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

1. # BANKING: The European Parliament voted in favour of introducing a new pan-European banking supervisor and regulator for the European Union today.

The result will be that four new financial watchdogs – with jurisdiction over banking, markets, securities and insurance sectors – will be set up across Europe.

The aim of the new bodies will be to gradually harmonise the legal landscapes of banking systems between member states.

They will come into existence on January 1.

2. # BORD GÁIS: The CEO of Bord Gáis Energy has warned that customers may be disconnected as arrears increase.

John Mullins said that 23,000 Bord Gáis customers have entered into payment plans since the beginning of this year. He told RTÉ that different people are being affected by the recession than were in the 1970s and 1980s – and that mortgage holders were now being hit hardest.

3.  # PENSIONS GAP: Irish people are not saving enough for their retirement, according to Aviva insurance.

The company says that people are not taking into account how long they are likely to live and are therefore failing to provide for their futures. It says it has calculated that people need to save almost €10,000 more every year if they want to maintain a comfortable lifestyle in older age.

4. # FARMING: The European Union has decided to bring forward its subsidy payments to Irish farmers this year.

The EU cites the financial crisis and adverse weather conditions earlier this year for the decision. Other countries included in the provision are Greece, Spain, Belgium, France, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Italy.

5. # TWITTER ATTACK: An Australian teenager has been blamed for uncovering a Twitter flaw and then posting the code online – which led to the site going into a virtual meltdown yesterday.

17-year-old Pearse Delphin tweeted a defence of his action, saying: “I discovered a vulnerability, I didn’t create a self-replicating worm. As far as I know, that isn’t technically illegal.”