Nearly a third of households in the State are now living in energy poverty as a result of the recent surge in gas and electricity prices, a new study has found. The research by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) calculated that households are paying on average €21 more a week for energy, rising to €38 more when motor fuels are included, on the back of the recent price hikes. Eoin Burke-Kennedy and Jack Horgan-Jones report.
An estimated 2,000 of Ryanair’s cabin crew staff could go out on strike across Europe at some stage this summer as the aviation sector in general heads into a season of discontent, union officials say. Ian Curran has more.
The US Federal Reserve last night dramatically raised the stakes in its battle against raging inflation by increasing its benchmark interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point, the largest such move since 1994. It came hours after the European Central Bank sought to take on fears that the euro zone could be about to enter a new debt crisis by saying it would expedite a new policy tool to beat surging borrowing costs in the currency area’s weaker economies, notably Italy. Martin Wall reports.
Back at home, house price inflation has slowed for the first time in almost two years, possibly offering a sign that the current cost-of-living squeeze may be dampening demand. Eoin Burke-Kennedy writes that property prices across the State rose by 14.2 per cent in the year to April, while the comparable figure for March was 15.1 per cent. Cantillon offers some thoughts on what this might mean for the market, also musing on the future for news consumption.
Mark Paul was in attendance for what he described as a “punishment beating” for representatives of the tourism industry at an Oireachtas committee on Wednesday. Senators and TDs were out for scalps over what they labelled “price gouging” in the hotels market, particularly in Dublin.
The Irish advertising industry has come together for a new climate-action push that calls on ad creatives to use their influence to promote more sustainable consumer choices and also sets a target of reaching net zero carbon emissions within its operations by 2030. Laura Slattery has the details.
Irish FT journalist Laura Noonan reflects today on the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) qualification, three hard-won letters that used to reliably unlock stellar careers in finance but whose importance has latterly faded. As a CFA herself, she has some ideas on why this has happened.
Ciara O’Brien speaks to Jonathan Hyland, chief technology officer of Irish tech unicorn Workhuman, who tells her about being in the business almost from the start, at the stage where database schemas were being sketched on beermats in Dublin’s Bleeding Horse pub.
The Defence Forces have teamed up with scientists to develop a new drone capable of policing more than 3,000km of Irish coastline to combat illegal drugs smuggling, writes Sean Duke. The drone project, which can work in the worst of weathers, is being led by the Tyndall National Institute in Cork.
Kamil Mahajan’s frustration with trying to book appointments by phone that prompted him to set up Otals, an online scheduling platform that streamlines bookings for customers and service providers alike. He tells Olive Keogh about the business, which goes beyond the usual lists of plumbers an electricians to take in services such as dog grooming and reiki sessions.
And finally, in her weekly tech review, Ciara O’Brien considers the latest smart device for your home: smart curtains. Is it just technology for technology’s sake?
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