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

IRELAND

Walkers shake off the Christmas cobwebs at Poolbeg in Dublin. RollingNews.ie RollingNews.ie

• State Papers released today revealed a wealth of information ranging from letters between a Birmingham Six prisoner and Charles Haughey to potential nuclear dumping in Donegal. Read them all so far here.
• A man was found dead outside a house in Cork city.
• An arrest was made in connection with the 2017 murder of Rosa Hanrahan.
• Temperatures as high as 14 degrees were forecast.
• A woman died in a crash in Donegal overnight.
• Two kayakers were rescued from Lough Derg.
• An expert group to examine the current system of Direct Provision was announced.
• The Taoiseach called for a ‘wind energy revolution’.
• Freedom of Information documents revealed a national breakdown of penalty points.
• Fair City actress Jean Costello died.
• A power cut caused major disruption to the Luas.
• Dublin Fire Brigade issued a warning after an electric scooter caught fire.
• Gardaí seized drugs and knives in Dublin.

WORLD

A train runs above the clouds at the top of the Brocken in Germany. PA Images PA Images

#UNITED KINGDOM: This year’s Honours list attracted controversy - and that was before the home addresses of those on the list were accidentally published.

#SOMALIA: Dozens died in a truck bomb attack.

#UGANDA A record haul of $1bn dollars of cocaine was found. [Sky News]

#THAILAND One of the navy Seal divers involved in the daring rescue of 12 boys and their coach last year died of an infection sustained during the operation. [Guardian]

PARTING SHOT

Vladimir Putin has lead Russia for two decades – but is the country really the strongest it has ever been? Bloomberg takes an in-depth look at the growing risks.