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Whoops! Ahead of the busiest shopping weekend of the year, Irma was on hand to spread the festive cheer outside Clery's on O'Connell Street today. Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

The Daily Fix: Friday

In tonight’s Fix: A deal for Europe but not for the UK; bad news for commuters; good news for soccer fans; and an X Factor meltdown like you’ve never seen before.

EVERY DAY, 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.

  • There’s a deal in Europe that it is hoped will solve the debt crisis and provide the continent’s trading bloc with a sustainable agreement going forward but the UK has vetoed it, providing much of today’s talking points. But what will it mean for Ireland?
  • Taoiseach Enda Kenny welcomed today’s deal but said the issue of whether or not it will require a referendum here is to be determined by the Attorney General. Today, we’ve been asking if there is to be a referendum, which way would you vote? The result so far is tight.
  • The rape, torture and abuse of four girls by their father was described as ‘barbaric’ today as the man was jailed for life at a court in Mayo. It underlined the need for child protection legislation the Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald said.
  • The former chief executive and chairman of Anglo Irish Bank Seán FitzPatrick was arrested and is being questioned by gardaí this evening over alleged financial irregularities at Irish banks.
  • The High Court has ordered the closure of a Cork restaurant that was served with a closure notice by the Food Safety Authority earlier this week. Ivory Tower head chef Seamus O’Connell had challenged the notice and remained open.
  • Michael Healy-Rae was hospitalised today after he became ill in the Dáil. Healy-Rae had been participating in a debate on the Social Welfare Bill, his sister has told TheJournal.ie that “he’s fine”.
  • Anti-government protests once again took place in Syria today as a crackdown from president Bashar Assad’s forces remained unrelenting. Two children are among those reported to have died following violence in the city of Homs.
  • Is it a snub or merely a workmanlike greeting? The Daily Mail has been speculating whether this and other pictures of Nicolas Sarkozy and David Cameron indicated the extent to which relations have cooled between the pair. You decide:

Picture credit: Associated Press

  • Bad news for commuters today as a raft of price increases for Bus Éireann, Dublin Bus, DART and Luas services were announced. Bus users will be worst hit with Dublin Bus announcing price rises of 15 per cent.
  • Meanwhile, Ryanair has announced a new baggage regime which will mean in some cases air passengers must pay €135 for baggage at peak times of the year.
  • With all the turmoil in the EU we’ve been wondering whether this picture and this video best sum up the current situation.
  • We’ve also been looking at which country has the longest working week in the Union, and you’ll never believe who comes first…
  • The US army has offered $7,300 in compensation to a family whose cat was killed after a wayward artillery shell crashed through the roof of their New Jersey home three years ago.
  • Elsewhere in the US, Barack Obama has delivered a smackdown to his right wing critics who have accused him of a foreign policy of appeasement. To those who criticise, Obama says: “Ask Osama bin Laden”. Check out the clip here.
  • Ahead of Euro 2012, Ireland looks set to play host to England next year in what will be a hotly-anticipated friendly, the first meeting of the two sides since the infamous and curtailed Lansdowne Road clash of 1995.
  • Finally, if you’re eagerly awaiting the X Factor final this weekend then you may be interested to see how one contestant reacted to being booted out of the US version of the show. For 13-year-old Rachel Crow it all became a bit emotional, much to the discomfort of everyone else. Check it out from about 3:45 in…

(YouTube credit: XFACTORxxxx1080pHD)

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