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The Journal
an hour ago
- Business
- The Journal
Russian-owned alumina refinery in Limerick suspended from energy market
MINISTER FOR ENTERPRISE Peter Burke has said that the government is working 'very closely' with a Russian-owned alumina refinery in Co Limerick following its suspension from the energy market. Aughinish Alumina is Europe's largest alumina refinery and employs 450 people on its 222-hectare site, located close to the Shannon-estuary towns of Foynes and Askeaton. It is owned by Russian metals company Rusal. Eirgrid has confirmed that the company has been suspended from the ex-ante energy market - which provides day-ahead and intraday markets for the buying and selling of wholesale electricity by generators, supply companies and traders. 'Aughinish Alumina have not been taken offline and remain connected to the transmission system,' a spokesperson for Eirgrid said. 'EirGrid can confirm that Aughinish Alumina have been suspended from the ex-ante market in line with a decision by ECC (European Commodity Clearing). EirGrid are currently reviewing the implications of this development.' Speaking to reporters today, the Enterprise Minister said the decision was taken in a sovereign court in Italy. Peter Burke said his department, the Department of Energy, Eirgrid and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) are engaging with the company to 'try and find a pathway for the company'. 'They're a very significant employer, and one that we are committed to working very closely with,' he said. 'Obviously, there are sanctions that we have to adhere to in relation to the ownership structure, as well as its participation now subject to that case in the energy market.' Asked if jobs were under threat at the plant, Burke said: 'We're working with the company, and that's the key thing. Advertisement Aerial view of Aughinish Alumina refinery on the Shannon, Co Limerick. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo 'We need to ensure that there is a pathway. It's a very significant company. It's a heavily export-oriented company from the Irish market, and obviously supplies a significant amount of power brought into the grid and in terms of its utilisation.' Burke said he understands that the company is still fully operational, but that 'they are in discussion with Eirgrid and the CRU to find a pathway'. While the Aughinish Alumina plant has no direct link to Russia's military invasion of Ukraine, it is owned by Russian metals company Rusal, which was co-founded by Oleg Deripaska. Deripaska, who is still a shareholder in Rusal, is an industrialist who is reported to have had close ties to Russia president Vladimir Putin. In 2018, he was placed on a US sanctions list and the UK government also announced sanctions against the oligarch in 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The businessman is well-connected in Russian politics and business, and was pictured earlier this month at the Kremlin in Moscow for a ceremony ahead of World War II commemorations. According to reports, pre-tax losses at Aughinish Alumina in 2023 totalled €108 million, down from losses of €141 million the previous year. Earlier this month, a bomb was discovered attached to a fuel tank that services the refinery . The bomb is believed to have included a battery-timed mechanism so that it could be detonated long after the perpetrators had left the area. It's understood that up to 100 staff at the refinery were unable to leave the plant while a 350-metre security cordon was in place at the scene for several hours. The area where the bomb was found is located close to a publicly accessible nature walking trail. Gardaí investigating the incident are examining many lines of enquiry, including the possibility that the bomb may have been a direct response to Russian missile attacks in Kyiv carried out at the time. In February 2022 Gardaí launched an investigation into criminal damage at the entrance to Aughinish Alumina which was daubed with slogans in red paint, similar in nature to protests at Russian embassies around the world at Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 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
The Journal
4 hours ago
- Politics
- The Journal
Zelenskyy approves new anti-corruption bill after law change sparked protests across Ukraine
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR Zelenskyy has approved a draft bill guaranteeing the freedom of the country's anti-corruption bodies, after nationwide protests over changes curbing their independence. The changes gave the country's prosecutor general – who is appointed by the president – control of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, effectively erasing the independence of the two bodies. Critics said that this would mean that Ukraine's parliament will have the ability to control which cases are pursued. Thousands took to the streets across Ukraine to protest against the changes in what were the country's first large-scale demonstrations since Russia's invasion more than three years ago. Thousands of people protesting against a law targeting anti-corruption institutions near the President's Office in Kyiv, Ukraine on Wednesday. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo The changes also raised concerns in the EU, with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen demanding 'explanations' from Zelenskyy. With Ukraine pushing to join the bloc, the EU has said that reforms are essential for Ukraine's accession process. On Wednesday, Zelenskyy promised he would propose a new bill on anti-graft agencies to parliament. Advertisement In a statement on social media this afternoon, he said: 'I have just approved the text of a draft law that guarantees real strengthening of the rule of law in Ukraine, independence of anti-corruption bodies and reliable protection of the rule of law from any Russian influence or interference.' He said the new bill would be submitted to parliament today. I've just approved the text of a draft bill that guarantees real strengthening of Ukraine's law enforcement system, independence of anti-corruption agencies, and reliable protection of the law enforcement system against any Russian influence or interference. The text is… — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 24, 2025 'It is important that we respect the position of all Ukrainians and are grateful to everyone who stands with Ukraine,' he added. The EU has welcomed the move, adding that Kyiv has to address concerns from Brussels. 