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

IRELAND

President Higgins turns on the Christmas lights at Áras an Uachtaráin. Sam Boal Sam Boal

• Gardaí are appealing  for the public’s help following an assault and robbery on a man in his 20s in Cork overnight. 
• Police in Northern Ireland have arrested two men in Antrim after an ATM was stolen from a Tesco store yesterday.
• The Government has today urged the public to avoid visiting a number of national parks and nature reserves ahead of the arrival of Storm Atiyah.
• A married couple last week became the first people in Ireland to be convicted of carrying out female genital mutilation (FGM).
• Over 30 motorists suspected of breaking road traffic laws walked free from court yesterday without any sanction after a judge struck out all of their cases.
• Police in the North have appealed for information after a refrigerated container with 50 beef carcasses inside it was stolen from Armagh.

WORLD

Tributes to the victims of the attack. Rick Findler Rick Findler

#LONDON Police in London have renewed their appeal for witnesses to last week’s terrorist attack after trawling through more than 80 hours of CCTV footage. 

#OCEANS The loss of oxygen from the ocean due to climate change risks “dire effects” on sea life, fisheries and coastal communities, a global conservation body has said. 

#INDIA A top Indian rights group launched an investigation today into a police shooting of four rape-murder suspects, after accusations they were gunned down to assuage public anger.

Parting Shot

For good or for bad, a lot of people are talking about plans to build a white-water rafting facility in Dublin’s city centre. The facility will cost almost €23 million, most of which will be funded via development levies and sports and training grants.

Sports organisations and emergency crews are in favour of it but others have raised concerns that a €23 million project like this one cannot be justified while the housing and homeless crisis continues. 

In his week’s The Explainer podcast by TheJournal.ie looks at how it would be funded, whether that funding could be used to address other issues like the homeless crisis, and now that councillors have voted in favour of it, what happens nex.
https://soundcloud.com/the-explainer-podcast/what-is-happening-with-the-white-water-rafting-plan-for-dublins-city-centre