All Ireland news as told by Donie

New report reveals the State’s overpayment on medical cards

 

A study into the medical card scheme has found that the State could be losing more than €200m a year by paying the medical expenses of people who are ineligible for a card.

The mistake was highlighted in a PwC report for the HSE.

The Sunday Times has written that the report advises that ineligible cardholders be pursued through the courts for arrears.

Westlife Sligo singer Shane & his brother Finbar Filan faces fresh & new legal action

        

Westlife singer Shane Filan faces fresh legal action related to his forays into property development, according to the Sunday Times.

High Court proceedings were issued last week against Shane and Finbarr Filan,(Above right) trading as The Nalif Partnership, by the Sligo company Trio Foods.

Trio formerly had a depot on a site in Ballinode, Co Sligo, on which Filan and his brother had planned a €5 million mixed-use development.

Bank of Ireland is also pursuing the Filans for debt and was given permission by the High Court earlier this month to fast-track the case.

An eleventh-hour bid by Vodafone to acquire Cable Wireless Worldwide (CWW) is set to succeed with CWW poised to recommend Vodafone’s offer, according to the Sunday Telegraph.

The offer, for 40p to 45p a share, follows a lengthy flirtation that saw Vodafone at first deny interest in the beleaguered telecoms company to asking for the offer deadline to be extended three times.

Vodafone has until noon today to finally submit its bid or walk away from the deal. India’s Tata Communications dropped out of the race last Wednesday.

An overhaul of the board of investment company One51 is expected within the next few weeks, with a number of new appointments – including some high-profile business names – to follow, the Sunday Business Post states.

Several directors of the company are expected to retire shortly, according to the newspaper.

The shake-up follows the appointment of Alan Walsh as chief executive of One51 last year in the wake of the ousting of Philip Lynch.

The seven year itch? Now becomes three as Irish couples cut their ties in no time

       

Due to cutbacks in Ireland, the seven-year itch has been restricted to three years.

It seems couples have more to contend with other than a weak economy and poor job prospects, as new research shows that more people are splitting up after three years, not even making it close to the seven year itch.

According to a study by parenting website Netmums, couples are now four-and-a-half times more likely to split after three years and than the traditional seven years.

A significant 21 percent of couples who parted ways, said their relationship fell apart between two and four years. In contrast, a mere three percent broke up after seven years.

Normal everyday pressures such as raising kids while juggling careers were the main reasons why relationships failed.

Almost half of the 1,500 respondents said that bringing up children had put a strain on their relationship.

Siobhan Freegard (44) of Netmums said “Relationships are tough at the best of times but having children puts an extra strain on them.

“The problem with ‘fast forward’ relationships is if the foundations are not strong then children can quickly make a relationship very wobbly.

“The research shows we are then giving up too quickly — maybe because it seems there are more choices than there used to be

Irish Traveller gang in the frame for St Laurence O’Toole theft of heart

Police believe new market exists for religious relics

                 

Thieves, believed now to be an Irish Traveller gang, stole the preserved heart of St Laurence O’Toole, Dublin’s patron saint, from Christ Church Cathedral last month.

An Irish Traveller gang is believed to have master-minded the theft of St Laurence O’Toole’s preserved heart from a Dublin cathedral.

Dublin police now believe that criminals linked to international rhino horn trade were responsible for the theft from Christ Church cathedral.

The gang, members of the travelling community, have been linked to the international trade of rhino horns for the Chinese market according to the Sunday Independent newspaper.

A report states that the gang orchestrated the theft of the 890-year-old relic last month when two men prised open the cage that had protected the relic and had been in place since the Middle Ages.

The Dublin theft was preceded by robberies of a relic, said to be of St Brigid, and of a piece of the ‘true Cross’ from Holycross Abbey in Thurles which was later returned.

The Sunday Independent states that police are investigating possible with a gang ‘suspected’ of involvement in the highly lucrative theft of rhinoceros horn, which is sold in powdered form as a traditional medicine in China.

Officers believe the gang may have discovered a niche market for stolen relics.

Christ Church dean, the Very Rev Dermot Dunne, told the paper: “The theft of the St Laurence relic feels like part of the fabric of the cathedral has gone.

“It has evoked a lot of sympathy among the public who have expressed the hope that it would be returned safely.

“We are mystified as to who might have stolen the relic. I have done some research online and have found there is a market for class one relics, the remains of real saints.”

The report states that the market seems to exist in the Americas and the Far East.

Galway green technology company 

Cellulac wins a €2.8m grant

           

Cellulac has won a record EC grant to commercialise its technology that converts agricultural waste into lactic acid

Galway based green technology company Cellulac has won a €2.8 million grant from the European Commission to commercialise its biorefining technology, which converts agricultural waste into lactic acid.

There is a growing €4 billion market for lactic acid, which is used in a number of sectors, including food and beverages, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and biodegradable plastics. It is found in products include shampoos and skin creams as well as food additives, with demand for the product exceeding supply in markets such as China.

Cellulac had been identified as a high-potential start-up by Enterprise Ireland, which supported it in its bid for the grant.

The EU grant gives Cellulac the opportunity to source funding from other State, institutional and private investors, which it will then use to develop mass production capability. The company is scouting locations in Ireland and Europe for a plant. Cellulac will create 14 jobs as a result of the grant.