Cross-border fuel laundering is in steep decline, with new figures from Revenue showing a huge drop in incidents, and local authorities reporting a sharp fall in the number of cases of toxic sludge by-product being discovered.

Good morning. Here’s everything you need to know before you start your day.

Councillor Hugh McElvaney has been told to quit Monaghan County Council.

Liveline presenter Joe Duffy’s triplet children will turn 21 on Easter Monday 2016, and he tells them that no matter how tough the recession was it was nothing like Ireland in 1916.

Work got under way yesterday on a massive project designed to bring hundreds of jobs to one of the country’s employment black spots.

Three candidates have been elected to the newly reformed Monaghan County Council.

The local election count in Ballybay-Clones, Co Monaghan, is set to be declared null and void after the sudden death of sitting Owen Bannigan.

A late surge saw turnout nationally in the local and European parliament elections approach an estimated 57%, one percentage below the 2009 figure and 9% less than the 68% recorded in the last general election.

The ballot in Ballybay Clones will have to be reheld at a later date following the death of Fine Gael candidate Owen Bannigan.

Local authorities along the border are counting the cost of the worst year yet for cleaning up toxic sludge left behind by illegal fuel laundering.

In Co Monaghan emergency services were called in this afternoon to deal with a huge environmental threat on a cross-border road.

Ten food businesses were served with closure orders for breaches of food safety legislation last month.

Cork City Council has emerged as the best resourced local authority on a per capita basis of all 34 county and city councils in the Republic.

Cash-strapped local authorities are facing growing bills to clean up toxic sludge created by illegal fuel laundering.

The Department of the Environment has written to all county and city managers giving updated details of the sums deducted from their funding as a result of the non-payment of the €100 household charge.

Thousands of litres of toxic diesel sludge has been discovered in Co Monaghan.

CRIMINALS were earning about €125,000 in profit a month from a massive oil laundering plant smashed by Customs officers yesterday.

WITH most of the spotlight on the restoration of water supplies, following damage done during the freezing spell, it would be easy to overlook a paramount issue — the quality of the water we drink each day.

FORMER Irish Nationwide Building Society chairman Michael Fingleton, a Fianna Fáil senator and two developers are opposing a bid to fast-track a legal action against them over unpaid property loans of €13.5 million.

AN asylum seeker centre where standards were severely criticised by Oireachtas committee members last week had recently received a ‘Q’ mark for quality from a private inspection firm.

A LORRY driver was killed when his out-of-control milk tanker ploughed into three houses, narrowly missing several people including a mother and her sleeping teenage son.

A lorry driver was killed when his out-of-control milk tanker ploughed into three houses, narrowly missing several people including a mother and her sleeping teenage son, emergency services said today.

MORE that 60% of local authorities have increased their charges at a time when the focus of the economy should be on reducing costs, Chambers Ireland said last night.

SLIGO County Council provides the best planning service and Clare the worst, according to a study.

IT was pleasing to hear Environment Minister John Gormley voice his concerns about chewing gum and cigarette butts on our streets and his determination to clean up the mess.

A Monaghan councillor has called Minister for Environment John Gormley's intervention into the county's re-zoning plans undemocratic.

Minister for Environment John Gormley has utilised a rarely-used power to overturn a string of land re-zonings approved by Monaghan County Council.

ILLEGAL dumping of waste fuel has cost a local authority an estimated €1.1 million.

LOCAL authorities have been criticised for imposing steep fees on the public for hard copies of county development master plans.

An oral hearing into plans to build a waste incinerator on the Monaghan-Tyrone border is due to get underway today.

A group representing councils in the Republic and the North today urged Tony Blair to bin proposals to build a new generation of nuclear power plants in the UK.

THE announcement of the Strategic Infrastructure Bill to fast track major projects is another nail in the coffin of Irish democracy.

A CRIMINAL gang which dumped 30,000 litres of toxic waste after ‘laundering’ diesel is estimated to have made more than €1 million from the operation.

Protesters have warned that they will step up their campaign for acute emergency services at Monaghan General Hospital if they don't get a top-level meeting with the Health Service Executive.

YOUR editorial (Irish Examiner, August 17) is critical of the National Roads Authority (NRA) against the background of the pending award of the contract for the Castleblayney bypass.

THE Government has been urged to place a temporary block on awarding contracts to construction firm Gama until all investigations into the company have been completed.

A sceptical public could be forgiven for asking why a construction group investigated by the State over worker exploitation is about to be awarded a €50 million contract by the National Roads Authority (NRA).

Harry McGee, Political Editor

An investigation is underway after thousands of litres of deadly toxic waste was discovered dumped on a farm in Co Monaghan.

‘HITLER’ taunts were shouted at county councillors yesterday who refused to give Dana Rosemary Scanlon a nomination to contest the Presidential election.

Thousands of children are to benefit from a multi-million euro plan to build 32 playgrounds throughout the country, it was announced today.

Sports organisations have welcomed millions of euro in National Lottery grant funding announced by the Government.

A councillor’s decision to quit Sinn Fein has shown that many republicans face a dilemma of conscience over IRA weapons decommissioning, Sinn Fein’s member of the southern Parliament said today.

A 28-year-old Co Monaghan man who was confined to a wheelchair after a road accident more than seven years ago has been awarded record damages of more than £2.75m.