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

• Ahead of the crucial summit that will determine the fate of the euro, the diverging views of the eurozone leaders was underlined today by remarks made by French president Nicolas Sarkozy and our own Taoiseach Enda Kenny. We’ve been looking at what they said.
• Related to that summit there was good and bad news from the European Central Bank today as it lowered interest rates for a second month running but it appeared to rule out any intervention in the euro crisis where it would theoretically provide the firepower the currency needs to avoid further turmoil.
• While some mortgage holders will benefit from the interest rate reduction AIB has said it will not be passing on the cut to its standard variable rate customers.
• If you’re a mortgage holder and still a bit confused about what the Budget 2012 measures mean for you, we’ve been explaining it a bit more in detail here.
• Elsewhere in budget-related matters the Dáil has been debating the social welfare cuts proposed by Brendan Howlin on Monday but as we know the measure to cut disability benefits has been “paused”.
• Two of the Taoiseach’s Seanad nominees have come out against the budget. Jillian van Turnhout has said that “Budget 2012 is not child-friendly” while writing for TheJournal.ie this evening Katherine Zappone has been critical of the government’s subservience to the EU and IMF.
• Amid all the austerity measures and talk of tightening our belts, one reader has sent us this picture, asking: “Does the pot of gold at the end of [the] rainbow lie in Dept of Health?”

• Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin has slammed the US and particularly US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for what he says is their role in stirring up the growing unrest in Moscow and other cities over last weekend’s election results.
• Speaking of Moscow, did you know it is the 16th most expensive city in the world? But does Dublin feature in the Top 20 that we’ve looked at today.
• Georgia Salpa has pulled out of the Christmas panto at the Tivoli Theatre. Sultry Salpa has tweeted her disappointment at having to pull-out but has wished her best pal Michele McGrath all the luck in the world in replacing her.
• Did you see Christy Moore singing ‘Ride On’ at Occupy Dame Street. Check it out here.
• In a column for TheJournal.ie Labour TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has explained why he has reported the former Mayor of Naas to the gardai over his controversial race comments last month and detailed the abuse he has received since he did so.
• In sport, the Olympic torch is set to arrive in Dublin next June ahead of its journey to the Olympic Stadium in London. Elsewhere, the Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has had some harsh words for his former captain and Corkman Roy Keane in the wake of United’s euro disaster last night.
• If you’re thinking about heading to the movies this weekend, check out what’s on in our regular Three-Trailer Thursday slot.
• Finally, ’tis the season so check out this viral video of British sailors aboard the HMS Ocean expertly lip-syncing to Mariah Carey’s hit ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’. So pleased was Carey with the number she tweeted her approval today:

(YouTube credit: TwoSixTV)