Catering Manager Gregg Smith (left) and Head of Catering James Gibbs smile, after breaking the current weight of 368.5 kg of the Guinness World Record for the biggest portion of chips ever served, at Adventure Island, Southend-on-Sea, Essex.

Image: Chris Radburn/PA Wire/Press Association Images

EVERY DAY, TheJournal.ie brings you a round-up of all the day’s news as well as the bits and pieces that you may have missed.

• Violence continued into the evening in Athens after the Greek parliament voted to pass austerity measures of €28 billion. Once again protesters clashed with riot police today. It was reported that an MP was attacked as he left the parliament building, and that fires were started in office buildings. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy issued a statement this evening in which they said the approval of the austerity measures is a “vital step back” from a default.
• The Healy-Rae row rumbles on, and this evening Fianna Fáil senator Ned O’Sullivan has told RTÉ that he sent texts and made phone calls in support of Michael Healy-Rae when he appeared on Celebrities go Wild in 2007. O’Sullivan said some of the calls could have been made from an Oireachtas phone.
• Full Tilt Poker, an online gambling site which employs 700 people in Cherrywood in Dublin halted play on its site today after its licence was suspended. The site’s US operations were halted in April after its owner was charged in New York in relation to illegal online gambling.
• The man who made allegations about Westlife manager Louis Walsh appeared in court today charged with falsely accusing Walsh of indecent assault. Leonard Watters, who is 24, has been granted bail and told to stay away from Walsh and Westlife, and to stay away from the Krystle Nightclub.
• The government has launched a new national internship scheme aimed at providing work placements for 5,000 people, but the Union of Students in Ireland has voiced concern over the possibility of people being taken advantage of for free labour. Readers of TheJournal.ie were fairly evenly divided in their opinions on the matter, with 50 per cent stating that they feel internships are wrong and people should be paid and workers protected. Forty-five per cent said they think internships give people the chance to gain experience, while five per cent weren’t sure.
• Independent TD Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan has said that remarks he made regarding suicide have been taken out of context. Labour Senator Mark Kelly had claimed that Flanagan suggested to a senior official at the Dept of Health that he should take his own life. However the TD has said that his words have been twisted.
• Reports of suspicious online content lead to arrests in Bulgaria and the US last year, according to Hotline.ie. The group, which combats child pornography online, said there was a drop of almost 29 per cent in the level of content considered illegal under Irish law, but has urged people not to become complacent.
• Writing for TheJournal.ie today was Eleanor Fitzsimons, with a column looking at the extent of bullying in this country, and how the problem can be tackled. She details statistics which reveal that 55 per cent of Irish teens have been bullied.
• From births to deaths to unmarried parents, take a look at the latest vital statistics that make up the country we live in.
• Chances are if you’re reading this you’re not at Bon Jovi tonight, but fear not…we’re bringing Bon Jovi, and his lunch, directly to you. Lead singer Jon (or is it Jon Bon?) apparently popped into Bel and Bellucci restaurant in Ballsbridge today for a pizza, and obviously they took a picture…

• And finally, remember that brilliant ‘Little Vader’ Volkswagen ad? It was pretty cute right? Greenpeace doesn’t think so. It’s launched a campaign suggesting Volkswagen has gone over the the dark side, complete with a parody video….

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