NEED TO CATCH up? The Journal brings you a round-up of today’s news.

IRELAND

The nightly starling murmuration takes place over Belfast's Albert Bridge with Harland & Wolff cranes in the background. David Hunter / Alamy David Hunter / Alamy / Alamy

• Ireland’s consumer watchdog called for a new ‘easy in, easy out’ EU law on cancelling online subscriptions.
• A man who died on Christmas Day following a collision between a car and an e-scooter in Waterford city was named locally as 44-year-old Alan Walsh.
• Documents showed that civil servants warned the then-Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe that the recent Vat cut would come at an ‘extremely significant’ cost for the taxpayer.
• Bargain hunters hit the shops for the St Stephen’s Day sales as stores reopened for queues of people waiting outside.
• The family of a man who died after his car went in to a river as he made his way home from work in heavy rain expressed their “deepest gratitude” to communities in east county Cork for their kindness following the tragedy.
• Amazon got planning permission for three new data centres in north Dublin.
• Wren Day took place in towns and villages around Ireland.

INTERNATIONAL

Bikers dressed as Santa Claus drive motorcycles during a moto parade at Stradun in Dubrovnik, Croatia today. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

#UKRAINE PEACE TALKS: Ukraine’s Volodoymyr Zelenskyy announced that he will meet US President Donald Trump in Florida over the weekend to try and finalise a peace deal.

#NIGERIA: The US and Nigeria conducted “powerful and deadly” strikes against Islamic State militants in northwestern Nigeria.

#MIDDLE EAST A Palestinian killed two people in a stabbing and car-ramming attack in northern Israel, triggering the defence minister to threaten a crackdown on the assailant’s village in the occupied West Bank.

PARTING SHOT

We’ve all been there: the forced smile as you unwrap a jumper you wouldn’t be caught dead in, or the gimmicky gadget someone already gave you last year. Instead of regifting or throwing it in the bin, could you maybe get a refund?

The Explainer podcast has an episode tailor made for such an occasion to explain exactly where you stand when the gift isn’t quite right.