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

The sun sets on the First World War Military Graveyard on the Curragh Plains in County Kildare, in a peaceful scene, in contrast to the damage being visited on coastal regions of the country by high winds and tides. (Eamon Farrell/Photocall Ireland)

IRELAND

• The weather was bad again. Really, really bad.
• Limerick City of Culture CEO Patricia Ryan resigned.
• A number of homes in Dublin were evacuated after a bomb scare.
• Eight people, including five children, were rescued from a house fire in Dublin.
• Someone in Wicklow is celebrating after winning €8.1 million on the Lotto.
• The Reform Alliance announced that it would hold a conference at the end of January.
• Gardaí appealed for help in finding missing Cork man Jason O’Connor.
• Calls were made to remember East Clare MP Willie Redmond, who died in World War I.
• Two more men are to appear before Tallaght District Court in connection with the death of Dale Creighton.

INTERNATIONAL

The Holly man stands on the steps of the Globe Theatre during the annual celebration of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night on the South Bank, central London. (John Sitwell/PA Wire)

#STORMS: The UK continues to be battered by storms, with one man dying after his mobility scooter went into the swollen Thames in Oxford. Elsewhere, Hastings in Sussex saw a spectacular collapse of cliffs, with rocks tumbling into the English Channel.

#IRAQ: America has said that it will help the Iraqi security forces in their battle with Al-Qaeda-linked militants, but Secretary of State John Kerry insisted it was “their fight”.

#THE BLACK PANTHER: The football world was in mourning today as Eusebio passed away. The Portugal legend, nicknamed The Black Panther, was the top scorer at the 1966 World Cup and is considered one of the greatest ever. He scored over 700 goals in his career.

INNOVATION

• Ever seen an amazing photo and thought “that can’t be real”? Here’s TheJournal.ie’s own Quinton O’Reilly breaking down how you can tell. [TheJournal.ie]
• Let’s face it: not hoovering again is the dream. As robot vacuum cleaners become more mainstream, that dream comes closer to reality. And this one can automatically scan a room and determine how to be as efficient as possible. [Gizmodo]
• We all have passions, but naming your baby after a fictional character? Is that a step too far? Not for the guy who is naming his daughter Tali’Zorah. After an alien from the Mass Effect video game franchise. [Kotaku]

PARTING SHOT

We all make New Year’s resolutions. But for one couple, their 2011 resolutions are back, having washed up at Clontarf. The letter was discovered by Mark McGowan and his wife Clare, with the writers, Karl and Isobel pledging to work harder and be nicer to strangers.

(Can’t read this? Click here.)