Updated at 10.49pm

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

Homecoming time at Dublin Airport [Photocall Ireland]

IRELAND

• Travel warnings were issued ahead of an expected storm
• St Vincents revealed its CEO earned €136.5k on top of his HSE salary
• A man was killed and a young boy injured in a crash in Galway
• A viable bomb was made safe in Tallaght
• 249 prisoners were granted temporary release for Christmas
• A man was arrested over a murder in Belfast last week
• Aldi and Lidl posted impressive growth results
• Enda Kenny issued a Christmas message
• Leo Varadkar had some things to say about the expected Cabinet reshuffle
• Repak had some interesting estimates of chocolate and wine consumption
• Michael Healy-Rae told Santa what he wanted for Christmas
• And Alan Shatter confirmed Ireland is ready for Santa’s arrival

WORLD

[Tatyana Vishnevskaya/AP/Press Association Images]

#RUSSIA: The final two members of Russian protest group Pussy Riot were freed from prison [above] after an amnesty law was passed by parliament

#UK: It was confirmed that artist and entertainer Rolf Harris is to face three more sexual abuse charges, one of which relates to a girl aged under nine

#ICELAND: Authorities halted construction of a major road project to avoid affecting “hidden elves” living in the area

#DEATH: Mikhail Kalashnikov, designer of the AK-47 automatic rifle, died aged 94

INNOVATION

• Apple reached a deal to sell iPhones through China’s largest mobile network
• Looking for some interesting ways to keep track of Santa tomorrow? The Huffington Post has a nice round-up of apps

PARTING SHOT

The ‘Earth wind map’, based on data from the US National Weather Service, gives an interesting new perspective on the worlds’ weather.

The area directly to the north-west of Ireland looks like one of the most dangerous spots in the entire hemisphere at the moment.

Click here for the full interactive global map.

First posted at 9.23pm