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

• Four people have been killed and at least 75 injured after a grenade attack in Liege, Belgium this afternoon. A man is said to have thrown grenades into a crowded square before killing himself.
• As widely expected, MEPs today approved the nomination of Kevin Cardiff to the European Court of Auditors. The development clears the way for the secretary general of the Department of Finance to take up the new job next year.
• Ireland’s economy will grow by 1 per cent next year, according to the ratings agency Moody’s. That’s lower than the government’s own figure which was only revised last week.
• Micheál Martin has said that the EU treaty changes agreed by leaders in Brussels last week threaten Ireland corporation tax rate. The Fianna Fáil leader has told TheJournal.ie this evening that a referendum needs to be held on the changes.
• Gardaí in Dublin have issued an appeal for witnesses to a serious assault in the north inner city that took place yesterday. A man in his 20s has been hospitalised after he was assaulted in Phibsborough.
• The closure of four rural Irish Defence Forces’ barracks will not result in major savings for the government but it will not impact on local economies the junior defence minister Paul Kehoe has insisted.
• A planned ‘superdump’ that was due to be built in Lusk, north Dublin has been scrapped after being met with significant local opposition. Plans for the dump went back as far as 1998 but it’s all off now.
• The biggest wave ever recorded in Irish waters was detected off the Donegal coast today with the Coast Guard describing the 20.4 metre wave as a “phenomenon”.
• If you’re a UPC customer you may be happy to hear that the digital entertainment company has today launched a remote recording function allowing you to record your favourite programmes through your smartphone. More details here, and here’s how a quick video on how TV has evolved down through the years:

(YouTube: WeAreUPC)

• ‘Tis the season to be generous so why not download the ‘Reindeer Jumper’ song in aid of Barretstown which helps children affected by serious illness and their families. Have a listen to the tune here and make a donation here.
• Facebook has said it is making it easier for people who express suicidal thoughts on their profile to get help. Users will be able to instantly interact with a crisis councillor through the “chat” messaging system. Today, we’ve been asking does the social networking giant do enough to protect vulnerable users?
• The government has been asked to clarify legislation on the plastic bag levy after Dunnes Stores today lost its attempt to challenge a €36.4 million tax assessment arising from plastic bag use. The Green Party said despite the ruling, more clearer guidelines are needed.
• Scientists hunting for the elusive sub-atomic particle known as the ‘God particle’ have found some intriguing hints that it exists but not yet a definitive answer as to whether or not it does. That will hopefully come next year.
• The government’s appointee to the post of Taxing Master donated €1,000 to the election campaign of the Justice Minister Alan Shatter in 2007 but Shatter has insisted that the process for appointing Declan O’Neill was an open and competitive one.
• British National Party leader Nick Griffin is to address the University College Cork Politics Society in the New Year as part of a debate on free speech.
• Remember those ‘gay penguins’ at a zoo in Toronto? Well they were separated by authorities and now one of them has mated with a female. But the other has not yet found love…
• After Budget 2012, are you looking for ways to save a few euro? Look no further than these money-saving tips.
• Finally, in our open thread this evening, we’re asking if with all this technology lark you still get the time to send Christmas cards to friends and family?

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