LAST UPDATE | 24 May 2021

GOOD MORNING. Here’s all the news that you need to know as you start your day.

Road traffic offences

1. Foreign diplomats have avoided prosecution for road traffic offences 12 times since 2019 by using their diplomatic immunity, Niall O’Connor writes in our lead story today.

According to documents obtained by The Journal, the Department of Foreign Affairs were notified 17 times either by gardaí or by embassies and consulates of road traffic offences of embassy staff.

The documents cover the years 2019, 2020 and the first three months of this year. In a dozen of those cases tickets and any subsequent prosecutions were waived when the embassies used international laws to avoid the incident going any further.

Belarus

2. Belarus forcing a passenger plane carrying a wanted opposition activist to divert and land in its capital has provoked a furious outcry from world leaders who described it as an “act of state terrorism” ahead of an EU summit today expected to toughen sanctions on Minsk.

Dissident journalist Roman Protasevich was detained on Sunday after Ryanair flight FR4978 was pulled from its Athens-to-Vilnius route and — accompanied by a Belarusian fighter jet — diverted to the capital city.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin called the forced landing of the plane “absolutely unacceptable”.

Covid-19 vaccines

3. Only 4% of people in Ireland say they will refuse a vaccine against Covid-19, a new survey has found.

A survey conducted by Ipsos MRBI for the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA) heard that 88% of people intend to take a vaccine or have already received one; 7% are unsure.

Halting site conditions

4. Traveller rights groups have welcomed a new long-term report which has recommended improvements to living conditions at a Cork halting site which activists say has the potential to change conditions at sites across the country.

The Traveller Visibility Group (TVG) and the Cork Traveller Women’s Network (CTWN) said the findings of a report show that the poor conditions at the site are negatively impacting the rights of the children living there.

This is the Ombudsman’s first report which examined the living conditions of Traveller children at one particular halting site in Cork. The report looked at the conditions for a period of three years, which makes it one of the largest complaints that the OCO has investigated.

Dublin streets

5. Four popular streets in Dublin city centre are to be pedestrianised from today to facilitate outdoor dining.

From today, the following four streets will be either traffic-free, or have sections of them traffic-free every day after 11am:

• Anne Street South from the junction of Dawson Street
• South William Street from Exchequer Street to the Brown Thomas carpark exit
• Drury Street from just after its junction with Fade Street to the Drury Street underground carpark
• Dame Court from Exchequer Street

Italy

6. Fourteen people have died, including five Israelis, when a cable car slammed into the side of a mountain in northern Italy, emergency services said.

An Israeli couple living in Italy died along with one child, while their five-year-old son is fighting for his life with brain trauma and broken legs, according to the Alpine rescue service.

A nine-year-old Italian child was also among the dead, it said, adding that the toll could rise further from the accident in Stresa, a resort town on the shores of Lake Maggiore in Italy’s Piedmont region, it said.

Northern Ireland 

7. Northern Ireland is easing restrictions further as indoor hospitality resumes. From today, a maximum of six people can sit together inside pubs, cafes and restaurants.

Children under 12 are not included in the above total – but the maximum number of people at the table (including adults and children) should not exceed 10.

More than six people will be permitted if they all belong to the same household, but once again the limit cannot exceed 10 people. There will be no meal requirement in pubs – or cafes and restaurants for that matter – and only table service will be available.

Morning Memo 

8. For a couple of different reasons, the spotlight is very much on the aviation sector to begin the week, Ian Curran writes in today’s Morning Memo.

On Friday, we’re expecting a final government decision on the next phase of reopening and what that will mean for travel, tourism and entertainment businesses along with the thorny issue of mandatory hotel quarantine. Ahead of that, pilots are turning up the heat on ministers to restore the common travel area with the UK. Meanwhile, Ryanair is facing a major PR battle over its handling of the Minsk debacle.

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Weather

9. And finally, the weather. There will be scattered heavy showers over Munster and south Leinster this morning, with isolated showers further north. Through the morning, sunny spells and further showers will develop with some longer spells of thundery rain in the afternoon, but showers will ease during the evening. Highest temperatures will range from 11 to 14 degrees.