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

O’Connell Street in Dublin reopened after a crash halted traffic this afternoon RollingNews.ie RollingNews.ie

IRELAND

• The Co Donegal businessman killed in a fatal assault in Ardara in the early hours of this morning has been named locally as businessman and community activist Stephen McCahill.
• Batches of SMA baby formula have been recalled by the food safety regulator over the presence of a toxin that can cause vomiting.
• Irish media regulator Coimisiún na Meán has said it is engaging with the European Commission after complaints that Elon Musk’s AI tool Grok is being used to generate and disseminate sexually explicit childlike images.
• Sligo has knocked Naas from the top spot on the Irish Business Against Litter’s (IBAL) latest anti-litter rankings, claiming the title of cleanest town.
• Jessie Buckley was named best actress at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards last night, setting the pace for the upcoming awards season.
• Actor Paul Mescal has given his fans some relief by clarifying that he is “not retiring” after remarks he made last week about “rationing” his workload.

INTERNATIONAL

Palestinians walk through the ruins of destroyed buildings as the sun sets over Gaza City Alamy Alamy

#VENEZUELA: Ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty to drugs and weapons charges in a New York courthouse this evening. 

#CYBERBULLYING: A Paris court has found ten people guilty of cyberbullying France’s first lady Brigitte Macron. 

#IRELAND-CHINA RELATIONS: The Taoiseach has said Ireland and China should work towards “open trade” as he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on a diplomatic visit to Beijing, the first by a Taoiseach to the country in more than a decade.

PARTING SHOT

A Status Yellow warnings are still in place around the country, as Met Éireann forecasts “very cold” conditions.

Some schools in the worst-affected areas decided to open late or stayed closed entirely today.

The warnings were originally due to expire at 11am today but have now been extended until 9am tomorrow, with some changes in which type of warning applies where.

Here’s a look at how the snow covered the country today.

The snow cover across Ireland by the end of the weekend, 04.01.2026. Most snow over Ulster, into Connacht, and stretching down into the Wicklow hills. Photo via @NASAEarth pic.twitter.com/ExdWovSIQf

— Barra Best (@barrabest) January 5, 2026