LAST UPDATE | 27 Jun

GOOD MORNING. HERE’S everything you need to know as the day gets started.

1. Pilots’ strike

Aer Lingus and the pilots’ union taking part in industrial action are due to meet this morning in a bid to resolve their ongoing pay dispute.

The Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association began an indefinite work-to-rule yesterday and will also take part in an all-out strike over an eight-hour period on Saturday.

Aer Lingus has cancelled 270 flights so far, though the airline warned earlier this week that passengers may only be informed of flight cancellations at the departure gate.

2. Covid-19 spike

There were over 1,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 confirmed in Ireland last week, a 60% increase on the week before.

The Health Surveillance Protection Centre (HSPC) said that indicators continue to show moderate to high levels of Covid-19 transmission.

A total of 1,042 cases of Covid-19 were notified to the Computerised Infectious Disease Reporting system (CIDR) between 9-15 June, up from 650 cases the previous week.

3. Emissions

It has been warned that Ireland will fail to meet its sectoral targets as the level of greenhouse gas emissions from transport continues to rise.

The Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) warned today that emissions related to the transport sector rose slightly last year, driven by a rise in demand for petrol and diesel.

According to the CCAC, demand for petrol rose by 7.7% last year, while diesel demand rose by 1%. In the same period, sales of electric vehicles (EVs) have fallen. There was also a 12% spike in the amount of jet kerosene used in Ireland last year, but this is not counted in Ireland’s transport emissions.

4. European Council 

Taoiseach Simon Harris has said he is looking forward to meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a two-day meeting of the European Council.

The Taoiseach is travelling to Brussels today where he will discuss a range of issues with fellow EU leaders, including the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, and security and defence. 

It comes as the European Union launched membership talks with Ukraine on Tuesday, as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war wages on in the country. 

5. Direct Provision 

A woman has said she and her three children will likely have to sleep in her car if she doesn’t find alternative accommodation when they are evicted from a Direct Provision centre in Co Mayo.

Ada*, who is originally from a country in Africa, has three young children including a newborn. She has been living at the DP centre in Ballyhaunis for six years and is “devastated” she has to move.

She is one of a large number of people with international protection status who have been informed they need to move out of their accommodation in various parts of the country, as the Government struggles to house new applicants.

6. AIB

The state is set to sell 5% of its stake in AIB, bringing its share in the bank to 25.5%.

The sale of shares was done through an accelerated bookbuilding process with institutional investors.

This is a process in which shares can be offered and sold in a short period of time, with little to no marketing or promotion.

7. Calls for help

There were a record 18,605 calls to Dublin Rape Crisis Centre’s national helpline last year, up from 18,400 calls in 2022.

As was the case in previous years, most calls were from women but there was an increase in the number of men who called the helpline.

Seven in 10 callers in 2023 were female (71.3%) and 17.5% were male, compared to 84% female callers and 15.7% male callers in 2022.

8. Growth

Ireland’s economy is expected to continue to grow over the next year and a half, while households are seeing an increase in real wages.

That’s according to the Economic & Social Research Institute’s (ESRI) quarterly economic commentary report published today. The ESRI is an independent research institute. 

The outlook is supported by a positive international environment, “quicker-than-expected” disinflation and low unemployment.