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

IRELAND

A Christmas tree strolls down Dún Laoghaire pier ahead of the Goal Mile, a seires of events that sees tens of thousands of people run or walk a mile to raise funds for the chairty. Sasko Lazarov / Photocall Ireland Sasko Lazarov / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

• Weather warnings were issued for the entire island of Ireland – including status orange for Galway, Kerry, and West Cork – as Storm Gerrit approaches.
• More than 1,000 children contacted Childline between 23 and 25 December this year, the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children said.
• Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald said the party’s former leader Gerry Adams has no itention of running for president.
• The Taoiseach said the Irish government has “a big job” to do in terms of tackling far-right misinformation.
• Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly spoke about plans for a Covid inquiry – but said its tone will be different to the UK’s.
• Two people were hospitalised after a fire in Cork city.
• New figures revealed that Copper Face Jacks turned a pre-tax profit of more than €3 million.
• “Disappointing” weather warnings and “inaccurate” forecasting were among the issues raised in hundreds of complaints sent to Met Éireann this year. 

INTERNATIONAL

Palestinian children search the rubble of a building following Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Alamy Alamy

#PALESTINE: The United Nations said it was ‘gravely concerned’ by Israeli’s continued bombardment of Gaza.

#IRAQ: The United States launched airstrikes against Iranian-backed militia groups after three US troops were injured in a drone attack.

#CRIMEA: A Russian naval ship was damaged by a Ukrainian airstrike.

#FRANCE: A man was arrested on suspicion of murdering a mother and her four children.

PARTING SHOT

Four donkey born after their malnourished mothers were rescued from an abandoned herd are now thriving at their sanctuary home.

Tweety, Milana, Sora and Bluebird have become part of the family at The Donkey Sanctuary Ireland in Mallow, Co Cork less than a year after the discovery of the badly neglected group of donkeys in a field in Co Galway.

Read more here.