GOOD MORNING.

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

1. Conor McGregor

Former MMA fighter Conor McGregor has announced he won’t be seeking a nomination for the Irish presidency. McGregor had been scheduled to address Kildare and Dublin City councillors today to make his pitch to get on the ballot.

2. Áras hopefuls

A number of local councils will hear pitches from presidential hopefuls this week. Galway City, Westmeath, Cork City, Laois, Kildare and Dublin City Councils will today hear from Independent candidates who are looking to get on the ballot paper.

3. Bloody Sunday

The long-awaited trial of a former paratrooper accused of two murders on Bloody Sunday is due to begin at Belfast Crown Court.

Soldier F, who cannot be identified, is accused of murdering James Wray and William McKinney when members of the Parachute Regiment shot dead 13 civil rights protesters on the streets of Derry on 30 January 1972.

4. Dún Laoghaire

A man has died after getting into difficulty while swimming in Dún Laoghaire yesterday afternoon. Emergency services were alerted to the incident yesterday at around 12.30pm and the man was rescued from the water by the Coast Guard.

5. Budget 2025

Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary has said that a second tier of child benefit will not be introduced in next month’s budget, despite the Taoiseach earlier this week signalling that something to that effect would be included.

6. Niall Byrnes

The GAA community and village of Patrickswell in County Limerick were in shock after the father of Limerick senior hurling star, Diarmuid Byrnes, was stabbed several times at his home.

7. Charlie Kirk shooter motive

Investigators are not ready to discuss the motive behind the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in the US, a Utah governor has said. But Spencer Cox said that the suspect had left-leaning political beliefs, disliked the conservative influencer and is being uncooperative in custody.

8. Ozempic

Higher doses of semaglutide, the weight-loss drug marketed as Wegovy and Ozempic, can lead to even greater weight loss, clinical trials have found.

9. Emmy Awards 2025

The star of British Netflix drama Adolescence Owen Cooper has become the youngest male actor to win an Emmy, as Irish nominees lost out at last night’s TV awards show in Los Angeles.