'We have seen that the Ukrainian government has taken action,' EU spokesman Stefan de Keersmaecker said. 'We welcome that action, and indeed we work with them to make sure that these concerns regarding the fight against corruption, which is an extremely important priority for us and for Ukraine as well, are indeed correctly addressed,' he added. Ukraine's two anti-corruption bodies, NABU and SAPO, were born a decade ago in the wake of the 2014 Maidan revolution. Those pro-European protests, centred on Kyiv's main square, also called Maidan, ousted a Kremlin-backed leader who scrapped a key partnership agreement with the EU. Related Reads Ukrainians take to the streets after Zelenskyy signs new law that targets anti-corruption bodies The Kremlin, which refused to accept Ukraine's democratic turn toward Europe, then launched a first assault over Ukraine that led Moscow-backed separatists to occupy Crimea and parts of the eastern Donbas region. Some fear that a political crisis over the legislation could work in Russia's favour by undermining unity within the country, which is struggling to hold the front. With reporting from © AFP 2025 Want to know more about what's happening in Ukraine and why? Check out our FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to finding good information online. Visit Knowledge Bank 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
The Journal
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Journal
Ireland's Ben Healy pipped to second in sensational finish to today's Tour de France stage
LAST UPDATE | 19 mins ago The 42 IRELAND'S BEN HEALY was pipped to second by France's Valentin Paret-Peintre in a sensational sprint finish to stage 16 of the Tour de France. After a gruelling four hours from Montpellier, Paret-Peintre beat Healy up the final hill of the Mont Ventoux stage to become the first French stage winner at this year's Tour. Healy, who won the sixth stage and previously wore the overall leader's yellow jersey, made his final charge with 350 metres remaining and led around the hairpin. But it was home hero Paret-Peintre who rounded him on the last slope to win the stage by a couple of bike lengths, sending the French fans atop the 1910m altitude mountain ecstatic. Ireland's Ben Healy (pink), file photo. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Behind Paret-Peintre and Healy, Jonas Vingegaard attacked overall leader Tadej Pogacar relentlessly but the defending champion tracked the Dane all the way up the 15km ascent to extend his lead by two seconds. Trailing by four minutes and 13 seconds at the start of this stage, Vingegaard attacked with 9 kilometres to climb on Mont Ventoux, whose eery upper reaches resemble a lunar landscape. Advertisement He and Pogacar were eclipsed, however, by a frantic fight for the line and the stage win between EF's Healy and Soudal Quick-Step's Paret-Peintre who relieved home hopes on a Tour raced entirely on French soil. Vingegaard and his Visma team did everything they could to hurt the Team UAE leader Pogacar, but the 26-year-old resisted all they threw at him despite being isolated from his teammates early in the climb which is already etched into Tour folklore after epic past battles. Chris Froome ran part of the way up during a frantic wait for mechanical assistance, while even the great Eddy Merckx once needed oxygen at the summit. Tom Simpson died here in 1967 after collapsing on a baking climb but asking to be helped back onto the saddle. Stage 17 should be one for the sprinters as Tim Merlier hopes to add to his two stage wins and current green jersey Jonathan Milan also targets a second win at the 700m straight run to the finish line at Valence. The weather however could rewrite the script with 50kph winds forecast along the 170km run. – © AFP 2025 Originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won't find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women's sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here .
The 42
5 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
McIlroy charge electrifies Portrush but Scottie Scheffler remains as in-control as ever before
ON TUESDAY SCOTTIE Scheffler looked coolly down on all of our silly little het-up emotions and excitements and told us that none of it really matters because, when you think about it, what's the point? He did the same to us all today, but this time on the golf course. Rory McIlroy brought the spark plugs to ignite an electrifying Moving Day with a raucous, rollicking 66, but Scheffler eased to a 67 to leave everyone merely moving at a yawning distance below him. He takes a four-shot lead into Sunday. . . this Open looks done. For all of McIlroy's brilliance, he started the day seven from Scheffler and ended it six back, as Scheffler shot a bogey-free 67 to take a four-shot lead into the final day. Haotong Li has solo second at 10-under, while Matt Fitzpatrick is third, a single shot back. McIlroy, at minus-eight, is alongside Tyrrell Hatton, Chris Gotterup, and Harris English in a tie for fourth. 'He's playing like Scottie', said McIlroy. 'I don't think it's a surprise. He's just so solid. He doesn't make mistakes.' McIlroy was the energy's epicentre but the pulses thrummed out in all directions. Tyrrell Hatton holed out for eagle from the seventh fairway; Xander Schauffele eagled two of the par-fives; Matt Fitzpatrick chipped in for eagle on the second; John Parry made a hole-in-one on the 13th. But once again Scheffler remained exquisitely above the madding fray; standing at easy, phlegmatic distance from all this base human drama like some philosopher-king. Advertisement Scottie Scheffler. