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

In the race for the Áras…

• Dana Rosemary Scallon has been meeting with her legal team today after issuing a surprise statement during last night’s Prime Time debate in which she referred to “vile” allegations against her family. There is speculation she could be set to withdraw from the race – although a government spokesperson confirmed she would still appear on the ballot paper.
• Seán Gallagher has said he “abhors” many of the decisions of the last Fianna Fáil government and its “mismanagement of our economy”. The independent candidate made the comments after coming under scrutiny over his connections with the party.

In the day’s other news…

• Cork’s South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital has become the latest facility to see its emergency department shuttered by the HSE. Patients will now be directed to the city’s two other EDs – with one local GP warning that already-bad overcrowding is set to become even worse.
• The upcoming budget will include a ‘back to work’ scheme to help young people find jobs, according to Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton. She suggested it could include measures under which local authorities would be allowed to hire young people for a year or two, and pay them the equivalent of jobseeker’s benefit with a small premium.
• We can all brace ourselves for an icy January – at least according to long-range forecaster Peter O’Donnell, who said that month will be the coldest of the winter. O’Donnell, who correctly predicted last year’s freezing temperatures, said snow was possible in some eastern areas.
• Gardaí have seized illicit prescription drugs worth an estimated €440,000 from a van in west Dublin. A 42-year-old man was arrested after the vehicle was stopped and searched.

Police officers shut down a Wal-Mart store in Chongqing, China, after the company was sanctioned for selling ordinary pork as organic (ChinaFotoPress/Photocome/Press Association Images)

• Were you looking forward to having Jeremy Clarkson bark directions at you from the dashboard? Bad news – a deal to sell sat-navs featuring the voice of the Top Gear presenter has collapsed after the BBC realised it was breaking its own rules.
• Staff at Dublin City Council’s offices on Wood Quay were evacuated today after a suspicious device was discovered at the building. An Army bomb disposal team was called to the scene, which was declared safe – but gardaí say the incident is under investigation.
• The parents of murdered Swiss teenager Manuela Riedo have said justice has not been done for their daughter, although her killer Gerald Barry is serving life in prison. Hans Peter Riedo told TV3: “You can’t give justice to a life. She’s gone.”
• The island resort of Bali was hit by a 6.1-magnitude earthquake today, leaving at least 50 people injured. Those wounded included 12 students and three teachers hurt when the roof of their school caved in.
• Good news for all the BlackBerry users out there – the company said there has been a “significant improvement” to its services across several continents after three days of outages. And it’s sure to be a huge comfort to you all that Alan Sugar’s handset is working fine.
• And finally… Is the print media dead? If you’re this toddler, the answer is a resounding yes:

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