Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG

Figures within weeks to allow rent cap in 15 new areas, says Simon Coveney

MINISTER INSISTS HOUSING POLICY NEEDS TO INCLUDE A BALANCE TOWARDS LANDLORDS

   

SIMON COVENEY SAYS: “IF AREAS QUALIFY UNDER THE CRITERIA WITH WHICH EVERYONE IS FAMILIAR, THEY WILL BE DESIGNATED AS RENT-PRESSURE ZONES AND THE RULES WILL APPLY’’

Figures will be available in the next few weeks to allow for the introduction of a rent cap in 15 new areas, Minister for Housing Simon Coveney has said.

“We will get assessments of those areas done quickly so that we can create new designations for rent-pressure zones as quickly as possible.’’

Mr Coveney said the areas focused on were cities like Waterford, Limerick and Galway, as well as areas adjacent to Dublin and Cork city. This included counties like Wicklow, Kildare, Meath and places in the outskirts of Cork city like Carrigaline and Ballincollig.

“If areas qualify under the criteria with which everyone is familiar, they will be designated as rent-pressure zones and the rules will apply,’’ said Mr Coveney. “We will limit rent inflation in those areas to 4 per cent annually.’’

AAA-PBP TD Ruth Coppinger said the National Competitiveness Council had reported people were spending 41 per cent of their income on rent.

“That is not sustainable, particularly for families. Obviously, for those in receipt of rent allowance, the amount they must personally pay has increased dramatically.’’

Mr Coveney said some people in the House only wanted to make the case for one side of the rental debate.

“Of course we need to introduce changes to protect tenants from spiralling rents and to address the matter of security of tenure to ensure that landlords are not abusing tenants, but we also need to have a policy that is balanced towards the landlords. Otherwise we will not have any landlords.’’

He said his job was to introduce a balance to allow the rental sector to function. He must ensure an increased amount of social housing while retaining a private rental market which was functioning properly.

Ross says fixing Bus Éireann is a must for the unions and Bus Eireann

    

BUS ÉIREANN UNIONS TO MEET NEXT WEEK TO CONSIDER JOINT STRATEGY AND HAVE WARNED OF POTENTIAL INDUSTRIAL ACTION

Shane Ross told the Dáil that Bus Éireann was losing €6m a year, mainly due to losses being run up by its commercial Expressway arm

Finding a resolution to the problem of unsustainable losses at Bus Éireann is a matter for management and trade unions, Minister for Transport Shane Ross has indicated.

He told the Dáil that Bus Éireann was losing some €6 million a year, and this was not as a result of the State’s subvention to the company but rather due to losses being run up by its commercial Expressway arm, which faces intense competition from private operators.

Mr Ross did not say whether he supported controversial proposals put forward by management on Wednesday to restructure the company which includes redundancies and cuts to premium payments, allowances and overtime rates.

Bus Éireann has argued that its financial position is unsustainable, and without action to tackle its cost base and inefficiencies it will go out of business within two years.

Unions have promised to resist the company’s plan, which they argue could see a 25-30 per cent reduction to their members’ earnings.

The union groups at Bus Éireann will meet next week to consider a joint strategy, and have warned of potential industrial action over the proposed cuts.

They indicated this could ultimately spread to CIÉ sister companies Irish Rail and Dublin Bus.

PENSIONS

Union sources have suggested that a potential trigger for any broader row could be a dispute over pensions for staff in the three companies.

A spokesman for the CIÉ group said it would be resuming talks with unions at the beginning of February on the future funding of pension schemes in the group with a view to developing joint proposals.

Meanwhile, Bus Éireann appears to not have ruled out introducing compulsory redundancies as part of its restructuring plans. Sources said it would prefer any severance arrangements for staff to be on a voluntary basis.

Mr Ross told the Dáil that rural communities would not be abandoned as a result of any decisions by Bus Éireann to discontinue operating any existing routes. He said the National Transport Authority had clarified that it could and would “step into any area, assess the transport needs and ensure continued public transport connectivity”.

In part of a speech circulated by the Department of Transport but not delivered in Dáil, Mr Ross said the difficult position being experienced by Bus Éireann should not be underestimated.

