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

Seven-year-old Cliodhna O’Callaghan takes advantage during a break from the stormy weather for a sunny walk along Sandymount Strand, Dublin [Photocall Ireland]

IRELAND

• A man was arrested after exchanging shots with gardaí in Sligo
• A 32-year-old man was charged with the murder of David Spain in Shankill
• Richard Haass said it was time to ‘fish or cut bait‘ in the NI talks
• Work continued to try and reconnect all households left without power in the wake of the storm
• Our trawl through the 1983 State papers uncovered an interesting story involving Jimmy Savile and Charlie Haughey
• An Irishman was left in a critical condition after an assault in Australia
• Gardaí in Cork appealed for help tracing a missing teenager
• The PSNI issued a warning not to ingest ‘legal highs’ stolen from a shop in Belfast
• Five horses were rescued from the River Shannon
• And we found out Martin McGuinness’s dog is called ‘Buttons‘

WORLD

Flooding outside Tewkesbury Abbey, Gloucestershire following the Christmas storms which swept Britain [PA Wire]

#USA: New documents on the Sandy Hook shooting were released by police. The evidence report shows that ammunition, gun magazines and shooting targets were found at the home of the gunman, Adam Lanza.

#CHINA: The top legislative committee in China formally approved a loosening of the country’s controversial one-child policy. In future, couples where either parent has no siblings to have two children.

#INDIA: At least 26 people have been killed after fire engulfed an express train in southern India. It’s believed many passengers became trapped and suffocated after the doors failed to open.

INNOVATION

• Teenagers are leaving Facebook in their droves, in favour of Twitter and Snapchat. According to 16- to 18-year-olds in the UK the social network is, like, just not cool… not cool at all. [Digital Spy]
• And this might be handy if you’re heading to the winter sales — Business Insider has put together some handy tips on how to spot counterfeit iPhones and other phony tech toys.

PARTING SHOT

Nottingham’s official Robin Hood and Maid Marian have announced the birth of a girl, according to BBC News.

Who knew there was an ‘official Robin Hood’? Wonder how much ‘robbing from the rich’ he gets up to… Nottingham Police won’t have too much trouble tracking him down — he’s on Twitter and everything.

[Image: Tim Pollard via Twitter]

Of course, for many movie enthusiasts, there’s one actor whose name will forever remain synonymous with ‘The Hooded Man’…

(Youtube: Dr Nordenstam)