Ireland's domestic economy grows 1.4% in first quarter
Conor Humphries, ReutersIreland's domestic economy expanded by 1.4% in the first three months of the year compared with the previous three months, its strongest quarterly growth in almost two years, official data showed on Thursday. With Ireland's large multinational sector often distorting gross domestic product (GDP), officials prefer to focus on modified domestic demand (MDD) to gauge the strength of the economy. On an annual basis domestic demand was up 1.1% in the first quarter of the year, its strongest growth since the same quarter last year, the Central Statistics Office data showed. The Government has forecast that domestic demand will grow 1.9% for 2024 as a whole and 2.3% in 2025 after growing just 0.5% last year. GDP, which is still the measure used to calculate Ireland's share of activity across the eurozone, expanded by 0.9% in the first quarter compared to the last three months of 2023.
Source:The Herald
June 07, 2024 01:12 UTC
Profiles of every Athlone-area candidate in Roscommon
Profiles of every Athlone-area candidate in RoscommonWe sent a questionnaire to all 10 candidates running in the Athlone Electoral Area in Friday's Roscommon County Council election. The responses were published in print in the Westmeath Independent this week. Click on each candidate's name to view their responses here:Sam Brooks (Sinn Féin)Domnick Connolly (Fine Gael)Laurence Fallon (Non-Party)Joe Harney (Sinn Féin)Emer Kelly (Non-Party)John Keogh (Fianna Fáil)James Murray (Fianna Fáil)John Naughten (Fine Gael)Dominic Naughton (Non-Party)Tony Ward (Non-Party)
Source:Irish Independent
June 07, 2024 01:07 UTC
Sinn Fein looks to heal from 2019 wounds in Ireland’s local elections
There are 949 city and county council seats to be filled across 31 local authorities, which are divided into 166 electoral areas. Sinn Fein lost half their councillors in the 2019 election, with their support falling to 9.5% of first preference votes, giving them 81 councillors. Local election polls and general election polls are different, there’s a personal dimension to it as well, in addition to a party poll. The Social Democrats, founded in 2015, won 19 seats in what was its first local election in 2019. The number of Solidarity-People Before Profit council seats fell from 28 to 11, Aontu and Independents4Change had three council seats apiece.
Source:The Herald
June 06, 2024 22:51 UTC
Ireland’s ‘luck will run out’ on extreme weather events
Ireland needs to brace for more extreme and devastating weather in the future, experts have warned, as new data shows how perilously close the world is to the tipping point to stave off the worst of climate change. Scientists have repeatedly warned that warming of 1.5C - the limit set in the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement - risks unleashing far more severe climate change impacts, with every fraction of a degree mattering in this context. Globally, the planet is continuing to break temperature records, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service. Both made more severe by human influences of climate change. He said Ireland needs to work to avoid the worst consequences of climate change, with reductions in emissions alongside adaptation measures.
Source:Irish Examiner
June 06, 2024 21:32 UTC
Aaron Jones inspires USA to super-over win against Pakistan in T20 World Cup
The United States won a thrilling super over to seal a famous victory against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup in Dallas. After both sides finished their innings on 159 in their Group A match at the Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium, the tournament co-hosts held their nerve to pull off a major upset and make it back-to-back wins in the tournament. Batting first in the super over, the USA made 18 for one, with Aaron Jones on 11 before being run out and seven runs coming via extras.
Source:Irish Examiner
June 06, 2024 21:09 UTC
French Open day 11: Teenager Mirra Andreeva reaches first grand slam semi-final
French Open day 11: Teenager Mirra Andreeva reaches first grand slam semi-finalBy Andy Sims, PAThere were teenage kicks at the French Open as 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva reached a first grand slam semi-final, where she will meet another first-timer, Italy’s Jasmine Paolini. Alexander Zverev reached his fourth semi-final in four years after a late-night win over Alex De Minaur. Alexander Zverev goes airborne (Thibault Camus/AP) Photo by Thibault CamusAndreeva beat an ailing Aryna Sabalenka to reach the last four. Defending champion Iga Swiatek meets third seed Coco Gauff in a heavyweight first semi-final, before surprise packages Mirra Andreeva and Jasmine Paolini contest the second. Britain’s Neal Skupski also plays alongside Desirae Krawczyk in the mixed doubles final against Germany’s Laura Siegemund and Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France.
Source:Irish Independent
June 06, 2024 20:40 UTC
Three Offaly finalists set for National Dairy Awards next week
Killeigh's Caolan Flanagan is contention for the 'Mullinahone Co-op Young Dairy Farmer of the Year' honour at next week's National Dairy Awards in Portlaoise. Three Offaly finalists set for National Dairy Awards next weekThe 'cream of the crop' is being acknowledged as county Offaly has three finalists in this year's second National Dairy Awards, which take place in Portlaoise on Thursday next, June 13. The second National Dairy Awards gala evening presentations will take place in the Midlands Park Hotel, Portlaoise on Thursday next. The awards celebrate the primary producers, the artisan producers, sector services and the dairy processors as an industry collective. It will be a premier black tie, industry wide, awards ceremony highlighting the best of the Irish dairy sector.
