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

IRELAND

Poolbeg Chimneys seen in the background as people enjoy the sunshine and good weather by Bull Wall in Clontarf today RollingNews.ie RollingNews.ie

• Frances Fitzgerald will not seek the nomination to be Fine Gael’s presidential candidate.
• A man died following a collision between a motorbike and a truck in north Kerry this morning.
• Laya Healthcare will increase its plans by an average of 4.5% from 1 October.
• Car loans in Ireland hit a new peak in the first three months of this year, reaching their highest level since specific record-keeping and analysis of the data began five years ago.
• Two leading animal welfare charities are merging to create a new national animal welfare organisation and improve delivery of services, as the country sees record breaking levels of animal welfare issues.
• A Catholic Bishop and former SDLP leader called for nationalist bonfire builders in Derry to stay away from burning flags or placing offensive symbols on pyres that are due to be lit this evening.
• Two Independent councillors wore Palestine Action t-shirts at a protest in Newry last night, as the PSNI today warned it will take action against anyone seen to be supporting the group this weekend.
• Mary McAleese strongly criticised Pope Leo XIV’s first 100 days, saying his pontificate has been cautious, conservative, and “anything but forward thinking.”
• The sleeping arrangements for residents living at an International Protection facility is impacting upon their dignity and privacy and has the potential to lead to accumulative harm to children, a report has found.
• New shelters for swimmers are on the way to popular bathing spots along the coastline in a few counties.
• A veteran RTÉ presenter is being replaced as the Rose of Tralee’s MC by a 2FM breakfast host.
• There’s something rotten in the streets of Drogheda – although nobody is quite sure what it is.

INTERNATIONAL

Trump greets Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

#HIGH STAKES: Trump insisted he will not be intimidated by Russian leader Vladimir Putin as the two meet in Alaska for high-stakes talks on the future of Ukraine.
#WEST BANK: Israel’s far-right Finance Minister announced that he intends to approve plans for more than 3,400 homes in the long-delayed E1 settlement area of the occupied West Bank.
#IMMIGRATION: A man who was believed to have been running from a raid by US immigration agents died yesterday after being hit by a car on a freeway.
#CLOUDBURST: Flash floods caused by torrential rains have killed at least 120 people and left d of dozens of others missing in India and Pakistan over the past 24 hours.
#PLASTIC PLAGUE: Talks aimed at striking a landmark treaty on tackling the scourge of plastic pollution have ended with no consensus on a last-ditch proposal aimed at breaking the deadlock.
#WARMING SEAS: Increasingly warm waters in the Mediterranean are encouraging hundreds of species native to the Red Sea to move through the Suez Canal and into the eastern Med, disrupting ecosystems.

PARTING SHOT

Your body may be interpreting the current warm spell as an ‘unseen threat’, causing vivid dreams Shutterstock Shutterstock

Hot weather is a common culprit for causing a bad night’s sleep, but did you know it can also contribute to strange dreams?

The warm spell we’ve been experiencing in Ireland this week may have led you to experience unusually vivid dreams which you remember more clearly than usual, according to sleep expert and health scientist Tom Coleman.

Speaking to The Journal, he explained that heat can have a significant impact on sleeping patterns as the human body’s brain and core temperature are “key for quality sleep”.