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

IRELAND

A man passing by a shop in Dublin as it prepares to reopen tomorrow. Rollingnews.ie Rollingnews.ie

• One person with Covid-19 died and 306 new cases were confirmed in Ireland.
• The British government said it will not order a public inquiry into the 1989 murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane. 
• Public health doctors confirmed plans for three days of strike action in January.
• People were asked to avoid using public transport at peak times if possible, ahead of the country moving from Level 5 to Level 3 of Covid-19 restrictions tomorrow.
• Gardaí launched an investigation after a man was attacked by a gang of teenagers who allegedly “took turns” to beat the victim while he was lying prone on the ground.
• “No further action” is under consideration by the Sinn Féin party in relation to a  TD tweeting about two IRA attacks on the British army.
• The number of overseas passengers travelling to and from Ireland throughout the year dropped by 76% compared to last year, latest figures show.
• People in nursing homes can have up to one visitor per week from next Monday.
• Over 1.5 million people watched the Late Late Toy Show last week – the highest TV audience for any Toy Show on record.
• More than one in ten people reported feeling downhearted or depressed all or most of the time in the last four weeks, according to a CSO survey.

WORLD 

Boris Johnson holding a vial of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine. PA PA

#VACCINE: Moderna is filing for regulatory approval of its coronavirus vaccine after trials showed no serious safety concerns.

#JOBS: The future of Topshop owner Arcadia is in doubt with the company on the brink of bankruptcy in the UK.

PARTING SHOT

Earlier today, Ryan Tubridy spoke about his accidental curse word said during the Late Late Toy Show last Friday. 

Although many keen-earned viewers believed it was an ‘F bomb’, Tubridy clarified this morning that it was a ‘B bomb’.

The RTÉ host was referring to an incident during Friday’s show when a bottle of Fanta he was opening fizzed, prompting an expletive. 

Read more about it here.