However he did not, either in his comments in the Dáil or in the prepared speech, indicate whether he endorsed the controversial proposals set out by Bus Éireann management in its new survival plan.

Emergency aid fund for tillage farmers gets a step closer

AFTER GOVERNMENT LOSES VOTE?

   

FIANNA FAIL HAS HAD A PRIVATE MEMBERS MOTION PASSED IN THE DAIL IN FAVOUR OF THE CREATION OF A SUPPORT FUND FOR UP TO 300 TILLAGE FARMERS HIT WITH SIGNIFICANT CROP LOSSES LAST YEAR.

Fianna Fail spokesperson on agriculture Charlie McConalogue said the motion was passed with “strong support” and the onus is now on the Minister for Agriculture to call an urgent meeting of the Tillage Forum and discuss what such a scheme could look like.

“Now it is the wish of the Dail that these farmers are supported.”

He said that it is imperative a scheme and fund is agreed within the next few weeks, which would provide aid to 250-300 tillage farmers who lost over 25pc of their crops last year.

“These farmers are mainly located along the western seaboard and some inland counties and a fund in the region of €4.5-5m is needed.

“The Minister for Agriculture does have access to such funds, due to the large carryover of funds in his department from 2016.”

IFA President Joe Healy said he welcomed the support in the Dail for IFA’s campaign for emergency aid for grain growers seriously affected by weather losses in the 2016 harvest.

“Following our protest outside the Dail yesterday, there is a groundswell of support for those tillage farmers who incurred significant weather losses during last year’s harvest.”

Healy too called on the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed to reconvene the National Tillage Forum as a matter of urgency to deal in the first place with the emergency aid issue.

We have to tell pregnant Irish women not to drink alcohol

  

ALTHOUGH IT’S ACCEPTED THAT BINGE-DRINKING POSES SIGNIFICANT RISKS TO A FOETUS, HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND THE PUBLIC ARE DIVIDED ON THE EFFECTS OF AN OCCASIONAL DRINK AFTER 12 WEEKS. 

A recent study suggests that over 60% of Irish mothers drink alcohol during pregnancy. The research looked at more than 3,500 Irish maternal records from 1990 to 2011 and examined the rate of foetal alcohol syndrome, where the baby in the womb was affected.

The official advice from the Department of Health is that women should not drink any alcohol during pregnancy. However there is no strong evidence that low levels of drinking is harmful. We asked two commentators to tell us their views.

YES. Being American and growing up surrounded by health education and open diagnoses regarding substance abuse, I, of course, think everyone is an alcoholic and should go to AA.

I admit, I love to diagnose (with no qualification) psychiatric and substance abuse issues, and that I have been influenced by what is an overzealous health care system (with severe issues of its own) and media culture in the United States.

Before I was pregnant, I had plenty of interesting conversations about healers and home remedies with Irish colleagues and friends. I also had a few friendly debates about the merits of booze to cure my upset stomach, my flu, and of course my headache from drinking too much booze the night before.

The same people that refused to take medication preferred to drink their remedies, and believed this was a healthier and more natural option than popping pills like Americans. Maybe it is healthier but what it definitely is to me, is the confirmation that popular beliefs about alcohol play a stronger role in many Irish people’s decisions than medical evidence or health education.

In Ireland I felt a bit silly and paranoid for maintaining that doctors don’t know exactly what level of alcohol affects the foetus so it was safest to not drink. I had an odd drink or sip and didn’t feel particularly guilty because I knew I would never drink more than that but I was also aware of the public image a pregnant woman drinking alcohol presents and I wasn’t comfortable normalising that image.

Since it is unknown what level of alcohol consumption causes Foetal Alcohol Syndrome and alcohol consumption is notoriously open to subjective and cultural interpretation, why believe that the average woman understands what a few drinks means? How much is “a few” drinks while pregnant?

I heard a woman say that drinking a six-pack was fine once it was only West Coast Coolers. I also heard women and men agree that it’s safe to drink in the last trimester because the baby is already developed when in fact the liver is not developed. Most husbands and wives can’t agree on the definition of “having one” so why did the Irish government think the public could?

