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

IRELAND

Annette Buckley pictured launching the Nano Nagle Place Christmas Programme in costume for a Christmas Carol. Claire Keogh Claire Keogh

• The Coast Guard suspended all rescue boat operations and launched an investigation into a malfunction in lifejackets.
• The EU granted state aid approval to the National Broadband Plan.
• KBC Bank CEO Johan Thijs has issued an apology after he described the tracker mortgage scandal as “annoying”.
• A 62-year-old man pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl in a hospital ward in Cork city.
• Leo Varadkar said that he is “absolutely confident” that the proper procedures to remove Maria Bailey as a candidate were followed.
• Gardaí appealed for witnesses after a woman was knocked down and killed in Clare.
• A man whose dangerous driving led to a road accident which left his friend in a vegetative state with “devastating” injuries has been jailed for 40 months.

WORLD

Look familiar? Boris Johnson at the unveiling of the Conservative Party battlebus in Middleton, Greater Manchester. PA Wire / PA Images PA Wire / PA Images / PA Images

#UK: British royal Prince Andrew has spoken about his relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein in a “no holds barred” interview with BBC.

#USA: Donald Trump tweeted an attack on the former American ambassador to Ukraine as she was in the middle of testifying in his impeachment probe, prompting her to complain she was being intimidated.

#NORTH KOREA: The dictatorship launched an attack against US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, calling the former vice-president a “rabid dog”.

PARTING SHOT

Everyone has an opinion on RTÉ’s current financial woes. 

The national broadcaster last week announced  a major restructuring plan, it will cut the pay of its top presenters by 15%, cut 200 jobs (through voluntary redundancies), move Lyric FM from Limerick to Cork and Dublin,  reduce RTÉ executives’ pay by 10% among other staff-related savings.

Our team over on The Explainer podcast discuss what’s is actually happening over in Donnybrook.

You can listen here.