EVERY WEEKDAY evening, TheJournal.ie brings you a round-up of the day’s big news stories, as well as the bits and pieces you may have missed.

• Bord Gais Energy may have spent up to €300,000 on office chairs for its new headquarters. The company was recently given the green light to introduce a rate price increase of 22 per cent. Here are the chairs being delivered to the new offices today.
• The Department of Finance has ruled out a blanket debt forgiveness programme, but Minister Michael Noonan has said that banks should be able to write off some mortgages. He said banks had been recapitalised after stress tests identified what they would need to absorb a reasonable amount of loan losses and he believes they should “write off some of that debt”.
• The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland is calling on the public to submit their views on how food and drink should be advertised to children. In a poll by TheJournal.ie today, we asked if you thought ‘junk’ food and drink ads aimed at children should be banned. At the time of writing, 49 per cent agreed with an outright ban and another 39 per cent said they supported restrictions, but not a complete ban.
• Libyan rebels have issued a deadline for Gaddafi supporters to surrender by and have called on the Algerian government to send Muammar Gaddafi’s wife and children back to Libya to face trial. His daughter Aisha, a former UN Goodwill Ambassador and lawyer for Saddam Hussein, gave birth to a baby girl in Algeria today, having crossed the border into the country just yesterday.
• These US National Guard members had a narrow escape during heavy flooding in New Jersey. Two trucks attempted to drive through town, despite the flood waters rising almost completely above the cab of each vehicle:

• Apple’s new CEO has been making a good impression: the company has asked Tim Cook, who stepped in as an interim replacement for Steve Jobs when he took medical leave of absence in January, to stay until at least 2021. Cook took over as chief executive when Jobs officially stepped down from the post recently.
• Shopping chain Argos has announced it is looking for 800 people to join its staff for the Christmas season. It will begin hiring next month.
• Irish residents held €1.44 trillion in foreign securities at the end of last year – up €86 billion on 2009, according to the CSO.
• Ireland’s Conor Niland said earlier today that he was “pretty excited” about facing Novak Djokovic on court at the US Open this evening. You can follow Niland’s performance on TheScore.ie‘s liveblog.
• If you’re planning on voting in the presidential election – and the two referenda being held on the same day – you have just two days left to ensure you are registered.
• Astronomers at NUI Galway have made an important breakthrough in the understanding of how pulsars (rapidly-rotating neutron stars) work.
• RTÉ newsreader Anne Doyle is reportedly hanging up her autocue after 33 years at the broadcaster. Here’s seven reasons why we adore her.
• TheJournal.ie got a sneak peak behind the scenes of the Electric Picnic festival site today. The event’s organisers dismissed claims that this would be the last year of the Electric Picnic, saying ticket sales remain strong and it’s here to stay for another few years at least. Ever wondered how many portable toilets are on site throughout the weekend? Here’s a breakdown of this year’s event, in numbers.
• Remember your first day of school? New junior infant Callum Redmond, who met his classmates and teacher at Upper Gardiner Street School in Dublin city for the first time today, doesn’t appear to have enjoyed the whole experience:

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