NEED TO CATCH up? The Journal brings you a round-up of today’s news.

IRELAND

Alex before his 'Globe of Death' performance. Fossett's Circus put on four performances over two days in Clonakilty today and yesterday, before moving on to Skibbereen this weekend. Andy Gibson Andy Gibson

• Northern Ireland’s chief Constable Simon Byrne said dissident republicans claim to be in possession of information circulating on WhatsApp following a data blunder.
• Gardaí have charged two men who were arrested after a gun was seized following a chase in Mullingar yesterday.
• Four flights were diverted to Shannon Airport this morning due to adverse weather conditions in Cork. 
• Leo Varadkar appealed to the public to pay their TV licence as reports suggest the national broadcaster has lost millions in funding through the fee since a scandal over undisclosed payments to star presenter Ryan Tubridy.
• Over 5,700 notices to quit were issued to tenants from landlords in the second quarter of 2023, new data from the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) shows. 
• DUP MP Sammy Wilson said Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has “cheek” after he yesterday said “alternatives” and a “Plan B” will need to be considered if Stormont is not restored by the autumn. 
• People Before Profit proposed a plan for RTÉ and public broadcasting that suggests replacing the TV licence with a new corporation tax, targeting technology companies.
• Education Minister Norma Foley said no parent can be compelled to pay a voluntary contribution to a school.

INTERNATIONAL

The hall of historic Waiola Church in Lahaina and nearby Lahaina Hongwanji Mission are engulfed in flames Matthew Thayer / The Maui News/PA Images Matthew Thayer / The Maui News/PA Images / The Maui News/PA Images

#HAWAII At least 36 people have died as a result of wildfires in the town of Lahaina in Hawaii.

#ASSASSINATION Ecuador declared a state of emergency after an anti-corruption presidential candidate was shot and killed at a political rally.

#FRANCE Required safety standards were not met at a holiday home for adults with disabilities where a heavy fire left 11 dead in eastern France, a deputy prosecutor has said.

#HOLLYWOOD STRIKE The Emmy Awards have been postponed by almost four months, organisers today said, as strikes by Hollywood’s actors and writers drag on with no resolution in sight. 

#SPACE Virgin Galactic launched its first tourist passengers into the weightlessness of space today, the culmination of a nearly two-decade commercial pursuit.

PARTING SHOT

The 2017 Perseid meteor shower in Co Fermanagh. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

“Mother Nature puts on a celestial fireworks display for everybody and they go to sleep? We can’t let that happen!”

The public is being urged to take in the “celestial fireworks display above your roof” when the Perseid Meteor shower takes place this weekend.

While this year’s Perseid meteor shower is active between 17 July and 24 August, it will peak this coming weekend.

David Moore, founder and editor of Astronomy Ireland Magazine, noted that the moon is out of the way to make for perfect viewing conditions.

“This year we’ll have no moon in the sky, so the sky will be as dark as it can be and that will give the best view,” Moore told The Journal.