Happy Christmas from all here at The Journal, here’s what is in the news today:

1. Taoiseach regrets construction closure

Micheál Martin has said he regrets shutting down the construction sector for four months this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Construction sites were closed down from late December 2020 to April 2021 as Ireland was placed under Level 5 lockdown.

2. Dáil bar booze vote

Guinness remains the most popular drink in Leinster House, with new figures showing that over 600 pints of the black stuff were poured in the Dáil’s bars this year.

Records released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that €9,183 was spent on alcohol in the Dáil up to November this year, despite the closure of both the Visitors’ Bar and the Members’ Bar until 1 September because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

3. Electric escooters

Electric scooters look set to be one of the more popular Christmas gifts of the year. The popularity of the vehicles has grown across the world over the last 18 months. 

But the laws around their use in Ireland are sketchy, to say the least. Legislation is currently going through the Oireachtas to regulate them. But right now, on Christmas Day, they’re not technically legal to ride on public highways. 

4. Homeless children at Christmas

The Government has been asked to prioritise ending child homelessness as thousands of people face another Christmas period in emergency accommodation.

A spokesperson for Focus Ireland, an organisation that supports homeless people across the country, has said that being homeless “causes terrible trauma for anyone but it hurts children the most, and families now have the added stress of Covid-19″.

5. Ice swimming

Dingle woman Nuala Moore talks to The Journal about swimming the treacherous waters around Cape Horn.    

She speaks about the particularly excitable waves in Drake Passage – the narrowest gap between South America and Antarctica, where the tip of Cape Horn reaches out towards the South Shetland Islands. 

6. Fatal assault investigation

Gardaí are continuing their investigation into the death of a woman in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow. The woman’s body was found yesterday afternoon and investigators have sealed off a house as they investigate.

The woman’s body was discovered at a home at Park Na Sillogue Court at around 4pm. 

7. Los Angeles police shooting

Police in the US city of Los Angeles have shot a 14-year-old child in an apparent accidental shooting as they fired shots at a violent suspect. 

It is believed, the young girl, named as Valentina Orellana-Peralta, was fatally struck by bullets which passed through a wall into a changing room. 

Police also fatally shot the suspect Thursday morning at a Burlington store in the North Hollywood area of the San Fernando Valley, police said.

8. Wolves escape from French zoo

French authorities in the south of the country have temporarily shut down a zoo after a pack of nine wolves escaped from their enclosure during visiting hours, officials have said.

No humans were injured in the incident last weekend at the Trois Vallees zoo in Montredon-Labessonnie in the Tarn region but four of the wolves were shot dead by park workers and five others anaesthetised by local officials on the scene, local official Fabien Chollet said.

9. O’Mahony opens up about doping hearing 

Kerry footballer Aidan O’Mahony has spoken about his battle to clear his name after routine medication caused a doping positive. 

The well-known All Ireland winner has spoken about the difficult time he faced as he defended himself against the accusation. 

O’Mahony, in his book Unbroken, reveals the cause of the doping positive as the salbutamol in his asthma inhaler. He was cleared by the committee and returned to playing.