EVERY EVENING, TheJournal.ie brings you a roundup of the day’s main stories – plus any bits and pieces you may have missed…

• Are we really that miserable? Irish people are among the most pessimistic in the entire EU about the economy, the government, the EU itself, and a number of other things, according to a new study.
• Many people’s wages could be set for a shake-up after the Government published proposals to reform the JLC system, which sets minimum pay rates for several industries. The previous JLC arrangement was ruled unconstitutional earlier this year.
• Dublin Bus has announced its biggest fare hike for several years – with most tickets going up by around 15 per cent, or up to 30 cent.
• The Army Bomb Disposal Team has dealt with a viable explosive device at a home in Clonboo, Co Galway, near the Mayo border.
• Gardaí are investigating an incident in which graffiti was sprayed on a US plane at Shannon Airport earlier this week.
• Some 160 prisoners will be temporarily released from Irish jails this Christmas – but they’re mostly from lower security institutions.
• With a number of Baby Jesus figurine thieves apparently on the loose, it seems the Vatican are taking no chances.
• Did you hear an air raid siren around Dublin’s southside earlier today? If so, here’s why…

Did you miss us? Parents Joan and Eamonn Kelly dressed up in Santa rig-outs to welcome their son Luke – and his new girlfriend – home from Australia for the first time in three years (Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland)

• Sarah Palin has mounted a very seasonal attack on President Barack Obama – she thinks his Christmas card just isn’t Christmassy enough. Meanwhile, check out Julianne Moore’s note-perfect turn as the Palinator herself in a new HBO political drama…
• Taoiseach Enda Kenny has delivered a Christmas message to Ireland – and he even used the word ‘Skype’.
• Soccer pundit Alan Hansen has come under fire and been forced to apologise after calling black footballers “coloured” on last night’s Match of the Day – amid the John Terry and Luis Suárez racism rows.
• A young girl washed away from the Indonesian coast in the 2004 Asian tsunami has managed to find her way back to her family – seven years later.
• Is laughter infectious? One German commuter decided to try the theory out on a Berlin subway – with decisive results.
• Remember The Man Who Slipped On The Ice during last year’s freeze? Well, here’s what happened next.
• And finally: meet Siku, the polar bear cub. Try not to squeal too loud.

(Video: Smilefriendly1)