I hope that the clear recommendation to avoid drink will make pregnancy easier for women in Ireland by presenting a consistent public health message and associated education that should result in a shift in culture around drink (without thinking everyone needs Alcoholics Anonymous).

Colleen Hennessy is a writer and mother to two Kerry-born munchkins. She can be reached at colleenhennessy.com or @colleenhennessy4 on Twitter.

1. This kind of thinking opens the door to monitoring women’s behaviour in pregnancy. What about the binge eating mom who risks passing on diabetes? Or the cyclist who might fall off and injure herself? Or the vegetarian lacking iron?

We all know that excessive drinking in pregnancy is very stupid and irresponsible. We know that drinking a lot of alcohol – six or more units a day – can cause foetal alcohol syndrome, which stunts the mental and physical development of a child, and can even trigger a miscarriage. We know that a baby’s organs can’t deal with alcohol in the way that ours can.

However, there is no confusion about how much is safe. And – of course – many women who are not alcoholics drink too much before even realising that they are pregnant. But for the vast majority of women, discovering they’re having a baby switches on the overwhelming instinct to protect and nurture.

We women are lectured to enough when it comes to our bodies. It’s time for us to take back control. Yes, we will listen politely to the advice. But then, as with all advice, we will make our own decisions as to whether to adhere to it or not.

World’s primates facing ‘an extinction crisis’

VICTORIA GILL EXPLAINS THE THREAT TO PRIMATES, WITH THE HELP OF SOME LEMURS

    

THE WORLD’S PRIMATES FACE AN “EXTINCTION CRISIS” WITH 60% OF SPECIES NOW THREATENED WITH EXTINCTION, ACCORDING TO RESEARCH.

A global study, involving more than 30 scientists, assessed the conservation status of more than 500 individual species.

This also revealed that 75% of species have populations that are declining.

The findings are published in the journal Science Advances.

Professor Jo Setchell from Durham University, a member of the team, explained that the main threats were “massive habitat loss” and illegal hunting.

“Forests are destroyed when primate habitat is converted to industrial agriculture, leaving primates with nowhere to live,” she told BBC News.

“And primates are hunted for meat and trade, either as pets or as body parts.”

Other threats – all driven by human behaviour – are forest clearance for livestock and cattle ranching; oil and gas drilling and mining.

“The short answer is that we must reduce human domination of the planet, and learn to share space with other species,” Prof Setchell commented.

NO ALTERNATIVE

Deforestation has driven the Sumatran orangutan to the brink of extinction

The study also cited poverty and civil unrest as a driving force for hunting – in the poorest parts of the world many people are being driven to hunting primates in order to feed themselves.

“We need to focus on the development of these parts of the world and make sure people have an alternative source of protein,” said Prof Serge Wich from Liverpool John Moores University.

He pointed out that the loss of primate species represented the loss of forests that are essential for the future of our own species.

“These forests provide essential services for people,” he told BBC News.

“They help in being carbon stocks to mitigate climate change; they help in providing clean water and providing pollination services for people, so they can grow their crops.”

The researchers also pointed to some personal choices that people could make as consumers, particularly in the west, to avoid contributing to tropical deforestation.

“Simple examples are don’t buy tropical timber, don’t eat palm oil,” said Prof Setchell.

But more broadly, “we need to raise local, regional and global public awareness of the plight of the world’s primates and what this means for ecosystem health, human culture, and ultimately human survival.

“In industrialised nations, we must decrease our demand for resources that we don’t need, and stop confusing wants with needs.”

Dr Christoph Schwitzer, from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature is also director of conservation at Bristol Zoological Society. He told the BBC that it was his “strong belief” that “with a concerted effort by the world’s governments and conservationists, primate declines can be halted and populations stabilised”.

He added that changes in consumer behaviour could help, for example “choosing FSC-certified wood and paper products, and making sure palm oil comes from sustainable sources”.      

Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG update

World markets rebound on better bank news

PROSPECTS FOR CO-ORDINATED OIL PRODUCTION CUT UNDERPIN POSITIVE INVESTOR SENTIMENT

   

IN LONDON, ROLLS-ROYCE SHARES JUMPED MORE THAN 14% AFTER A WELL-RECEIVED UPDATE.

