logo
Haul of 7m cigarettes worth about €6.25m seized in Dublin Port

Haul of 7m cigarettes worth about €6.25m seized in Dublin Port

BreakingNews.ie27-06-2025
Almost seven million cigarettes, worth an estimated €6.25 million have been seized at Dublin Port.
The seizure was made on Tuesday after an unaccompanied container from Rotterdam was examined.
Advertisement
Revenue said the action was taken as a result of routine profiling and with the assistance of Revenue's mobile x-ray scanner and a detector dog, Milo.
The cigarettes, branded 'Marlboro', have an estimated value of €6.25 million, representing a potential loss to the Exchequer of 4.9 million euro, Revenue said.
The smuggled cigarettes were seized under Section 141 Finance Act 2001.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Holiday expert reveals exact time to book your tickets for August bank holiday flights & how you can save hundreds
Holiday expert reveals exact time to book your tickets for August bank holiday flights & how you can save hundreds

The Sun

time10 minutes ago

  • The Sun

Holiday expert reveals exact time to book your tickets for August bank holiday flights & how you can save hundreds

HOLIDAY experts have revealed the exact time and date Brits should book their tickets ahead of the August bank holiday to save hundreds of pounds. It's not too late to book last-minute flight tickets for holiday trips over the August bank holiday weekend. Brits can still find ways to get out of the country that won't blow the budget for the weekend of August 25. This includes trips to classic European escapes and hotspots like Disneyland Paris. Ticket experts have analysed pricing data and industry travel trends. CEO of AttractionTickets, Oliver Brendon, explained: 'It's easy to assume the early bird always gets the deal. "In reality, travel companies adjust fares repeatedly based on demand, and we see opportunities appear even in the final days before departure. "There's still time to save on last-minute August bank holiday travel if you know when to book.' Brendon reveals the trick to finding value no matter how late the purchase is made. Through review of historic pricing, as well as industry reports, Sundays have been found to regularly deliver the lowest average booking prices. This is because airlines adjust seat availability and prices over the weekend. Therefore, holidaymakers who plan to book on Sundays can more often find a better deal and pay significantly less than those who book on other days. 3 tips to help you get the cheapest flights when booking holidays Furthermore, Fridays have been found to be time to avoid as it is the time when prices tend to spike due to increasing demand. A clear morning advantage has also been found through analyses. Around 6am is when the fresh fares tend to show up, so it is good to get in early before search traffic ramps up into the day. So those looking to book a getaway from the bank holiday this month should set their alarms for Sunday morning. Oliver adds 6am on Sunday, August 17 "both sit within the sweet spot before the long weekend and will give you a chance at potentially unlocking better pricing.' This timing tip comes from expert insights and data-driven research from travel and ticketing platforms. It also focused on last-minute booking trends by travellers in the UK. The advise follows suggestions from CEO of Ryanair, Michael O'Leary, who said flights could also be booked cheaper in the first two months of the year. Winter months are believed to be the best time of the year to find cheap air fares, as well as just before the peak of school holidays. Another study looked in to the best time to book flights for certain destinations. For Faro in Portugal, the cheapest flights for the summer holidays were found to be just five weeks before travelling. And for long-haul flights like to New York, the best time was found to be June to book for an August vacation. Other tips for saving money on flights Here are some of the best ways you can save money on flights Mistake Fares A mistake fare is essentially an error that occurs when airlines or travel agents accidentally list the wrong price for a flight. It might happen when airline staff accidentally leave out a zero — or two — while listing the cost of a ticket online. While the odds of airlines making these mistakes are fairly low, such incidents do occur from time to time — and travellers can save hundreds of pounds by just keeping an eye out. However, they will have to be quick as airlines will remove these prices as soon as they spot the mistake. Being flexible Being fussy about where you go on holiday can reduce your options for saving money. Going on Google Flights and clicking on the map instead of searching for a specific destination will show you the cheapest rates to a number of cities. That way you can make sure you head to the most affordable destination, or at least choose somewhere with cheap flights. Avoid pricey luggage additions Most airlines now charge extra for passengers to check luggage in during their flights and it's much more affordable to fly with just carry-on. So practice packing before you fly and make sure you can squash everything into a case or bag that will fit in the airline's hand luggage rules — it could save you a fair amount.

Economic uncertainty blamed for ‘lacklustre' retail performance last month
Economic uncertainty blamed for ‘lacklustre' retail performance last month

The Independent

time39 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Economic uncertainty blamed for ‘lacklustre' retail performance last month

