EVERY DAY, TheJournal.ie brings you nine things we think you really ought to know with your morning cup of coffee.

1. #GARDAÍ The increasing number of gardaí retiring has led to concerns being raised by the two groups who represent officers. Following a report by RTÉ’s Prime Time last night that 10 per cent of stations could be left with no garda sergeants both the Association of Garda Sergeants and the Garda Representative Association have expressed concern at the developments.

2. #AIRPORT LINK The journey from the city centre to Dublin Airport could take just 25 minutes under proposals by Iarnród Éireann to extend the DART to the airport. The €200 million proposal is being submitted to the Minister for Transport and the company believes that no operational subsidy would be required for the project.

3. #FIREFIGHTERS A union claiming to represent the majority of Dublin’s firefighters and paramedics could vote in favour of industrial action today over cuts to overtime, training and annual leave. The Irish Fire and Emergency Services Association will hold an EGM today as two other unions representing firefighters and paramedics will go to the Labour Court disputing the proposed cuts by Dublin Fire Brigade.

4. #AGENCY WORKERS The Minister for Enterprise Richard Bruton is putting forward proposals to allow employers to take on agency staff who would be paid lower wages and given inferior terms and conditions than permanent staff in a move criticised by unions, Martin Wall reports in today’s Irish Times.

5. #LIBYA The embattled Muammar Gaddafi has issued another defiant message to his supporters vowing to fight on rather than surrender like “women”. His comments come as world leaders met with the National Transitional Council in Paris yesterday with pledges of a quick transition to democracy and UN assistance to do so.

6. #9/11 Ahead of the tenth anniversary of the terrorist atrocities in the United States, a new study has suggested that those who helped in clearing the wreckage of the World Trade Center, are 19 per cent more likely to develop cancer. It’s the strongest evidence to date of a link between work at ground zero and cancer, according to The Lancet.

7. #BANK LAWSUITS The US government is set to sue more than a dozen banks accusing them of misrepresenting  the quality of mortgages on offer at the height of the housing boom, according to the New York Times. The Federal Housing Finance Agency will seek billions of dollars in compensation from the likes of Bank of America, JP Moprgan, Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank.

8. #COFFEE A new study has found that your morning cup of coffee that you think you need to kickstart your day could be all in the mind. Researchers at the University of East London told people drinking decaffeinated coffee there was caffeine in it, and noticed a significant improvement in performance and mood, some even did better than those who had coffee with caffeine, the Daily Telegraph reports.

9. #APPEAL A Dublin teenager who suffers from depression and anxiety has written an open letter to the Minister for Health Dr James Reilly in which she begs for help, branding the current state of psychiatric care in Ireland as a “disgrace”. Read her letter here.