Almost 500 British Gas engineers have lost their jobs after they refused to sign new contracts. The company changed the contractual terms and conditions for thousands of its workers and employees were given a deadline of yesterday to accept those changes by signing new contracts. Those who refused were told to leave the firm.

Back home, the Government has formally authorised the Low Pay Commission to investigate how Ireland can move towards a living wage, and must report in the second half of this year. Leo Varadkar said the pandemic has forced society to reconsider the value placed on the work of frontline or essential workers, and the reward they should get for that work.

The Irish Times spoke to people on the last Aer Lingus flight out of Paris yesterday before France joined the list of Category 2 countries on the mandatory hotel quarantine list as they queued at the check-in gates at Charles de Gaulle Airport. Passengers arriving into the Republic of Ireland from 16 additional countries are now subject to mandatory hotel quarantine.

Over in Scotland, the Greens have set out a plan in their Holyrood election manifesto which says they could create over 100,000 jobs, many of which would operate on a four day week.

Elsewhere, the use of facial recognition for surveillance, or algorithms that manipulate human behaviour will be banned under proposed EU regulations on artificial intelligence.

And finally, your Zen today is a list of the best Netflix shows and movies being released this month. A pinch of true crime, a sprinkle of reality and a dash of drama - there's something for everyone.