The Daily Fix: Tuesday

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

• The Fianna Fáil chief whip is to meet with former deputy leader Éamon Ó Cuív this evening to discuss his role in the fiscal compact referendum. Ó Cuív has confirmed that he will be voting No – a move that goes against the party’s official policy.
• Heavy rains are set to continue until at least 9pm this evening, affecting mainly in eastern countries and creating the possibility of some local flooding. Motorists have been strongly advised to reduce speed.
• The Government has indicated it is to vote against proposals from Sinn Féin which would require employers to give a longer notice period of significant numbers of redundancies. The legislation would have extended the 30-day notice period required for redundancies to 60 days in cases where more than 20 people were employed, and 90 days for companies employing over 100 people.
• Writing in TheJournal.ie, Independent TD Stephen Donnelly laments “a series of policy mistakes” embedded into the country’s legislation tonight as the Social Welfare Bill is signed into law.
• Quinn Healthcare is abandoning its name in an attempt to shake off associations with its bankrupt former owner, Seán Quinn, whose finances have been the subject of controversy. The company will be rebranded as Laya Healthcare, a name which it said represented its “Looking After You Always” promise to customers.
• A ban on foreign tourists buying marijuana has gone into effect in parts of the Netherlands today after long-running debate on the issue. As of May 1, only holders of a “weed pass” are supposed to be allowed to purchase the drug in three southern provinces. Non-residents aren’t eligible for the pass, which means tourists are effectively banned.
• The departing head of the group of Eurozone finance ministers, Luxembourg’s prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker, says he decided not to seek a second term because of French and German influence. Junker accused the two countries of acting “as if they are the only members of the group”.
• The architect of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Osama bin Laden, was killed by US Navy SEALs almost one year ago today – in the early hours of 2 May 2011. Here, we take a look back at some of the events that unfolded in the wake of his death.

Women from the Sunrise Order dressed as nymphs attend the ritual of the ellipse at the annual festival of the Vale do Amanhecer (Sunrise Valley Festival) in Planaltina, Brazil, today. Vale do Amanhecer’s doctrine contains elements from Christianity, Spiritualism, Mysticism, Afro-Brazilian religions and ancient Egyptian beliefs. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

• Surprise! Last month was the wettest April recorded for 14 years… (as if you didn’t know already).
• Arts Minister Jimmy Deenihan has said a decision on whether to allow a new development to continue on O’Connell St– close to the site of the national monument on nearby Moore Street – will be made “as soon as possible”. Speaking today, he revealed that he had received a submission on the use of the site from the National Museum of Ireland.
• Nadya Suleman – an American woman who already had six children before giving birth to octuplets in 2008 – has filed for bankruptcy with debts of up to $1 million.
• Singer Andrea Corr has become a mother for the first time, after confirming the birth of her daughter yesterday. But what name has she given her?
• Koalas have been listed a ‘vulnerable’ in parts of Australia, with the environment minister saying populations are being threatened by loss of habitat, urban expansion, dogs and disease.
• The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland has signed new contracts with 21 independent producers and broadcasters under the Sound & Vision II scheme. Programmes include documentaries on newspapers, ageing, crafts and literacy.
• Northern Irish band Snow Patrol are to headline at the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics. The band will be joined by the likes of Duran Duran and Paolo Nutini at the opening ceremony.
• Do you have nine seconds to spare? If so, watch this steeplechase runner take a dunk.
• The new trailer for the final film in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy has just been released… and things aren’t looking that good for Batman in Gotham city.

This has to be the best dog ever: