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Energy companies must cut prices now that wholesale costs are falling, Minister for Environment Eamon Ryan said on Wednesday. Wholesale electricity prices are easing as the cost of natural gas has slipped on world markets, prompting calls for reductions in charges that have left some families paying up to €4,000 a year for energy. Barry O’Halloran has the details.
Much has changed since 1986 when the Princeton philosopher Harry Frankfurt published an essay in an obscure journal, Raritan, titled On Bullshit. Yet the essay, later republished as a slim best-seller, remains unnervingly relevant, writes Karlin Lillington in her weekly column.
Spring is traditionally the time to give your home a once over and your tech should be no exception. Now is the time to start clearing out your digital junk, out with the old to make room for the new. But where should you start? Ciara O’Brien has some tips
Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin is “currently examining” a report on which sporting and other events of national importance should remain free-to-air and she expects a review of the current list to move on to its next phase “in the near future”, her department said. Laura Slattery reports.
Insulin pumps have greatly improved the quality of life of those living with Type 1 diabetes. However, they are far from perfect due to the short lifespan and high failure rate of the pump’s most critical component: the ISC or infusion set cannula. Olive Keogh reports.
I have a soft spot for Apple Mac Mini, writes Ciara O’Brien in her review. Apple’s mini-sized desktop came at a time when I was trying to figure out where to store a rather bulky PC tower, and the appeal of it was instantly obvious. Since then, it has been upgraded with new chips, with the launch of the M1 version in 2020, and the latest M2-powered Mini in January.
If China is considered the main beneficiary of globalisation, Ireland must be – in per capita terms at least – a close second, muses resident sage Cantillon, who also points out that the sudden closure of the Golden Visa immigrant investor programme will hit philanthropic projects.
“The divorce ring is a whole new category because it’s a whole new moment happening in our lives,’ says Chupi Sweetman, founder and CEO the eponymous heirloom jewellery brand on our Inside Business podcast. “People take off their engagement / wedding rings and put them away for the kids, and then suddenly feel bereft. It’s a moment that’s been traditionally underserved by the jewellery market; and so people come in and buy that celebration of the next decade for themselves.”
Virgin Media Ireland has launched a “heavyweight” advertising campaign with a new tagline – “It’s Playtime” – to distance its services from the daily pressures of being connected to the internet 24/7, writes Laura Slattery. The telecoms company is hoping to remind consumers that its broadband and mobile telecoms services can “unleash their play”, rather than helping to trap them in constant work mode.
Clare-based HR software company HRLocker is to create 50 jobs in the next two years as the company expands. The move will double the company’s workforce, which stands at 50, and sees HRLocker buck the current trend for job losses in the tech sector, writes Ciara O’Brien
