GOOD MORNING.

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

Ukraine 

1. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his country’s push into Russia is intended to create a buffer zone.

West Cork

2. Two men have been charged following an assault in Dunmanway, Co Cork that took place on Saturday.

Abuse

3. A group calling for a public inquiry into one of Ireland’s most prolific paedophiles, Michael Shine, are breaking their silence for the first time today in a series of exclusive, in-depth interviews with The Journal.

Arms trade

4. Amnesty International has said “numerous governments continue to brazenly flout the Arms Trade Treaty rules” and that it is “leading to a huge loss of life in conflict zones”.

Passports

5. Over one hundred people have been charged for failing to present valid passports or IDs when they enter the State in the first five months of the year, new figures have shown.

Retirement age

6. The mandatory retirement age for members of the Defence Forces has risen from 60 to 62 today.

Chicago

7. Thousands of people will attend the Democratic National Convention in Chicago which begins today, as the party looks to capitalise on the wave of momentum it has experienced since Joe Biden announced he would not seek re-election.

Israel  

8. While in Israel to push for a Gaza ceasefire, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said today that ongoing negotiations were “maybe the last” chance to reach an agreement to end the war.

Slingshot 

9. Irish researchers are among those involved in a first ever Earth and lunar spacecraft fly-by.