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

IRELAND

The British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference took place today. Pictured: Tánaiste Micheál Martin and Minister for Justice Helen McEntee RollingNews.ie RollingNews.ie

• A man in his 30s has been arrested on suspicion of murder in relation to a fatal assault on an eight-year-old girl in Co Wexford.
• Micheál Martin has refused to say whether he will rule out a rotating Taoiseach as part of government formation talks.
• A child psychiatrist who groomed and sexually abused a teenage girl, leaving her with “painful and grave trauma”, has been jailed for eight-and-a-half years.
• One quarter of Irish workers earned less than €450 per week in 2023.
• Over 300 people gathered this morning in Co Carlow for the funeral of an elderly woman who died with no known relatives.
• The environment watchdog has warned that councils are not doing enough to enforce water, air and noise pollution rules – with Galway, Waterford City and Sligo among those criticised as “not good enough”
• The case of a law professor who fatally shot a trespasser on his farm is “all about emotion”, and whether the accused was motivated by anger or fear is “at the very core” of his trial, defence lawyers have told a Central Criminal Court jury.
• A new study assessing the health of the country has found that there has been a rise in binge drinking in the last year, with more people also visiting the GP in the last twelve months than in 2023. 

INTERNATIONAL

Residents ride on a self modified motorcycle through a road covered by flood water in Malaysia Alamy Alamy

#MARTIAL LAW South Korea’s president has announced that martial law will be lifted, just hours after imposing it in a bid to quell what he called “anti-state forces”.

#OUTDOOR SMOKING EU countries have agreed on a push for stricter anti-smoking rules, backing bans on smoking and vaping in many outdoor areas including playgrounds and cafe patios.

#BBC Two MasterChef Celebrity Christmas specials have been pulled from the BBC’s schedule after Gregg Wallace stepped away from hosting the cooking show.

PARTING SHOT

Michael O'Sullivan Michael O'Sullivan

This evening, the lights on the crib at The Lough, Cork, installed by Cork City Council Parks Department and Electrical Team, were switched on.

The Crib at The Lough, which will be lit up every evening until 6 January, is an integral part of the Christmas festivities in the city.