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The 9 at 9 Good morning! Here are nine things you want to know as you start your day.

EVERY MORNING,TheJournal.ie brings you the nine stories you need to know as you kick off your day.

1. #JOBSWATCH: US pharmaceutical company Regneneron will create 300 new jobs by 2016 in a new facility to be built on a site previously owned by Dell. The construction work will also create a further 600 temporary jobs.

2. #GROWTH: The ESRI has predicted growth of almost 3 per cent in Ireland’s GNP next year. In its latest quarterly economic outlook, it said out domestic economy has grown for the first time since the start of the economic crisis.

3. #HSE: The HSE’s service plan for 2014 will be published later today, detailing how the department will make €691 million in cuts next year. The medical card probity plan will now target savings of €25 million and not €113 million, the Taoiseach confirmed yesterday.

4. #NAMA: A second NAMA employee has been reported to gardaí for the alleged unlawful sharing of information. The Irish Independent reports that lawyers acting for property developer Paddy McKillen have also written to the Garda Commissioner about alleged behaviour of a NAMA officer which he claims jeopardised his business.

5. #CHARITY: Some €1 million of unspent funds from the Department of Social Protection has been released to charity, in a bid to encourage people to donate, The Irish Time reports. Most of the money will go to the Society of St Vincent de Paul.

6. #RIP: Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs has died aged 84. The infamous British criminal was part of the gang which made off with £2.6 million from a mail train in 1963.

7. #ITALY: An investigation will take place in Italy to look at the country’s treatment of migrants, after a video aired yesterday showed naked refugees being hosed down and disinfected in cold weather.

8. #SOUTH SUDAN: Clashes between rival army factions in Routh Sudan have left up to 500 people dead and 800 wounded, according to the UN. Between 15,000 and 20,000 people have sought refuge in UN compounds, AFP reports.

9. SEARCHING: Google trends for 2013 show that Minister for Environment Phil Hogan was the most searched politician, coming ahead of the Taoiseach. Breaking Bad, Snapchat and Miley Cyrus also topped the most searched lists for the last year.

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4 Comments
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    Mute PåddÿGooner.
    Favourite PåddÿGooner.
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    Dec 18th 2013, 9:03 AM

    A lot of places are worthwhile charities but the idea of a government giving away money they don’t have in order to entice people to give away their money when the fact is that orgs like SVDP wouldn’t be half as stretched this year if the government was more organised and actually looked after the Irish people instead of anonymous foreigners (unsecured bondholders)
    It just sounds ludicrous!

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    Mute Capitaine Adebayo Flynn
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    Dec 18th 2013, 8:45 AM

    I dunno about you guys but I AM PUMPED! Wooooooooow!

    17
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    Mute vv7k7Z3c
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    Dec 18th 2013, 8:46 AM

    Morning Adebayo! Hope you’re all set for Christmas :)

    15
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    Mute Capitaine Adebayo Flynn
    Favourite Capitaine Adebayo Flynn
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    Dec 18th 2013, 8:53 AM

    Just about. I only buy presents for myself so a few more treats and then I’ll call it a day.

    29
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