Every morning, TheJournal.ie brings you the nine things you really need to know as you start your day.

1. #JAPAN: Japanese authorities have said they hope to restore energy to four of the six reactors at the Fukushima plant by the end of today, meaning water can be more effectively pumped in, the BBC reports. Yesterday, Japan raised the status of the Fukushima crisis from a Level 4 to a Level 5 on an international scale.

2. #LIBYA: Rebels have shot down a warplane over Benghazi today and accused the Libyan government of breaching its own ceasefire, the AP reports. The ceasefire was called yesterday after the UN Security Council’s decision to impose a no-fly zone over the north African state.

3. #SOPHIE: Sophie Toscan du Plantier’s mother said yesterday that the family has experienced “long moments of despair and doubt” since the discovery of her daughter’s body at her holiday home in west Cork 14 years ago, the Irish Daily Mail reports. Marguerite Bouniol said: “For many years, the only people leading the battle for justice for our daughter were ourselves”.

4. #BODIES DISCOVERED: Gardaí in Clare are continuing their investigation into the discovery of two bodies yesterday in Co Clare. The remains of two women were discovered at Miltown Malbay yesterday morning.

5. #PROTESTS: A state of emergency has been declared in Yemen after dozens of protesters were killed yesterday. Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has criticised the use of “lethal force” in Syria, where at least three protesters were killed by Syrian security forces yesterday.

6. #EGYPT: People in Egypt, where former president Hosni Mubarak was ousted last month after 18 days of protests, are set to take to the polls today to vote on constitutional reforms. However, leading opposition figure ElBaradei has criticised the reforms as not going far enough to invoke real change.

7. #SYMBOLIC: Authorities in Bahrain have destroyed the monument at Pearl Square, Manama, which served as a focal point for pro-reform protests in the kingdom. Al Jazeera reports that several opposition leaders have been arrested as people continue to defy a ban on public gatherings.

8. #CAREER CHANGE: Former CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson, whose memoir about her 2003 outing as an agent has been turned into a Hollywood film starring Sean Penn, has decided to turn her attention to writing suspense novels.

9. #ST PATRICK’S DIET: A food historian and researcher believes that St Patrick ate foods similar to today’s popular – but pricey – health foods such as seaweed, speciality cheeses and cereals, Reuters reports.