Sarah J. Maas fantasy novels spell record profits for Bloomsbury
Popular: Sarah J. Maas (pictured) recently released House of Flame and Shadow, the latest title in her Crescent City seriesSoaring demand for Sarah J. Maas's fantasy novels has enabled Bloomsbury Publishing to post another record year of revenues and profits. Nigel Newton, chief executive of Bloomsbury, described the New York-born author as a 'publishing phenomenon, whose books 'have captivated a huge audience'. Analysts have attributed the success of Maas's titles to 'BookTok,' where social media influencers use TikTok to promote new works and writers. For the current financial year, the group anticipates trading will be 'slightly ahead' of forecasts even though it does not expect another newly published title from Sarah J. Maas. Investors responded negatively to the potential absence of a new Maas novel, sending Bloomsbury Publishing shares diving 6.3 per cent to £5.62 just before midday.
Source:Daily Mail
May 23, 2024 21:02 UTC
England coach Matthew Mott responds to criticism from Eoin Morgan after former captain accused senior figures of 'shirking responsibility' during disastrous World Cup defence in India
England white-ball coach Matthew Mott has dismissed criticism from former World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan, saying only those inside the dressing-room 'understand what's going on'. And he described England as a 'sinking ship' in a tournament in which they won only three of their nine matches. Morgan, whose reign as England captain ended shortly after Mott took charge in 2022, will be working for the ICC commentary team in the West Indies during the World Cup, with their coverage used by Sky Sports. And he revealed that Young had been brought in to help ensure 'my messages are clear' after England grew 'insular' and tried to 'problem solve ourselves' during the World Cup in India. 'We feel like it's time to get the mojo back and go out and really express ourselves as a team.
Source:Daily Mail
May 23, 2024 20:50 UTC
Jennifer Lopez bats off Ben Affleck divorce question as rumours swirl
Jennifer Lopez bats off Ben Affleck divorce question as rumours swirlBy Laura Harding, Deputy Entertainment EditorJennifer Lopez batted off a question about her marriage to Ben Affleck amid swirling rumours the Hollywood couple are heading for divorce. The actress and singer was promoting her new Netflix film Atlas in Mexico City when she was asked for the truth behind the reports. Lopez married Ben Affleck in 2022 (Matt Crossick/PA) Photo by Matt CrossickVideo from a press conference shared on social media shows a reporter asking: “Is your divorce with Ben Affleck real? Affleck’s friend Matt Damon and his wife Luciana were in attendance at the star-studded fashion event in New York. Lopez and Affleck, who were previously engaged before a high profile split in 2004, got married in July 2022.
Source:Irish Independent
May 23, 2024 20:38 UTC
31 Products That’ll Bring So Much Joy For So Little Money
Promising review: "I personally am an Orly devotee as well — I love pretty much all their products that I've tried, and their polish bottles have an excellent grippy handle. After seeing the amazing reviews for the base coat, I tried it, too, and I was blown away. I'm able to do a way cleaner, more precise job, which then lasts longer too. With this and the brand's top coat, I'm now able to take it for granted that my nails will stay looking pretty good for close to a week. That's way longer than usual for me, so TL;DR: This is an all-around win-win and a *must* buy."
Source:The Irish Daily Star
May 23, 2024 20:29 UTC
Ten Hag saves United career or City win double? – FA Cup final talking points
Ten Hag saves United career or City win double? – FA Cup final talking pointsBy PA Sport StaffSaturday’s Manchester derby at Wembley has more riding on it than simply the destination of this season’s FA Cup. Not only are City and United gunning for local supremacy, there is broader significance to the final regardless of which side, red or blue, lifts the cup. If United win the cup then the Blues will play in the Conference League and Eddie Howe’s team will miss out on Europe altogether. It could be a second piece of history this campaign after they became the first side in English football history to win four straight league titles.
Source:Irish Independent
May 23, 2024 19:06 UTC
€400bn price tag for united Ireland ‘just wrong’, says expert
Cillian Sherlock, PAA recent report which suggested that a united Ireland would cost €400 billion is “widely inaccurate”, a leading academic has contended. For example, it includes the full cost of both state debt and pensions, currently paid by the UK, and which are part of the UK subvention figure. “This is not a question of the debt being waived, as the IIEA report suggests. He told the committee that the opening deficit for Northern Ireland in a United Ireland would be €1.5 billion, taking account of debt, pensions, defence and tax changes. “An increase in the underlying growth rate in Northern Ireland, of 2 per cent above recent long-term patterns would see the costs of transition covered, and the fiscal deficit ended in approximately 10 years, after which Northern Ireland would run a surplus.
Source:The Herald
May 23, 2024 19:04 UTC
Elections 2024 poll: What do you believe is the main issue in this local election?