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo McIlroy didn't make the weekend here in 2019 and so he started like a man eager to make amends. He took a driving iron to safely find the first fairway and left himself 35 feet for birdie. . . which he poured right into the hole. The roar erupted and rumbled all the way back down the fairway to slam in the face of any wandering fans elsewhere. He then gave him an eagle look on the second hole, only to leave his putt agonisingly short. He nonetheless tapped in to open up with two-straight birdies. The crowds McIlroy magnetised were extraordinary, with great masses of people moving behind him, like mudslides flowing down the walkways. Keegan Bradley and Nicolai Højgaard were playing in the group behind and must have felt like they were consistently arriving in some suddenly-evacuated town, with the grandstands emptied and detritus drifting around trampled-down walkways. The Rory Run continued with a tidy par on the par-three third and then another birdie on four to fling him to within three of Scottie Scheffler's lead. Then, however, the momentum stalled for a while, with some terrific, arcing putts agonisingly skirting the hole. McIlroy also threw in a penchant for the utterly bizarre: when he went miles right on 11, the follow-through of his shot from the rough spat up a long-buried golf ball from some round in the mists of time. McIlroy beheld the ball like Yorick's Skull before tossing it away. Alas, he made bogey, and moments after Scottie Scheffler awoke with an eagle on the par-five seventh. This swing sent him back to seven shots off the lead. But we know Rory well. There immediately came another heady rush of adrenaline, as McIlroy trickled in an epic, 56-foot putt for eagle on the very next hole. He raised his arm aloft as the wreaths of greenside crowds erupted. It was, he said later, the loudest roar he's ever heard on a golf course. The frenzy was amped up and suddenly things were going well even when they were going badly. He took a driving iron off the 15th tee and still went left and into the rough, and then saw his second shot hit the pin and drop to within a couple of feet for a shot less gained than gifted. He went to Calamity – the par-three on which you cannot go right – and went right, but saved his par with a stunning pitch to four feet. He blew his tee shot on 17 miles to the right but got a friendly lie among the crowd to get down for par. But all the while Scheffler offered no encouragement. While he didn't roar away from the field across his back nine, he crushed the field with flashes of sorry hope. A missed iron into 11 was a kind of black swan event, but from a gnarly lie on a mound to the left of the green, he pitched himself into range to get up and down. He then left himself 10 feet for his par on 14. . . and made it. He then birdied 16 for the third-straight day, saw a birdie putt shave the hole on 17, Earlier, Shane Lowry's misery was somehow compounded even further en route to a three-over 74. Having lost two shots to a penalty ruling by the R&A last night, he awoke in the middle of the night with a vomiting bug. He thus visited almost as many bathrooms as fairways across a brutally draining round, and will be among the early starters on Sunday, at three-over for the tournament. But for all the anarchic energy around him, it was yet again Scottie Scheffler's day. But goodness, what a day all the same.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
NHL trade rumor: Carolina Hurricanes eye Erik Karlsson to fuel Stanley Cup push in NHL 2025-26 season
NHL- Erik Karlsson (Credit: Getty Images) The Carolina Hurricanes are not content with just making deep playoff runs; they aspire to win the Stanley Cup. After another Eastern Conference Finals exit, the front office is reportedly exploring a major addition to finally push them over the edge. NHL insider Frank Seravalli has linked Carolina to Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson, suggesting the Hurricanes may have 'spent time investigating' a deal. Top 5 Erik Karlsson Career Plays | NHL Countdown Erik Karlsson's offensive firepower remains elite despite his age At 35, Erik Karlsson may not be the all-situations defenseman he once was, but his offensive skill remains elite. The three-time Norris Trophy winner (2012, 2015, 2023) has tallied 22 goals and 109 points over the past two seasons. Even on a middling Pittsburgh Penguins team, he's shown he can still move the puck and drive offense at a high level. Erik Karlsson: Team Photo Day | Pittsburgh Penguins Adding Karlsson could reshape the defensive structure in Carolina Adding Karlsson wouldn't come without complications. His current cap hit stands at $11.5 million through 2028, a figure too large for Carolina to absorb outright. Seravalli noted that teams would only bite if the number dropped to the $7 million–$7.5 million range, meaning the Penguins would need to retain salary or involve a third party. Salary cap math is the only real obstacle for a potential blockbuster The biggest hurdle in a Karlsson trade is financial. The Hurricanes are tight on cap space and don't have any obvious expiring contracts on the blue line. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Cardiologists Confirm: 60-Year-Old Sheds Fat With 4 Ingredients The Healthy Way Learn More Undo While the front office has room to maneuver, it would take creative accounting to land a player with Karlsson's salary, no matter how badly they want a Cup. Still, desperation can drive bold moves. The Florida Panthers have set the standard after back-to-back Stanley Cup titles and retaining key free agents this summer. If Carolina believes Karlsson is the difference-maker, they need to match that level, expect an aggressive push, especially if the Penguins are willing to meet halfway on salary. Karlsson may not be a perfect fit, but in the pursuit of a championship, perfection can be a negotiable goal. Also Read: Edmonton Oilers linked to $27m veteran Jonathan Marchessault, pressure mounts as Oilers eye scoring boost for NHL 2025-26 season Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
