Every morning, TheJournal.ie brings you nine things you really need to know as you start your day.

1. #BIG FREEZE: More snow last night has caused “hazardous road conditions nationwide”, according to AA Roadwatch. Particularly heavy snow fell in Leinster and Connaught, and Met Éireann is warning of freezing fog and further snow today for Ulster and Connaught in particular.

2. #DEFAULT: 57% of respondents in a Sunday Independent poll say they want Ireland to default on its debt. A government source told the paper that the Irish negotiators of the EU/IMF bailout deal brought up the possibility of default last week and the Europeans “went completely mad”.

3. #BAILOUT: Ireland’s €85bn bailout deal with the EU and IMF is expected to be finalised today, and the BBC reports that European finance ministers are due to meet in Brussels to discuss the details of the deal today. European ministers reportedly want an agreement before the markets re-open tomorrow, in an effort to prevent investor fears over Irish banking spreading further into the eurozone.

4. #BUDGET 2011: The Sunday Business Post reports that ministers are meeting to discuss curbing politicians’ pay and pensions this week, and their discussions could also lead to a car pooling agreement. Meanwhile, the Sunday Tribune reports that Independent TD Michael Lowry has warned he won’t support the Budget unless the bailout deal is “fair”.

5. #BRAY: A post-mortem examination is due to be carried out today on the body of a man discovered in Bray yesterday, according to RTÉ.

6. #HAITI: Global Post reports that Haitians fear that the forthcoming presidential elections, which musician Wyclef Jean considered running in, will be marred by violence. This is the country’s first election since the devastating earthquake in January.

7. #KOREA: North Korea has threatened further attacks on its southern neighbour ahead of today’s planned ‘war games’ between South Korea and the US, the Guardian reports. The funerals for the two South Korean marines killed during last week’s shelling were buried yesterday.

8. #WIKILEAKS: The US State Department has warned Wikileaks that it will endanger the lives of “countless individuals” if it presses ahead with its planned release of government documents tonight, according to Bloomberg. Wikileaks is providing some 250,000 documents, including diplomatic communications, to the New York Times, Der Spiegel and The Guardian.

9. #CHOCO HEAVEN: Feeling peckish? A French chocolatier has created an incredible 10-metre-tall chocolate Christmas tree. The Telegraph has a video of the delicious creation.