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

IRELAND

Sunshine Abellon from the Philippines (right) celebrates with her friend Emma O'Connor from Tipperary as she joined over 6,000 new Irish citizens who were conferred with citizenship at the Convention Centre in Dublin Leah Farrell Leah Farrell

• The Garda Commissioner said he believes the perpetrators of a suspected arson attack at a Galway hotel set to house asylum seekers are “most probably” local to the area.
• Tanáiste Michéal Martin said comments made by two councillors in the aftermath of the arson attack were “absolutely unacceptable”.
• Ireland’s housing supply is expected to increase next year but a continued rise in construction costs mean that affordability issues could remain.
• Two people were killed in separate road collisions in Dublin and Donegal.
• A protestor who claimed to be using his right to free speech by calling gardaí “scumbags” and interfering with an arrest at a demonstration outside the Dáil has been convicted and fined.
• This has been the worst year for overcrowding in hospitals in almost two decades according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.
• A Kerry father and son charged with throwing a student out living in their property out on the street in his underpants had the case against them dismissed today.
• Richard Shakespeare replaced Owen Keegan as Chief Executive of Dublin City Council.

WORLD

Palestinians search for bodies and survivors in the rubble of a residential building destroyed in an Israeli air strike, in Rafah (AP)

#GAZA The UN has again postponed a vote on a fresh call for a ceasefire in Gaza, which comes as a senior Hamas leader is due to visit Egypt to hold ceasefire negotiations.

#RED SEA Fears of major global trade disruption because of Yemen’s Houthi rebels attacking cargo ships are growing, with five of the world’s six largest shipping companies halting operations in the area as a result.

#QUAKE Rescuers in remote villages of northwest China are diggings through the rubble of collapsed homes in freezing conditions after the country’s deadliest earthquake in years killed at least 127 people.

Parting shot

actors have been making their mark on the international stage in recent years – and that was obvious yet again with the nominations for the Golden Globes.

The awards are seen as something of a precursor to the Oscars, potentially giving an indication of further award success.

Barry Keoghan, Cillian Murphy, and Andrew Scott all feature in the Best Actor category, while Poor Things, produced by Ireland’s Element Pictures, is also up for a slew of nominations.

Joining The Explainer podcast this week’s is author and freelance arts journalist Aoife Barry, who takes the team through the history of the awards as well as the familiar faces who are up for Best Actor.