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Two Israeli embassy staff killed dead outside Jewish museum in Washington DC

Two Israeli embassy staff killed dead outside Jewish museum in Washington DC

Irish Times22-05-2025

Two staff members of the Israeli Embassy were fatally shot outside the Jewish Museum in Washington DC. The suspect yelled 'free, free Palestine' when arrested.
Dublin City Council has started to clear a large illegal landfill site in Darndale on the north of the city. Video: Bryan O'Brien
The Israeli military said that it fired near a diplomatic delegation which had "deviated" from an approved route in the occupied West Bank. Video: Reuters
Israeli attacks on Jabalia overnight have resulted in multiple fatalities and numerous injuries, mainly to children, according to reports.
Caoimhe Ní Ghormáin, an expert in medieval Irish manuscripts, and John Gillis, who led the conservation, talk about the Book of Leinster. Video: Ronan McGreevy
Gordon Manning speaks to members of the Dublin Senior Camogie squad ahead of this week's Camogie Association vote on the wearing of shorts. Video: Bryan O'Brien
Conor Gallagher reports on Pravfond, set up by Putin, that intelligence agencies say does more than its stated goal of protecting the rights of Russians abroad
14-year-old Cara Darmody started a 50-hour disability rights protest outside Leinster House to highlight delays in children getting an assessment of needs.
CCTV footage of a tractor being driven by 16 year old completely crushing a car in Graiguenamanagh.

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Liquidators appointed to marketing company Frank&Bear amid alleged misappropriation of funds
Liquidators appointed to marketing company Frank&Bear amid alleged misappropriation of funds

Irish Times

time28 minutes ago

  • Irish Times

Liquidators appointed to marketing company Frank&Bear amid alleged misappropriation of funds

Joint provisional liquidators have been appointed by the High Court to Dublin company Frank&Bear Limited, stated to be involved in a number of significant digital marketing campaigns in Ireland, the UK, Europe and the United States. Barrister Eoin Coffey told Mr Justice David Holland that the company, which employs 12 people, was unable to meet its debts and that two of its three directors were engaged in promoting a petition through the courts for the winding up of the firm. Mr Coffey, who appeared with Grace Armstrong of McCann Fitzgerald Solicitors , said the petition was being sought by directors Niamh Haughey and fellow director Michael Corcoran, a key member of the company's senior management team responsible for running a consultancy arm by the name of 'Frankly.' Counsel told the court that Ms Haughey, of Hollywood Grove, Newry, Co Down, had indicated in sworn written evidence opened to the court that director and financial controller David Connor of Ontario Terrace, Ranelagh , Dublin, had misappropriated approximately €1.75 million of company funds. READ MORE Ms Haughey said a forensic investigation had revealed that Connor had taken out company funds for renovations to his family home and also for the acquisition of a number of vehicles that had been applied to his personal use and for members of his family. She also stated that Connor owned a season ticket to a UK Premier League Club and had used company funds to finance family holidays. Mr Coffey told Judge Holland that Connor had also formed the opinion that the company should be wound up but was not co-operating with the appointment of joint provisional liquidators Dessie Morrow and Diarmaid Guthrie of Azets Ireland. Ms Haughey said Frank&Bear had been involved in a number of significant digital marketing campaigns throughout Ireland, the UK, Europe and the US and had provided consulting services to a number of well-known brands in the area of social media strategy and operations. She had met Mr Connor when she had commenced working for an unrelated digital marketing company in May 2016 when he was CEO and majority shareholder of that company which had also employed Mr Corcoran. In January 2020 she had been offered a role in a leading international agency and on Mr Connor having become aware of the offer he had suggested she turn it down, which she did, and go into business with him instead which she had done. Frank&Bear was a social media and digital marketing agency specialising in creating and managing online marketing campaigns to help businesses reach and engage their target audiences and increase revenue. The company operated fully remotely and did not own or lease any real property. To her knowledge the company had traded profitably for the period ending December 2022 but in April 2025 Mr Corcoran had been informed by a building contractor that they had carried out renovations to Mr Connor's personal property but had received payment for the works by Frank&Bear. This had led to the forensic investigation into the financial matters of the company and she stated there had been a complete breakdown in trust and confidence between Mr Connor and herself and Mr Corcoran. Mr Connor, who had refused to co-operate with the investigation, had been suspended on full pay. Both she and Mr Corcoran now believed the company should be wound up in the interest of employees and creditor. Judge Holland directed that Mr Morrow and Mr Guthrie be appointed joint provisional liquidators of Frand&Bear with power to take control of all property to which the company appeared to be entitled, including books and records and power to institute legal proceedings. The application was brought ex parte in the absence of any representation on behalf of the company and returned to July 7th.

