5 things you need to know today

1. Clinton passes nomination threshold

Hillary Clinton has clinched the Democratic presidential nomination winning over the delegates she needs to be the party's candidate in the White Houseelection in November, the Associated Press and other US media declared last night. Mrs Clinton becomes the presumptive Democratic nominee and the first woman to lead a major party into a US presidential election, eight years after she lost the Democratic race to Barack Obama in her first bid for the White House. The former US secretary of state should be formally confirmed as the nominee at the party's national convention in Philadelphia which starts on July 25th. The watershed moment all but concludes a bruising Democratic primary battle and allows Mrs Clinton to pivot towards the five-month general election campaign against the presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.  Meanwhile, former US House of Representatives speaker Newt Gingrich may have fallen down or off Donald Trump's vice-presidential shortlist after he lambasted the billionaire for raising issues around the ethnicity of a federal judge.

2. Rise in college points likely as more students seek places

The long wait is over for 120,000 Junior Cert and Leaving Cert students who are to to begin their exams on Wednesday in 5,000 test centres across the country. The rising number of students seeking to progress on to higher education means a record number of students will seek college places this year. This means points increases are likely across a number of sectors in high demand, such as business and science. Of those beginning exams, a total of 56,596 are due to sit the Leaving Cert, while another 2,811 are due to sit the Applied Leaving Cert. A further 59,522 students are due to sit the Junior Cert. A combination of bonus points for higher maths, along with "project maths" reforms, means about one in three Leaving Cert candidates will undertake the higher-level exam this year.

Brian Mooney's tips for Leaving and Junior Certs: Use time left to organise all your revision notes for papers between now and Friday

Last-minute tips: Wednesday's Leaving Cert papers are English, Paper 1 and Home Economics

Leaving Cert: Meet diarists for The Irish Times

3. Una Mullally: Bringing back third-level fees will rebuild class barriers:

It has become a regular occurrence. Ever since Peter Cassells, former general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, was appointed by former minister for education Ruairí¬ Quinn as chairperson of a group to examine higher education funding in July 2014 there has been a trickle of pitches regarding how students will have to foot the bill for their third-level learning. Quinn – and the Labour Party in general – spectacularly reneged on their promises to students before the 2011 election. Now that the Department of Education is under Richard Bruton (via Jan O'Sullivan), and the Cassells report has been presented to Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe, there is a sense of inevitability to burdening students with debt as the "way forward". The chipping away at the concept of free education has been under way for a while now, with a steady drip of commentators, politicians and of course the universities themselves deciding that fees will be a reality, that there's no way out, that this is the only game in town.

Over €5.5bn needed to tackle housing crisis, committee hears: Representative group warns of 'biggest housing and homelessness crises in history'

4. Sharp rise in professionals in mortgage difficulty

The number of professionals including doctors, solicitors and architects seeking help from a leading charity representing distressed borrowers has doubled over the past year as banks and vulture funds increase pressure on relatively low-level property investors. The Phoenix Project, a charity set up to help borrowers in danger of losing family homes, has about 1,800 live cases on its books in connection with mortgage arrears. Of this total, 37.5 per cent, or 675 cases, relate to clients in the ABC1 demographic – a bracket covering individuals with relatively high income and education. This time last year, the charity had about 1,600 live cases, of which 20 per cent or 320 were in the ABC1 category.

5. Simon Harris seeks more funds for mental health

The mental health budget could be given additional funds as part of the revised estimates for the Department of Health. Minister for Health Simon Harris is in discussions with the Department of Public Expenditure about increased spending ceilings for his department. It is understood Mr Harris is seeking more money for mental health services. Speaking to The Irish Times, the Minister said he was "acutely aware" of the pressures and the need for additional resources. Mr Harris also criticised the decision to divert €12 million of the €35 million allocated to mental health services. "We need to make sure that money that was allocated for certain areas . . . is spent in certain areas. "The HSE service plan did make it clear there would be a time lag between money being allocated to the sector and money being spent in the sector, and it could put that time lag to use in other parts of the health service.

Misc

Fourfold rise in drivers refused car insurance three times: Anyone denied quote by three motor insurers must be offered cover on fourth attempt

Rent out your life: five ways to make money from the sharing and gig economy Assets which people may not even realise they have can be put to use to increase income

Moore Street complex planning approval set to be extended: The developers behind the €1.25 billion Dublin Central shopping complex have sought a seven-year extension to planning permission for the scheme that includes the demolition of most of the east side of Moore Street.

Committee calls for profit limit for housebuilders: Department of the Environment's capital spend comes in 56 per cent below target

Fintan O'Toole: Kinahan gang sparks attention on poverty and drugs Why crime is the best stimulus to the nation's social conscience