EVERY DAY, TheJournal.ie brings you a round-up of all the day’s main news as well as the bits and pieces that you may have missed.

• It has been a dramatic day for Presidential hopefuls, with the likelihood of nominations for both Dana and Senator David Norris beginning to fade. As they continue to lobby for support, TheJournal.ie contacted all 31 independent members of the Oireachtas to see who is supporting who?
• The door has opened for a public inquiry into Ireland’s banking system to be held as a bill to allow for a referendum on Oireachtas committees’ power to investigate matters of public interest has passed in the Dáil, according to RTÉ.
• It’s not just maths – all Irish education standards are going backwards, says Independent TD Stephen Donnelly in his latest column for TheJournal.ie.
• In some more bad news for the Eurozone, the IMF has lowered its economic growth projections while warning that things could get a lot worse. However, it has left its predictions for Ireland unchanged.
• The HSE has appealed to about 70 nurses in Limerick to call off their planned four-hour strike tomorrow.
• The National Ploughing Championships got underway in Athy, Co. Kildare today. Check out our slideshow of photos but first see how the crowds were “bussed in”:

• Sinn Féin’s candidate for president, Martin McGuinness, who was also in Athy for the Championships today, has blamed what he calls “West Brit” influences in sections of the media and political parties for references to his past as a commander in the IRA. He insists his record as a peacemaker is unequalled.
• As New Zealand continues to re-build after an earthquake that shattered the city of Christchurch, the country is seeking 3,000 Irish tradespeople to help with the reconstruction.
• Researchers in Galway have made a super-sized heart valve which they hope could one day improve the lives of patients with cardiovascular diseases.
• Fancy treating your mother? Why not take her to an ABSOLUT Fringe Show? We’ve even made it easy for you by compiling a list of performances you would be happy to show the mammy.
• And maybe something not for mammy’s eyes…PETA confirmed today it is to launch a website with a .xxx domain in order to bring “important animal protection issues to a larger audience.” Pornographic images will appear alongside videos highlighting the realities of animal cruelty.
• Dublin has been named the ninth most bicycle-friendly city in the world in a new survey but about 34 per cent of our readers who took part in a separate poll disagree, while 55 per cent believe there is still room for improvement.
• The world’s newest animal hero is a rabbit in Alaska who saved its owners by alerting them about a fire in their house. It was not all good news, however, as the little bunny later died from smoke inhalation.
• NASA has confirmed that a dead satellite is to fall to Earth later this week. Although scientists cannot say where it will land, they believe it will fall in the ocean or another uninhabited region. Only one thing is for sure – Antarctica is safe.
• Here is a video, purporting to show awesome scenes from a different NASA Satellite:

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