It was a torrid week on the markets but global indices staged a rebound yesterday, as they took reassurance about the banking sector and prospects for a co-ordinated oil production cut. All of this was sufficient to lift the Irish market by close to 1% on the day.

DUBLIN

The Iseq index finished at 5,793.41, down 4.6% on the week. “Ireland sits up there like a beacon of growth, but, like everything else, if the market is going down, the market goes down,” said a trader at the close.

The trader cited a degree of market chatter reflecting a “early concerns” over the possibility of a British exit from the EU and “Spanish-type concerns” over talk of a hung Dáil after the election.

Bank of Ireland gained 2.3% on the day to reach 26.7% the stock was down from 28.3% week previously.

“Bank of Ireland has done absolutely nothing wrong, but European banks were decimated over the week. Bank of Ireland was [trading] 1.1 times book [value] at the start of the week, and it’s moved back with the sector,” the trader said.

Smurfit Kappa, which reported solid results during the week, finished 4.69% higher on the day at €21.20.

Citing a 12% swing in Kingspan shares this week, the trader said “savage” volatility was the only theme. Kingspan finished out at €21.17, up 0.83% on the day.

LONDON

Britain’s top share index ended higher, recording its best one- day percentage gain in more than five months, as banking and commodity-related stocks rebounded from a slump in the previous session.

Rolls-Royce jumped more than 14% after a well-received update, helping the FTSE 100 index to end 3.1% higher at 5,707.60 points, after falling to its lowest point since late 2012 on Thursday. The index, however, finished 2.4% lower this week. The oil and gas index gained 5.9% after prices of major industrial metals rose and oil prices rose 10 per cent on prospects for a co-ordinated production cut, sparked by comments from the energy minister of the United Arab Emirates.

Banks were also among the top gainers, led by an 11% rise in Standard Chartered and a 6.3% gain in Barclays.

EUROPE

European shares rebounded as Deutsche Bank and Commerz bank rallied, helping stock markets stage a partial recovery from stinging losses earlier in the week.

The Pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index ended 3% higher, rising back up off its lowest level in more than two years. Fears about how well European banks can cope with slow growth and low interest rates had pushed European banking shares to multi-year lows.

But Deutsche Bank surged 11.8% after saying it would buy back more than $5 billion in senior debt, easing concerns about its bonds. Its rival Commerzbank also reported a return to profit in the fourth quarter, and its shares jumped 18%.

The STOXX 600 Europe Banks index rose 5.6%. Germany’s DAX advanced 2.5%, but it remains nearly 30% below a record high reached in April 2015.

NEW YORK

Wall Street rallied, led by a rebound in beaten-down financial and energy stocks after five straight days of a gruelling selloff on fears over the health of the global economy and the banking sector.

Nine of the 10 major S&P sectors were higher, led by a 3.7% rise in the financial sector. Energy and materials stocks, both of which have been hit by slumping commodities prices, were up about 2.5%.

Bank stocks, hit worst due to concerns about the impact of negative interest rates and energy-backed loan defaults, were the top gainers, led by JPMorgan’s near 8% gain.

Planned strike by Irish secondary teachers now called off

FEBRUARY 24TH STOPPAGE BY TUI MEMBERS COULD HAVE AFFECTED 350 SCHOOLS BEFORE POLLING DAY

   

TUI PRESIDENT GERRY QUINN SAID ON FRIDAY THAT ON FOOT OF CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE MINISTER THE UNION WAS NOW SATIFIED THAT SUCH AN ENGAGEMENT WAS POSSIBLE.

The planned strike by teachers, which could have closed up to 350 second level schools on Wednesday, February 24th, has been called off.

The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) said its executive committee had decided not to go ahead with the one-day strike in second level schools and the further/adult education sectors following contact with Minister for Education Jan O’Sullivan.

The TUI had previously stated that the strike would go ahead unless “meaningful” progress was made in talks with the Department of Education on issues such casualisation and income poverty for teachers.

