 Good evening and welcome to DCU TV News. I'm Ani Khanidi and today we'll be looking at the top stories that have taken place across the university over the last two weeks. We'll also be looking at national news stories that directly affect DCU students. Our first story this evening looks at the increase in taxi fares. Communities will see a 3% rise in the coming months. A 10-year journey will now cost $10.50. Mihaal Oskanal and Ian Mangan spoke to some regular taxi users about the announcement. This week, increased tax fares proposed by the National Transport Authority were brought into effect. The changes which were proposed back in September will see taxi fares rise by 3.2% and are the first increase since the last pay rise in 2015. The increase will see commuters pay a slightly larger fee than usual with a 10-year journey now costing around €10.50 and a 30-year journey now costing €31. Although the rise may not be substantial, there are some everyday taxi customers who feel the rise may not be necessary. Well, I get taxes all the time from here. The rise in fare shouldn't really be added down. It shouldn't really be because they get enough as it is. What is it for something before you even pull off? So I'm going to put the extra on it then. That means there's more money going on top of that again. Head of Public Affairs for the National Transport Authority, Donald O'Gara, said that the measures were put in place to alleviate twin-link taxi driver profit margins. But how will the changes really affect business? It affects me and all taxi drivers. They cost you to go to €200 to have all the alterations done to your meter. It takes you a long time to cloud that back before you see any actual increase in their earnings. While taxi drivers will lose money initially, the aim is to increase their profits in the long run. However, some drivers fear the increase will discourage customers from using their service. Mihalo Eskenal, DCU TV News. The number of Irish students studying in the UK has been decreasing for a number of years. The fall-off almost doubled last year to 11%. Shauna Cohen and Megan Conway report. The business building in DCU, a place where many leave-ins are students will hope to end up next year. However, students feel like their CEOs. UCAS have announced that the numbers of Irish students accepting places in UK universities has fallen by 11%. The fall-off doubled from last year and has been linked to concerns over an increase in fees after Brexit. Irish guidance councillors were caught as about advising students to study in the UK. And the future of fees is unclear. There is a fear, I suppose, of the uncertainty. Economically and politically, students aren't quite sure what's going to happen in terms of the situation around fees. The cost of living and there are so many variables going with that. So it's making students take stock. The advice that we would give as guidance councillors would be to do your sums, do your maths, to damage your parents and work out the logistics and the affordability. Can you afford to live and if the situation around fees, wherever you're going, changes, can you actually fund those fees going forward? English universities currently receive the highest number of Irish students opting to study abroad. However, this drop by 22% mastered just over 900. There's also fears over outbreaks that will affect the free fees scheme in Scotland and how this effect will impact the Irish students currently availing of them. So it's very hard to predict what's going to happen with the situation around Scotland. That could change. We just don't know what's going to happen. It's an unknown world at the moment. More than 100 cyclists are injured in collisions each year. Our reporters Colleen Brady and Rita Martin spoke to students to see if they fell safe cycling to and from college. More than 100 cyclists on Irish roads are injured in collisions each year according to recent data from the Road Safety Authority. Cities and towns are most dangerous for cyclists with the majority of all accidents occurring in built-up areas. Students are encouraged to cycle to college through initiatives such as cycle to campus scheme and the DCU inter-campus bike scheme. However, many cyclists feel unsafe travelling to college on bikes. At the moment when I'm cycling, I'll be behind a bus. That bus is probably going to pull out. I can either try and overtake it, which is dangerous or I can stay behind it and get a big face full of fumes, which isn't that pleasant. So I think if we could have a situation where there was just more of a kind of clearly demarcated space for cyclists and one of the buses that would be better. DCU also holds weekly bike clinics where students can come and get their bike serviced for free of charge. We spoke to Samantha Fahey about what can be done to improve models and encourage students to cycle to college. My ideal would be that we would have segregated cycle tracks so that they wouldn't have the opportunity for cars to pull in on top of them because you can see as you do any of the routes even just between our campuses that some of the cars are parked inside of the cycle lane so it's really difficult for cyclists because