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

1. #TOWED Gardaí have spent almost €20 million on hiring private companies to provide tow trucks services since 2012, TheJournal.ie has learned. 

2. #SAY WHAT Dublin City Council chief executive Owen Keegan has told The Sunday Business Post that people are becoming reluctant to leave homelessness because of the quality of service the local authority is providing.

3. #UN-PREDICTABLE Former Fox News host Heather Nauert has withdrawn from consideration to become the US ambassador to the United Nations, citing family reasons.

4. #VENEZUELA Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro has vowed to strengthen border security and block what he called a US invasion as his rival Juan Guaido plans to bring aid into the country from Colombia.

5. #ULSTER SAYS SNOW Over two-thirds of people think Met Éireann should include all 32 counties as part of its colour-coded weather warning system.

6. #COURTS A jury at the Central Criminal Court will return tomorrow to consider a verdict in the trial of a Dublin man accused of murdering a former soldier.

7. #POLLS The latest Behaviour and Attitudes poll for The Sunday Times has shown no change for Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, which remain the two biggest parties in the country.

8. #GROUNDED British airline Flybmi has announced it will immediately cease operations and file for administration, blaming uncertainty over Brexit and rising fuel costs.

9. #WEATHER It will be a mixed day across the country, as outbreaks of clear this morning before sunny develop, with some scattered showers also featuring. Maximum temperatures will be between 9 and 12 degrees Celsius.

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