Donie's news Ireland daily BLOG

Irish fuel prices increase for fourth month in a row?

    

Motorists in Ireland are paying more money to fill up their cars this summer as the price of fuel increases for the fourth month in a row.

The average price of a litre of petrol now costs 143.6c, 4.6c more than in April.

The average price of a litre of diesel has also risen – consumers are currently paying 133.1c per litre, 2.6c more than last month.

The increases were recorded by the AA’s national fuel price survey. According to the new figures, a motorist putting 30 litres of petrol in their car each week will now pay €43.08, which is €1.38 a week more than only a month ago.

Someone putting 30 litres of diesel in their vehicle each week will pay 78c more.

But despite the hike, fuel prices are still lower than they were this time last year. Last summer the average price of a litre of petrol was 154.3c, while a litre of diesel was 146.8c.

“Prices fell in the second half of last year but have been rising since February,” said Conor Faughan from the AA. “It was only a short reprieve. The recent rise looks set to continue with the weakening Euro making it even worse. It will be an expensive summer on the roads.”

Mr Faughan said the main reason for the country’s high fuel prices is due to the Government’s tax, including an extra 23c per litre in austerity-era tax increases added since 2008. “When you spend €1.48 on a litre of petrol, 92c of it is tax. A tax-free litre, even with recent price rises, only costs 51.8c.”

Meanwhile, the European Consumer Centre (ECC) advises people thinking of buying a car to be wary of scams.

“Car purchase scams remain a persistent problem for consumers. In 2014, such scams accounted for 14% of all car purchase queries to ECC Ireland,” it said and cautioned against paying any money by bank transfer or to an escrow or delivery service.

“Fraudsters may ask consumers to send payment by bank transfer or via money wiring services, only for the seller and vehicle to disappear once the money is sent. This is particularly commonplace in internet transactions. Consumers may also be asked to send payment to an intermediary, such as an escrow company, who will then deliver the car to them. Consumers are often told that they will not have to pay if they are not happy with the vehicle. Unfortunately, in many cases, the intermediary disappears once the money has been sent.”

Consumers who fall victim to a scam are urged report it to Gardaí as soon as possible.

Price of posting in Ireland set to increase shortly (Std. letter 68c to 70c)

   

Postage rates are to increase on July 1, An Post has announced.

The standard domestic letter rate for items up to 100g within Ireland will increase from 68c to 70c while the standard international letter rate up to 100g will increase from €1 to €1.05.

“Despite the increase, An Post’s rates will remain among the lowest in the EU 15 countries including Britain, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands and well below the EU domestic average of 77c,” said a statement from An Post.

“A wide range of discount options continue to be available to businesses.

“The existing Meter rate for Standard Post letters will remain unchanged at €0.66 per item and a wide range of significant discount options continue for Ceadúnas licence and bulk-mail services.”

The company defended the increase, saying that it is necessary “to stem the unsustainable financial losses arising from the company’s Universal Service Obligation.

“Losses totalled €38m in 2014 – whereby customers in all areas of the country are provided with daily collection and delivery services for a uniform tariff.

“An Post continues to offer excellent value for money to Irish businesses of all sizes and to personal customers.”

Thumbs up for EU-US trade from Irish public in nationwide poll

   

More than three quarters (77%) of Irish people in a nationwide poll hold the view that Ireland should stay in the EU, even if the UK leaves it.

The poll was conducted following the newly elected UK government’s promise in the Queen’s speech at the opening of the new UK parliament to hold an ‘in/out’ referendum on the country’s membership of the union.

According to the Red C poll commissioned by independent, not-for profit organisation, European Movement Ireland, 86% of respondents believe Ireland should remain part of the EU, with 84% of adults here believing that Ireland has, on balance, benefitted from membership of the EU.

These figures are higher than those in a similar poll carried out in 2013.

In addition, around seven in 10 Irish adults support the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the EU and US.

The poll was conducted among a representative sample of over 1,000 people aged 18 and over from across the country.

How green tea could cut prostate cancer development in men

  

In a new study, scientists have revealed that a component found in green tea may help reduce development of prostate cancer in men facing high risk.

In a new study, scientists have revealed that a component found in green tea may help reduce development of prostate cancer in men facing high risk.

A team of researchers led by Nagi B. Kumar, Ph.D., R.D., F.A.D.A. at Moffitt Cancer Center assessed the safety and effectiveness of the active components in green tea called, “catechins” to prevent prostate cancer development in men who have premalignant lesions.

