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

IRELAND

Conor McGregor leaving Blanchardstown District Court in Dublin. Niall Carson / AP Niall Carson / AP / AP

• Simon Coveney was appointed Tánaiste
• The Disclosures Tribunal found Keith Harrison’s claims to be “without validity”
• The Committee on the Eighth Amendment heard more testimony
• Conor McGregor appeared in court on a speeding charge
• The Department of Foreign Affairs rubbished a report it was told to ignore Boris Johnson
• A Sinn Féin senator quit citing “serious disciplinary issues” in the party
• Gardaí seized cars, cash and watches in a crackdown on “ghost brokers”
• Gardaí told people to “gift a lift” over Christmas to avoid drink driving
• A man was found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman he met on Tinder

INTERNATIONAL

The Duke of Cambridge hands Prince George's Christmas Wish List to Santa Claus as he visits a market in Helsinki. The prince asked for a police car. Dominic Lipinski / AP Dominic Lipinski / AP / AP

#REX IS HERE: Donald Trump declined to back his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, saying only “Rex is here”.

#NORTH KOREA: The US warned that North Korea’s leadership will be “utterly destroyed” if war breaks out.

#OH, FRIEND: Theresa May repeated her statement that US President Donald Trump was wrong to retweet anti-Muslim videos posted by a British far-right group, but said the special relationship through the countries would remain.

PARTING SHOT

Mice and cockroaches, a new toilet seat for the President. Ever wonder what kind of DIY goes on at the White House? News4 got their hands on some work orders that make for interesting reading.