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

IRELAND

Piictured are the winners of the Dublin Winter Lights Art Competition: L-R, Anna You, 7, Donna Cooney Deputy Lord Mayor and Orla Cahill, 11. Maxwells Maxwells

• After a frantic three week campaign, politicians scattered across the country today making one final pitch to voters ahead of polls opening in the general election tomorrow. 
• Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin went to Wicklow, dubbed one of the dogfights of the election and featuring Stephen Donnelly.
• Meanwhile, Mary Lou McDonald rounded on Micheál Martin over comments he made about the Troubles. 
• Waterford Independent TD Matt Shanahan apologised for “any upset” he caused by projecting an election ad on a hospital building housing palliative care and oncology services.
• Data centres using backup and emergency generators in Ireland are releasing huge quantities of carbon dioxide emissions, a new investigation revealed.
• A Cork woman who downed 12 alcoholic drinks before getting behind the wheel of her car and causing the death of her friend was sentenced to four years in jail.
• A man who kicked a female garda in the stomach while he was on a drunken night out was jailed for ten months.
• The Irish Wax Museum removed Conor McGregor’s waxwork from display at its site in Dublin.
• Two people were arrested after cocaine worth €2.6 million and €66,000 in cash was seized during a search in Dublin yesterday.
• A man charged with dangerous driving causing the death of a pedestrian outside a primary school in Limerick City, replied to the charge, “I feel like a murderer”, a court heard.
• Taoiseach Simon Harris had a phone call with the Prime Minister of Lebanon, Najib Mikati, after a ceasefire deal was reached between Israel and Hezbollah.

INTERNATIONAL

Residents walk past destroyed buildings as they return to Qana village, southern Lebanon, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. Alamy Alamy

#LEBANON: Israel conducted an air strike on a Hezbollah weapons facility, the first since a ceasefire in the war in Lebanon took effect.
#MASTERCHEF: TV presenter Gregg Wallace stepped away from his role on MasterChef after the BBC received complaints from individuals about historical allegations of misconduct.
#RUSSIA: Overnight misile strikes from Russia left hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians without power, after Kyiv had warned of a “massive” Russian attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
#MEXICO: Donald Trump had a phone call with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum last night to discuss migration, just days after the US President-Elect threatened to issue major tariffs on the country when in office.

PARTING SHOT

Leah Farrell / © RollingNews.ie Leah Farrell / © RollingNews.ie / © RollingNews.ie

It’s election eve and that means some school pupils have an extra day off to enjoy tomorrow.

In many cases, primary schools will be used as polling stations tomorrow, resulting in school closures and a day off for students.

While some parents complain of being put out by the day off, schools can sometimes be the only suitable buildings to facilitate voting.

In today’s poll, we wanted to know: Should schools close for polling day?

Take part in our poll here, or see how others have been voting.