20 percent of green tea is consumed in Asian countries where prostate cancer death rates are among the lowest in the world and the risk of prostate cancer appears to be increased among Asian men who abandon their original dietary habits upon migrating to the U.S.

Laboratory studies have shown catechins inhibit cancer cell growth, motility and invasion, and stimulate cancer cell death. Green tea catechins also prevent and reduce tumor growth in animal models. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the most abundant and potent catechin found in green tea responsible for these cancer prevention effects.

Shock rise in health insurance premiums for Irish people insured for 1st time  

  

One of the plans going up is the €425-a-year Starter Select, an entry-level plan introduced to capture new entrants ahead of the lifetime community rating changes

Health insurance premiums are to rise at Aviva – just weeks after thousands of people took out cover for the first time.

The insurer is to implement rises averaging 5.5% on 106 plans for those renewing or taking out cover from July, in a move that will see some policies costing between €200 and €470 more for families.

The rises come just weeks after an extra 74,000 people took out health insurance ahead of the introduction of late-entry penalties as part of lifetime community rating.

One of the plans going up is the €425-a-year Starter Select, an entry-level plan introduced to capture new entrants ahead of the lifetime community rating changes.

Aviva had already increased premiums in January.

Experts had been expecting few, if any, rises this year. This view was reinforced when both VHI and Laya cut the cost of a number of plans and froze premium ratings on others.

New immunotherapy drug outperforms chemotherapy for a form of lung cancer

    

Philip Prichard, of Memphis, has seen his renal cell cancer virtually wiped out by the immunotherapy drug nivolumab.

A new drug that unleashes the body’s immune system on cancer cells performed better than a traditional chemotherapy agent in fighting an advanced form of lung cancer, researchers reported Friday. The new drug was also less toxic to patients.

Nivolumab, one of three government-approved drugs that stimulate the immune system to take on foreign invaders, improved outcomes for 19.2% of patients with non-squamous cell non-small cell lung cancer, compared with 12.4% of people who were treated with docetaxel. Patients also survived longer — a median of 12.2 months vs. 9.4 months for those on chemotherapy, and saw a 27% smaller chance of death while on the drug.

Patients whose tumors released a specific kind of protein did even better in the study of 582 people, surviving 17.2 months, vs. 5.6 months for the chemotherapy group.

“There is no doubt that immunotherapy has come to stay in lung cancer,” said Luis Paz-Ares of the Hospital Universitario Virgen Del Rocio in Sevilla, Spain, who led the research.

Immunotherapy works by removing the brakes or “checkpoints” that keep killer T-cells from recognizing and attacking cancer. In the past few years, it has quickly become the fourth, and perhaps most promising, avenue of cancer treatment, alongside surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.

[He had months to live before immunotherapy made his tumors disappear.]

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths world-wide and 1.8 million people will be diagnosed with it this year, Paz-Ares said. The Food and Drug Administration approved nivolumab earlier this year for use against squamous cell non-small cell lung cancer, but this group of people is considerably larger. Paz-Ares said he expects FDA approval to use the drug on these patients soon.

Two other immunotherapy drugs are government-approved for treatment of melanoma, a lethal form of skin cancer, as is nivolumab.

Only 7 percent of the nivolumab patients suffered side effects from the medication, a smaller proportion than the 20 percent who took docetaxel. And they suffered a much smaller number of serious side effects.

The new research was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, where 35,000 people in the field are gathered.

In a second study presented Friday, researchers from Johns Hopkins University and elsewhere showed that genetic testing can be used to predict whether the cancers in a small percentage of people will respond to immunotherapy. The test could be valuable in determining how to use the highly expensive checkpoint inhibitor drugs, which can cost $10,000 a dose or more.

Many of the cancers examined in the study had been considered poorly responsive to immunotherapy. They included colorectal, endometrial, stomach and small bowel cancers.

But the team led by Dung T. Le, a medical oncologist at the school’s Kimmel Cancer Center, showed that tumors with genetic defects that make them poor at repairing errors as DNA is synthesized mutate hundreds and perhaps thousands of times. Those mutations express a protein that can tell doctors whether the tumor will be a good candidate for immunotherapy.

Le said at a media briefing that her study is the first “to use genetics to guide immunotherapy.” The small, early stage study involved 41 patients who were treated with pembrolizumab, one of the drugs the FDA has approved for treatment of melanoma.

