Anglo banker acquitted on fraud and conspiracy charges, Smurfit Kappa unveils deals in Russia and Greece

Former Anglo Irish Bank executive Tiarnan O'Mahoney will walk out of court today a free man after Judge Martin Nolan directs the jury to acquit him on charges of fraud and conspiracy to destroy, mutilate and falsify bank documents. Sarah-Jane Murphy has the details.

His release comes as former British prime minister Gordon Brown hails Ireland, and others, for pursuing bankers over their actions in the run-up to the financial crash. Fiona Reddan reports on Brown's memoirs which will be published next week.

Glanbia said on Wednesday it remains on target to deliver 7 per cent to 10 per cent earnings per share growth this year, excluding the impact of currency movements, as acquisitions drove growth in its key global performance nutrition (GPN) unit, which makes and sells protein shakes and bars.

Cardboard box-maker Smurfit Kappa unveiled deals in Russia and Greece as it reported a 4 per cent year-on-year increase in its revenues to €2.1 billion for the three months through September.

Samsung unveils new executives as it reports record third-quarter profit

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Plans for College Green area make it a magnet for investors

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Porterhouse and Dingle Distillery seeking €4m to grow

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Donohoe mulls playing angry shareholder role at AGMs

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Meanwhile revenues at bookmaker Paddy Power Betfair rose by 9 per cent to £440million in the group's third quarter, driven by 11 per cent growth in sports revenue.

At the other end of the pay scale from the bankers, a new ESRI report states that one in every 20 workers in Ireland was on in the minimum wage in 2014 - and they were twice as likely to bewomen as men. Eoin Burke-Kennedy notes that closer to one in 10 foreign nationals was on the minimum wage, with the figures even more stark for workers under the age of 30.

On the corporate news front, Ryanair shares got bounced on the back of solid interim results, with profit coming in 11 per cent ahead of last year, depsite the calamitous cancellations in September as the group's pilot roster went into a tailspin. Barry O'Halloran reports on the figures and analyses the current state of relations between the airline and its pilots.

House price inflation is a very unequal thing, according to an analysis of CSO figures. Eoin Burke-Kennedy reports that the price of new home sin the Dublin area over the past six years has jumped more than 60 per cent. In the same period, inflaiton in secondhand homes is up just 11 per cent.

In commercial property, Galwegiansrugby club is selling its 9.76-acre grounds for a minimum of €6 million, writes Jack Fagan. The site is earmarked for high density housing.

And, in Dublin, property investment group Mm Capital is looking for in excess of €25.5 million for an office block at Golden Lane that it bought for €22 million just four months ago.