Mount Everest guides are 'poisoning' foreign climbers to trigger a helicopter rescue as part of a sophisticated network of insurance fraud. Many foreign hikers trekking near Mount Everest, in Kathmandu, Nepal, fall victim to the scam. The other instance involves guides encouraging tired tourists to fake an illness so a helicopter will rescue them instead of walking back. Investigators also revealed that hikers were given Diamox (Acetazolamide) pills, meant to prevent altitude sickness, along with large amounts of water to deliberately trigger symptoms and prompt a helicopter rescue. Era International Hospital raked in over $15.87 million, while Shreedhi International Hospital brought in more than $1.22 million, the outlet reported.

“Good Friday is not a public holiday and is a normal working day,” the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) tells us in its guidance on entitlements to days off. “The terms bank holiday and public holiday are often used interchangeably in the Republic, but they are not the same thing,” said Leeanne Connolly, Head of Employment Services at HR consultants Peninsula Ireland. “A public holiday, on the other hand, is a day when employees have a legal right to a day off or extra pay. “Unless a business decides otherwise, employees are not legally entitled to a day off work on Good Friday.”How many public holidays are there? In addition, those on maternity leave, parental leave, paternity leave, adoptive leave, or domestic violence leave are entitled to benefit from the public holiday, while those on long-term sick leave are generally not.

James McAvoy blusters into the room with the same unpretentious energy I remember from 20 years ago. “I think they’re really happy with it and really proud of it. I think I’m a storyteller. We think of those colossal projects as being in a whole different medium from independent film. As soon as I started to work with some really good people I realised magical stuff was happening and I couldn’t f**king see how.

Sir, – I wish to empathise with Caoimhe Buckley (Bad timing on Spanish Oral: Letters to the Editor; March 31st). Holding such a potentially life-altering exam on a Sunday and especially last Sunday is fraught with traps for those distracted by stress. I hope her letter is circulating to those who set the schedules for state exams emblazoned with the words: “Think laterally”. – Yours, etc,JOHN HILLERY,Blackrock,Co Dublin.

German chancellor Friedrich Merz and Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa at a press conference in Berlin this week. The Syrian president said the '80 per cent' was mentioned by Merz. “It is not about a number but the [return] project as such.”Of the 944,000 Syrian citizens in Germany, 663,000 have temporary, war-related residency permits. Around 250,000 Syrians have already acquired German citizenship in the past decade while official figures suggest around 3,700 Syrians returned home last year. Many in the chancellor’s party doubt that loud talk of deportations will impress – and win back – voters who have turned to the anti-immigration, anti-Islam Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Small firms need to take proactive steps to manage the rising costs of doing business in the months ahead, advises Alma O’Brien, head of tax at business advisors Azets Ireland. In this Q&A interview, Alma offers suggestions on actions that can help alleviate some of the immediate pressure facing firms. Many of these small indigenous businesses, already struggling to cope with the challenges of rising labour costs and economic uncertainty, are now navigating the economic impact of geopolitical events. With global volatility the new normal, it’s time that Ireland puts indigenous businesses at the heart of its economic future. Many indigenous firms struggle to attract and retain skilled talent, particularly in sectors where multinationals offer significantly higher salaries and benefits.

The attack caused material damage to parts of the facility, Kuwait’s ministry of electricity, water and renewable energy said. Kuwait and other Gulf nations have been bearing the brunt of Iranian strikes since war erupted on February 28th. Hyundai Motor, the world’s third-biggest automaker by sales with its affiliate Kia Corp, warned that even if the Iran war ended ​soon the impact would linger. More than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran during the war, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel. According to Iran’s state media, eight people were killed and 95 others were wounded in the US attack.

An additional 300 people joined the live register last month amid warnings of a softening in the jobs market to bring the seasonally adjusted total to 171,100. The unadjusted live register total stood at 168,072 people for March, of which 56.3 per cent were male and 71 per cent were Irish. The 25-34 years age group made up the largest number of those on the live register in March at 39,854 people, or 23.7 per cent of the total. “This softening of the jobs market has been ongoing for an extended period and suggests a slowdown in job creation,” Kennedy said. There were 115,199 people on the live register for less than one year, which was 11,230 more people – up 10.8 per cent – than in March last year.

