Statutory sick pay
All employees in Ireland will be entitled to three sick days paid at 70 per cent of their wage next year, under a new law brought forward by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar.
Mr Varadkar said the Government's sick leave Bill will also see the paid leave capped at a daily rate of €110.
The statutory sick pay scheme will be phased in over a four-year period, starting with three days per year in 2022.
Limerick murder
A Romanian man has pleaded guilty to the 2017 murder of a pensioner in Limerick this morning, telling the Central Criminal Court that he is “sorry for what I did”.
Alexandru Iordache (46) with a previous address at Dreptatti Street, Bucharest, had been charged with the murder of Rose Hanrahan (78) on or about December 14th-15th, 2017, at New Road, Thomondgate, Limerick City.
Ms Hanrahan, who lived alone, was found by relatives in her home on December 15th.
Leaving Cert begins
Leaving Certificate examinations got under way on Wednesday for 61,000 students across the country.
The pandemic saw physical examinations ditched last year in favour of an accredited grades system, but this year’s students can choose between either option, or both.
Dr Aideen Cassidy, principal at Beneavin De La Salle College, a Deis school for disadvantaged children in Finglas, Dublin, praised the outcome after a difficult two years for students.
She said the dual system of accredited grades and in-person exams could be beneficial to students beyond the pandemic.
Rent protections
The Cabinet has approved new protections for renters.
A rent protection Bill will ban landlords from asking for more than two months' rent in deposits and other payments as upfront charges, when letting to new tenants.
The Bill will also give students the option to pay for student accommodation in monthly instalments, rather than lump sums at the start of a semester.
Waterford tragedy
The family of a three-month-old who died after she was attacked by a dog at her home in Clashmore, Co Waterford has issued a statement of thanks following a massive outpouring of solidarity in the community since the tragedy occurred on Monday.
In an interview on Deise Today on WLR FM, the infant's grand aunt Dianne Wood said the support received in recent days was of huge comfort to the relatives of the “beautiful” little girl, named locally as Mia O'Connell.
EU travel certificate
The European Parliament has passed the EU’s proposal for vaccine passports, which aim to facilitate the resumption of travel across the bloc.
The proposal on Digital Green Certificates was voted on by MEPs yesterday, with the results revealed this morning.
The certificate, due to be introduced in Ireland on July 19th, will show if a passenger has been vaccinated, tested negative for Covid, or has recovered from the virus.
