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

1. #MORTGAGE INTEREST The European Central Bank (ECB) has cut its main interest rate by 0.25 per cent which is good news for some mortgage holders. It is the second such cut in successive months by new ECB president Mario Draghi. AIB has already said it will not pass on the cut to its mortgage customers who are on a variable interest rate.

2. #PUNT NUA? The Central Bank has said it is not printing punts in response to an article in the Wall Street Journal today which said the bank was “evaluating” the need to add to its stock printing presses as part of contingency plans if we should abandon the euro or the single currency collapses altogether.

3. #INFLATION The cost of living was unchanged in November according to the Central Statistics Office. Although, the annual rate of inflation rose to 2.9 per cent. The main increases were in education, clothing and footwear and household furniture and equipment.

4.# FUKUSHIMA The operators of the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, which was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami in March, have said that they are now considering releasing water that was treated for radiation contamination and dumping it in the sea. It is a suggestion that has been met with opposition by fishing groups.

5. #OLYMPIC TORCH The Olympic Torch will be visiting Dublin next summer it was confirmed today. The International Olympic Committee today signed off on the plans that will see the torch hit Dublin on 6 June.