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

IRELAND

Shoppers in Dublin today Eamonn Farrell / Rollingnews.ie Eamonn Farrell / Rollingnews.ie / Rollingnews.ie

• Public health officials confirmed 5,622 new cases of Covid-19

• Tánaiste Leo Varadkar urged people not to lose heart as hospital numbers dropped below 500 for the first time since October

• Gardaí appealed for witnesses after a teenage girl on a scooter was seriously injured when she was struck by a van in Dublin 

• Two deliverymen were accused of using their job to help them steal parcels sent to a Dublin apartment complex

• Gardaí requested information out of concern for the welfare of a woman who went missing from her Donegal home

WORLD

Mount Semeru volcano in Indonesia AP / PA Images AP / PA Images / PA Images

#BODIES: Five bodies were found at a house in Germany. 

#INDONESIA: Thousands have been forced to flee following the eruption of a volcano in Indonesia.

PARTING SHOT

As can you can see below, the Christmas feeling is starting to take hold in the capital, with the Grafton Street festive lights helping to add to the scene for the thousands in the city centre this evening.

Leah Farrell / Rollingnews.ie Leah Farrell / Rollingnews.ie / Rollingnews.ie