And remember, there was more than one lobster at the birth of Jesus.