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BreakingNews.ie
3 days ago
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Ryanair staff can earn up to €80 per month in bonuses for spotting oversized baggage
Ryanair staff can earn up to €80 a month in bonuses for catching passengers with oversized luggage. It comes after around 200,000 Ryanair passengers were hit with a €75 fine last year, and it has now emerged that staff can earn €1.50 for every oversized bag they catch. Advertisement The airline said the scheme helps reduce delays, but insists most passengers follow the rules. Consumer Affairs Correspondent, Conor Pope, doubts the policy will put people off from flying with Ryanair. Speaking on Newstalk, he said: "They have rules. They're not considered the most friendly airline in the world, but people know what they're getting, and they're happy with the service that Ryanair provides, generally speaking."
BreakingNews.ie
7 days ago
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Common Agricultural Policy: Irish farmers expecting bad news in overhaul to EU funds
Irish farmers are expecting bad news on Wednesday when the European Commission announces a major overhaul of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The Commission is expected to merge CAP into a "super fund" along with other sectors, meaning agriculture will no longer have a ringfenced budget. Advertisement The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) said changes to the European Union's farming subsidies are potentially devastating coming alongside potential US tariffs. IFA president Francie Gorman told Newstalk radio that it will impact farmers and consumers who buy their products. The mammoth CAP is today worth around €387 billion, or a third of the bloc's entire budget for 2021-2027. Brussels is also set to propose capping the EU subsidies a single farmer can receive each year, in an attempt to redistribute the bloc's massive farming subsidies in favour of smaller businesses, a draft European Commission proposal seen by Reuters, showed. The document is part of the Commission's proposal for the EU's next budget, due to be published on Wednesday. Advertisement The Commission proposal would attempt to redistribute more subsidies to smaller farmers, by capping at €100,000 per year the area-based income support they can receive, the draft said. It would also progressively reduce the amount paid out per hectare, for those receiving the most. For example, farmers receiving area-based income support above €20,000 per year would have their subsidies above this level cut by 25 per cent, payments above €50,000 per year would be cut by 50 per cent, and payments above €75,000 by 75 per cent, the draft said. This is not the first time Brussels has attempted to cap subsidies, to limit payouts to big landowners and agro-industrial firms. In the previous CAP, roughly 80 per cent of payments went to 20 per cent of the beneficiaries. Advertisement Past proposals to do this were rejected by EU governments concerned about their farming industries. EU countries and the European Parliament must approve the new budget for 2028-2034. A Commission spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the draft, which could change before it is published. Ireland Coroner rejects calls to refer details to gardaí a... Read More The draft would set overarching EU-wide green targets that farmers must meet to receive subsidies, while obliging countries to set additional, locally-tailored conditions. "The new CAP is to be a simpler and more targeted Union common policy, with more flexibility for farmers and a shift from requirements to incentives," the draft said. The draft did not confirm the size of the new CAP. Its core would still be direct income support for farmers, which would be "ring-fenced" – meaning it cannot be spent on anything else. The proposal would merge the CAP's current two-pillar structure into one overarching fund – a move opposed by the influential European farmers' lobby COPA-COGECA. – Additional reporting: Reuters
Irish Independent
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Money Talks: Fionnuala Jones: 'I really don't panic about things that I probably should be panicking about'
Whether it's waxing lyrical about high-profile entertainment disasters on her Flop Culture podcast, assessing the latest showbiz news on Newstalk's Movies & Booze slot, or interviewing big-name stars on The Six O'Clock Show, Jones' diary is usually pretty full. And then there's a constant stream of online content creation to consider, not to mention a dedication to sustainable fashion that she's committed to in recent years. 'I was always into vintage secondhand fashion, but I was also growing really disillusioned with fast fashion and buying things really cheaply and the stuff coming and being like... 'I hate this', or it wasn't lasting, or the quality wasn't really good,' she tells Katie Byrne on the latest episode of the Money Talks podcast. 'And I was also getting more cognisant of the fact that people were being paid very little to make these clothes that I didn't even like. So, I decided to test myself. I've been trying to continue to add to my wardrobe as opposed to looking at my wardrobe and going 'right, I need to get rid of all of this', because that's not sustainable. Sustainable is wearing the clothes you already have.' In conversation with host Katie Byrne, Jones provides an off-the-cuff guide for those looking to swap out fast fashion for something eco-friendlier and more affordable. She also discusses the joys and challenges of getting into the property market at a young age, and the precarious nature of the influencer industry. Money Talks is available wherever you get your podcasts, with new episodes released on Wednesdays. The content of this podcast is for information purposes and does not constitute investment advice or recommendation of any investment product.
