Coal-fired electricity, law firms’ insurance, and threat to €1bn conference sector

Business Today: the best news, analysis and comment from The Irish Times business desk

In Galway at the launch of McDonald’s and FoodCloud’s new partnership were, from left, Alistair Reid, director of operations and franchising, McDonald’s Ireland; Aaron Byrne, McDonald’s franchisee; Alan Gannon, FoodCloud warehouse manager; and Kay Cunningham and Teresa Coughlan of Ballinasloe Social Services. Photograph: Andrew Downes/Xposure
In Galway at the launch of McDonald’s and FoodCloud’s new partnership were, from left, Alistair Reid, director of operations and franchising, McDonald’s Ireland; Aaron Byrne, McDonald’s franchisee; Alan Gannon, FoodCloud warehouse manager; and Kay Cunningham and Teresa Coughlan of Ballinasloe Social Services. Photograph: Andrew Downes/Xposure

Coal generated up to a quarter of Irish electricity demand last month at peak times, possibly boosting the State's carbon emissions, official figures show. Barry O'Halloran has the details.

The Law Society says it is working to attract new insurers into the market for professional indemnity insurance (PII) for Irish solicitors, after a large insurance company walked away from the market for smaller firms. Mark Paul reports.

The value of mortgage approvals in the Republic hit a record level of €1.28 billion in July as pandemic-related factors, such as increased savings, enticed more homebuyers into the market, writes Eoin Burke-Kennedy

McDonald's Ireland will provide €50,000 and continue to donate surplus food to the non-profit organisation FoodCloud as part of a new partnership to be announced on Friday.

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Conference business worth ¤1 billioillion hangs in balance due to Covid-19 restrictions, writes Eoin Burke-Kennedy.

Action on global warming will come at a cost, like it or not, warns John FitzGerald in his weekly column.

In Wild Geese, photographer Shannon Guerrico tells Barbara McCarthy about how she cam e to co-run an art gallery in Lausanne, Switzerland.

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Ciarán Hancock

Ciarán Hancock

Ciarán Hancock is Business Editor of The Irish Times