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

Festival-goers pictured at Beyond The Pale in Glendalough, Co Wicklow. Cian O'Donnell Cian O'Donnell

IRELAND

• The Football Association of Ireland confirmed that Uefa has approved a request to move Ireland’s home Nations League match against Israel to a neutral venue overseas.
• Police in Northern Ireland have arrested 19 people and charged 12 in connection with the recent riots and racist attacks that took place in Belfast and elsewhere this week.
• The condition of Belfast stabbing victim Stephen Ogilvie is “improving” and he could be woken from a coma within the next 48 hours, police said.
• A man in his 30s was arrested after another man died at a house in Arderry, Co Leitrim last night.
• Jeffrey Donaldson denied that he attended a meeting in the 1990s with an alleged victim to nip her claims of sexual abuse against him “in the bud”.
• RTÉ said it will continue to show ads during water breaks during World Cup games, but that it does not expect to do so extensively.
• An assault charge has been withdrawn from a business student accused of violent disorder connected to an attack on music promoter Qayyum Balogun, who died after a stabbing in Dublin.
• The Irish Defence Forces said it is disappointed about how the memorial to members who died in service was recently used as an access point to an event.

INTERNATIONAL

Michael Bublé pictured during an opening ceremony for the World Cup in Toronto. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

#IRAN: Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif has said the United States and Iran have reached an agreement on the final text of a peace deal.

#TRILLIONAIRE: Elon Musk became the world’s first trillionaire after investors piled into SpaceX during the biggest stock market debut in history, adding hundreds of billions of dollars to the tech billionaire’s fortune in a matter of hours.

#RIP: Celebrated British artist David Hockney has died aged 88, his publicist has said.

#PARTEY: Thomas Partey has been denied entry to Canada and will miss Ghana’s World Cup opener with Panama on Wednesday.

#WORLD CUP: Canada’s first men’s World Cup match on home soil is underway tonight following a star-studded opening ceremony in Toronto.

PARTING SHOT

The UFC Freedom 250 arena seen from the Washington Monument in Washington DC. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Donald Trump is preparing for his 80th birthday bash in typical presidential fashion – by setting up a huge cage-fighting arena on the White House’s South Lawn for an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event.

The giant arena dubbed “The Claw” – which stands taller than the White House – will feature 14 UFC contestants on Sunday as part of events officially billed to celebrate the 250th anniversary of US independence, but which also happen to fall on Trump’s birthday.

Critics have panned the $60 million (€52.01 million) UFC Freedom 250 event as tone-deaf at a time when Trump’s war in Iran has sent the cost of living soaring. But Trump says it is a great way to kick off the 250th anniversary and insists UFC is bearing all the cost.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio described Sunday’s events as a “gift to the American people” as he signed a partnership deal with UFC boss Dana White to promote mixed martial arts internationally.

Read more here.