Every morning, TheJournal.ie brings you nine things you really need to know by 9am.

1. #SHOOTING: Gardai are trying to establish why a man was shot in the stomach in the early evening on a scenic river walk in a quiet south Dublin suburb. The man was shot near Milltown Luas bridge and stumbled to the nearby Dropping Well pub to raise the alarm.

2.#BOOZE: One in ten cancers in men and one in 33 in women in western Europe are caused by excessive drinking according to a report in the British Medical Journal.

3. #SECURITY ALERT: Parts of the M1 and A1 motorways north and south of the Border are closed after reports of a suspicious device being left on the major road artery between Dublin and Belfast. Diversions are in place for motorists, reports RTE.

4. #PORTUGAL: The terms of the bailout loan for Portugal is to be discussed today at a meeting of EU finance ministers in Hungary. The spotlight on Portugal means that a change to Ireland’s bailout interest rate is being overshadowed, according to the Irish Examiner.

5. #FERRY: A ferry waiting to be shipped to Mauritius from Galway Harbour appears to be cursed with bad luck. Three people were injured when the Clann na nOileain ferry fell from a crane as it was being hoisted onto a cargo ship yesterday. The same ferry was one of two waiting to be picked up by the Pantanal cargo ship which ran aground off the coast of Rossaveal harbour last week.

6. #TRANSPORT: Bad news for Dublin commuters – Transport Minister Leo Varadker has said that due to financial constraints, only one of the three major rail projects being considered for the capital will go ahead in the short-term. It hasn’t yet been decided which of the Metro North, the Dart Underground or the Luas BXD line will go ahead.

7. #ELECTRONIC TAGS: Sex offenders could be obliged to wear electronic tags in the near future. The Irish Times reports that Justice Minister Alan Shatter said yesterday that introducing tagging was a “priority”.

8. #JAPAN: The powerful aftershock which struck off the northeastern coast of Japan yesterday killed two people and injured more than 130 in the region already devastated by last month’s tsunami and earthquake.

9. #BLARNEY KISS-OFF: A Lonely Planet survey which asked which major tourist attractions are a “see or skip” – the Blarney Stone in Cork is, apparently, one to miss.