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

IRELAND

Last night's sunset over the Curragh Plains in Kildare. Eamonn Farrell / RollingNews.ie Eamonn Farrell / RollingNews.ie / RollingNews.ie

• Gardaí launched an investigation into the alleged rape of a teenage girl at a playground in Mayo
• The acting chief medical officer appealed to households to sit down and plan how to reduce their contacts after more than 400 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed
• Healthcare officials warned of increasing strain on Ireland’s health service, while the Minister for Health flagged that four counties will likely be considered for new restrictions
• Newly released documents revealed that the government expressed concern over classifying Covid-19 as an “occupational illness”, meaning incidences in work would have to be reported and investigated
• A man in his 30s died after a single-vehicle crash in Wexford
• Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald described cuts to the Pandemic Unemployment Payment as unfair
• Two men are due in court tomorrow in connection with the seizure of a firearm in Dublin
• Fáilte Ireland announced the cancellation of Dublin’s New Year’s Festival
• Users of the Three network reported widespread issues with their connection
• Irish employers are being urged to upskill their employees ahead of Brexit
• It’s predicted that flu levels could be lower this year due to social distancing measures

WORLD

President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Harrisburg International Airport. PA Images PA Images

#UNITED STATES: Donald Trump announced Amy Coney Barrett as his Supreme Court nominee.

#CAUCAUS: Fighting erupted between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

#SWITZERLAND: Voters rejected a proposal to limit the number of EU workers.

#TASMANIA: A lone whale has been rescued alive after hundreds died in a mass beaching event.

#AUSTRALIA: A curfew is being lifted in Melbourne.

#BELARUS: French president Emmanuel Macron called for Alexander Lukashenko to step down.

PARTING SHOT

When governments locked down and the world stopped back in March, 25 residents of Easter Island were more than 4,000 kilometres away on Tahiti – and months later, they’re still stuck there. [The Associated Press]