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

1. #PAISLEY: Tributes have been paid to Ian Paisley, the divisive former leader of the DUP, who died on Friday at the age of 88.

2. #AT WAR: The White House has declared that the United States is officially at war with Islamic State militants, comparing it to the fight against al-Qaeda.

3. #VERDICT: The family of Reeva Steenkamp has said ‘justice was not served’ after Oscar Pistorius was acquitted of her murder but found guilty of manslaughter in South Africa. “This verdict is not justice for Reeva,” said her mother.

4. #MONEY MONEY MONEY: Michael Noonan will lobby EU Finance Ministers at an informal meeting today to confirm that Ireland can repay its IMF loans early in order to pay less interest and save money, RTE reports.

5. #HOSTAGE: The family of a British aid worker believed to have been kidnapped by Islamic State have appealed for his captors to contact them, Sky News reports. David Haines was kidnapped in Syria in March 2013.

6. #MISS Y: The baby boy at the centre of the Miss Y case, who was born at just under 26 weeks’ gestation by Caesarean section after Miss Y sought a termination, is to remain in State care for at least two more months, the Irish Times reports.

7. #DONATION: The Australian radio station at the centre of a royal hoax call controversy last year has donated AUS$500,000(€350,000) to the family of the nurse who took her own life after the call.

8. #FINAL DAYS: The Scottish independence campaign is entering its final weekend as the latest poll shows the No side is ahead by just two percentage points. However almost one fifth of voters say that they remain undecided.

9. #GET OUT THE SUNGLASSES: The unexpectedly nice period of weather is set to last a little longer, with Met Éireann saying that today will be warm and mostly dry as temperatures hit the low 20s. A late summer? Grand.