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

IRELAND

Healthcare workers walk in silence to join the IPSC at their Manger in the Rubble in Solidarity with colleagues in Gaza. RollingNews.ie RollingNews.ie

• Taoiseach Micheál Martin today told the Prime Minister of Lebanon that the Irish government is “determined to continue to pursue justice for the terrible crime” of the killing of Private Seán Rooney.
• A man died after his car was discovered in a river in Co Cork this morning.
• Uisce Éireann submitted a planning application for the largest-ever water project in Irish history.
• Gardaí have appealed for witnesses after a man was injured in a serious assault in Tipperary in the early hours of this morning.
• The Department of Defence declined a request from the Labour Party to release footage of the recent drone activity during the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
• Pharmacists are pushing back on the Department of Health’s suggestion that they should determine who is eligible for the free HRT scheme, amid continuing confusion surrounding the eligibility of trans people.
• Activist group Gaels Against Genocide hit out at the GAA for retaining its controversial Allianz sponsorship deal following an Ethics and Integrity Commission report.
• Veteran broadcaster Ronan Collins is set to leave RTÉ Radio next week, after working for over 40 years with the station.
• Close to 46% of new cars in Ireland last year were electric or hybrid.
• Activists recreated the Nativity scene in Dublin to draw attention to the conflict in Gaza. The event heard reflections that if Jesus had been born today, he “would be born under siege, displaced, without access to medical treatment or nutrition”.

INTERNATIONAL

Undated photograph released in latest tranche of Epstein files appearing to show Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor reclining across the laps of five people

#EPSTEIN FILES: A photo of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor reclining across the legs of five women with his head near one woman’s lap and pictures of other famous faces have surfaced in a huge document dump related to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
#SYRIA: US forces struck more than 70 Islamic State group targets in Syria yesterday in what President Donald Trump described as “very serious retaliation” for an attack that killed three Americans last weekend.
#GAZA: Israel is understood to be impeding the entry of a converted popemobile intended to care for Gaza children into the region.
#COLDPLAY GATE: The woman at the centre of the Coldplay clip that went viral over the summer has said she received up to 60 death threats afterwards.

PARTING SHOT

Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O'Sullivan, visited Fota Wildlife Park to celebrate the Park’s reopening Michael O'Sullivan Michael O'Sullivan

Fota Wildlife Park in Co Cork reopened following a ten-week closure to manage an avian influenza outbreak which originated from wild bird populations.

The closure of the popular tourist attraction was a huge blow as it costs well over €100,000 a week to run and normally attracts around 430,000 visitors a year.  

Some 73 birds were culled and tight restrictions were put in place. 

In October, the wildlife park euthanised some of its Greylag Goose population following eleven confirmed cases of H5N1 Avian Influenza.

The park reopened its gate to visitors at 9.30am today, with staff being “incredibly excited” to welcome “dearly missed families” onsite.