EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you the stories you need to know as you wake up.

1. #STORM GERTRUDE: More than 7,000 homes and businesses are without power as Storm Gertrude batters Ireland.

2. #REPUBLICAN DEBATE: The latest US presidential debate took place in Iowa, with frontrunner Donald Trump notable by his absence.

3. #CARLOW: A man who was being questioned by gardaí in relation to the fatal stabbing of a 46-year-old man in Carlow has been released without charge. A file is being sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

4. #BURUNDI: New satellite images, video footage and witness accounts indicate dozens of people killed by Burundian security forces last month were later buried in mass graves.

5. #GUIDELINES: A new report has advised schools to have gender neutral toilets and uniforms to support transgender pupils.

6. #SYRIA: Syria’s opposition insists it will not attend UN talks on a political solution to the war in the country, according to BBC News.

7. WEBCAM SCAM: The Irish Mirror reports that gardaí in Limerick are investigating claims two men were blackmailed after being filmed performing sex acts on a webcam.

8. #KENNETH O’BRIEN: Gardaí are set to travel to Australia as part of the Kenneth O’Brien murder investigation, the Irish Examiner reports.

9. #COMPLAINT: A radio presenter who described female genitalia as a ‘c**k socket’ did not breach broadcasting rules, according to a BAI decision on a complaint made by a listener.