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

Michael Flatley opened his mansion near Fermoy to vulnerable children from Cork, in an event run in association with Barnardos. [Pic Jerry Kennelly] Michael Flatley opened his mansion near Fermoy to vulnerable children from Cork, in an event run in association with Barnardos. [Pic Jerry Kennelly]

IRELAND

• A car thief led over a dozen Garda vehicles on a chase through Dublin. 
• The Seanad passed the contentious Water Services Bill.
• A man was rescued from the River Liffey. [video]
• Gardaí issued a missing persons alert for two children.
• Homes were evacuated overnight, amid a bomb scare.
• An independent review was announced into the deaths of two soldiers in Lebanon.
• A failed FF by-election candidate took a pop at Micheál Martin.
• Gemma O’Doherty settled an unfair dismissal case with the Indo.
• A court told food website Lovin’ Dublin to take down a negative review.
• Two men questioned over Jean McConville’s killing were released.
• There was some good news for the charity that runs Childline.

WORLD

PA Wire / Press Association Images PA Wire / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

#SCOTLAND: Six people were killed after a rubbish truck crashed into pedestrians on a busy shopping street in Glasgow. 

#FRANCE: A man stabbed himself after ploughing a van into a Christmas market in France, injuring ten people.

#OZ: A father and his two young sons are recovering after surviving ten days in the Australian wilderness.  

INNOVATION

• Flickr has scrapped a plan to sell users’ photos as wall art after a licensing row.[Guardian]
• And, after last week’s hacking controversy, Sony has said it still wants people to see‘The Interview’ [Huffington Post]

PARTING SHOT

Singer Joe Cocker has died, aged 70.

His performance of the Beatles’ ‘With a Little Help From My Friends’ was one of the iconic moments of the 1969 Woodstock Festival.

45 years later, it still sends chills down the spine.

Here it is in full… (headphones up to 11, please).