Upgrade of power system could spark €83 yearly increase in household electricity bills
Upgrade of power system could spark €83 yearly increase in household electricity bills

Irish Times

time43 minutes ago

  • Irish Times

Upgrade of power system could spark €83 yearly increase in household electricity bills

Household electricity bills could increase by €83 per year to pay for an 'essential' upgrade of the country's power system, the chief executive of the Electricity Association of Ireland (EAI) has said. Dara Lynott said ESB Networks estimates it will need between €10 billion and €13.4 billion to upgrade the system over the next five years. ESB Networks has asked the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) to approve a price increase in order to facilitate this. It is estimated that such a price increase would result in household electricity bills increasing by at least €1.60 per week or about €83 per year. Mr Lynott said the investment is 'absolutely needed' and should be treated the same way as investing in any other 'essential' service, such as roads or water. READ MORE Mr Lynott said renewables such as wind, solar and hydropower currently provide about 40 per cent of electricity in Ireland. He said this figure needs to increase to 'reduce emissions' and improve the efficiency of the grid. He said a price increase of around €1.60 per week for electricity should be viewed 'in context', noting that people in Dublin regularly pay €3.75 for a cup of coffee 'if they're lucky'. 'That's not to say that the price increase won't be difficult for some people but there are measures that can be done by the Government to negate this, such as energy credits.' Mr Lynott said people over the age of 65 and single mothers with children under 18 are two cohorts most likely to feel the impact of a bill increase. He said the Government should consider giving these groups a free allotment of electricity units. He said universal credits are 'regressive' and the only way to tackle 'energy poverty' is with targeted measures such as electricity credits. [ Irish electricity prices, already Europe's highest, may rise further due to 'required investment' Opens in new window ] The Department of Social Protection provides a €35 monthly electricity allowance through the Household Benefits Package to help individuals with their energy bills. This allowance is paid directly into a person's bank account, so is not necessarily spent on energy bills, My Lynott noted. It was announced in Budget 2025 that all domestic electricity customers would get €250 off their electricity bills via two instalments of €125, as part of the Government's cost-of-living package. Similar measures had been announced in previous budgets. However, the Government has indicated that universal credits may not feature in the upcoming budget, potentially being replaced with more targeted measures. 'We're not going to have a cost-of-living package this year,' Taoiseach Micheál Martin said in February. The Irish Times has contacted ESB Networks, the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment for comment.

US multinationals will be slow to return operations to US, Ibec leader says
US multinationals will be slow to return operations to US, Ibec leader says

Irish Times

timean hour ago

  • Irish Times

US multinationals will be slow to return operations to US, Ibec leader says

Big US multinationals will be slow to heed President Donald Trump's demands to bring operations back to the country because of 'the chaos' currently existing in Washington, the head of Ireland's biggest business group has said. Businesses can learn to live with even penal tariffs , but they will struggle to cope with a business environment that can change day by day, Danny McCoy , the director of the Irish Business and Employers' Confederation, Ibec . 'It's hard to see how the US can actually credibly invoke the return of investment back into United States. Corporates will say the right things, but it's a big call to go back into something that's so random and so uncertain,' he said. Mr McCoy was speaking at a conference jointly organised by Ibec and the Confederation of British Industry at the Ballymascanlon House Hotel near Dundalk. READ MORE However unpleasant, tariffs are 'slightly a distraction', but even US-based multinationals will think carefully before they would 'wilfully' bring investments 'back into a regime that's so chaotic at the moment', Mr McCoy said. Equally, it must be remembered that 'a lot of the money in United States stock markets and so on is not US money, it's international money attracted to the safe haven that was the US'. Mr Trump has 'ripped up' the reserve currency status of the dollar: 'So, what we're likely to see that where the money goes for investment globally is not the United States,' he said. The question now for European Union states is whether they can get their 'act together to not only attract' their own money back, but equally to find ways to dramatically boost investment across the EU. On tariffs, research by the Economic and Social Research Institute has shown that Ireland could live with even a permanent tariff of 25 per cent on goods going to the US: 'You can adjust around tariffs,' he declared. Echoing some of the points made by Mr McCoy, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the state of the world's geopolitics creates opportunities for Ireland and the United Kingdom, especially if they can work together on issues of mutual concern. 'With challenge and with turbulence comes opportunity as well,' he said, adding that major business leaders have told British Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer and himself that the two countries are now 'seen as a safe haven internationally for investment'. International investors have noticed the improving relations between the two countries in the wake of the Brexit disagreements, but 'also the common views, the common rules, basic sort of steadiness of how things are going'. Questioned about the tax and financial issues that are affecting people from the Republic and Northern Ireland who are working in the other jurisdiction, Mr Martin said those problems will have to be resolved. 'It is complex. It's not simple. My view is we do need to try and bring this to some conclusion because we do really have to reduce barriers and increase labour mobility,' he said. Currently, 18,000 people are known to cross the border daily for work, but, in reality, a far greater number do so but they use a relative's address as their residence for tax purposes – the so-called 'grannying' option. Though the workers do pay taxes to HM Revenue and Customs, or the Revenue Commissioners, they leave themselves open to tax audits, possible penalties and welfare complications by acting as they do. In addition, many workers who fully declare where they live are unable to get mortgages because financial institutions are unwilling to offer loans to people whose income could be affected by currency fluctuations. Extolling the value of all-island jobs mobility, Mr Martin earlier told the conference: 'One of the big things we say to US, or global multinationals is that we're part of the European labour market and there's free mobility of labour.' 'We want to develop the all-island skills agenda to meet our future skills needs – for instance in construction and infrastructure ‒ to better harness the potential of the island-wide labour market, for workers and employers,' he said.

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