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

1. #HOMELESSNESS: The latest homelessness figures show that over 8,500 people spent Christmas Day in emergency accommodation.

2. #ARRESTS: Three men have been arrested following a burglary at a building site in Wicklow.

3. #RIO: A baby has been killed and 17 injured after a car ploughed into crowds at Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach.

4. #EUROPE: Nine people have died as violent gales battered northern Europe, snapping air and train links.

5. #SORRY: DUP MP Sammy Wilson has said he regrets calling Taoiseach Leo Varadkar a nutcase.

6. #COLGAN: The former director of Dublin’s Gate Theatre Michael Colgan is taking legal action against Village Magazine.

7. #A&E: A total of 10,491 people aged 75 have been kept waiting over 24 hours for treatment in Emergency Departments.

8. #GRADUATES: Most Irish university graduates are employed in Dublin and Cork nine months after graduating, a report by the Higher Education Authority has revealed.

9. #REFUGEES: Seven asylum seekers and refugees will receive full scholarships enabling them to study at University College Cork.