Your top stories on Friday: ‘I’m going to die’: Woman beaten unconscious by soldier condemns ‘horrific’ sentence; Aer Lingus cancels flights

‘I’m going to die’: Woman beaten by soldier condemns suspended sentence

A woman beaten into unconsciousness by a serving soldier on O’Connell Street in Limerick has described the fully suspended sentence he received on Thursday for the unprovoked assault on her as “horrific”.

Natasha O’Brien told Limerick Circuit Criminal Court she had thought she would not survive the incident in which Cathal Crotty, (22), of Parkroe Heights, Ardnacrusha, Co Clare, kept punching her after she had been knocked to the ground by two initial blows.

News

Aer Lingus to cancel up to 20% of flights from Wednesday: Aer Lingus will cancel up to one in five flights from next Wednesday in response to planned industrial action by its pilots.
Dubliners facing higher property tax: Dublin homeowners face higher local property tax bills under a new Fine Gael-led powersharing agreement expected to be ratified by Dublin city councillors on Friday.
Barristers set to strike: The criminal courts are likely to face further logjams next month with barristers set to strike as part of efforts to secure more pay.
Ireland drops to ninth in European road fatality rankings: Ireland has dropped three places in European road fatality rankings and is now in danger of slipping out of the top 10 safest countries following a period of mounting death rates.
Weather Forecast: Rain in the west this morning will move eastwards, reaching the east coast in the early afternoon, while at the same time clearing to sunny spells and isolated showers in the west. The clearance will then extend eastwards to all parts through the afternoon and evening. Highest temperatures 15 to 19 degrees. Tonight will be mainly dry tonight with clear spells and isolated showers. Lowest temperatures 7 to 10 degrees.
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Aer Lingus Dispute

Opinion: Why Michael O’Leary is not thrilled about industrial action at Aer Lingus: To paraphrase Daniel O’Connell, Aer Lingus’s difficulty should be Ryanair’s opportunity... but the reason for O’Leary’s uncharacteristic emollience is not too hard to fathom, writes John McManus. Big pay rises for Aer Lingus pilots are bad news for Ryanair.
Consumer rights: What are my rights if industrial action at Aer Lingus affects my holiday plans? The airline has clear obligations to all its passengers under EU directive 261. If you are travelling to another country and your outbound flight is cancelled then Aer Lingus will have to offer a refund or a rerouting on the next available flight or at a later time of your choosing.

Film

Donald Sutherland was a fearless actor who brought frightening energy to many roles: Donald Sutherland was, until his death on Thursday at the age of 88, everyone’s prime candidate for best living actor never to have received an Oscar nomination, writes Donald Clarke.

Opinion

Justine McCarthy: Clare Daly’s dog-whistle to haters of the media was reckless
Gerard Howlin: The question is whether we decarbonise quickly or get left behind

Business

Irish consumers paying 42% more for goods and services than EU counterparts: Irish consumers pay on average 42 per cent more for basic goods and services than their European Union counterparts, according to Eurostat’s latest price comparison survey.

Sports

Last year Rhasidat Adeleke turned up for the National Championships to meet supporters even though she couldn't race. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho

Chance to show appreciation of Rhasidat Adeleke at the National Championships: One of the first dates to go into my racing diary every summer was the National Championships. Especially in an Olympic year, writes Sonia O’Sullivan.