1. #WATER: Water restrictions continue across the country today as councils push to restore reservoir levels, the Irish Times reports. Water supplies in parts of Dublin, Meath, Westmeath, Galway, Clare, Kerry, Cork, Limerick, Kilkenny and Laois are affected.

2. #ROADS: Three people have been killed and three injured in three-car crash in Monaghan, RTÉ Radio News reports. AA Roadwatch says the N2 Dublin to Monaghan Road is closed until further notice following that collision, and diversions are in place.

3. #INVESTIGATION: Gardaí are investigating the death of a man whose body was discovered at government buildings in Dublin. The man, 50, was a member of the defence forces and gardaí say they are not seeking anyone else in connection with the incident, RTÉ Radio One News reports.

4. #AUSTRLIA: Serious flooding in north-eastern Australia caused by heavy rain has caused hundreds of millions of dollars of damage to crops and forced residents to evacate from several towns in the region. The Sydney Morning Herald says it is the worst flooding since 1942, and the weather service cannot predict how much more rain will fall in the affected region.

5. #US: Airports have reopened in the east of the US after a major snowstorm swept through the region over the past few days, but flight backlogs and delays are expected. The New York Times reports that the storm has left tens of thousands of people without electricity.

6. #IRAN: Iranian news agency Irna has reported that an Israeli man has been hanged in Iran after being convicted of spying for Israeli intelligence services, the BBC reports.

7. #PENSIONS: The Irish Examiner reports that four Fine Gael TDs continue to claim their ministerial pension despite party assurances a year ago its TDs would cease receiving the payments while in office. A party spokesperson told the paper that those who had not given up the pension, were giving it to charity.

8. #ASYLUM: Children seeking asylum in Ireland will no longer stay at unregulated accommodation, from which children have been going missing, the Examiner reports. Separated children will be removed from the hostels in the New Year. The Children’s Ombudsman Emily Logan welcomed the HSE’s decision.

9. #PITTER-PATTER: Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish have become parents for the first time, to a baby boy born to a surrogate mother in the US, according to an interview given by the couple to Us Magazine.