EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you the stories you need to know as you wake up.

1. #IFA PAY ROW: The former secretary general of the Irish Farmers’ Association Pat Smith has defended his €2 million severance package, saying he wants half of the payment to be donated to charity.

2. #ANDERSONSTOWN: The PSNI are treating a gun attack on officers in west Belfast last night as an attempted murder.

3. #CSO DATA: Fewer than 10% of foreign nationals who received PPS numbers collected social welfare payments last year, new figures show.

4. #DOWNED PLANE: Vladimir Putin has claimed that the United States was given prior information about the flight path of the Russian plane shot down by Turkey on the Syrian border.

5. #TERROR THREAT: Berlin police say two men detained in raids yesterday were suspected of planning a major jihadi attack.

6. #STUDENT LOANS: The Irish Times reports that Revenue may be responsible for collecting student loans under a proposed new scheme that would require graduates to pay back tuition fees through contributions based on their future earnings.

7. #US ELECTIONS: Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump has denied even knowing a disabled New York Times reporter he appeared to mock in a campaign speech.

8. #HOSPITAL CRISIS: The Irish Independent reports that Temple Street Children’s Hospital in Dublin cancelled operations for sick children due to be admitted yesterday because of overcrowding.

9. #WEEKEND WEATHER: Temperatures are set to plummet this weekend as cold winds and wintry showers sweep in from the west.