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

IRELAND

Katie Mai McGonigle (6) with Lama's Goldie and Tony before meeting Santa Claus at his Grotto in Barretstown Leon Farrell / Photocall Ireland Leon Farrell / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

• A Dublin rape trial  has collapsed following “unprecedented media coverage‘ in a national newspaper. 
• Missing 3-year-old Jake Jordan has been found alive and well after Gardaí issued a child rescue Ireland (CRI) alert yesterday.
• Joe Schmidt will leave his position as Ireland head coach after the 2019 World Cup.
• Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has met with Orange Order representatives to discuss the needs of Protestant communities. 
• Gardaí have logged 100 motorists breaking the speed limit on the first day of an M7 ‘slow down’ operation. 
• Singer Dana Rosemary Scanlon Scallon has received a six-figure pay out from the Sunday World following a defamation case settlement. 
• The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre’s annual report was published today.

INTERNATIONAL 

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko MYKOLA LAZARENKO MYKOLA LAZARENKO

#BERNARDO BERTOLUCCI: The legendary Italian filmmaker died today aged 77.

#UKRAINE: The country’s President has signed a decree to introduce martial law for 60 days in response to the seizure of three of the country’s ships by Russia.

#BREXIT: The House of Commons will hold a crucial vote on 11 December to approve or reject the Brexit deal agreed with EU leaders.

PARTING SHOT

Staff at NASA celebrate after the $993 million Mars InSight lander successfully touched down on the Red Planet today. 

The InSight probe aims to study the deep interior of Mars, making it the only planet  apart from Earth to be examined in this way.

“Touchdown confirmed,” a mission control operator at NASA said. The vehicle appeared to be in good shape, according to the first communications received from the Martian surface.