Overall, Le said, the “mismatch repair deficiency” used to guide the therapy is present in just 4 to 5% of many cancer types. But in some, it may be found in as many as 40% of tumors. The tests cost just a few hundred dollars and in some cases may be conducted anyway, so they would not add extra costs to a patient’s care, she said.

Great Barrier Reef Is Not ‘in Danger’ but Needs Care,

U.N. Experts Say

    

Despite threats to the Great Barrier Reef from climate change and human activity, United Nations conservation experts stopped short of recommending on Friday that the reef, a World Heritage site, be classified as “in danger.”

Even so, the overall outlook for the reef remains poor, and Australiashould improve its management of it, the World Heritage Center and the International Union for Conservation of Nature said in their report. The document cited climate change, water pollution and the impact of coastal development as major threats.

In particular, scientists and conservationists have sharply criticized plans to expand the Abbot Point coal-loading port in Queensland, which would involve the dumping of dredge spoils in waters near the reef, which includes 1,050 islands and stretches along almost the entire eastern coast of Queensland.

The experts’ recommendation, published in Paris, now goes to a vote by the World Heritage Committee, which includes representatives of 21 countries and is scheduled to meet next month in Bonn, Germany.

Greg Hunt, the Australian environment minister, said on Friday that the government was committed to a 35-year plan to restore the reef to good health, a fact noted in the recommendation.

“We have listened intently and responded directly to the concerns from the Australian community, the World Heritage Committee and their technical advisers,” Mr. Hunt said in a statement. He said the national government and the state of Queensland should invest about $1.5 billion in the reef over the next decade.

But conservationists have criticized the government of Prime Minister Tony Abbott for supporting the expansion of the port and the Galilee Basin coal mines that use it.

Under pressure from environmentalists, Mr. Hunt has said the government will permanently ban the dumping of dredge spoils from new port projects in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. But the ban would not cover dredging to maintain the depth of existing shipping channels and ports, which could still dump more than a million tons of sludge a year in reef waters, according to Jon C. Day, who was a director at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority from 1998 to 2014.

WWF-Australia, an environmental advocacy group, said in a statement that the United Nations was placing Australia on probation. “The draft decision acknowledges progress, but keeps the pressure on the Australian government to turn their commitments into real actions and results, or find themselves having to explain to the World Heritage Committee in 2017 why they’ve failed to meet their commitments,” the statement said. The group said the government had not allocated enough money to the reef protection plan.  

Donie's daily news Ireland BLOG Sunday

The EU banking union will not guarantee Irish deposits

  

The European banking union will not include a euro-wide deposit guarantee covering Irish banks, officials said last night.

Irish deposits will be guaranteed by an Irish fund set up specially for the purpose, European internal-markets commissioner Michel Barnier said.

A planned European bank system, announced on Wednesday, will see the European Central Bank (ECB) assume responsibility for supervising 6,000 eurozone banks, starting from the end of next year.

The plan is to co-ordinate control of banks across the eurozone. The hope is to rein in loose lending.

As well as oversight, it calls for a shared system for shutting failed banks, known as ‘resolution’. In addition, there is to be a co-ordinated deposit-guarantee scheme to cover money kept in every eurozone bank. The final step is seen as crucial in restoring the ability of banks across the single currency to raise money from depositors.

However, Mr Barnier, who is the driving force behind the bank plan, said the guarantee scheme in each country would remain self-financing.

If a national fund cannot meet the full cost of a payout, it will be able to borrow from similar funds in other countries but will have to repay that debt over time, he said.

This means that the banking union stops short of so-called ‘fiscal transfers’, where money would flow within the euro system according to where the need arises — rather than where the money comes from.

Such fiscal transfers are seen as politically sensitive in wealthier countries, notably Germany, where there are fears that it could reinforce rather than stop indiscipline.

Transfers

Despite the rescue bill staying national, Mr Barnier said that under his plan taxpayers would not be hit when lenders failed.

Instead, the guarantee scheme in each country would be funded with a levy on banks. That is already the case in Ireland under new legislation that was introduced last year.

However, those funds will take years — or even decades — to reach the scale needed to finance bank rescues, even of mid-sized lenders.

In the meantime, taxpayers may well have to shoulder the burden.

