EVERY WEEKDAY EVENING,TheJournal.ie brings you five things you need to know before 5 o’clock…

1. #SECOND BAILOUT: The Minister for Finance has dismissed as “ludicrous” a suggestion by a Citigroup economist that Ireland ought to have a second bailout deal on standby in case the country can’t return to the markets as planned when the first deal expires.

Michael Noonan echoed the sentiment of EU economics comissioner Olli Rehn, who described the remarks as “not particularly helpful” yesterday, and pointed out that Ireland was “meeting all the targets of the first programme”.

2. #HOSPITALS: The HSE has insisted that all services will be maintained in the outpatient departments of Cavan and Monaghan hospitals despite a 25 per cent reduction in staff. The INMO trade union has voiced serious concern at the reduction in staff numbers, saying that it will have a “devastating effect on patient services.”

3. #COURTS: The High Court ruled today that a six-year-old boy suffering from a serious brain injury should not be resuscitated if his condition deteriorates further. An unnamed hospital sought an order for the child, who sustained a serious brain injury when he almost drowned four years ago.

The parents of the boy, who is in the care of the court, had opposed the hospital’s application. His father said he had discovered stem cell treatment which could be administered in South America, but the court disagreed that the treatment offered any real prospect of changing the child’s condition.

4. #SCOTLAND: Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond says that the country has a mandate to hold a referendum on its independence from the United Kingdom and will do so in the autumn of 2014 – defying the the wishes of the UK government to hold it sooner.

5. #HAIRY MOMENT: If you’re looking to buy 28 inches of virgin blonde human hair, then – surprisingly – you’re in luck.

An unusual personal ad on Irish site Adverts.ie is offering a full head of “virgin blonde human hair” in exchange for €600. The seller says they neither smoke nor drink, have a mostly raw vegan diet and have never dyed their hair. And it’s certainly going to be an adjustment for the seller – who has never had hair shorter than 16 inches and plans to shave their head.