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

IRELAND

Senior HSE figures at today's press briefing Leah Farrell / Rollingnews.ie Leah Farrell / Rollingnews.ie / Rollingnews.ie

• One death and 395 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in Ireland.
• Leo Varadkar has said it’s “too soon” for people to be booking flights home to Ireland for Christmas. 
• The deadlock was broken in Stormont as ministers agreed to extend the circuit-break lockdown in Northern Ireland. 
• Fifteen Dublin-based contact tracers were unpaid for four weeks due to an error.
• There are 161 hospital staff in Limerick are out of work due to Covid-19.
• The nomination of an ex-Fianna Fáil Senator and NAGP lobbyist to Sipo has been labelled “outrageous” by the opposition. 
• Dunnes Stores has taken High Court action to prevent Mr Price selling food from the same retail park.
• Colm Tóibín, An Taisce and others have launched an appeal against converting James Joyce’s House of the Dead into a tourist hostel.
• A Louth TD has suggested putting the army on the border and said that the number of northern reg cars is “unreal”. 
• A man was arrested over the theft of Noah Donohoe’s laptop.
• Minister for Education Norma Foley has begun a search for patrons for three new Dublin primary schools. 

INTERNATIONAL

Shane Duffy (right) and the lads getting ready for tonight's game vs England in Wembley. Nick Potts / PA Images Nick Potts / PA Images / PA Images

#LUCY LETBY: A nurse accused of murdering eight babies in England has been remanded in custody. 

#MUTINY IN NO. 10: A vote leave staffer is leaving Downing Street and leaving a divided set up in his wake. Here’s what’s happening at the top of Boris Johnson’s government. 

#CARTOON COURT: A testing error was blamed after cartoon characters made it on to a UK Crown Court list.

PARTING SHOT

If you haven’t seen it yet, you should definitely watch it. If you already have seen it, it’s probably worth watching again.

Supervalu’s Christmas advert has tugged at the heartstrings for the right reasons and has been met with a warm reception online.