She had faced mounting criticism over her handling of the Epstein files. There are rumours Mr Trump could also axe Director of Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Ms Bondi's tenure was marred by her handling of the Epstein files, as the government faced accusations of a cover-up. The White House insisted Mr Trump appreciates her work, but he has reportedly excoriated her in private for her failure to prosecute his political enemies. Mr Trump said that Todd Blanche will serve as acting attorney general until a permanent nominee is picked.

Ms Cuthbertson remarked: “Everyone has sat behind the ‘confidentiality’ of the complaints process while it has been used to vexatiously smear people. Read more:“I’m confident, I am enthusiastic about the list of candidates we’ve nominated in the north east," he said. A spokesperson previously told The Herald: “Guy Ingerson is suspended from the Scottish Greens following unresolved complaints. Following completion of the party’s vetting process, he will not be nominated as a candidate for the Scottish Greens for the upcoming Holyrood election. “The lead candidate for the North East will be Maggie Chapman with a top-up selection meeting taking place with members to determine the final list.”

Footage has emerged of Sophie Turner 'dancing' with friends during a night out, four days after filming for the £100million TV production of Lara Croft was halted due to her back injury. A statement said: 'Sophie Turner recently experienced a minor injury. Sophie Turner was seen 'dancing' with friends during a night out in London four days after Lara Croft filming was postponed for a month last week due to her back injuryTrejo’s Taco is located in Notting Hill, West London and is owned by actor Danny Trejo'Sophie didn’t seem like she had any kind of discomfort. Appearing on The Julia Cunningham Show, Sophie said: 'We've been doing eight hours a day, five days a week since February last year, of training. She announced the news of Sophie's casting last September and said: 'I'm so excited to announce the formidable Sophie Turner as our Lara alongside this phenomenal creative team.

Simonetta Lein at the World Influencers and Bloggers Awards in Cannes in 2022. Photograph: Tim P Whitby/GettyA celebrity model, influencer and businesswoman has initiated High Court proceedings seeking damages arising from alleged breach of an alleged agreement for her participation in the Web Summit in Doha in February. Simonetta Amabile, otherwise Simonetta Lein, is suing Connected Intelligence Limited, trading as Web Summit, with registered offices at Dartry Road, Dublin. She is host of The Simonetta Lein Show and chief executive and co-founder of Ausonia Partners, a media and public relations agency with headquarters in Pennsylvania. She is seeking damages on grounds including alleged breach of agreement, alleged negligent misstatement and/or misrepresentation, alleged defamation and alleged economic loss.

Eileen Nalty and her granddaughter Zia at Pearse House Blocks L, M, N and P – known as the ’Small Flats’ – which are due an upgrade. Eileen Nalty and her granddaughter Zia (18 months) at Pearse House. Photograph: Bryan O’BrienDamp and mould under the kitchen sink of Eileen Nalty's flat at Pearse House. I don’t work, I look after the kids, so we won’t get a mortgage.”Joanne lawless at her Pearse House flat. Pearse House Blocks L,M,N and P known as the ’Small Flats’.

The German philosopher Jürgen Habermas, who died last month, was understandably despondent about much in the autumn of his career. One of the consistent warnings of Habermas this century related to the implications of US foreign policy. In 2003, he authored an article with fellow famed philosopher Jacques Derrida, in the context of the US invasion of Iraq. Habermas returned to these ideas last year; the need, he suggested, was for the EU “to find a redemptive response to the new situation”. These are questions that will dominate Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the EU this year.

Sean Sweeney, MetroLink programme director, was instrumental in securing the deal with the residents, which he later revealed would cost about €30 million. Then, on Thursday, came the shock announcement of Sweeney’s resignation, to take effect from June. Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), Sweeney’s employer, and Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien were quick to say his resignation would not delay MetroLink. TII is just weeks away from submitting fresh cost estimates to the Government for sanction to seek bids to build MetroLink. The new estimates will undoubtedly be higher, and while they would have to be at the extreme upper end to pose a real risk to the project, MetroLink is not through the gap yet.