Every afternoon, TheJournal.ie brings you 5 things you need to know by 5 o’clock.

1. #BRRR: The country’s airports are still packed with travellers hoping to make it home for Christmas; Aer Lingus and Ryanair are still both operating close to full capacity as tens of thousands of snowbound passengers try to get home.

2. #PARIS: In Charles de Gaulle airport, meanwhile, where many travellers are also stranded, one terminal has been evacuated over fears that its roof may collapse due to an accumulation of snow.

Le Monde reports that almost two feet of snow has built up on the terminal’s roof, causing authorities to remove all passengers from the building while firefighters try to clear it. Passengers were already stranded because of shortages of de-icer.

3. #KOREA: The United States has condemned North Korea’s pledge of waging a “sacred war” on South Korea, standing behind Seoul as it itself promises “merciless counterattack” should the North launch any further strikes. Tensions remain high on the Korean peninsula, with a 30-metre Christmas tree the latest cause of friction.

4. #PITTER-PATTER: One Dundrum Town Centre vshopper had an early Christmas gift last night – getting their last-minute shopping in, the pregnant woman went into labour and gave birth in the centre’s main toilets before an ambulance could arrive to bring her to Holles Street hospital.

Mother and baby were brought to Holles St, however, where they are thought to be doing well. As one Facebook commenter put it, the newborn “probably wanted to do a bit of Christmas shopping before the shops closed”.

5. #SANTAWATCH: Santa Claus and his reindeer are making good progress on their worldwide journey; they are currently travelling over Thailand, where the local time is nearly midnight and children are fast sleep. He is expected to arrive over Ireland at about 2:30am, and has reminded children to remain well-behaved as there is still enough time for him to replace their presents with spare supplies of coal.

You can follow Santa’s progress live on Twitter following his GPS unit at http://twitter.com/noradsanta.