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.

• Time is running out and Presidential hopefuls Senator David Norris and Dana Rosemary Scallon are making last-ditch pleas to county councils to get their names on the ballot paper for next month’s election. The latest? South Dublin County Council will meet on Monday to debate a motion to nominate Norris.
• As the Presidential races hots up, TV3 has revealed that Vincent Browne will host a live 90-minute debate between candidates on October 4.
• US President Barack Obama told delegates at the UN General Assembly today that the deadlock between Israel and Palestine will only be broken when both sides learn to “stand in each others shoes”. In his key speech he declared his opposition to Palestine’s bid for statehood, stating there could be no shortcut to peace.
• Legendary rock band R.E.M. has called it a day, announcing their split after 31 years of making music together. Check out what Mike, Michael and Peter have had to say about their decision.
• Kelly Jones, a US citizen who has been missing in Donegal since Saturday, has been found alive. Although “weak and disorientated”, her injuries are not said to be serious.
• Irish farmers claim they are in the middle of a “theft epidemic” as they call on Gardaí to up their supervision of the buying and selling of scrap metal.
• Tipperary’s ‘Mini Vegas’ now looks unlikely to go ahead as plans to build a ‘super-casino’ at Twomileborris have been blocked by the Government as part of its move to overhaul gambling laws in Ireland.
• As the National Ploughing Championships continue in Athy, so does the pole-climbing. Two trees, which are 30metres in height each and 50cm in diameter, have been erected for the Husqvarna All-Ireland Pole Climbing Championship. How long do you reckon it takes to get to the top?

• Ireland has a lot of catching up to do in terms of gender equality and it’s not just up to women to make improvements. The onus is on men to do something about it to, writes Plan Ireland’s David Dalton in a column for TheJournal.ie.
• Some bad news on the jobs front today as managers at Aviva refused to deny rumours that hundreds of staff members could be made redundant as part of a restructuring effort.
• In some good jobs news, Arvato Finance has celebrated its 15th anniversary in Ireland by announcing the creation of 150 new jobs.
• Apple lovers won’t have long to wait for an upgrade to their iPhone 4s, with reports today indicating that the iPhone 5 will be launched in less than two weeks time.
• Luxurious fashion house Chanel has filed lawsuits against 399 websites, accusing them of selling counterfeit items that bear its famous trademark.
• An Irish cartoonist has asked for the public’s help in locating a series of his illustrations which went missing from a train yesterday.
• An Australian broadcaster has been criticised for airing a television comedy with a scene showing a fictional version of prime minister Julia Gillard draped in the country’s flag after having sex.
• Are you missing Happy Feet, New Zealand’s favourite penguin? If so, this little emperor penguin will cheer you up. Born wrinkly-pink and without any hair, the baby penguin was rejected by his parents. A local aquarium in China stepped in to save him and, now aged one month, he has started to grow a fine coat.