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

1. #CONSTRUCTION: A sharp nationwide drop in the number of planning applications being filed has been revealed in the latest National Housing Construction Index. Only Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim have recorded maginal increases in the number of applications, while Kildare, Kerry and Clare saw the biggest drop.

2. #SYRIA: The White House has said that the regime of Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad is crumbling following the defection to Jordan of prime minister Riad Hijab. Meanwhile photos have emerged of life inside the embattled city Aleppo.

3. #OLYMPICS: Belfast teenager Michael Conlan could join John Joe Nevin and Katie Taylor as an Olympic medal winner as he fights in the men’s flyweight semi-finals this evening at London 2012. Other Irish athletes in action today include Paul Hession in the 200m heats, Derval O’Rourke in the 100m hurdles semi-finals, while sailors Ger Owens and Scott Flanagan are competing at Weymouth. Check out our full Olympic Breakfast here.

4. #WATER SUPPLY Residents – around 1,400 in total –  in the Clontarf area of north Dublin are  still being asked not to use their tap water for drinking or cooking after high levels of bacteria were discovered. You can check the Dublin City Council website for updates and a map of the affected areas. Results of further testing of the water supply in the area are expected today.

5. #CHILDCARE A survey carried out by the Irish Independent has found that childcare bills have overtaken mortgages as the biggest monthly financial headache in Irish households. The survey has revealed that the cost of having one child cared for is €1,100 for some families.

6. #JOBS Another survey, this time from the Small Firms Association, reveals that that while 40 per cent of the country’s small businesses are planning to create new jobs, there are still a number of barriers to extra employment opportunities.

7. #HANDBAGS Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan has refused to apologise for allegations he’s made about Ceann Comhairle Seán Barrett, accusing him of failing to carry out his responsibilities. This morning’s Irish Times reports that a call for an apology from the Committee on Procedures and Privileges has gone unheeded. According to the Irish Daily Mail, meanwhile, the return of the Dáil in now in jeopardy because of the ‘crisis’.

8. #TRAGIC Singer Gary Barlow and his wife Dawn have issued a statement after their daughter Poppy was delivered stillborn on Saturday. The couple have said they are devastated and have asked for their privacy to be respected.

9. #ASK ME ANYTHING Independent TD Stephen Donnelly has revealed ten of the questions he’s asked most frequently by members of the public. Want to know what he thinks of the grub in the Leinster House canteen, or what his daily schedule looks like? Well then, read on.