Irish cabinet meeting to be held to discuss ongoing fuel protests

Hundreds of petrol stations in the Republic of Ireland have run out of fuel as the protests and blockades continued for a fifth day. fuel protests: Irish cabinet meeting to be held to discuss ongoing protests Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Hundreds of forecourts have run out of petrol and diesel due to the protests Bollards and tape block a Circle K's fuel pumps Irish cabinet meeting to be held to discuss ongoing fuel protests The Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) has said a cabinet meeting will be held on Sunday where an update on the ongoing fuel crisis talks will be given. Hundreds of petrol stations in the Republic of Ireland have run out of fuel as the protests and blockades - involving slow-moving convoys made up of vehicles including tractors - continued for a fifth day. Meetings between government ministers and representatives of farmers and hauliers to finalise a new government funding package have been ongoing since Friday. Meetings between government ministers and representatives of farmers and hauliers to finalise a new government funding package On Saturday, fuel trucks regained access to an oil refinery in County Cork that had been subjected to a days-long blockade. Protesters who had been blocking trucks leaving the Whitegate Refinery were pushed back by gardaí (Irish police) using pepper spray, in an operation supported by the Irish Defence Forces. The Garda Commissioner said a number of arrests were made during the operation. He added that blockades are illegal and "not a legitimate form of protest". "We gave these blockaders fair warning that we were moving to an enforcement phase and they chose to ignore that and continue to hold the country to ransom," Justin Kelly said. Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly has ordered people to cease their blockades or "face the full rigours of the law" A man standing outside wearing a police uniform consisting of a hat, shirt and tie. The entrance to a building can be seen out of focus behind him. He added that gardaí are aware that there has been intimidation of fuel tanker drivers. "Offences such as threats to kill or cause serious harm carry sentences of up to 10 years," he said. "My message is clear - blockaders must immediately cease blockades of critical infrastructure and road networks or face the full rigours of the law." Tractors have been used to block routes across the country A large red tractor from behind - a white placard with red paint sits between the back wheels. The paint reads "No fuel no food". The tractor sits in O'Connell Street in Dublin. The harbour master at Rosslare Europort told Irish broadcaster RTÉ that they may have to turn away ferries due to a road blockade outside the facility. Tom Curran said the port will have reached capacity by Sunday afternoon with freight stuck and unable to move. Protesters have set up a blockade at the nearby village of Kilrane about one mile from the port. A spokesperson for Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) said the situation could come to a head late on Sunday night or early on Monday morning. Public transport has also been affected, with some services suspended and major disruption in Dublin. Bus Éireann said it would try to serve Dublin Airport passengers where possible, while people travelling to Shannon and Dublin Airports are advised to allow extra time. An Garda Síochána has declared an "exceptional event" in response to the fuel protests, allowing it to double the number of officers available to work. Protesters listen to speeches on Dublin's O'Connell Street on Saturday A crowd, several of them waving Irish Tricolour flags stand in O'Connell Street in Dublin. Two lorries are visible in the midst of the crowd The National Emergency Coordination Group (NECG), which brings together government departments and state agencies to coordinate emergency response, said fuel supplies for emergency response vehicles, including the ambulance service and fire service, are under "increasing pressure". Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin said the blockades meant the country was "on the precipice of turning oil away from the country" during a global oil supply crisis. Speaking in Dublin on Saturday, Mary Lou McDonald the leader of Sinn Féin, said the Irish Government had allowed a "difficult situation" to escalate and urged it to engage with protesters to negotiate an end to the blockades. The conflict in the Middle East has caused rapid price rises for both petrol and diesel. Some 20% of the world's oil trade, the raw ingredient for producing both petrol and diesel, has been halted by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Some 20% of the world's oil trade, the raw ingredient for producing both petrol and diesel, has been halted by the Diesel in the Republic of Ireland has risen from about €1.70 (£1.48) a litre to €2.17 (£1.89) on many forecourts in recent weeks and petrol is now up to 25 cents more per litre at many pumps. The protests started on Tuesday morning. A large lorry with Irish flags attached to the front is parked in a busy street. There are men gathered around. Behind it are Garda (Irish police) cars. Irish government finalising fuel package deal A very busy main road. There is a traffic jam on the road going in the direction toward the camera. On the side of the road going away from the camera, traffic is minimal. People can be seen walking on the heavy traffic side with suit cases. People walk along motorway towards Dublin Airport as fuel protests continue Truck driver Sonny Boyd is wearing a high-vis vest and a black hoodie. He has short hair and stubble. He is standing near a red truck with an Irish flag. Some people behind him on the street are blurred Protesters call for fuel price cap as slow-moving convoys caused delays Travel across parts of the Republic of Ireland was affected for the fourth day in a row as vehicles, including tractors, blocked roads. The remains of 69 infants have now been found in an ongoing dig at the former mother and baby home site in the Republic of Ireland. The Irish military will be deployed to move vehicles "blocking critical infrastructure". "Slopaganda" is too weak a term to capture how powerful this "highly sophisticated" content is, one expert says. The Iran war could not have come at a worse time for Sri Lanka, reeling from devastating floods and an economic crisis. A convoy of vans, lorries, tractors, and even a limousine took part in a slow moving protest around the town centre on Saturday afternoon. BBC Middle East Correspondent Hugo Bachega hears from people affected by this week's attacks. Airports Council International (ACI) Europe said its members had "increasing concerns" about the availability of jet fuel.