EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you the nine things you need to know as you start your day.

1. #SLIGO: Gardaí are investigating the deaths of three people at a house in Gurteen, Co Sligo after the bodies of a 52-year-old man and his two children, believed to be a boy aged 9 and a girl aged 12, were discovered last night.

2. #NORTH KOREA: North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Il has passed away aged 69. He led the country since his father’s death 17 years ago and state media reports that he passed away after suffering a heart attack while on a train on Saturday morning. Here’s a look back over his life – and here’s ten things to know about his likely successor, Kim Jong Un.

3. #EUROZONE: EU finance ministers are holding a teleconference today on the measures agreed at the recent leaders’ summit in Brussels. Talks are expected to centre on approving a €200m loan to the IMF to help support it in preventing further financial turmoil within the eurozone.

4.#REFERENDUM DEAL: Meanwhile, Minister for State Brian Hayes has told RTÉ’s Six One News that the Irish government would be looking for a deal on the state’s bailout deal if we are to pass a referendum on the recent EU agreement.

5. #PHILIPPINES: There will be a mass burial for the hundreds of people killed in flash floods in the latest major storm to strike the Philippines this year. The death toll rose to 650 yesterday, with over 800 people reported missing.

6. #RUSSIA: Sixteen people have died and dozens more are missing after a Russian oil rig capsized yesterday, according to the AFP and AsiaOne.

7. #CREDIT: One-third of Irish businesses are being prevented from growing their operations due to a lack of credit, according to a new business survey. Almost half of the businesses surveyed said they were struggling to survive, shrinking or winding up completely.

8. #TWITTER: A Saudi billionaire prince has invested $300 million in the microblogging site Twitter.

9. #CHRISTMAS PRESENTS: Not sure what to buy your loved one for Christmas? With time to the big day ticking down, CNN has compiled a list of items available online for those who may be more difficult to shop for - from uranium ore to cremation services. One user review has warned against purchasing the ‘Anitomical Chart Company Bags of Bones’, though, saying that disposing of the item led to an awkward conversation with first their neighbour and next the police.