Fears that Sligo to Dublin train services could be cut next year

  

There is much concern locally that the current Sligo – Dublin train services stopping in Carrick-on-Shannon and Dromod could see cuts next year if demand is deemed too low.

Fianna Fáil Senator Marc MacSharry is one of many who has called on the Government to clarify the situation and intervene amid fears that the frequency of the Dublin Sligo trains could be cut.

Speaking to the Leitrim Observer about the concerns, a spokesperson for Irish Rail said “No decision has been made to change the Sligo timetable at this time. However, in view of the impact of the ongoing economic recession on our business, we have to examine the level of demand for our train services on all routes at all different times of the day and week. Where there are trains that are greatly under-utilised, it may be necessary for us to amend the schedules accordingly.”

Irish Rail said the Sligo-Dublin train schedule will not be altered for the remainder of this year. Irish Rail are required to obtain the approval of the National Transport Authority (NTA).

They also intend to publish any draft schedules on the Irish Rail website, and invite customers to give feedback as part of a public consultation on the proposed schedules. “Where timetable changes are authorised by the NTA, we would then give advance notice to the public before implementing any changes to the timetable,” the spokesperson stated.

Senator Marc Mac Sharry said, “I find it deeply worrying that there seems to be plans to cut the rail service link between Sligo and Dublin. This is a critical part of the access infrastructure of the entire region. For many people the rail link is the only viable way to commute to work on a daily basis. The massive price of petrol is precluding many people from driving and the possibility of the train service being cut will deeply distress a lot of families.

“I find it perplexing that Irish Rail was given a €36 million cash injection in July to stave off the threat of cuts to services yet here we are in August with the same threat hanging over our heads. I am calling on the Minister for Transport to clarify where the €36 million investment went and what areas of Irish Rail received the cash injection.

“The north west access is critical for tourism and business, both indigenous and through foreign direct investment, and to set about further dismantling our access medians will undermine our marketability as a location for business. The people had to fight to save this line before and will again to ensure that the Government does not target our region unfairly,” concluded Mac Sharry.

• The 07:00hrs Sligo Connolly Service was delayed by 45mins due to a signal fault at Carrick-on-Shannon last Friday, September 7. Irish Rail told the Leitrim Observer the “fault has since been rectified.” They apologised for any inconvenience caused. Also on Monday, September 10 the 07:00hrs Sligo Connolly Service was delayed by 50 minutes after the train hit sheep on the line.

We in Ireland are still trapped in a web of silence about our mental health

   

IT should come as little surprise that the stigma attached to mental health is still stopping people accessing the necessary support, according to a survey released as part of Suicide Awareness Week.

However, knowing where to look for help can be just as big a barrier as any associated stigma. I learnt this the hard way when I heard two words I will never forget.

At the other end of the phone line was a friend who had called me in a state of panic. He could barely get the words “attempting suicide” out of his mouth. Someone close to him was self-harming and in dire need of help.

With suicide being so prevalent in Ireland I wondered why this person whom I knew, but was not so close to personally, was calling me when his loved one was in need of urgent help. When I began frantically making phone calls trying to help I found out why.

While he was on the other line telling me he had rang several hospitals, I used my landline to dial another hospital.

I was transferred several times before I was put through to A&E. The nurse who answered told me to tell the person to come in, take a ticket and wait for the psychiatrist on duty who would then assess the patient.

I immediately wondered, with little time to spare, how long that would take. So, I then decided to ring any psychiatrist that would answer the phone and ask if they could help. Despite the urgent nature of my request, the earliest appointment I could get was in two weeks. They told me if it was urgent to go to A&E.

Luckily, through a close contact, a professional thankfully gave us advice to cope in the short term and saw the person who was in desperate need the very next day. They are now receiving the necessary help and support to help them on the road to recovery.

However, it appears when people are confronted with such a nightmare situation there seems to be little to help or guide them. In a country where such situations are sadly arising more frequently this is a disgrace.

The problem when someone is self-harming is that it falls between two stools — medical and mental health. The problem for the person left trying to cope is there is no clear course of action, because it is not something we openly discuss or are educated about.

Suicide is sadly still a taboo subject in Ireland, because for a people that love to talk, the last thing many of us want to discuss is our mental health.

While 186 people were killed on our roads in 2011, the latest official statistics show there were 525 deaths by suicide last year.

And even though suicide in Ireland can only be described as an epidemic, there seems scant support for those contemplating taking their own life.

