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

IRELAND

The scene where Gardaí are investigating the circumstances surrounding the discovery of a human hand at the Our Lady Immaculate school in Darndale Dublin. RollingNews.ie RollingNews.ie

• Gardaí in Dublin discovered a human hand on the grounds of a school today
• Sinn Féin announced it will not be attending the White House this year for St Patrick’s Day celebrations
• Taoiseach Micheál Martin accused the opposition party of engaging in politics over the decision not to attend events in Washington
• A man accused of the murder of Quham Babatunde was arrested in the North after ferry to Liverpool turned around, a court was told
• Laya Healthcare announced that customer premiums will be increasing in April
• The Justice Minister took the garda fitness test, to prove that anyone can do it
• A court ruled that the State may use Enoch Burke’s salary payments to pay back the €79,000 he owes in court fines
• Micheál Martin had a phone call with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after a tempestuous week for the Ukrainian President
• The Journal revealed that RTÉ spent thousands to promote the purchase of a TV licence following the payments scandal in 2023

INTERNATIONAL

Candles left outside the entrance of Gemelli Hospital in Rome for Pope Francis, who is suffering from double pneumonia. Alamy Alamy

#GERMANY: A man was seriously injured following an attack at the Holocaust memorial in Berlin 

#WASHINGTON: A far-right French leader cancelled his speech at a US conference after Steve Bannon made a gesture, similar to a Nazi salute

#ROME: Doctors said Pope Francis is to remain in hospital for another week

PARTING SHOT

A Hitler-style moustache drawn on an Olaf Scholz poster - a common sight for election posters in the country. Alamy Alamy

Ahead of important elections in Germany, our reporter Eoghan Dalton has been speaking to voters in Berlin and reporting on what the Irish public should expect as polls open this weekend.

In my colleague’s latest article from Deutschland, he provides you with an run down of the runners and riders, polling data and the important context that details the weight of the pending election’s result.

You can read that article, and more, here.