EVERY MORNING TheJournal.ie brings you nine things you need to know with your morning coffee.

1. #ILLEGAL WASTE: Around 10,000 tonnes of illegally dumped commercial and household rubbish is being excavated from a quarry in Northern Ireland in order to be brought back to the Republic – at a cost of almost €4 million to the State. It’s estimated that 250,000 tonnes of waste from the Republic was covertly dumped at 14 sites in the North between 2002 and 2004.

2. #BACKLOG: Some families that are struggling financially may be forced to wait until well into October, or later, to receive their government allowances for school clothing and footwear, due to a massive backlog in the processing of applications, TheJournal.ie has learned.

3. #HOME LOANS: Some lenders are agreeing to write off property loans for homeowners unable to repay mortgage debts, according to the Irish Examiner. Five mortgage holders have reportedly had the balance on their loans forgiven in recent months after agreeing to give up their homes.

4. #NICARAGUA: A 28-year-old Belfast man has died while hiking in Central America. Gaelic footballer Michael McLean died in the arms of his younger brother after falling and hitting his head while on a guided expedition in Nicaragua on Sunday.

5. #DOUBLE KILLING: An Irishman and his South African wife, who were the victims of a double-murder in Johannesburg last week,  had sought a restraining order against the man suspected of killing them just days before their deaths. Diving school owners Kevin McGuirk, 54, from Dublin, and his South African wife Kim McGuirk said that her father Erwin Poppinger, 75, had threatened to kill them several times in a long-standing row over money.

6. #LIBYA: Fighting is continuing in Tripoli today, with as many as 400 people reported dead in the past few days, as the country’s National Transitional Council prepares to assume power. Deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi still at large, however he reportedly vowed “martyrdom or victory” last night in an audio message broadcast by a Tripoli radio station, the BBC reports. There has been no independent verification that the man speaking on the tape is Gaddafi.

7. #FRANCE: The French Prime Minister is preparing to announce austerity measures, including spending cuts and tax increases, aimed at saving €14bn over the next two years, RTÉ reports. The country’s leaders have denied France is facing an imminent cut to its sovereign credit rating.

8. #EARTHQUAKE: The 5.9-magnitude earthquake that hit the state of Virginia on America’s east coast yesterday has raised fears about the safety of the country’s nuclear reactors. The quake hit just a few kilometres from the two-reactor North Anna plant, Reuters reports.

9. #DISTRESSED: The organisers of two major auctions of distressed properties have announced details of a third auction to be held in Dublin next month – have a sneaky look at what’s on offer in our gallery.