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

IRELAND

A cyclist goes by a mural on Montpelier Hill in Dublin. Leah Farrell Leah Farrell

• Ferry services Dublin and Holyhead were cancelled due to infrastructure damage at the Welsh port caused by Storm Darragh. 
• One in four people expect to spend more this Christmas than they did last year, according to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC). 
• Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue said Ireland would seek to ensure that standards safeguards are enshrined in the proposed Mercosur trade deal between the European Union and Latin American countries.
• Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin met with Fine Gael’s Simon Harris today in what was described as a “positive” and “constructive” meeting ahead of government formation negotiations.
• Anti-migrant groups broke through garda lines at an accommodation centre in Athlone yesterday, gaining access to the site while people hid inside.
• The Garda Commissioner Drew Harris defended his decision to release images of 99 persons of interest in the investigation into last year’s Dublin riots.
• Kyle Hayes learnt he will have to wait until at least February next year to find out if he is going to jail after he was convicted of violent disorder at a Limerick nightclub.
• The father of double murderer Yousef Palani was granted permission by the High Court to proceed with his action against the State’s decision to stop his social welfare benefits after finding that there are “reasonable grounds to infer” he engaged in criminal activity.
• The death of a young student who suffered fatal injuries when her bicycle was struck by a heavy goods vehicle in Dún Laoghaire earlier this year is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Health and Safety Authority, an inquest heard.
• Irish actors Colin Farrell and Andrew Scott received Golden Globe nominations, but Paul Mescal and Saoirse Ronan missed out this time around.
• The Late Late Toy Show was viewed more than 1.6 million times since it aired last Friday, a figure that includes those who tuned in live and people who have watched it since then.

INTERNATIONAL

People gather to celebrate the Syrian government’s fall, in Istanbul, Turkey. Emrah Gurel / AP Emrah Gurel / AP / AP

#SYRIA: Bashar al-Assad’s flight from Syria triggered celebrations across the country and beyond at the end of his oppressive rule.

#USA: A man was questioned today in connection with last week’s killing of a top health insurance executive on a New York street, US media reported, as a nationwide hunt for the suspect continued.

#ISRAEL: Israel launched airstrikes against what it said were “chemical weapons” facilities in Syria as its military took control of the buffer zone across the border, violating a 1974 UN agreement.  

#DIDDY: Rapper Jay-Z was accused in a lawsuit of raping a 13-year-old with hip-hop star Sean Combs in the year 2000, court documents showed.

PARTING SHOT

Santa Claus said Rudolph is looking forward to some nice treats Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

SANTA CLAUS WROTE a letter to the children of Ireland today with some advice about sending him their Christmas wish lists.

“Season’s Greetings to all from the North Pole!” Santa said in his letter.

 “Letters are pouring in from all around the world so I would like to remind all the boys and girls in Ireland to write and post their letters to me as soon as possible,” he said.