ireland.com - The Irish Times

Brennan warns of a summer of discontent
The State could be facing a summer of discontent in the transport sector, but the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, has said he will not back down on his plans to break up Aer Rianta and CIÉ p

Dell may cap call centre jobs in State
Dell may cap the total number of staff it employs at its call centres in Bray and Cherrywood because of the higher cost of doing business in the Republic compared to Asian competitors such as India. p

BSkyB offers 'freeze' option to Irish consumers
Irish subscribers to BSkyB's satellite service will be offered a new feature that enables them to freeze live television pictures and record programmes without using a video from next month. p

One way to beat the hackers is to try and join them
So you think you have a safe website? You might have to think again. After a single day attending a class in hacking, even I, a coding nincompoop, can do some pretty snappy digital delving into the unintentional back doors and unguarded gateways of a website. p

Other Stories

Business loses out to football in rights battle
The ongoing skirmishes between Sky and RTÉ over football rights continue.Sky bought up the exclusive rights for Ireland's match against Albania in Tirana on Wednesday and RTÉ was only left with a measly highlights package shown later in the evening. p
'Ireland on Sunday' owner reports €14.6m pre-tax loss
The owner of Ireland on Sunday , Associated Newspapers Ireland, has reported a pre-tax loss of €14.6 million for its first year of operation p
Iona profit warning shocks the market
Iona Technologies shocked markets yesterday with a dramatic profit warning just a fortnight ahead of the publication of first- quarter figures. p
BMW cuts links with Irish distributor after EU ruling
BMW has become the first car manufacturer to cut ties with its Irish distributor in response to European Commission moves to encourage competitiveness p
REO to sue Aberdeen over losses
Real Estate Opportunities (REO), the investment company formed by Treasury Holdings and Aberdeen Asset Management two years ago, plans to sue Aberdeen over losses incurred on its income portfolio p
Service sector growth victim of war in Iraq, according to index
War in Iraq has been identified as one of the chief causes of slower growth in the services sector last month. p
ECB leaves rates untouched but hints at cut soon
The European Central Bank (ECB) has left interest rates unchanged but its president, Mr Wim Duisenberg, hinted that falling inflation could make further rate cuts possible soon. p
Broker warns markets may fall for fourth year in a row
This year could well be the fourth in a row in which major equity markets lose ground, Davy Stockbrokers has warned. p
Stocks up as final push under way
Leading European stocks climbed yesterday as US-led forces in Iraq prepared for a final push towards Baghdad. p
Pension funds suffer more losses
Pension funds notched up further losses in the first three months of the year.Irish-managed funds have surrendered 4.9 per cent of their value on average in the first quarter, bringing the cumulative loss over the last 12 months to 23.4 per cent, according to figures produced yesterday by Buck p
Grafton chairman waives part of pay
For the third year in a row, the executive chairman of building products group Grafton, Mr Michael Chadwick, has waived part of his salary.Mr Chadwick's total remuneration package last year was worth €514,000 but he has waived €337,000 or nearly two thirds. p
Good trading in AIB but share price holds steady
MARKET REPORT: The market made progress yesterday, gaining around 0.6 per cent, but dealers said volumes remained light outside the leading stocks. p

Business Opinion

War now almost certain to reduce economic growth
Could the war in Iraq be an economic boon? Given the scale of human suffering that the war will bring in its wake, the question may strike some as monstrously insensitive. p
For some war war is better than jaw jaw
Clearly it is impossible to make any intelligent comment on market direction given that most of it is influenced by scrolling headlines from the Gulf, only some of whom are even passably accurate p
Time for change in financial sector
Banking in Ireland in 2003 is an industry that likes to think of itself as bright, vibrant, responsive and competitive. In my view, it is far from that. It charges excessively, it does not pay a fair price for funds in current account balances and it erects enormous barriers to entry for new players. p

