EACH WEEKDAY EVENING, TheJournal.ie brings you five things you need to know before you head out the door

1. #CORK FLOODS: Heavy flooding in Cork overnight has left the idyllic coastal town of Clonakilty “like Venice” according to the local mayor. Destructive flooding across the county has ensured that there is a big clean-up operation ongoing today with Douglas and Blackpool also badly affected by the extreme weather. Businesses are expected to be closed for a number of days.

2. #EUROZONE: European Union leaders are gathering in Brussels today for another one of those crucial two-day summits where there will be plenty of warnings about the future of the single currency and talk of just how exactly a full-blown crisis can be averted. Expect to hear the phrase “eurobonds” quite a lot over the coming days. Here’s our preview from a little earlier.

3. #IN THE CLEAR: Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty did not break any Oireachtas rules when he used parliamentary allowances for hiring part-time staff in his constituency, officials at Leinster House have confirmed this evening. It follows claims that he had been in breach of rules after using €8,000 in allowances claimed for travel to hire staff in his constituency.

4. #OBAMACARE: The US Supreme Court has ruled that a major part of Barack Obama’s overhaul of healthcare in the States is constitutional. A mandate requiring most people to buy health insurance or else face a financial penalty is constitutional according to the highest court in the land. The decision is seen as a big boost to Obama ahead of his re-election battle in November.

5. #EURO2012: Finally, the world famous ‘Angela Merkel Thinks We’re at Work’ flag from Ireland’s brief Euro 2012 adventure will be at the German embassy tonight as the country’s national side take on Italy in the semi-finals of the competition. The flag caught the eye of the German ambassador to Ireland who has invited the ‘Merkel Flag Crew’ along to the embassy tonight to help raise money for charity.