Updated 11.09 pm

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

Ireland

President Higgins with Alibaba CEO Jack Ma on his state visit to China. Shane O'Neill Fennell Photograph Shane O'Neill Fennell Photograph

• The Irish and British Government left talks in Northern Ireland after they ended without agreement and were branded ‘amateurish’ by Sinn Féin.
• Teachers and junior doctors are both going on strike in protest at Junior Cert changes and a massive pay cut, respectively.
• Building on a €450 million revamp of Dublin’s southern docklands could start early next year.
• Independent TD Róisín Shortall was expelled from the Dáil after a row with the Ceann Comhairle. Seán Barrett could now face a no confidence motion.
• Reports on cleanliness standards in Dublin maternity hospitals pointed to a range of issues.
• A 24-year-old Irish man died in a hotel in India.
• Irish Water denied that any rules were broken when its metering contract was awarded to GMC/Sierra.
• Topaz is to take control of Irish Esso garages.
• Irish people spend longer watching porn than almost anyone else in Europe.
• There’s snow on the way!
• The death of Slawomir Bartoszak in Meath is now being treated as suspicious.

International

A protester at a 'sit-on' protest in Westminster against new pornography laws. AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

#DELAYS: Airspace over London was closed for a period because of a computer failure at an air traffic control centre.

#CIA: A UN official called for George W. Bush and Dick Cheney to be charged with torture after a damning CIA report.

#PORN PROTEST: Campaigners and porn industry workers staged a face-sitting demonstration outside Parliament in London against new laws.

#HEAVEN: Pope Francis has gone against Catholic theology by suggesting that animals can go to heaven.

Innovation

• Facebook is considering the possibility of adding a ‘dislike’ button to its site, according to Mark Zuckerberg.
  
• Youtube now has a gif-maker – but it’s only for special users. [Wired]   

Parting Shot

AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

You may or may not know that Star Wars has a Christmas album. Well it does, and Canadian broadcaster CBC has put together al oral history of how it all came about.