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

IRELAND

Joe Blewitt a cousin of US Presidential candidate Joe Biden poses for the media beside a mural of Biden, in Ballina, Co Mayo. Peter Morrison / PA Peter Morrison / PA / PA

• Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has said the reproductive number has dropped again to between 0.7 and 0.9.
• Health officials have confirmed that a further eight people have died with Covid-19 in Ireland, along with 444 new cases of the virus. 
• After two hours of back and forth between Leo Varadkar and the Opposition last night, those in government circles believe enough was said by the Tánaiste for him to scrape through the GP contract controversy.
• Leo Varadkar has this evening thanked his parliamentary colleagues for defending him in the media and for supporting him during his speech last night.
• The monthly unemployment rate rose to 20.2% in October, according to statistics released today from the Central Statistics Office.
• Survivors of institutional abuse are to be allowed to request data access to their personal information, both for those who survived Mother and Baby Homes and survivors of other forms of institutions in Ireland, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has confirmed.
• A 15-year-old boy has settled his case against the HSE, the Minister for Health, and pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline over side-effects he developed after receiving the swine flu vaccine.
• A murderer who strangled his partner of three months in her own bed was today addressed directly by his victim’s sister, who told him: “May God have no mercy on your soul.”
• The SuperValu TidyTowns competition is to return in 2021 after not taking place this year due to Covid-19 restrictions.

WORLD 

The Golden Monkey installation, by Australian ecological artist Lisa Roet, makes its UK debut on the exterior of Inverleith House at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. PA PA

#US ELECTION: The presidential race is coming down to a handful of states, including Michigan, Arizona and Pennsylvania. Biden is ahead in Michigan but it may take days for the result in Pennsylvania to become clear. Follow all the action here.

#BELARUS: The European Union has launched a procedure to sanction Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, his son Viktor, and 13 others held responsible for a post-election crackdown in the former Soviet state, diplomatic sources in Brussels said.

#LOCKDOWN: MPs have backed a new four-week coronavirus lockdown for England, after Boris Johnson warned of an “existential threat” to the NHS without action to curb the spread of the disease.

PARTING SHOT

If you’ve been following the election results on CNN then you’ll be well aware of anchor John King and his magic walls.

King has provided non-stop analysis of results with the help of his touch screens that filter vote counts by the state and county levels.

There is no doubt the man is a machine and a deserving star of CNN’s coverage. 

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