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

IRELAND

Sam Boal / Rollingnews.ie Sam Boal / Rollingnews.ie / Rollingnews.ie

• Public health officials have confirmed 243 new Covid-19 cases and seven deaths in Ireland this afternoon.
• Northern Ireland has recorded nine more deaths and 315 new Covid-19 cases today.
• A man has been arrested in connection with the deaths of 37-year-old Seema Banu and her two children Asfira Syed and Faizan Syed in Dublin last month.
• Retailers are preparing to make up for lost time by announcing longer opening hours as restrictions ease.
• Several local areas that hosted GAA games or finals saw a jump in the growth rate of Covid-19 cases, with some recording the highest incidence rate within their county around the time of games.
• A man has died after a building partially collapsed in Tralee, Co Kerry.
• A public health expert has advised the public to keep family and friends safe over Christmas by not holding social or large family gatherings.
• Sea swimmers at the 40 Foot have weighed in on the Dryrobe debacle. 
• A man in his 40s was arrested after gardaí seized drugs and firearms in Dublin.

THE WORLD

Shutterstock / Terry Murden Shutterstock / Terry Murden / Terry Murden

#EUROPE Coronavirus deaths topped 400,000 today in Europe, which is the second worst-hit region in the world.

#SCOTLAND Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said that she has “never been more certain” that Scottish independence is on the horizon.

#IRAN Iran has accused Israel of being behind the assassination of one of Iran’s top nuclear scientists, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

#SPAIN Cannabis clubs based in Spain are suspected of helping to facilitate money laundering and drug trafficking by a gang led by John Gilligan, who was arrested last month.

PARTING SHOT

The appeal that was launched during the Late Late Toy Show last night to raise funds for children’s charities has raised €6.2 million, according to RTÉ. 

The funds will be distributed by the Community Foundation for Ireland next year, with half of the money to be shared between Barnados, the Children’s Health Foundation and Children’s Books Ireland.

The rest of the money that was raised will be given to charities supporting children around Ireland as grants.