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

IRISH

Garry O'Growney from Kilfenora competing in the Irish Christmas Tree Throwing Championships at Tim Smyth park, Ennis. Eamon Ward Photography Eamon Ward Photography

• Part of the Cork to Waterford road is impassable due to flooding, as a number of houses have been evacuated in other counties.
• Gardaí in Cork city have appealed for information in locating 31-year-old Colin Ronayne, who has been missing since New Year’s Day.
• A man in his 20s was charged with drink driving after woman died when hit by a car in west Dublin. A second woman remains in a serious condition.
• All four people arrested in relation to a drug and gun seizure in Dublin yesterday were released.
• New figures have shown a substantial drop in the number of gardaí available to investigate drug crime.
• A draft Labour ad that shows Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams and Fianna Fáil’s Micheál Martin as a gay couple on their wedding day received a lot of criticism.
• The Irish Kidney Foundation expressed its disappointment in the “significant decline” in utilising available kidneys for transplants in 2015.
• Irish fast-food outlet Supermac’s is set to open six new branches in the coming year.
• Five units of Dublin Fire Brigade attended a blaze at a house in Dartry.

INTERNATIONAL

Iranian demonstrators burn representations of the US and Israeli flags during a demonstration in front of the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Tehran to protest the execution of Saudi Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent opposition Shiite cleric. PA PA

#IRAN: Iran’s top leader warned Saudi Arabia there will be “divine revenge” over the execution of an opposition Shiite cleric, while Riyadh accused Tehran of supporting terrorism.

#AMERICA: President Barack Obama said he wants to make gun control a priority during his final year in office.

#ZIMBABWE: A conservation group has been criticised for running a lion trophy raffle.

#LAS VEGAS: Singer Chris Brown denied a claim he hit a woman at a Las Vegas hotel.

#KYRGYZSTAN: A Briton working at a foreign-owned gold mine in Kyrgyzstan has been detained and faces up to five years in jail for comparing a local delicacy to a horse penis.

INNOVATION

• Here are 16 innovative Irish companies to keep an eye on this year.
• Have you heard about Arcaboards? They’re a lot closer to hoverboards than the recent (sometimes exploding) efforts.

PARTING SHOT

A Redditor both delighted and freaked people out by posting a photo of their grandparents who happened to be the spit of Taylor Swift and Hugh Hefner.

Imgur Imgur

Can’t unsee.

Comments are closed due to ongoing legal proceedings.

Originally published: 8pm