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

IRELAND

President Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina have wished the public a very Happy Christmas as they mark their final Christmas in Áras an Uachtaráin. Maxwell's Maxwell's

• A man in his 40s was arrested in connection with a hit-and-run incident in Co Limerick on Saturday, which resulted in the death of a 21 year-old Marguerita Sheridan.
• A man in his 40s died after his car entered the water in Co Kildare.
• Karen Cummings, who died after being found injured in Co Down earlier this month, was remembered at her funeral as a “loving mother” with an “unwavering” commitment to her work as a children’s nurse.
• Taoiseach Simon Harris expressed Ireland’s “unbreakable” support for the people of Palestine in a phone call with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas today. 
• The blow suffered by the Green Party in this election is not as damaging as the major setback it endured in 2011, former leader Eamon Ryan believes.
• A man accused of attacking an off-duty garda in Dublin’s Temple Bar during an incident which left the officer in critical condition in hospital consented to stay in custody.
• The Irish Road Haulage Association said the ongoing closure of Holyhead Port will lead to some haulage companies going out of business unless they receive financial support from the Government or the EU.
• A person of interest came forward in relation to a hit-and-run incident that occurred in Dublin on Sunday evening.
• Gardaí reissued an appeal for witnesses after the car a 70-year-old woman was driving was hit by a stolen SUV, with the occupants of the SUV fleeing the scene.
• A leading animal welfare charity called for a change to regulations after a former racehorse was found tied to a fence covered in sores.
• The parish priest of a church that caught fire after being struck by lightning on Sunday in Clare said the community is “very, very lucky” the fire did not spread.
• Belfast City Airport reopened this morning after an Aer Lingus plane suffered an emergency incident while landing during strong winds yesterday afternoon.
• It’s understood around 50 people have lost their jobs two days before Christmas with the closure of the International Rugby Experience in Limerick today, a year and half after its red ribbon opening.

INTERNATIONAL

Flowers, candles, wreaths and stuffed animals lie in front of Johanniskirche Church, Magdeburg, Germany. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

#GERMANY: Mourners laid flowers near the scene of the deadly Christmas market attack in the German city of Madgeburg as investigators continue to puzzle over the motive of the suspect.
#GAZA: Just 12 trucks were able to distribute food and water in northern Gaza over the last two-and-a-half months, according to aid group Oxfam.
#US: Joe Biden announced that he is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row in America, converting their punishments to life imprisonment.
#BROOKLYN: Police in New York arrested a man in connection with the death of a woman who was intentionally lit on fire on a city subway by a stranger. 
#NEW YORK: The man accused of fatally shooting the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare pleaded not guilty to murder and terror charges in a state case that will run parallel to his federal prosecution.
#MATT GAETZ: Former US Congressman Matt Gaetz, who was Donald Trump’s first pick to run the Justice Department, paid for sex numerous times, including with an underage girl, according to a congressional report released today.
#FRANCE: Emmanuel Macron’s office announced a new government, after the previous Cabinet collapsed in a historic vote prompted by fighting over the country’s budget.

PARTING SHOT

Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

It’s Christmas Eve-eve and for many, it’s tradition to give a Christmas tip to the people who provide them a service, like the postman.

That tip may come in the form of a box of chocolates, a bottle of wine or maybe a Christmas card with a few bob in it.

With so many parcels coming and going during the festive season, we wanted to know if you tip the postman in the run-up to Christmas.

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