Analysists have blamed rising economic uncertainty for a 'lacklustre' July that saw Scottish retail sales fall in real terms compared with the same month last year. According to figures from the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) and KPMG, total sales in Scotland rose 0.1% last month compared with July 2024, when they had decreased by 0.9%. However when adjusted for inflation this represents a year-on-year fall of 0.5%. Food sales in Scotland were down 1.4% compared with July 2024, when they had decreased by just 0.3%. This was despite a strong opening to the month when hot weather led to a 'boost' in spending on barbecues and summer meals. Non-food sales on the other hand rose by 1.4% compared with the same period last year, with analysists saying phones and some furniture and toy ranges performed well. Adjusted for the effects of online sales, non-food sales increased 1.6% on July 2024, when they had decreased by 1.5%. Ewan MacDonald-Russell, deputy head of the SRC, said: 'July was a lacklustre month for Scottish retailers as sales again disappointed. 'When adjusted for inflation retail sales in Scotland fell by 0.5%. That's a slight improvement on June's figures, but demonstrates shoppers continue to cut back on shopping as economic uncertainty continues to rise. 'Within the general disappointment there were some bright spots. Food sales shone in the opening half of the month as Scots took advantage of the warm weather to cook barbeque and summer meals. 'Phone sales did well, as did some toys and furniture ranges. Against that televisions continue to disappoint, with few households investing in high-end entertainment despite the summer plethora of sporting events. 'Fashion ranges performed poorly, albeit the likelihood is shoppers did their summer wardrobe shopping earlier in the year when the sunshine emerged. 'The harsh truth is Scots are holding back spending as worries about the economy grow. 'That is leaving shops in the lurch – facing higher costs as a consequence of last year's UK Government budget without the growth needed to pay those bills. 'With little sight the economic weather will brighten, many retailers, especially those on the high street, face increasingly unpalatable choices in the coming months.' Linda Ellett, UK head of consumer, retail and leisure at KPMG, described the current trading environment as 'challenging' for retailers. 'The UK's fifth warmest July on Met Office record brought a boost to home appliance and food and drink sales,' she said. 'But rising inflation was also a driver of the latter and monthly non-food sales are only growing at around 1% on average at present. 'With employment costs having risen and inflation both a business and consumer side pressure, it remains a challenging trading environment for many retailers. 'While the majority of consumers that KPMG surveys are confident in their ability to balance their monthly household budgets, big ticket purchases are more considered in the context of rising essential costs and ongoing caution about the economy and labour market. 'Holidays are the priority for many this summer but those heading away have had to account for a higher cost of travel. 'Consequently, spending in some areas of the retail sector remains subdued and competition for consumer spend will remain fierce.' The figures were published in the SRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor for July.

Data centres to be expanded across UK as concerns mount
Data centres to be expanded across UK as concerns mount

BBC News

time40 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Data centres to be expanded across UK as concerns mount

The number of data centres in the UK is set to increase by almost a fifth, according to figures shared with BBC News. Data centres are giant warehouses full of powerful computers used to run digital services from movie streaming to online banking - there are currently an estimated 477 of them in the researchers Barbour have analysed planning documents and say that number is set to jump by almost 100, as the growth in artificial intelligence (AI) increases the need for processing majority are due to be built in the next five there are concerns about the huge amount of energy and water the new data centres will consume. Some experts have warned it could drive up prices paid by than half of the new data centres would be in London and neighbouring are privately funded by US tech giants such as Google and Microsoft and major investment firms.A further nine are planned in Wales, one in Scotland, five in Greater Manchester and a handful in other parts of the UK, the data the new data centres are mostly due for completion by 2030, the biggest single one planned would come later - a £10-billion AI data centre in Blyth, near Newcastle, for the American private investment and wealth management company Blackstone would involve building 10 giant buildings covering 540,000 square meters - the size of several large shopping centres - on the site of a former Blyth Power are set to begin in 2031 and last for more than three is planning four new data centres in the UK at a total cost of £330 million, with an estimated completion between 2027 and 2029 - two in the Leeds area, one near Newport in Wales, and a five-storey site in Acton, north west Google is building two data centres, totalling £450m, spread over 400,000 sq m in north east London in the Lee Valley water system. By some analyses, the UK is already the third-largest nation for data centres behind the US and government has made clear it believes data centres are central to the UK's economic future - designating them critical national there are concerns about their impact, including the potential knock-on effect on people's energy is not known what the energy consumption of the new centres will be as this data is not included in the planning applications, but US data suggests they are can be considerably more powerful than older Sasha Luccioni, AI and climate lead at machine learning firm Hugging Face, explains that in the US "average citizens in places like Ohio are seeing their monthly bills go up by $20 (£15) because of data centres".She said the timeline for the new data centres in the UK was "aggressive" and called for "mechanisms for companies to pay the price for extra energy to power data centres - not consumers".According to the National System Operator, NESO, the projected growth of data centres in Great Britain could "add up to 71 TWh of electricity demand" in the next 25 years, which it says redoubles the need for clean power - such as offshore wind. 'Fixated with sustainability' There are also growing concerns about the environmental impact of these enormous existing data centre plants require large quantities of water to prevent them from overheating - and most current owners do not share data about their water Hone, chief executive of industry body the Data Centre Alliance, says "ensuring there is enough water and electricity powering data centres isn't something the industry can solve on its own".But he insisted "data centres are fixated with becoming as sustainable as possible", such as through dry-cooling promises of future solutions have failed to appease some. In Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, residents are objecting to the construction of a £3.8bn cloud and AI centre on greenbelt land, describing the area as the "lungs" of their in Dublin there is currently a moratorium on the building of any new data centres because of the strain existing ones have placed on Ireland's national electricity 2023 they accounted for one fifth of the country's energy demand. Last month, Anglian Water objected to plans for a 435 acre data centre site in North Lincolnshire. The developer says it aims to deploy "closed loop" cooling systems which would not place a strain on the water planning documents suggest that 28 of the new data centres would be likely to be serviced by troubled Thames Water, including 14 more in Slough, which has already been described as having Europe's largest cluster of the BBC understands Thames Water was talking to the government earlier this year about the challenge of water demand in relation to data centres and how it can be UK, the trade body for all water firms, said it "desperately" wants to supply the centres but "planning hurdles" need to be cleared more quickly. Ten new reservoirs are being built in Lincolnshire, the West Midlands and south-east England.A spokesperson for the UK Government said data centres were "essential" and an AI Energy Council had been established to make sure supply can meet demand, alongside £104bn in water infrastructure reporting by Tommy Lumby Sign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter to follow the world's top tech stories and trends. Outside the UK? Sign up here.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store