Every morning, TheJournal.ie brings you the nine stories you need to know a little before 9am.

1. #UNITED NATIONS Ireland will defend its record on human rights before the United Nation’s Human Rights Committee over the next two days. A number of groups have already made submissions – among them is Survivors of Symphisiotomy.

2. #ITALY Efforts are being made to refloat the shipwrecked Costa Concordia. The salvage master has admitted to being “a bit nervous” about the refloat, which comes two and a half years after the liner sank, leaving 32 people dead.

3. #ISRAEL Israel is keeping up its air strikes and artillery fire on the Gaza Strip despite diplomatic efforts to halt the unrest. Three training facilities of Hamas’ military wing were struck, with no casualties.

4. #HEALTH Hospitals have already overspent by €100m this year, double the deficit of last year, the Irish Examiner reports. It says that some hospitals were overspending by as much as 28% by the end of May.

5. #CHILD LABOUR South Korean electronics giant Samsung has temporarily suspended business with one of its suppliers in China after finding ‘evidence’ of possible illegal child labour at the plant. An investigation is underway.

6. #RESCUE Toddler Torben O’Shea, who survived a car crash that killed his siblings, disappeared while out with his family in a woods at the weekend. He was found after seven “terrifying” hours, a number of this morning’s papers report.

7. #EDUCATION One in six third-level students drops out after first year, a new study from the Higher Education Authority has found. That makes around 7,000 students who do not progress every year in Ireland. Females are more likely to progress than men.

8. #JOBSWATCH A skills shortage could cost software jobs in Ireland, a new report suggests. It says that thousands of Irish software jobs could be forced overseas unless measures are taken.

9. #POOLBEG An emergency motion to protect the Poolbeg chimneys will be raised at Dublin City Council’s meeting today. Cllr Dermot Lacey has resubmitted a motion to include the chimneys on a protected structures list, amid outcry over the ESB saying it might have to demolish them.