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

1. #IT’S A TIE: The top three parties are all tied on similar support, according to an exit poll commissioned by TG4, RTÉ, the Irish Times and UCD.

2. #STORM CIARA: Thousands of homes are without power this morning after stormy conditions and gusts of up to 130km/h hit the country overnight. 

3. #MASS SHOOTING: A soldier angry over a financial dispute has been shot dead by police after gunning down 26 people and wounding 57 in Thailand’s worst mass shooting.

4. #MONAGHAN: Gardaí investigating the burglary of a shop in Monaghan town have arrested five men and recovered stolen electronic devices with an estimated value of €50,000. 

5. #RIP: Tributes have been paid to RTÉ journalist and broadcaster Keelin Shanley who has died at the age of 51. 

6. #CORONAVIRUS: The death toll in China from the coronavirus has risen to 811, surpassing SARS fatalities in the 2002-2003 outbreak, Chinese health authorities announced on today.

7. #KILKENNY: Gardaí are seeking the public’s assistance in tracing the whereabouts of a 24-year-old woman missing from her home in Kilkenny. 

8. #IMPEACHMENT SAGA: The lawyer of a US official fired by President Donald Trump after testifying at his impeachment trial has defended his client after Mr Trump said he was sacked for being “very insubordinate”, BBC reports. 

9. #NOW WHAT: After last night’s dramatic exit poll we take a look at what those findings might mean when it comes to government formation talks.