Indeed, if we invested as much energy into suicide prevention as we do curbing fatalities on our roads the figures would be far lower.

While Suicide Awareness Week, which comes to an end on September 17, is certainly helping to raise awareness, the dialogue must continue.

Because, the fact is, if we remain silent when it comes to suicide any services provided by the health service, while much welcomed, will ultimately be tantamount to the sound of one hand clapping.

Major outcry as another gas firm increases its prices from October

  

Another gas and electricity provider company, Airtricity, has confirmed it is to put up its prices next month.

It means gas price increases due next month from Bord Gais, Electric Ireland, and now Airtricity, are likely to add around €70 to the average annual household gas bill.

Electricity prices will also rise next month, putting further pressure on hard-pressed homeowners who already face dearer petrol and diesel prices, the household charge and increased school costs.

Last night, Fianna Fail Energy spokesman Michael Moynihan slammed the hikes.

“I am very, very concerned about the latest price increases from Airtricity. It puts further pressure on hard-pressed families, young and old, who are finding it extremely difficult to meet household bills.”

He also questioned the role of the regulator in approving the price increases.

Airtricity said its prices will rise from October 15, with a 4.7pc rise for electricity and 8.5pc for gas customers.

The company has around 370,000 electricity and 110,000 gas customers. Customers who have difficulty paying bills and are on on pre-payment meters will not be affected.

Prices:  The increases will result in an average weekly increase of €0.96 in electricity prices and an average weekly increase of €1.33 in gas prices for customers on Airtricity’s lower cost standard tariffs, it added.

The Airtricity price increase had been expected after the CER approved a Bord Gais rise earlier this month. Age Action Ireland has described the price increases as “a huge blow to many older people”.

Ulster Rugby star brother & father killed in slurry pit tragedy

   

A young rugby star has been killed alongside his brother and their father in a farming tragedy which also injured their sister in Northern Ireland.

Nevin Spence, 22, rose to prominence playing for Ulster Rugby and was a rising star in Ireland’s international rugby scene but died after falling into a slurry tank.

Emergency crews went to the family farm in Drumlough Road outside Hillsborough, Co Down, shortly after 6pm on Saturday following reports that four people had fallen into the slurry pit. Following a lengthy rescue operation it was confirmed that three men had died and a woman was taken to hospital for treatment for the inhalation of fumes.

Rugby players and fans paid tribute to the young player on social media as news emerged of his involvement in the tragedy.

Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson said on Twitter: “Deeply saddened to hear of the tragedy in Hillsborough this evening. My thoughts and prayers are with family at this time of devastation.”

Nevin Spence was a member of the Ulster Rugby squad that reached the European Heineken cup final last season, and he was predicted to have a glittering international career ahead of him.

Lives have been lost in the past in accidents at other farm slurry tanks, but the scale of the latest tragedy caused widespread shock.

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) said it responded to a 999 call at about 6.15pm following reports that at least three people had fallen into a slurry tank. It said it immediately sent three rapid response paramedics, four accident and emergency vehicles and an ambulance service doctor to the scene.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service also attended and rescued four people from the slurry pit.

The Ulster Farmers’ Union said the tragedy had shocked the entire farming community. UFU president Harry Sinclair said; “This news has shocked the farming community. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the three men who have so tragically lost their lives. We understand that a fourth member of the family has been hospitalised and we pray that they will make a full recovery.”

College courses, cars and more go under the hammer in once-off auction

    

Do you fancy a five-day trip to Hong Kong at a fraction of the high street cost? Or what about a new bathroom for your home, or a car for less than the price on the garage forecourt?

A one-off online auction is promising punters the chance to snap up everything from holidays to furniture, and sports equipment to college degree courses.

New website www.mybid.ie has teamed up with some of the country’s best-known retailers for a live auction which will be held across 11 days from September 28. Packed with bargains, categories include motors, travel, electronics and more, with savings of up to 50pc on offer.

The site, launched by Independent Newspapers, opens for registration today, and all products can be viewed online before the auction goes live.

“People can register for free, and you can register throughout the auction and get up to 50pc off products. If people register before September 28, they’re in with a chance to win an iPad,” a spokesman said.

Once the auction opens, punters can place their bids. The highest bid secures the item when the auction closes, if the reserve has been met. Payment is made online and the winner is issued with a certificate to collect the item from the store.

Bidders will receive email notifications confirming recent bidding activity or if they have been outbid on an item.