EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you the nine things you need to know as you start your day.

1. #TEXAS FIRE: Several people are dead and over 100 have been injured following a massive explosion at a fertiliser plant near Waco in Texas. Buildings several blocks away were damaged in the blast and it is reported that residents of a nearby nursing home are among those who have been injured and trapped by rubble.

2. #BOSTON MARATHON: President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle will attend a service in Boston today for the families and victims of the marathon bombings that killed three people and wounded more than 170. Meanwhile, officials say they have found images of a potential suspect after surveying camera footage of the scene but have dismissed reports that an arrest has been made.

3. #FLIGHT DELAYS: Following a night of severe winds, passengers flying from Dublin and Cork today are being asked to check with their airlines before travelling after a number of flights were diverted or cancelled.

4. #PERSONAL INSOLVENCY: Guidelines on Personal Insolvency will published later. They will include the amount families in mortgage distress will be given to live on once they enter a Personal Insolvency deal and to what extent banks will be able to dictate childcare.

5. #IRISH NANNY: Aisling Brady McCarthy is expected to enter a plea of ‘not guilty’ when she appears in court in the United States today to face a murder charge over the death of a child who had allegedly been in her care.

6. #TRANSATLANTIC TRADE: Business leaders from the United States and the European Union will meet in Dublin Castle today in an effort to advance talks towards a major new transatlantic trade deal. The meeting has been organised by IBEC and coincides with the meeting of EU trade ministers.

7. #JOBS: As it opens its 100th store in Kilkenny later, Aldi has announced that it will create 300 new jobs across the country over the next three years.

8. #DALAI LAMA: As part of a peace building mission, the Dalai Lama is on a two day visit to the UK City of Culture, Derry. The Tibetan spiritual leader walk across the city’s peace bridge with schoolchildren and meet with local religious leaders.

9. #BOLLYWOOD THEME PARK: India’s most elaborate theme opens today with special-effect Hindu gods and Bollywood-themed rides. Adlabs Imagica, which cost about $294 million to create, has a capacity for 10,000 to 15,000 visitors a day.