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

IRELAND

Former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi at the US Ambassador to Ireland's residence in Phoenix Park, Dublin, as she becomes the inaugural recipient of the Fulbright Ireland Public Service Award. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

• The Government will give “very serious consideration” to a redress scheme for the families of Stardust victims, Micheál Martin said.
• Eamon Ryan condemned the presence of masked men and banners outside Roderick O’Gorman’s home and described how he has received similar abuse. 
• An Irish man in his fifties drowned in the Algarve in Portugal. 
• Families facing eviction in Donegal said they feel like “pawns on a chessboard” over plans to remove them from their homes. 
• Minister of State Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said she joined the Oireachtas Friends of Israel group and the Palestinian friendship group because she is in favour of a two-state solution. 
• A motorcyclist was airlifted from the scene of a crash after suffering serious injuries yesterday afternoon.
• Fine Gael received a boost following Simon Harris’s election as Taoiseach, according to the findings of a new poll.
• A man died after a crash involving a car and motorcycle in Co Antrim.
• A woman was robbed while pulled over on the side of a road in Kildare yesterday afternoon.

INTERNATIONAL

On the eve of Passover, to be celebrated at sundown Monday, a traditional Passover Seder table is set at Jerusalem's Denya Square in solidarity with the hostages and their families. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

#MASS GRAVE Palestinian rescue workers and paramedics discovered a mass grave at the site of the Nasser hospital in Gaza as Israeli strikes killed 18 people in Rafah overnight and West Bank violence continued to boil over. 

#MIDDLE EAST Iran and Israel appeared to step back from the brink of broader conflict as lawmakers in the United States approved new Israeli military aid yesterday despite growing criticism of its ally’s war on Gaza.

PARTING SHOT

ON 22 MARCH 2024, in Vienna, a significant resolution was passed during the 67th session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND). This resolution marked the first acknowledgment, by the CND, of ‘Harm Reduction’ as a crucial component of successful public health strategies.

It urges countries to create and put into action Harm Reduction strategies to reduce the negative health and social impacts stemming from the non-medical use of illegal drugs.

Harm Reduction principles fundamentally revolve around neither promoting nor denouncing drug use but rather focusing on addressing the associated risks. It entails supporting individuals to mitigate harm; responding to their specific needs; and recognising and supporting people to reach their potential.

In our Voices article today, drug policy expert Tony Duffin explains how PTSD is driving Ukrainian soldiers towards using drugs. 

You can read the rest of Tony’s article here.