Friday’s Top Stories: Unions seek improved public pay offer; Houthi rebels threaten more ship attacks

Houthi rebels threaten more attacks on shipping in wake of UK and US air strikes in Yemen

Houthi rebels in Yemen have threatened more attacks on ships in the Red Sea headed for or associated with Israel in the wake of UK and US air strikes on targets in Yemen.

Early on Friday, the United States and Britain launched strikes from the air and sea against Houthi military targets in Yemen in response to the group’s attacks on ships in the Red Sea.

Since mid-November, the Houthis, a Yemeni rebel group backed by Iran, have launched dozens of attacks on ships sailing through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, a crucial shipping route through which 12 per cent of world trade passes.

Top News Stories

• Unions to seek significant improvement on Government pay offer when talks resume next week: Talks on a new public sector pay agreement are likely to resume early next week, with unions seeking both a significant improvement on the offer made by Government on Wednesday and a substantial restructuring of the way the financial aspect of any deal is to be implemented.
• Potential freeze on private business jets at Dublin Airport would ‘greatly hinder’ foreign direct investment in Ireland: A potential freeze on private business jets at Dublin Airport due to mounting pressure on its passenger cap “will greatly hinder” foreign direct investment in Ireland, the Irish Ambassador to the US has been warned.
• Protest at Roscrea, Co Tipperary, hotel over plans to house 160 asylum seekers: Protesters at a hotel in Roscrea, Co Tipperary, which is set to house 160 international protection applicants, said on Thursday evening that they would continue their demonstration throughout the night in an attempt to stop the arrival of asylum seekers.
• Ireland’s largest protected area for birds to be created along Co Wexford coast: A huge expanse of more than 305,000 hectares of marine waters along most of the coast of Co Wexford is to become Ireland’s largest protected area for birds.
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News from around the World

• Middle East crisis: Who are the Houthis and why is the United States attacking them?: Since mid-November, the Houthis, a Yemeni rebel group backed by Iran, has launched dozens of attacks on ships sailing through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, a crucial shipping route through which 12 per cent of world trade passes.

The Big Read

• Travel trends for the year ahead: where, when and how Irish holidaymakers are booking trips in 2024: Where are people going and when? How will they get there? And how much will they have to pay? These are just some of the questions those in the travel industry are seeking to answer as a new year begins and bookings for the months ahead take off.

The best from Opinion

• Justine McCarthy: By caving into protests about asylum seekers, the Government has torched its own principles
• Diarmaid Ferriter: Is it any wonder so many Irish people don’t want to end up in a nursing home?

Today's Business

• Irish-based aircraft lessors own some of the grounded Boeing 737 Max-9s jets: Irish-based aircraft lessors own Boeing 737 Max-9 jets subject to safety inspections following the mid-air blow-out of an emergency door, it has emerged.

Top Sports news

• Howth sea-faring family on course to fulfil an Olympic dream: Fingal County Council would be forgiven if this week’s latest sailing results prompted them to immediately commence new water sampling in the Howth Sound area. At just 19-years-old, Eve McMahon has been confirmed as the youngest-ever Irish sailor to qualify for an Olympic regatta following her world championship performance in Argentina.

Martyn Turner

Culture and Life & Style Highlights

• ‘It’s the talk of the country’: Joe Duffy aims at radio rivals’ cash cow: Plugging on-air competitions is part of any presenter’s remit. It’s more unusual to hear a radio host hyping a rival station’s contest. Yet there’s Joe Duffy on Liveline (RTÉ Radio 1, weekdays) describing a lucrative game on Newstalk and Today FM in decidedly breathless terms.

Video & Podcast Highlights

• In the News: Would a big drop in house prices be a good thing?

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