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

• Six reviews into the handling of child sex abuse allegations against Catholic clergy in Ireland was inadequate in many instances. The National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church released six reports today, including one on the Raphoe diocese, detailing over 160 allegations of abuse made to statutory authorities regarding 85 priests. Read up on the key findings of the six reports.
• Unemployment has risen in Ireland and the eurozone, hitting a record high among the 17 members of the single currency. Meanwhile, as eurozone finance ministers look to the IMF for help over shortfalls in the EU’s own bailout fund, Enda Kenny claims he has an answer to the euro problem…
• Increasing concern that the world may see another major credit crunch similar to that of 2008 has led a number of world banks to take coordinated action to give banks easier access to dollars, should they need it. A number of major US banks were downgraded yesterday by Standard and Poor’s, including Bank of America and Goldman Sachs.
• Germany’s intelligence agency BND has confirmed that personnel files of employees linked to the Nazi SS or Gestapo were destroyed recently. A team of historians discovered that the files were destroyed in 2007 and related to around 250 BND staff.

Ever had a Facebook request from your ‘surprise’ baby? Brazilian condom makers Olla have launched a rather, well, unusual ad campaign targeting young men on the social network:

(Video uploaded by rickportoo)

• An inquiry into links between the London School of Economics and the Gaddafi regime has found that the college accepted a £1.5 million donation from a foundation run by Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam, who holds a PhD from LSE. Lord Woolf’s report says the money may have originally been given as bribes to Saif.
• In today’s poll, we’ve been asking if you intend to pay the €100 household charge expected to be introduced in Budget 2012. So far, 43 per cent say no, 36 per cent will pay but reluctantly, while just nine per cent say it’s a necessary tax that they will pay.
• Two men were killed today in separate crashes in Co Cork. One man died after his car collided with a truck at Mons on the N22, and a man in his 20s died when his car struck a ditch near Bawnleigh.
• The army bomb disposal team today made safe an improvised explosive device that was found in the same Ballymun lane as three other devices were discovered over the past fortnight.
• Following the withdrawal of its own diplomatic staff from Tehran, the UK has ordered the expulsion of all Iranian diplomats and the closure of Iran’s embassy in London. The British embassy in Tehran came under attack yesterday, but no staff were injured.
• Nine students were arrested in Galway today after occupying the constituency office of Fine Gael TD Brian Walsh in an anti-fee protest.
• Fancy spending St Stephen’s night with Vincent Browne? TV3 has unveiled its Christmas schedule (- and a sneak peak at its new Tallafornia show).
• Bristol Zoo Gardens has welcomed its latest arrival – a baby gorilla named Kukena. Here he is, being protectively shown around by his mother Salome:

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can make sure we can keep reliable, meaningful news open to everyone regardless of their ability to pay.

Support us Learn More