NEED TO CATCH up? The Journal brings you all of today’s top stories.

IRELAND

Aishling Egan, HSE Drug Harm Reduction volunteer, at the launch of the ‘Safer Nightlife Programme 2024’ to reduce harms this summer. The programme is providing harm reduction, outreach teams and ‘back of house’ drug checking at four festivals this year. Mark Stedman Mark Stedman

• The State of Palestine was formally recognised in Dáil Éireann today as Palestinian families watched on from the gallery.
• The Dáil wassuspended briefly after a group of protesters in the public gallery interrupted statements on Palestine to call for sanctions to be imposed on Israel.
• A Fine Gael local election candidate dropped her campaign after a news report claimed she received money and work to her home in exchange for withdrawing a planning objection to a housing development.
• Supreme Court hearings are set to be broadcast before the end of the year as part of a pilot project.
• A man was arrested following an incident this morning in the Parnell Square area of Dublin City.
• A youth awaiting trial after US tourist Stephen Termini suffered “five life-threatening injuries” in Dublin repeatedly broke bail conditions barring him from the vicinity of the assault.
• Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil sat out a climate hustings for Ireland’s MEP candidates ahead of the European election next week.announced that they had detected some 50 people attempting to enter Ireland from the UK illegally last week.
• Powerful opioids could be sold as other forms of drugs during the summer festival season in Ireland, experts warned.
• Rank and file gardaí voted overwhelmingly in favour of a new roster agreement ending a lengthy dispute.
• Artists given a basic income spend more time on their craft and are happier, according to a government scheme that provided 2,000 artists with a stipend to pursue their work.

WORLD

Palestinians inspect their tents destroyed by Israel’s bombardment (Jehad Alshrafi/AP)

#ISRAEL: The UN Security Council convened an emergency meeting over an Israeli strike that killed dozens of people in a refugee camp Rafah.

#VATICAN: Pope Francis issued an apology after a row over offensive language he was reported to have used to describe gay men.

#EU: An investigation by Noteworthy found that disabled people are significantly underrepresented, with little practical support given to improve participation.

PARTING SHOT

To paraphrase Dana, Midlands-Nort-West is the “all kinds of everything” constituency in the European elections.

It’s seeing 27 candidates fight for five seats across 14 counties, running coast to coast from Galway to Louth and north towards Donegal.

In the latest episode of The Candidate podcast, Political Editor Christina Finn examines how this election could unfold in Midlands-North-West with Johnny Fallon, strategy director with Carr Communications, and responsible for the Dana reference above; Stella Meehan, editor of Agriland.ie; Jane Matthews, Political Reporter with The Journal, and Muiris O’Cearbhaill, reporter with The Journal.

You can listen here or wherever you get your podcast fix.