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

IRELAND

Matilda (5) and Thomas Kenworth (7) on Dun Laoghaire's new ice rink Leon Farrell / Rollingnews.ie Leon Farrell / Rollingnews.ie / Rollingnews.ie

• A Limerick woman was burned, stabbed, and beaten in a horror attack at her home.
• Cystic Fibrosis patients have expressed their ‘dismay’ at the decision to not fund the life-changing drug Orkambi.
• A Laois couple have spoken of their heartbreak after their four-year-old son was killed by a drunk driver.
• Pfizer has cancelled a proposed €400 million expansion of its Dublin plant.
• A new opinion poll shows that Fine Gael remains the most popular Irish party with Fianna Fáil losing ground.
• Dublin Fire Brigade had an exceptionally busy Saturday night.
• A man was arrested in Limerick after cannabis and cocaine worth €250,000 was seized.
• Conor McGregor was officially stripped of his UFC featherweight title.
• President Higgins was criticised for praising Fidel Castro in the wake of the former Cuban leader’s death.

WORLD

Ed Sheeran (and Belfast musician Andy Patterson) sporting the effects of Princess Beatrice's swordsmanship Twitter Twitter

#RECOUNT: Donald Trump has expressed his extreme displeasure at the news of recounts in three battleground states from the US election.

#CHILD ABUSE: The English Football Association is to investigate allegations of child sexual abuse made by multiple footballers against convicted child molester Barry Bennell dating from the 1980s.

#BIZARRE: Princess Beatrice apparently cut Ed Sheeran’s face with a sword when attempting to ‘knight’ James Blunt.

#FRANCE: The country is voting today to elect the candidate that will challenge the far-right’s Marine Le Pen for the French presidency next year.

#MOROCCO: The African country’s state TV station has come in for sharp criticism after it broadcast advice for women for disguising the effects of domestic violence.

INNOVATION

• Ireland’s top PR body is seeking to curb the effects of online ‘influencers’ endorsing products and not disclosing that they are being paid.
• This Japanese man may have created the greatest (and largest) clock going. [Geek]

PARTING SHOT

Dublin’s Lord Mayor was out and about today in advance of the turning on of the O’Connell Street Christmas Tree lights. But he appears to be fraternising with the Dark Side of things.