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

IRELAND 

Christmas lights on the last Friday before Christmas Sasko Lazarov / Rollingnews.ie Sasko Lazarov / Rollingnews.ie / Rollingnews.ie

• The HSE needs to run more ‘blitz clinics’ to get through patients, according to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, who says that hospital waiting lists will fall again in 2024.
• Gardaí arrested five men in relation to an alleged multi-million euro cocaine seizure on board a bulk carrier cargo ship in Foynes, Co Limerick. 
• A probe into the incident on the Dart line ahead of the 2022 Bray Air Display where passengers exited a stalled train before the station and walked along the track has found that Irish Rail was “ill prepared” for the incident.
• A Circuit Court judge who was also a former teacher in a Dublin secondary school was convicted of the sexual abuse of six young men almost 30 years ago.
• ‘Mobility Hubs’ will be rolled out across three Irish cities next year, where people will be able to share access to bikes and electric cars. 
• An addiction support service in Clondalkin in Dublin is set to remain open after fears it would close at the end of this month.

THE WORLD

Smoke rises to the sky after an explosion in Gaza Strip as seen from Southern Israel. Alamy Alamy

#GAZA The United Nations Security Council voted to approve a resolution that demands all sides in the Israel-Hamas conflict allow the “safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale”. 

#US Donald Trump pushed local officials not to certify 2020 election results in Michigan, according to audio recordings revealed by newspaper The Detroit News.

#CZECH REPUBLIC Police are investigating the motive behind a shooter who killed 13 people at a Prague university yesterday. 

PARTING SHOT

Some good news ahead of Christmas: a young family has shared their story of their daughter, who was premature, making it home from the hospital after months of care.

Read the story here.