March 04: Today’s top stories in 60 seconds

Emergency accommodation offered to homeless asylum seekers ends, despite freezing temperatures forecast
Arrangements to provide shelter to homeless men who had been sleeping in tents near to the International Protection Office in Dublin City Centre have ended. Over 100 men have been sleeping rough in tents near to the International Protection Office (IPO) on Mount Street in Dublin 2. They are some of the over 1,100 men who have come to Ireland seeking International Protection (IP) who have not been accommodated by Government.
The Journal

Military weapons were imported by three young friends from darknet
Gardaí have described as “very concerning” the arrest of three young friends caught with a military assault rifle, a semi-automatic handgun, and rounds of ammunition bought on the darknet. Specialist intelligence and gangland units are examining the men’s motivation. The men, aged 19, 20, and 21, have no criminal history and no known links to gangland figures, the Irish Examiner understands. They are all friends and live in Co Wicklow with their parents. Investigations have not found that the men have extremist beliefs or associations — but the examination of their phones, laptops, and social media activity will take time.
The Irish Examiner

Minister ‘absolutely confident’ rules on State funding have not been breached in referendum campaigns
Minister for Equality Roderic O’Gorman has said he is “absolutely confident” that rules prohibiting the spending of taxpayers’ money on referendum campaigns have not been breached, and that this Friday’s family and care votes will pass. In an interview with The Irish Times in advance of the final week of the campaign, Mr O’Gorman also said that a Yes vote would not result in an increase in immigration via reunification of family rules. He also pledged that a Yes vote would not take away the rights of disabled people. There has been speculation that campaigners advocating for a No vote may be preparing a legal challenge to the outcome of the referendum, if it is successful, on the basis that the McKenna principles — which prevent the use of public funds to advocate for any side in a referendum — may have been breached.
The Irish Times

Bill shock for thousands of energy customers as leading supplier admits charging blunders
Thousands of customers of energy company SSE Airtricity have been sent incorrect bills, with some customers overcharged and others charged too little. Now the supplier is to refund any money overcharged and is making a small goodwill payment to the 17,000 customers affected.
Independent.ie

US calls for ‘immediate ceasefire’ in Gaza amid ‘inhumane’ conditions
US Vice President Kamala Harris has demanded that Hamas agree to an immediate six-week ceasefire while forcefully urging Israel to do more to boost aid deliveries into Gaza, where she said innocent people were suffering a “humanitarian catastrophe.” In some of the strongest comments by a senior leader of the US government to date on the issue, Ms Harris pressed the Israeli government and outlined specific ways on how more aid can flow into the densely-populated territory where hundreds of thousands of people are facing famine, following five months of Israel’s military campaign.
RTÉ

Trump supporters target black voters with faked AI images
Donald Trump supporters have been creating and sharing AI-generated fake images of black voters to encourage African Americans to vote Republican. BBC Panorama discovered dozens of deepfakes portraying black people as supporting the former president. Mr Trump has openly courted black voters, who were key to Joe Biden’s election win in 2020. mBut there’s no evidence directly linking these images to Mr Trump’s campaign. The co-founder of Black Voters Matter, a group which encourages black people to vote, said the manipulated images were pushing a “strategic narrative” designed to show Mr Trump as popular in the black community.
BBC News

Today’s forecast
Generally cloudy and increasingly breezy today with rain in the south pushing northwards over the country. However, it looks set to remain mostly dry in Ulster until evening time. Some heavy falls are likely with the chance of some spot flooding in the south and southeast. Highest temperatures of 7 to 10 degrees with fresh to strong and gusty southeast winds, veering southwest in the south later in the day. Rain will clear away to the northeast at first tonight with drier and clearer weather developing for many for a time. However, a further spell of heavy rain will quickly return to the south of the country overnight bringing the chance of some localised flooding there. Turning very windy in the southwest. Strong and gusty southeast winds, will veer southwest in direction overnight. Lowest temperatures of 3 to 6 degrees. A Status Yellow Wind and Rainfall warning has also been issued for Cork and Kerry.
Met Éireann