Business Features

Casting rights of shareholders aside
What is highway robbery? In the 19th century - well before my time - a guy, disguised in a mask, demanded your money, your life, or your bald-headed wife, or else! Now it has the cloak of legality. p
AIB wins investor awards
AIB was the big winner at the first annual Investor Relations Magazine Ireland Awards yesterday, taking home three of the eight prizes for shareholder communications by companies listed on the Irish Stock Exchange. p
Aer Rianta loses court battle over charges
The High Court has decided that the Commissioner for Aviation Regulation has power to specify the maximum levels of airport charges that may be applied over a five-year period at Dublin, Cork and Shannon airport. p
Legislating against discrimination at work is only half the solution
It might sound ridiculous today but, up to 30 years ago, women who were employed in the Irish civil service had to leave their jobs as soon as they got married. p

Story of the Week

Foundation for growth in house prices shaky
Defying gravity. It would seem that nothing can stop the upward spiral in house prices. Growth rates eased sharply in late 2001 and early 2002 and it seemed that the market was cooling but, in the past few months, it has come storming back. p
Fingleton's future at INBS depends on members' kindness
Irish Nationwide Building Society's (INBS) 128th annual general meeting on April 24th promises to be more interesting than usual. p

Technology

Tech employees refuse to lose faith in stock options
To understand why stock options still hold such powerful sway in Silicon Valley, despite the savage bear market, you need only listen to Mr Mark Hamilton. p
Online viewers lap up enhanced coverage of war
Wired on Friday/Carol Power: The images from the war in Iraq are clearer, more precise and certainly more compelling than during the last Gulf war 12 years ago. p
Marketing creatives face challenge of technology
Marketing is fluffy. Everybody knows that. Marketing departments live and die by their own creativity, some nuggets of received wisdom, a few well- established processes and a dash of luck. p
RTE series targets science, engineering students
RTÉ will broadcast a new 13-part television series aimed at encouraging more young people to study science and engineering before the end of the year. p
Get away from it all with some Net fun
So we have a war, a recession, a strange Asian respiratory virus, a health service in crisis, woeful public transport, a new computer virus every month, and a Fianna Fáil/PD government. Can it get any worse? p
Dell sidesteps slump with style
Despite the most severe downturn in the history of information technology things just keep getting better for Dell. The Republic's single largest employer in the technology sector - 4,500 staff work in Limerick and Dublin - just keeps getting bigger p
Confidence in IT skills training plunges
The recently published Information Society Commission survey of business attitudes towards computers in the workplace will never be mistaken for an enthralling read but it is an illuminating one. p

Friday Interview

Brennan flies the competition flag in transport
Joe Walsh has the farmers. Noel Dempsey has the teachers. Michael Martin has the nurses. p
M&T's quiet man claims his place at Irish table
Mr Bob Wilmers will shortly pull up a red leather chair and take his place around AIB's grand boardroom table. p

Personal Finance

Dangers of high-risk funds attract the Irish
Hedge funds are too risky for retail investors, the UK's financial regulator has ruled, in a move that puts it at odds with Irish regulations on this type of alternative investment. p
CRH well placed to brave the current economic climate
Some recent newspaper headlines regarding the Irish economy, and in particular the Irish property market, have raised the spectre of a sharp economic slowdown. p
Government credit card levy to hit consumers . . .
The Government move to increase sharply the stamp duty levied on credit cards may leave consumers with less attractive credit card products than those in Britain, MasterCard Europe has warned. p
. . . but providers see new openings
Consumers felt the hit in their pockets last Tuesday as the Government's increases in stamp duty for credit, charge, debit and ATM cards took effect p
Irish Life enters PRSA market with new products
Irish Life became the third company to enter the market for Personal Retirement Savings Accounts (PRSAs) this week with the introduction of two products, PRSA Standard and PRSA Performance. p

Sections

Search for

Services

Most popular stories

Property

Jobs

Motors

Dating