EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you the nine things you need to know as you kick off your day.

1. #KILKENNY: A post mortem examination is to be carried out today following the death of a of 51-year-old woman near Thomastown, Co Kilkenny. The woman died in St Luke’s Hospital in Kilkenny after being found with serious head injuries outside her home, reports RTÉ.

2. #REFERENDUM: The Yes campaign for the upcoming Fiscal Compact referendum is holding a lead with 39 per cent of voters expressing support for the treaty, according to the latest Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll. The poll marks a 9 per cent increase in the number of those voting Yes, but also a 7 per cent increase in those voting No (30 per cent). A total of 31 per cent of those surveyed said they didn’t yet know how they would vote or said they did not plan to vote at all.

3. #PREMATURE BIRTHS: Scientists at Trinity College Dublin have revealed new findings, which they say could form a breakthrough in the struggle to reduce infant mortality. Research showed that mothers who give birth prematurely or develop pre-eclampsia have higher levels of their baby’s DNA in their own blood; this is sensed by a protein called TLR9 which can cause an inflammatory reaction, leading in turn to premature labour.

Premature birth is the biggest cause of infant mortality on a global scale.

4. #ARD FHEIS: The Sinn Féin Árd Fheis is continuing in Killarney, Co Kerry today, with discussions set to focus on health, housing, and the upcoming Fiscal Compact referendum.

Speaking at the gathering yesterday, Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland Martin McGuinness said republicans have a responsibility to reach out to unionists in order to create a dialogue about the past and the future of Ireland.

5. #SYRIA: At least 90 people, including children, have been killed in a fresh wave of violence in Syria. Activists say tanks were deployed in Houla, a town in Homs province, yesterday after thousands of citizens took to the streets as part of an anti-government protest, Al Jazeera reports.

6. #FINLAND: A gunman has killed an 18-year-old woman and injured eight others in Hyvinkaa, Finland, the Washington Post reports. The suspect was arrested without resistance early this morning over the attack, which police say appears to have been a random act of violence.

7. #WEATHERWATCH: Get set for another glorious day, as temperatures of between 18 – 25 C have been predicted for Saturday. Fresh and gusty winds are also expected in some parts, with clear and mild conditions continuing into the night, Met Éireann reports.

8. #ETAN PATZ: A man has been charged with the second-degree murder of Etan Patz, a six-year-old school boy who went missing in New York City in 1979. This week, Pedro Hernandez had confessed to police that he lured the boy from the street “with the promise of a soda” and then strangled him. Lawyers for Hernandez, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disease, have questioned whether he is mentally fit to stand trial, the Los Angeles Times reports.

9. #EDZERBAIJOHN: The Lucan twins will take to the Eurovision stage in Baku, Azerbaijan, tonight after securing a place in the final last Tuesday.

It will be John and Edward Grimes’ second time representing Ireland in a Eurovision final. This time they will sing the track Waterline – and, in true Jedward style, there is a real waterfall involved in the performance.

Published by EurovisionTV12