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

Taoiseach and government ministers give a press conference ahead of crunch talks between Varadkar and Michael Martin. Rolingnews.ie Rolingnews.ie

IRELAND

• A meeting between Leo Varadkar and Micheál Martin has concluded with talks between the two party leaders lasting just over an hour described as “constructive”. 
• Two men have appeared in court charged in connection to the alleged hijacking of a minibus from Dublin Airport.
• Shane Ross says he held “warm discussions” with a delegation from the FAI today following the appointment of three new independent directors to their board of management.
• Revenue officers at the Dublin Mail Centre seized almost 1.2kg of cannabis with an estimated street value of €23,580 today.
• The leader of Sinn Féin in the North said that it’s up to the British and Irish governments to ensure that the Northern Ireland Assembly is “rights-based and sustainable”.
• A bracelet which alerts teachers to when children with Autism are becoming overwhelmed has been put on display at the BT Young Scientist exhibition. 

WORLD

An area the size of Ireland is thought to have been scorched by the Australian wildfires.

#ROYALS Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has weighed in on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s announcement that they are to “step back” as senior royals. 

#QUEER A gay MP has said she will report a peer to the police for an alleged hate crime after he called her a “queer”.

#TEHRAN It is “highly likely” that an Iranian anti-aircraft missile accidentally brought down a Ukrainian passenger plane yesterday, two US officials have said.

Parting Shot

It caused a headache for the government, which thought it would be a good move to host an RIC commemoration event this month, but there does appear to be one winner out of the controversy – The Wolfe Tones. 

The Irish rebel song Come Out Ye Black And Tans has reached No. 1 in the UK and Irish iTunes charts in the wake of controversy over the planned commemorations event for the Royal Irish Constabulary and Dublin Metropolitan Police.