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

1. #CHILD ABUSE: Proposals for a system to block internet users from accessing child pornography hosted on servers internationally will be debated in the Seanad later today.

Internet safety advisor Pat McKenna of Childwatch.ie has briefed Oireachtas members on the current situation – explaining that four per cent of child abuse material involves children under the age of two, while 17 per cent shows children under ten.

2. #REFERENDUM: Yesterday afternoon, Taoiseach Enda Kenny announced that Ireland would hold a referendum on the recently-agreed European Fiscal Compact Treaty – but what’s it all about? Here’s TheJournal.ie’s guide to Ireland’s referendum on the new fiscal treaty.

3. #AUSTRALIA: A man has been found not guilty of manslaughter in the case of Irishman Gearoid Walsh, 23, who was attacked outside a takeaway in Sydney. Tobias Simmons, 30, said that he acted in self-defence when he struck Walsh following an altercation in 2009.

4. #HEALTH: More than a quarter of a million people in Ireland live with a rare health condition but sufferers often find it difficult to access proper care and advice, according to the Genetic and Rare Disorders Organisation.

As Europe marks Rare Disease Day today, the GRDO has released a video featuring eight Irish sufferers, aged from 8 to 53 – and has called on the Government to establish a national Rare Disease Office to co-ordinate care for patients.

5. #FINANCIAL PROTECTION: Ireland needs tougher financial regulation as consumers are paying too much for financial products and taking on too much risk, according to the ESRI. The think-tank found that systematic biases in financial reasoning can result in consumers getting a bad deal – with most consumers lacking the knowledge needed to choose the best deals on financial products.

6. #US 2012: Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney won the Arizona and Michigan primaries last night, reaffirming his status as the favourite to win the Republican Party’s nomination for President. With virtually all districts reporting, Romney took 41.1 per cent of the vote (410,477), ahead of Rick Santorum on 37.9 per cent (389,069), Ron Paul on 11.6 per cent and Newt Gingrich on just 6.5 per cent.

7. #SYRIA: The death toll from the ongoing conflict in Syria has now exceeded 7,500, according to the UN. Under-Secretary-General for political affairs at the UN, Lynn Pascoe, cited “credible reports” yesterday that indicated civilian deaths often surpassed 100 each day, reports the BBC.

8. #FRANCE: French President Nicolas Sarkozy has ordered his government to draft a new law that would punish people denying that the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman troops during WWI was “genocide” – after a previous bill was rejected by the country’s Constitutional Court. Although the original bill to make “genocide denial” a crime had passed through both houses of parliament, France’s top court ruled that such a law would impede on freedom of speech, reports euronews.

9. #29 FEBRUARY: Happy birthday to all the Leaplings out there (and good luck to ladies in love) it’s 29 February.

Did you know that Ireland holds the record for most consecutive generations born on 29 February? Check out more informational titbits and the stories TheJournal.ie’s Facebook fans revealed about how being born on the day has affected their birthday celebrations over the years.