EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you all the news you need to know as you start the day.

1. #ROAD DEATHS: There was a 4% increase in the number of people who died on Irish roads in 2019 (148 people overall) and a 45% increase in driver deaths, according to provisional figures.

2. #MIDDLE EAST: US President Donald Trump has ordered that some 750 American soldiers be deployed to the Middle East, with about 3,000 more prepared for possible deployment in the coming days, following an attack on the US embassy compound in Iraq.

3. #BUDGET 2020: Many of the changes for Budget 2020 kick in today, here’s how it will affect people in terms of social welfare and tax.

4. #AUSTRALIA: Sydney ushered in the new year with a huge fireworks display, but this year’s celebrations were overshadowed by calls to cancel the fireworks as devastating bushfires rage across the country.

5. #ONLINE: The head of the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau has said more work needs to be done to educate children and teenagers about the consequences of their actions online.

6. #CONSULAR ASSISTANCE: More than 1,700 Irish citizens caught up in major incidents oversees were provided with consular assistance from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 2019.

7. #USC: The Universal Social Charge will not be abolished if Fianna Fáil are successful in the next general election, party leader Micheál Martin has said.

8. #MURDER CASE: The sister of suspected murder victim Giedre Raguckaite has said she will continue fighting for justice for her as gardaí say her murder case is still “very much active”.

9. #STATE PAPERS: Over the course of two months in late 1985 and early 1986, a shop across the road from a Dublin garda station was burgled seven times, according to State Papers released this week.

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