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

IRELAND

People on Grafton Street, Dublin today Sam Boal Sam Boal

• Joanne Hayes received a State apology in the High Court today owing to what happened to her in what became known as the Kerry Babies case. 
• A further 582 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Ireland, the National Public Health Emergency Team has said this evening.
• Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said the government is “very minded” to accept NPHET advice for a pre-New Year closure of the hospitality sector.
• Arlene Foster has said that Northern Ireland and its people need to “up our game” because people have not been cutting their contacts to the level that’s required.
• The HSE expects to have hundreds of thousands of vaccine doses by the end of February, but the supply is unlikely to surpass half a million by that time.
• Gardaí are renewing their appeal for information following a fatal hit-and-run incident on the R336 at Na Forbacha in Co Galway on Wednesday. 
• A Dublin man who was part of a large mob who tried to storm their way into a nightclub has been jailed for 18 months.
• An appeal has been issued for the public not to visit the 40 Foot bathing area in Dublin on Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day.

INTERNATIONAL

US Vice President Mike Pence receives a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine Andrew Harnik Andrew Harnik

#MACRON: French president Emmanuel Macron has a fever, cough and fatigue as he suffers from coronavirus in Versailles, officials have said.

#VACCINE: US Vice President Mike Pence has received the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine live on television.

#MARKLE: Meghan Markle has settled a claim against Splash News and Picture Agency.

PARTING SHOT

Last night, TheJournal.ie’s podcast Stardust won won the Mary Raftery Prize, which is awarded for social affairs journalism on the island of Ireland.

This is the third major award the podcast has won, after winning gold at the New York Festivals Radio Awards for Best Narrative/Documentary Podcast; and winning best Radio Documentary at this year’s Celtic Media Festival.

The podcast looks at what happens when a community never gets closure after a massive tragedy and how the Irish State got its handling of the devastating fire so wrong.

• You can find out more about how to listen to ‘Stardust’ here >