Have your say in the Irish Independent Elections 2024 poll seriesElection posters pictured ahead of the European and Local elections on June 7, 2024The countdown is on to Ireland’s Local and European elections on Friday, June 7. But what do you believe is the main issue for this local election? Have your say below…
Source:Irish Independent
May 23, 2024 18:53 UTC
Former Cumberland H.S. All-State striker named to Portugal’s women’s national soccer team
CUMBERLAND - Pawtucket native Stephanie Ribeiro has been called in to Portugal’s Women’s National Soccer Team ahead of two qualifying games against Northern Ireland for UEFA’s Women’s Euro 2025. This marks her first call-up to the Portuguese national team. Ribeiro, 29, currently plays as a forward for Club Universidad Nacional (commonly known as UNAM-PUMAS) in Liga MX Femenil (Mexico’s professional women’s soccer league). In college, she played with the UConn Huskies women's soccer team, making 85 appearances and scoring 38 goals. Her mother was born in Terceira, which like Ribeiro granted her access to Portuguese citizenship and the opportunity to join the Portuguese National Team.
Source:The Herald
May 23, 2024 18:10 UTC
Moate one of just two areas in Ireland with no female election candidates
Moate one of just two areas in Ireland with no female election candidatesMoate is one of only two local electoral areas in Ireland to have no female candidates contesting the upcoming council elections. See Her Elected, the Government-funded programme to promote female participation in politics, noted that there 677 female local election candidates nationally this year, making up 31% of the total. See Her Elected noted that county Roscommon has the lowest number of female candidates this year, at just 16% of the total. In the Moate electoral area, the four sitting councillors, Tom Farrell (Fine Gael), Vinny McCormack (Fianna Fáil), Liam McDaniel (Fianna Fáil) and Johnnie Penrose (Labour) are all seeking re-election, while Athlone-area councillor Paul Hogan (Independent Ireland) is running in both the Athlone and Moate electoral areas. Sinn Féin's John Lawlor, Shane Lynam of the Irish Freedom Party, and Michael O'Brien (Independent) are also hoping to win a seat in the Moate area.
Source:Irish Independent
May 23, 2024 17:48 UTC
How to get your collection and items valued by expert Dan Hatfield for free
Leap into your loft, prise open those dusty boxes in the garage and dig out your treasure – This is Money has an exciting new series where our expert will value your modern items and collections for free. I actually had my eye on a mint condition Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Nintendo Entertainment System, but was outbid - that retro video games lot was incredibly popular. Personally, I like collecting retro Nintendo video games and have hundreds of games for NES, SNES, N64, Gameboy and Gamecube. Some games now go for hundreds and even thousands of pounds, as examples in good, or mint condition, dwindle. The idea is you, the reader, send in your collections or items for our new resident expert, Dan Hatfield, to put a value on.
Source:Daily Mail
May 23, 2024 17:02 UTC
Staff plant 2,500 trees at Athlone IDA Business Park
Mary Norton and Philippa Barry taking part in the 100 million Trees project in Athlone Business & Technology Park, where 2,500 native trees were planted by volunteers from IDA Ireland. Staff plant 2,500 trees at Athlone IDA Business ParkA small dense forest was recently planted at the IDA Business & Technology Park in Athlone as part of an environmental initiative undertaken by IDA Ireland and the 100 Million Trees Project. The 100 Million Trees initiative aims to plant this number of native Irish trees across the island of Ireland by the end of the decade. The community-driven 100 Million Trees initiative has already seen native Irish trees planted in 62 sites across the country, with 161,180 planted since last November. A video of the IDA Ireland and 100 Million Trees project in Athlone can be viewed here:
Source:Irish Independent
May 23, 2024 16:34 UTC
€1m AIB Community Fund information meeting held in Co Wexford
MJ Furlong, Keith Groarke, Roisin Clancy, Gaye O'Donnell and Pat Breen at the launch of the AIB Community Awards 2024 in GreenTech HQ, Enniscorthy. Angela Murphy, Eleanor O'Connor and Cally O'Leary at the launch of the AIB Community Awards 2024 in GreenTech HQ, Enniscorthy. Ahead of nominations opening for the 2024 AIB Community €1 Million Fund, the AIB branches in Co Wexford held an information evening for local charities in Greentech Hub in Enniscorthy. Charities in the Co Wexford area were invited in to hear about the process for applying for funding from the AIB Community €1 Million Fund process in 2024. The AIB Community €1 Million Fund re-opened in early-May to receive nominations until mid-June.
Source:Irish Independent
May 23, 2024 16:26 UTC
Nursing home resident at risk of choking left to eat lunch alone in room, finds inspector
A nursing home resident who was identified as requiring supervision and assistance due to the risk of choking during mealtimes was left alone in their room to eat their lunch, an inspector's report has revealed. Records showed that one resident was six days isolating with flu-like symptoms before a viral swab was taken. For example; no monitoring observations were completed on one resident for 22 days in January, despite three ongoing viral outbreaks. A separate inspection of Belmont House nursing home in Stillorgan Dublin, which was also unannounced, found significant fire safety concerns. This posed a risk in respect of the safe and timely evacuation of residents in the event of a fire.
Source:Irish Independent
May 23, 2024 15:14 UTC