EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you nine things you should know with your morning coffee…

1. #TOURISM: Tourism levels in Ireland have risen for first time in four years, according to the latest report by the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation. The ITIC has noted an increase of 7 per cent in the number of tourists coming to the country, with the majority of visitors coming from mainland Europe and North America.

2. #TRALEE: A man in Tralee yesterday underwent emergency surgery to have four-inch knife removed from his throat. He arrived at a neighbour’s house in Listowel looking  for help at around 12.30pm, reports RTÉ, saying that he had been stabbed. He is currently in Kerry General Hospital hospital, where his condition has been described as serious. Gardaí are investigating the incident.

3. #EMIGRATION: While the level of emigration from Ireland in the coming year is expected to be in line with 2011, opportunities in two of the main destinations for Irish workers – Britain and Australia – are expected to be less favourable. Demand for workers in Britain is drying up, while Australia is planning to overhaul immigration standards, reports the Irish Times.

4. #WELFARE FRAUD: The Opposition has proposed that welfare fraudsters should be granted amnesty if they own up to their crimes, the Irish Times reports this morning. Yesterday, Fianna Fáil’s social protection spokesperson said that a significant surge in the number of reports of suspected social welfare fraud has been attributed to the “strained financial situation” the country currently finds itself in.

5. #EUROZONE: Yesterday saw a large drop in the cost of borrowing for Italy in an auction of six-month bonds, relieving economic tensions in the country, Bloomberg reports. Meanwhile, the euro hit a 10-year low against yen, reports the BBC.

6. SYRIA:Arab League monitors are to visit three more cities in Syria today – Hama, Idlib and Deraa, reports CNN. Thousands of protesters are expected to gather in Damascus to voice their opposition to the brutal government crackdown in the country, which has left an estimated 5,000 people dead.

7. #NORTH KOREA: Today marks the final day of the state-funeral for late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. His third son and heir, Kim Jong-un, has been declared as Supreme Leader.

8. #BURMA: An explosion in Rangoon, Burma, has killed at least 17 people and injured 79 more. The blast occurred before dawn at a warehouse in the city – while the cause of the explosion is not yet known, it is not thought to have been a bomb, reports the Herald Sun.

9. SLAM: YouTube has launched a new concept to allow users to vote on their favourite videos. “Slam” will allow users to vote on comedy, cute, music, bizarre and dance clips, and those with the most votes will be featured on the leaderboard.

Warning: the face-offs are harder than you might think, as the ‘cute’ category proves:

This…

… or this?