NEED TO CATCH up? The Journal brings your a roundup of today’s news.

IRELAND

Members of the newly formed Togher Men’s Shed with their Christmas woodwork. They meet twice a week in the Cope Buildings in Co Cork. Pic: Clare Keogh.

• Gerry Hutch Trial:  Under cross-examination for a fifth day, Jonathan Dowdall was asked to explain to the court parts of what was said in recorded conversations, and he denied that he was caught on an audio recording planning “mass murder.” 

• The funeral of Private Seán Rooney is to take place on Thursday, after his body was returned to Ireland from Lebanon. 

• Serious overcrowding has hit hospitals, and the Mater has had to restrict visitations and limit who can have visitors due to the number of patients with respiratory infections. 

• Government plans to move a group of Ukrainian refugees from their hotel in Dundalk to the other side of the country ahead of Christmas have been scrapped. The situation is to be reassessed in the new year. 

• Gardaí are investigating after multiple vehicles were rammed on a street in Co Limerick this afternoon. It is understood the incident is related to a local feud. 

• A new status yellow rain warning is in place for Galway and Mayo as more counties are to be warned about high-speed gusts come Wednesday. 

• Joe Kennedy III – from one of the world’s most famous political families – has been appointed as US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs. He will be focusing on investment opportunities in the region.

 WORLD

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko pose for photo prior to their talks in Minsk. (Konstantin Zavrazhin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Konstantin Zavrazhin Konstantin Zavrazhin

#RUSSIA: Putin has landed in Belarus for talks with his counterpart Alexander Lukashenko, who has allowed Moscow to use Belarus as a staging ground for its offensive in Ukraine. It comes as Kyiv has been hit by heavy drone attacks. 

 #NETHERLANDS: The Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has officially apologised for the Netherland’s involvement in slavery, labelling it a “crime against humanity.” 

#MEGHANMARKLE Former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson has said that he is “horrified” to have caused hurt through a “clumsy reference” in an article for The Sun in which he spoke of his “hatred” for Meghan Markle, and described dreaming about her “made to parade naked.” 

 #TWITTER: Twitter users have voted to oust Elon Musk as CEO in a poll he organised and promised to honours. 

 #UK: The High Court in the UK has ruled that the government’s plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda are lawful, after several challenges were brought against the proposals. 

  PARTING SHOT

The final episode of The Journal’s new podcast series Redacted Lives is out now. 

It looks at what Roderic O’ Gorman could achieve while in office when it comes to tackling issues caused by Ireland’s mother and baby home system. 

The podcast as a whole explores the experiences of people who passed through the system, including women who were born into the system, and mothers who have tried to find their children over the years – but to no avail. 

Redacted Lives gives these people the chance to tell the real story of mother and baby homes, and explores how the State continues to deny survivors access to information, proper redress and ownership of their true identities.