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.

• As the Fine Gael Ard Fheis kicks off at the National Convention Centre, the party has got some good news via the latest Red C/Paddy Power poll. Both the party and its leader have seen their popularity rise to the point that Labour supporters even rate Enda Kenny more highly than their own Eamon Gilmore.
• Owners of more than 600,000 properties have paid the €100 Household Charge. With just over 24 hours to go until the deadline, a further 1 million fees need to be collected by the LGMA.
• A small flock of pheasants has been slaughtered in West Cork after an incidence of bird flu was discovered. The Department of Agriculture is currently carrying out tests to establish the precise strain but ensures that all poultry is safe for consumption.
• Former State telecom operator Eircom has been placed in interim examinership so it can deal with its massive €3.5 million debt mountain. The group’s three companies, including Meteor Mobile, have said business will continue as normal.
• The number of burglaries and fraud offences have risen in the past year, according to new CSO figures. However, there has been a fall in all other categories of crimes.
• The trustees (also known as the Drumcondra mafia) of the famous St Luke’s building have agreed to transfer control of Bertie Ahern’s former constituency office back to the Fianna Fáil party.

Ready to feel inadequate? This is Bruce Ballie-Hamilton, the most multi-lingual child in the UK. The 14-year-old can communicate effectively in seven languages, including English, French, German, Russian, Chinese, Arabic and Spanish. Apologies if you can speak as many – or more – languages. Hats off!

• The European Commission has rejected Ryanair’s claims that its officials are banned from using low-cost airlines.
• Japan says it will intercept a long-range rocket to be launched by North Korea next month if it is deemed a threat to the country.
• Aston Villa midfielder and captain Stiliyan Petrov has been diagnosed with acute leukemia. TheScore.ie has more details on the sad news.
• Meanwhile, Fabrice Muamba’s fiancee has tweeted a picture of the Bolton footballer sitting up and looking well as he recovers from a cardiac arrest.
• Who would you choose to have as a front seat passenger – Homer Simpson, Bugs Bunny or Darth Vader? Children, seemingly, prefer the Dark Lord.
• If we’ve learned anything over the past few months, it’s that baby animals are just a lot darn cuter than their older and taller counterparts. So today, it’s the turn of the baby giraffe to star in our Friday slideshow.
• And for some bonus cuteness (it is the weekend, after all), here is some new pictures of Dublin Zoo’s pride and joy, one-year-old gorilla Kituba.
• This could be the most unusual rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody ever heard.
• (Not) Cardinal Seán Brady has the last word on the Household Charge.
• Mad Men fever has descended on America as the fifth season of the popular drama returned last week. So much so that some people have taken to ‘draping’ (posing as lead man Don Draper) around New York City.

YouTube Credit: Lumberjack Films