Irish Independent
15-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Simon Harris says 30pc tariff would stop trade from functioning between the EU and US and warns of job losses
The EU and US had been engaged in negotiations ahead of a deadline last week, but US president Donald Trump announced he was pushing back the imposition of a higher rate of tariffs until August 1. Mr Trump also said he would impose 30pc tariffs on the bloc if a deal is not reached, in a move that EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic said would make trade between the two regions almost 'impossible'. If negotiations on a deal fail and the EU imposes countermeasures worth €72bn, this would hurt both the US and the EU, Mr Harris will tell ministers today. Speaking on Newstalk's The Pat Kenny Show, the Tánaiste said the 30pc tariffs "would, in many ways, stop trade from functioning between Europe and the US". 'There is a very significant difference between baseline 10pc tariffs and an extraordinary level of tariffs of 30pc on the European Union," Mr Harris said. 'We've got to really pull together now as a country, and we've got to pull together as a European Union and work our way through this. I believe it's still possible to have a negotiated agreement, because the trade relationship between Ireland and the US - and the US and the EU - matters. 'It matters in both directions, but it is a deeply concerning development that when the European Union was engaging in good faith - and was very close to what we believed was a framework agreement - that this development has now happened over the course of the weekend," he said. He said that Ireland and the European Union are facing a "moment of major economic challenge" if the 30pc tariffs on EU exports are imposed. However, Mr Harris added: 'I think in his heart of hearts, [president Donald Trump] knows, as a businessman, that tariffs of that level would not just disrupt trade, but in many ways stop trade as we know it from functioning between Europe and the US." Ministers will also be updated on plans to engage with the pharmaceutical industry later this week, a sector Mr Harris will say is an area of significant concern for Ireland. ADVERTISEMENT There is a real resolve to continue with those negotiations in good faith Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon, who is in Brussels for the EU Agri-Fish council, said the mood has been one of calm. Mr Heydon said the EU believed the announcement over the weekend was a negotiating tactic. 'There is a real resolve to continue with those negotiations in good faith. In one way, nothing has changed. Because it is still about August 1,' he told the Irish Independent. 'It's not that long ago, 50pc was being threatened. Now 30pc is in a letter. We have to continue to negotiate in good faith,' he added. Mr Heydon said while more time to negotiate is welcome, there is significant concern over the uncertainty it is causing businesses. 'Every business can deal with changes if they know what the future looks like, but the future keeps changing,' he said. 'We were glad there was an extension to August 1, that we avoided a cliff-edge date, but at some stage, we do need a final decision here. We do need clarity about the future for our companies, because there's been so much turmoil this year that's not good for supply chains.' Mr Heydon said while talks will continue, it was important the US knew that the EU would have a firm response to high tariffs, which will come in the form of a list of retaliatory measures. 'In all negotiations, you try and avoid escalating them, but the other side has to know that at some point you do have options open to you,' he said. 'The European Union recognises its strength and recognised [its strength] on Brexit, and it will recognise it in its negotiations with the US. 'That's why the counter list comes up. There has to be that possibility of a firm response should the other tariffs come into play.' Speaking yesterday, following a meeting with US ambassador to Ireland Ed Walsh, Simon Harris said the EU has to 'prepare for all scenarios'. 'The message I relayed to the US ambassador is a consistent one and a very straightforward one: we in Ireland, we in Europe, want a deal,' he said. 'We want a trade deal that is good for Ireland, good for Europe, good for the United States of America, and I believe there is a clear landing zone in relation to that.' He continued: 'I believe there was a landing zone very nearly there last week, and it's regrettable that wasn't arrived at.' However, he remains confident that a deal can happen in the days ahead. The European Commission is due to publish an expanded list of counter- tariffs that would be implemented if an agreement is not reached. If there isn't a deal Europe also has options at its disposal Mr Harris said the 'optimal position' would be to get to a deal where 'we can rip up that list and never need to see it implemented'. 'A countermeasure list is an important step of saying to president Trump: 'Hang on, we want a deal here, we want a way forward, but if there isn't a deal Europe also has options at its disposal',' he added. The Tánaiste said the Government will also analyse the list and engage with the commission over any 'areas of concern for Ireland' that arise. Mr Harris said the pharma sector remains an area of significant concern. 'Europe must remain calm, must remain united – our strength is in being united, 460 million of us – and must of course prepare for all scenarios,' he said. Earlier, European commissioner for democracy, justice, the rule of law and consumer protection, Michael McGrath said the bloc's response to 30pc tariffs would be 'firm, quick and robust'.
The Journal
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Taoiseach calls Israel's 'humanitarian city' plan for Gaza a 'concentration camp idea'
TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN has described Israel's plan to move the population of Gaza into a restricted zone in the south of the territory as 'a concentration camp idea'. Israel has described the planned camp as a 'humanitarian city', but Martin's comparison echoed the opinion of former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, who told The Guardian it would constitute a concentration camp. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz first unveiled the plan during a press briefing last week. It envisions building from scratch a closed zone in southern Gaza during a potential 60-day ceasefire. According to Katz, the area would initially house around 600,000 displaced people from southern Gaza and include four aid distribution sites managed by international organisations. The entire civilian population of Gaza – more than two million people – would eventually be relocated there under the plan. 'In our view, it's a war crime to attempt to do what Israel is going to attempt to do with population of Gaza,' Martin said this morning. He was responding to former minister for justice Alan Shatter's description of a proposed law that would ban trade in goods with illegal Israeli settlements as 'Nazi legislation', a comment the former Fine Gael TD made in an interview with Newstalk this morning. 'I think if he used that language, that's shocking,' Martin said of Shatter's comment. Advertisement 'What we've witnessed is the continuing collective punishment of the people of Gaza, and I think former minister Shatter should perhaps focus on that a bit more and not just completely dismiss the appalling murder and killing of innocent children and civilians in Gaza, which has shocked the world.' Martin added that 'the level of barbaric behaviour is something that genuinely has shocked people, and it should stop'. 'That war should stop.' Shatter is due to address the Committee of Foreign Affairs this afternoon representing the Ireland-Israel Association, when he will voice his opposition to the proposed legislation. Martin also referenced former prime minister Olmert's comments about the plan to push the people of Gaza into a concentration camp. Olmert told RTÉ's Morning Ireland today that the plan could constitute a war crime, 'something that is totally intolerable and unacceptable'. 'The argument that it will become a humanitarian camp is ridiculous,' Olmert said. 'Those who propose it say time and again that they're against any humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in Gaza, so altogether clearing a large part of the Gaza in order to make it available for resettling of Israeli settlements is something that may be interpreted as ethnic cleansing.' With reporting from AFP Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
