Every afternoon, TheJournal.ie brings you 5 things you really need to know by 5pm.

1. # CHEER UP! Ireland is the fifth best place to live in the world, according to the UN’s annual Development Report.

The report, which has the most trusted indicator of development over the past 20 years, ranks Ireland as the overall best place to live after Norway, Australia, New Zealand and the United States, respectively.

In less good news, the report has found that the gap between rich and poor is widening on a global scale.

2. # MID-TERM ELECTIONS: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that the country is ready for a female president – however, she says it won’t be her.

Clinton said that she is “very pleased” to be working in her current position and has ruled herself out of the running for the next two American presidential elections.

3. # BANAMA REPUBLIC: The Commercial Court will decide on Monday whether there are grounds for Paddy McKillen to appeal his NAMA challenge.

The court had ruled on Monday that McKillen could not resist the transfer of the loans to NAMA.

4. # BUDGET 2011: The country’s lowest paid are likely to be dragged into the taxation net as a result of next month’s Budget, after the government confirmed it would be seeking €1.5bn in new taxes as part of next month’s measures.

5. # FREE CHEESE: The Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith has announced a plan to donate 53 tonnes of cheese to the poor coming up to Christmas.

Those “who are living in poor circumstances and are under pressure” can rest easy knowing that there will be a substantial quality of cheese made available to them through organisations like St Vincent de Paul from 15 November.