EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you the stories you need to know as you start your day.

1. #MELBOURNE: At least a 14 people have been injured after a car ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians.

2. #INDEPENDENCE: The people of Catalonia are heading to the polls to vote in a decisive election that pits pro and anti-independence candidates against one another.

3. #FACTCHECK: It is likely that the Guinness Christmas advertisement would be banned from being broadcast under the new alcohol bill.

4. #CHILDREN: The CEO of Tusla has claimed the backlog of social workers in the system is actually lower than numbers suggest.

5. #ABUSE: Christmas is a dangerous time for people living in a domestic violence situation, with staff at Women’s Aid preparing for an increase in calls over the next week.

6. #INDUSTRIAL ACTION: Bus Eireann received a number of complaints during the workers’ strike earlier this year, including those from students and people living with disabilities.

7. #NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS: Charity Dogs Trust is asking the public not to give dogs as Christmas presents this year and has suspended all adoptions until 2018.

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8. #TENSION: A North Korean soldier defected to the South today, triggering gunfire on both sides of the border.

9. #SUNRISE: Thousands of people tuned in to watch the winder solstice from Newgrange.