GOOD MORNING. Here’s all the news that you need to know about as you start your day.
1. In our main story today, our The Good Information Project team looks at how deep in Ireland’s trading relationship with China.
In 2020, Ireland had a trade surplus with China of over €3.5 billion after exporting over €10.5 billion worth of goods to China— an 18% increase on the previous year — despite the challenges of the pandemic.
In 2019, foreign direct investment by Chinese companies in Ireland soared by 56% at a time when Chinese interest in the UK, the US and Europe seemed to be waning.
2. We also take a look at the case of Richard O’Halloran who has been detained in China as Minister for Foreign Affairs raises the issue in a meeting with his Chinese Counterpart.
Coveney met China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the city of Guiyang yesterday, in a bilateral summit that took place as part of Ireland’s two-year membership of the United Nations Security Council.
O’Halloran was detained by the Chinese when he travelled to China in February 2019 in an attempt to resolve an ongoing commercial and legal issue involving the Chinese owner of the firm for which he works.
3. Back here at home the Government have mooted that they will be reducing the Pandemic Unemployment Payment as they seek to wind down the scheme.
The PUP will be reduced by €50 from September and closed off to new applicants from July, as the country gradually reopens after the pandemic.
The government has spent over €7.7 billion on the PUP to date. The State hopes to wind down the payment in July.
4. The fall out from the detention of 26-year-old journalist Roman Protasevich and Sofia Sapega, aged 23 by Belarussian authorities when they forcibly diverted a Ryanair flight.
The Government is to bring a motion before the Dáil today on the diplomatic crisis with Belarus after a Ryanair passenger plane was diverted to Belarusian soil, leading to the arrests of an opposition journalist and his Russian girlfriend.
Speaking to The Journal, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence Simon Coveney said that he was sponsoring the “strongly-worded” motion being tabled by the Government.
5. There is news this morning that Covid-19 variants are be known by letters of the Greek alphabet to avoid stigmatising nations where they were first detected, the World Health Organization has announced.
The new system applies to variants of concern — the most troubling of which four are in circulation — and the second-level variants of interest being tracked.
“They will not replace existing scientific names, but are aimed to help in public discussion,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s Covid-19 technical lead.
Mental health
6. The mental health impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and this morning we take a look at fears that the problem from the perspective of youth workers.
The majority of the sector believe the pandemic will have long-term impacts on disadvantaged young people.
That’s according to a new report from the Irish Youth Foundation (IYF) and Amárach Research which surveyed over 300 youth workers and conducted in-depth interviews with 25 youth workers and 20 young people living with disadvantage.
More than four in five (82%) of youth workers surveyed believe the pandemic will result in long-term damage for the young people in their communities.
7.The number of mortgages approved in April 2021 was almost double the amount of approvals in the same month last year, new figures show.
According to figures from the Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI), 4,362 mortgages were approved in April this year compared to 2,200 in April 2020.
First-time buyers accounted for more than half of the total approved mortgages that month (2,389) and mover purchasers accounted for 23% (1,013).
Sports and mental health
8. We have also covered the case of a woman who brought a case against Dublin City University for her treatment after she made a complaint of sexual harrassment.
The DCU employee will receive €27,500 from the institution for the way they treated her two days after she made a complaint against her male boss.
In the case, Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) Adjudicator, Marian Duffy has ordered Dublin City University (DCU) to pay Rene O’Reilly the compensation for the distress caused to her and the effects of the victimisation under the Employment Equality Act.
Some good news
9. In our business news Morning Memo we look at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s new predictions for growth this year.
The OECD believes Ireland’s economy was expected to grow by 3% in 2021, now the prediction is 4.2%, with a growth of 5.1% next year as people catch up on any spending they missed out on this year.
The OECD also revised its global forecast upwards, from 4.2% to 5.8%. It said that the GDP of most countries would return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of next year – though that doesn’t mean the recovery for the punter on the street will be just as fast.
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