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

IRELAND

Dylan Walsh with Louis Walsh 1yrs in his garden in Cappagh Green Finglas, after switching on Christmas lights outside his house. RollingNews.ie RollingNews.ie

• Health officials confirmed 252 new cases of Covid-19 in Ireland and no further deaths. 
• Taoiseach Micheál Martin said today the Level 5 exit plan will be decided and made public “either Thursday or Friday“. 
• A Covid-19 vaccine developed in the UK can prevent 70.4% of people from getting the virus, it was announced today. 
• Gardaí have launched an investigation after they discovered three men in the back of a truck which had recently arrived by ferry into Ireland.
• The Chair of the board of RTÉ said pictures showing some of its broadcasters failing to adhere to social distancing guidelines at a retirement function poses a “serious concern”. 
• Sharing intimate images of another person without their consent, even without any intent to cause harm, could result in a fine of €5,000 and 12 months in prison under proposals being brought to Cabinet this week.
• Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien agreed to issue a de facto ban on new co-living developments in the country, citing concerns at the growing number of developments in the housing system. 

THE WORLD 

A palette of changing colours as the sky lights up before sunrise at St Mary's Lighthouse in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear on the North East coast. PA PA

UNITED STATES: President-elect Joe Biden is expected to nominate John Kerry to lead the incoming administration’s effort in combatting climate change.

UNITED KINGDOM: England will face tiered coronavirus restrictions until the end of March, despite the latest successful vaccine trials and rapid tests presenting a “route out of the pandemic”.

FRANCE: The corruption trial of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy was suspended after less than two hours to allow for a medical report on one of the defendants.

PARTING SHOT

This evening’s longread is all about actor Michael J Fox. 

The Back to the Future star went public a number of years ago with his diagnosis of early-onset Parkinson’s disease. He says that he believes he is a lucky man, and in this interview talks about how that diagnosis affected him. 

Read more here.