then they have to go out around the car and you're getting the way of other motor vehicles coming up and down the road. Rachel Martin, DCU TV News. The Interfaith Centre were sharing the love and giving out free pancakes on Tuesday. Our reporters Katie Geller and Amy Murphy went to look for pancakes and asked students if they'll be giving up anything for Lent. As throw of Tuesday comes to an end those who will partake in the traditional fasting season of Lent will be preparing to go off their favourite foods and stop any bad habits. Over 1,000 pancakes were given out to DCU students today. Pancake Tuesday has arrived in DCU and students have been receiving free pancakes all day at their glass nevin campus at their Interfaith Centre. We ask students if they plan to participate in the fasting tradition this year and if so, what they'll be going off. I'm sure yet this year maybe chocolate will see how we're doing see how the exams go tomorrow. See how we're feeling, yeah. I know, I don't think I'm going to go off anything for Lent. I was thinking about it, but I was thinking about it. Oh ok, I plan to give up bread for Lent because I really like pastries and I'm trying to be more healthy in that sense. Yeah, so bread. Yes, I plan to do the Lent for 40 days because I am a face and I think this can be good for me to become again on the base to after appreciate a lot to have some good things. So I think that I'm going to prepare one chocolate every morning but I hope that I will succeed it. Ok, and for me it will be something similar. I'm catalytic, so I'm going to do the chocolate maybe every morning, like Maxens. I just try to stop smoking for be more healthy and close to the God. Yeah, I'm doing Lent, I'm a chaplain so it's kind of one reason to do it but I think it's an absolutely beautiful thing because one of the greatest, most revolutionary things you can do is take back control and abstain from something fast. It's absolutely counter-cultural, absolutely powerful, absolutely beautiful, it's good for your body, it's good for your mental well-being, it's good for your soul. I'm giving up alcohol and maybe a little something else for 40 days. The annual bros of Tralee took place in the canteen on the Glass Neve campus last Wednesday. Our reporter Zoe Ryan went to the event to get the behind-the-scenes look. We're tonight at DC's annual event, the Bros of Tralee in the aid of Cancer Society. Earlier on we were talking to Siobhani Taig of the Student Union to ask her about her involvement in tonight's production. So, Bros of Tralee is back, it's kind of been a collaboration between societies, SU, DC Volunteer. Bros of Tralee is basically a row of Tralee with boys. So they're kind of clear as in the name. People from each society will be dressing up as love heroes for the night and they'll be accompanied by the escort and the best bro will win. We're going to go backstage now to talk some judges and the contestants ahead of tonight's show. Tonight is about all of it, looking at high heels, seeing who walks the best, who looks the best and overall who is the bro of Tralee. So Keefa McGowan and I have swapped clothes. This is actually the play-suit that she wore today. This is her jacket. And this is the bow that she wore to Shike Knight last night. It's written for charity. We're representing MPS. The winners. All our bows were pure bows. So I'm a representative drummer. I'm also on the SU bus, so I'm a representative drummer today. Everything that we make tonight, everything you make in the store, everything that we make in the wrap-up is going straight to the Irish House of Tralee. The bros had a variety of interesting talents to keep us all entertained. I'm going to be sort of like Libby Waltz. Point out a few facts about you. You're definitely an actress. You're definitely wearing a dress. I'm finally to sports. D'Souff Cratchley was a Gerson cup after a core final defeat at the hands of rivals UCD. A strong fight back at the end at the first half was not enough as UCD held on for a four-point victory. Alex Dunn and Michelle Townsend report. I'm going to be sort of like Libby Waltz. I'm going to be sort of like Libby Waltz. I'm going to be sort of like Libby Waltz. I'm going to be sort of like Libby Waltz. Alex Dunn and Michelle Townsend report. D'Souff fell by four points to UCD in a tough Stegerson cup quarter-final in St Clairs-on-Chapeston. The home side fought back from the nightmare for us 15 minutes, where UCD once led by seven points, to be only one point behind the half-time after a goal by German but. A 10-second period saw UCD take charge thanks to the free kick-taking of Connor McCarthy, and another slow start cost D'Souff their momentum. The final score read, UCD 16 points, DCU a goal and nine points. Speaking after the game, DCU forward German O'Connor said that the sides were evenly matched by the end, but UCD's clinical finishing ending up being the difference between the two teams, as well as DCU having too much of a gap to claw back. It's another campaign over for an oil miner's men, while UCD will advance to next week's semi-finals. Alex Dom, DCU TV News. That's all from the newsroom. Tune in again Wednesday week for more DCU TV news.