Source:Irish Independent
June 06, 2024 17:42 UTC
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Climate factor is yet again absent as a pressing election issue on the doorsteps
Green Party Councillor Claire Byrne talks to James Byrne in Ringsend while canvassing for the local elections in Dublin. Yet the main culprit – climate change – is far down the list of Irish voter concerns. For the Greens, climate action has always been its main policy priority but on this occasion the Social Democrats have an equally detailed document. But there is no significant shift in Irish public opinion against climate action, in contrast to other European countries, a Friends of the Earth (FoE) poll found. Going down that path in a scenario where climate action is unpopular risks compounding current difficulties for Irish Greens.
Source:The Irish Times
June 06, 2024 16:44 UTC
Misinformation around vaccines damaged efforts to combat spread of measles
Ken FoxeIreland’s efforts to combat the spread of measles were compromised by rampant misinformation that had spread around a link between the vaccine and autism, according to a submission for Health Minister Stephen Donnelly. In documents urging a “catch-up” programme for the MMR vaccine, officials said that nearly one in five males in the 18-to-19-year-old age bracket were “non-immune”. The submission said the huge gap in immunity against measles was likely down to “misinformation regarding the MMR vaccine which falsely implicated it with a risk of autism”. Of the 47 confirmed cases, 21 were in males, 24 in females, with no gender recorded in two cases. Asked about the submission for Minister Donnelly, the Department of Health said they had no further statement to make.
Source:The Herald
June 06, 2024 14:54 UTC
David McCourt: Ireland needs to play a leading role in writing global AI rules to benefit us all
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the most urgent technology issue of our times. Every week brings a major inflection point, whether it’s OpenAI, Google, Anthropic or any of the other hundreds of big organisations racing to develop parts of an unprecedentedly powerful engine that is already starting to reshape societies.
Source:Irish Independent
June 06, 2024 13:33 UTC
I'm fed up with London rents - will we save any money if we move to Leigh-on-Sea or Margate?
I've had enough of paying London rent and want to try to live somewhere cheaper, so I can save money for a deposit to buy my own home. Will moving to Margate save money? For anyone working in London, but wishing to live by the sea, Margate could be a good option. Will moving to Leigh on Sea save money? Not dissimilar to Margate, Leigh is now home to a bustling community of designers and artists.
Source:Daily Mail
June 06, 2024 12:11 UTC
How much savings interest does YOUR bank pay? Average rate at big five revealed to still be dreadful...
Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Santander and NatWest are continuing to offer easy-access savings rates far below the market average, new figures from rates monitor Moneyfacts Compare reveal. There is still an astonishing gap between the market-leading accounts, often offered by smaller banks and building societies, and the big banks' easy-access rates. The Bank pays interest on those reserves at Bank Rate, currently 5.25 per cent. Vim Maru, CEO of Barclays UK said: 'Our pass-through rate is regularly assessed as part of pricing governance and has increased as the bank rate has risen. > See the best-buy easy-access savings rates using This is Money's tablesSavers can find a 5.1 per cent easy-access account with Chase Bank, while Oxbury Bank is offering 5.02 per cent on easy-access savings.
Source:Daily Mail
June 06, 2024 06:42 UTC
Dublin could run out of water as climate change ‘hits home’, warns minister
Dublin could run out of water as climate change ‘hits home’, warns ministerBy Gráinne Ní Aodha, PAThe Government has published its second strategy on how Ireland should adapt to climate change events “hitting home”. Mr Ryan said that at Cabinet on Wednesday ministers raised local examples of the effect climate change was having on Ireland. “The Tánaiste (Micheál Martin) and a number of others made the case about what happened to Midleton last year, which was a classic example of climate change hitting home. “So we’re going to have to invest in alternatives because if we have the same sort of drought conditions we had in 2018, we could run out of water in Dublin. It’s a climate impact.”“Similarly, taking my own transport portfolio, we know working with Irish Rail, that line south of Greystones, coastal erosion is real, it’s happening.
Source:Irish Independent
June 06, 2024 06:03 UTC
QuickCheck: Does France have strict rules for dog names?
IT has been claimed repeatedly online that France sets a letter for dog names every year; for example, that all dogs in 2016 must have a name that begins with the letter "M". Is there any truth to this, or are those who are claiming it barking mad? Verdict:TRUEThis is actually true, however it only applies to pedigree purebreed dogs that are registered with the Société Centrale Canine in its Livre des Origines Français (LOF). As explained by the online news portal The Connexion, the Société Centrale Canine keeps track of the genealogy of pedigree dogs and the rule was brought in to simplify listings. Rowland then cited advice from dresser-son-chien.com for those who have a dog who has already been listed with a name that they do not like.
Source:The Irish Times
June 06, 2024 06:01 UTC
World 'needs an exit ramp off the highway to climate hell' after UN report
The world “needs an exit ramp off the highway to climate hell”, after a new report suggested a strong chance we will temporarily exceed the limit scientists say is the tipping point to stave off the worst of climate change in the next five years. This was the warning from the UN Secretary General as new datasets showed that we continue to see record temperatures recorded each month. But, ever since then, the possibility has risen further and further as the effects of climate change have worsened. “Look at Midleton last October and the very wet winter we’ve had, both made more severe by human influences of climate change. If you want to know what the future of climate change looks like, look at what current change looks like and add steroids to it.
Source:Irish Examiner
June 06, 2024 05:15 UTC