GOOD MORNING. 

Here’s all the news that you need to know as you start your day.

Dublin Airport parking charges

1. The operator of Dublin Airport has been criticised in recent days over prices for long-term car parking, with customers reporting increases over the summer travel period.

According to DAA, they use a “dynamic pricing model” for car parking fees, which fluctuate depending on factors like time of year and demand, Michelle Hennessy reports in our lead story today.

Biodiversity citizens’ assembly

2. The third meeting of the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss is set to take place today and will include a visit to three examples of biodiversity management in different environments across Dublin.

The trips will include Dublin Port, Bull Island off the coast of the city’s northside, and Turvey Nature Reserve near Donabate in Fingal.

Soc Dems conference

3. Free childcare, a three year ban on rent increases and an immediate introduction of a vacant property tax are some of the proposals being put forward at the Social Democrats party conference this weekend.

The party’s national conference is being held today, the first time it has been held in person since 2019.

According to the latest Red C polling, the Social Democrats are currently sitting at 4%, just above Labour who are on 3%.

War in Ukraine

4. Fighting is continuing in eastern Ukraine, as the country’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukrainian forces were “doing everything” to stop the ongoing Russian offensive.

There are currently fierce battles underway in the eastern Donbas region, where Russia has concentrated their forces, in particular around the industrial city of Severodonetsk.

Freedom of Dublin

5. Olympian Kellie Harrington, campaigner Ailbhe Smyth and cyberpsychology expert Professor Mary Aiken are all set to receive the Freedom of Dublin this evening.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Alison Gilliland, will confer the Honorary Freedom of the City of Dublin on the three women for their work in their respective fields, with a ceremony to be held at 8pm in the Mansion House.

March for our Lives

6. In the US, protestors are preparing for a march on Washington DC to demand tighter gun control following mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York.

Organisers of the protest expect 50,000 people to be drawn to the Washington Monument, with the group seeking to pressure politicians to take note of the shifting public opinion and enact sweeping reforms on gun control.

Cork crash

7. A man in his 80s has died following a two-car collision in Co Cork yesterday afternoon.

The incident occurred shortly after 12pm , with Gardaí and emergency services attending the scene of the crash which happened on the R585, Dunmanway Road in Bandon.

Weinstein trial

8. The disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein is set to go on trial in October in Los Angeles over the alleged assaults of five women, a US judge ruled yesterday.

Weinstein, who also faces charges of indecent assault against a women in London in 1996, is facing 11 felony charges in California.

Weather

9. It’s set to be a breezy day today, with some sunny spells and showers cropping up throughout the day, according to Met Éireann.

These showers will be most frequent in both Connacht and Ulster, with potential hail also being forecast in these two provinces.

Top temperatures today of between 14 and 18 degrees.