EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you all the news you need to know as you start the day.

1. #ELECTION: Voting in the presidential election and blasphemy referendum opened at 7am and will close at 10pm. You can follow all the latest updates this morning in our liveblog.

2. #DERRY: Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is set to visit Derry today, his second official visit to the city since he took office last year, and meet senior members of the Apprentice Boys.

3. #SCHOOL CLOSURE: A mother has expressed concern about the provision of a new building for her son, who has autism, after his school closed down immediately due to building defects.

4. #TRANSPORT: The National Transport Authority has launched a new contract notice for the Leap Card, which will see the creation of a “digital card” with a future aim of allowing people to use their smartphones to pay for their travel.

5. #US: A nationwide manhunt is under way to trace the person or people who sent bombs and suspect devices to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, CNN and others this week.

6. #RIP: Music promoter John Reynolds, whose company POD founded festivals including Electric Picnic, Forbidden Fruit and Metropolis, has died at the age of 52.

7. #DRINK-DRIVING: New laws which will see drink-drivers automatically banned from driving for three months came into effect at midnight.

8. #FIANNA FÁIL: There was confusion within Fianna Fáil last night after a candidate for the next local elections in Northern Ireland was announced without the full backing of the party.

9. #AIB: Bernard Byrne has announced he will step down as CEO and director of AIB in 2019.

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