NEED TO CATCH up? TheJournal.ie brings you a roundup of today’s news…

State pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy after investigating the body of the man at the scene around a house in Ormond Quay today. (Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland)

IRELAND

• It was revealed that Garda escort bikes had been taken off the road for two months.
• A man died after a broad daylight stabbing in Dublin’s Smithfield area.
• Secondary school teachers announced that they would be commencing industrial action on 2 October.
• Government figures showed that 45 million bottles of wine had been sold since the introduction of a €1 levy last year.
• Gardaí are asking people attending the National Ploughing Championships to leave the sat-navs at home.
• The National Council for the Blind said that it was “surprised” to hear that Revenue plans to investigate those in receipt of the blind pension.
• The man killed in last night’s stabbing in Tallaght was named as James Humphries. His aunt told RTÉ that he “wouldn’t hurt a fly”.
• The union representing university staff voted to accept the Haddington Road Agreement by a margin of 62 per cent to 38 per cent.
• Flights at Cork Airport were disrupted as heavy fog settled over the city.
• An Irish father of nine was killed after falling from a balcony in New York City.

INTERNATIONAL

Veteran entertainer Rolf Harris arrives at Westminster Magistrate’s Court in London today. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

#YEWTREE Entertainer Rolf Harris appeared in a London court today to face nine charges of indecent assault and making indecent images of children.

#KENYA Kenyan forces stormed the Westgate Mall in what the Interior Ministry called the ‘final assault’ on terrorists.

#TRACKERS The head of the European Central Bank said that interest rates will stay low, in a move that will please holders of tracker mortgages.

#SNAKE ON A PLANE In a scene reminiscent of a Samuel L Jackson movie, a snake caused a Qantas plane heading from Sydney to Japan to be delayed.

INNOVATION

• This incredibly cool gif shows how a piece of the Apollo 12 rocket floated around space for 31 years, at one stage coming close to re-entering earth’s orbit. [Geek.com]
• A computer club in Germany has claimed that it has hacked the fingerprint scanner on the iPhone 5S. In a remarkably simple video, members of the Chaos Computer Club take one minute to get around the security feature. [BusinessEtc]

PARTING SHOT

With a groundswell of opinion rising against Arthur’s Day, Guinness manufacturer Diageo was forced to defend the campaign. Corporate Relations Director Peter O’Brien even pledged to visit an Accident and Emergency Department to survey the change in demand for emergency services this Thursday. (@jonathanhealy/Twitter)

Here’s what happened yesterday