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

1. #BUDGET 2011: The Dáil has begun a two-day debate on the country’s ‘macroeconomic and fiscal outlook’ in the wake of yesterday’s disclosure that the overall budget adjustments in the next four years would have to total €15bn. Taoiseach Brian Cowen said that the Budget this coming December would prioritise cutting government spending rather than seeking new revenue through tax hikes.

2. #SHOOTING: The man who was shot in the neck and chest on Saturday in an apparent gangland attack has died from his injuries. Robert Ryle (30) from Ballyfermot was shot several times as he got out of his car in Foxdene Park, between Lucan and Clondalkin, at about 8:30pm.

3. #FRANCE: The French parliament has passed Nicolas Sarkozy’s controversial pension reforms bill, by a margin of 336 to 233. The bill raises the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62, and the age at which the full state pension is paid from 65 to 67. The proposals had caused widespread consternation in France, with an all-out national strike scheduled for tomorrow in protest.

4. #REBELS: Speculation is mounting on Leeside this afternoon that Aisake Ó hAilpín will not make himself available for the Cork hurling squad next sesaon, in protest at his elder brother Sean Óg being told he no longer figured in the manager Denis Walsh’s plans.

5. #IN VINO VERITAS: Over half of Irish adults claim to have texted an ex after a night out, blaming drunkenness for their behaviour, according to stats published by DrinkAware.ie. The only problem? There’s research to prove that drunken behaviour actually has nothing to do with alcohol: if you truly want to control your behaviour when drunk, it’s possible to do so, no matter how much you’ve taken.

The only reason you might text an ex when you’re drunk, therefore, is because you genuinely wanted to.