TUI president Gerry Quinn said yesterday (FRI) that, on foot of correspondence from the Minister, the union was now satisfied that such an engagement was possible.

“As a sign of our good faith, the executive committee of the union decided not to hold our planned strike action in order to allow engagement in the hope of developing viable solutions to a range of crisis issues.”

He maintained the union had a a very strong mandate from members “to activate strike action at a later stage should it become apparent that sufficient progress is not being made”.

“Of key concern to TUI members are the precarious employment status and income poverty of new and recent entrants to the profession and the continuing, damaging effects of underfunding and understaffing on the service provided to students across all the sectors in which the union has members.”

Ms O’Sullivan said she welcomed the decision of the TUI executive to call off the strike. She said the decision was very welcome for parents and exam students in particular.

She reiterated that the Department of Education was open to engaging with TUI on matters of mutual concern in the context of continuing co-operation with collective agreements.

Earlier this month, the TUI staged a one-day strike in institute of technologies around the country.

You can soon power your smartphone by walking

   

SCIENTISTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON HAVE DEVELOPED TECHNOLOGY THAT IS CAPABLE OF POWERING TECHNOLOGY AS YOU WALK.

We’re encouraged to take 10,000 steps per day, but it can be difficult to work up the motivation to do so. It may be more tempting in the future if these shoes that charge your smartphone as you walk take off.

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have created the technology, which uses the kinetic energy of you walking to generate electricity. At the moment, it is capable of creating up to 10 watts of power per square metre walked, but it’s believed that it could one day hit 10kW. For reference, charging a smartphone only requires around 2 watts.

The University explains: “The researchers’ bubbler device — which contains no moving mechanical parts — consists of two flat plates separated by a small gap filled with a conductive liquid. The bottom plate is covered with tiny holes through which pressurized gas forms bubbles. The bubbles grow until they’re large enough to touch the top plate, which causes the bubble to collapse.”

“The speedy, repetitive growth and collapse of bubbles pushes the conductive fluid back and forth, generating electrical charge.”

Before we can power our handsets by going for a stroll, InStep NanoPower needs to commercialise the technology and find some way of connecting a smartphone to the shoes. But the company is looking to put the technology out there now.

You can see the general principle in action below as a demonstrator powers up a flashlight at walking pace.

The Labour’s plan for Irish health: A dedicated cabinet Minister for primary care?

      

LABOUR HAS LAUNCHED THEIR PLAN FOR HEALTH – SAYING THEY WANT A DEDICATED CABINET MINISTER TO LOOK AFTER PRIMARY CARE.

Tanaiste Joan Burton also called for free GP care for all – saying it is something that can be achieved in the lifetime of the next government.

Health Minister Leo Varadkar has previously said it is an unrealistic target.

IT TAKES FOUR YEARS TO TRAIN GPS, AND WE HAVE A SHORTAGE OF AROUND 500.

However Junior Minister at the Department of Health Kathleen Lynch has said they have realistic targets to train enough people: “What people are forgetting is that this year, those people will be coming out of training as well.

“You know that didn’t stop, we have that amount of people coming out every year.

“We are not going to suddenly turn on the training this year and in four years’ time that they are coming out, they are coming out this year. They are coming out next year, they are coming out the year after.

“OUR TASK IS TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO STAY.”

A ‘Mini-brains’ breakthrough in neurological diseases and treatments.

     

LABORATORY-MADE “MINI-BRAINS” THAT SHOW A PRIMITIVE ABILITY TO THINK COULD TRANSFORM RESEARCH ON NEUROLOGICAL DISEASES AND TREATMENTS, SCIENTISTS NOW SAY.

THE TINY BALLS OF BRAIN CELLS, (LIKE ABOVE IMAGE CENTRE) ARE ABOUT THE SIZE OF A HOUSEFLY’S EYE, HAVE BEEN CREATED BY US RESEARCHERS WHO CLAIM THEY COULD BE MASS-PRODUCED IN LARGE NUMBERS.

Grown from stem cells, the brains contain many of the neurons and cells of their full-sized human equivalents.

Scientists believe they will provide far more reliable results in drug tests and other experiments than animal “models” such as mice and rats.

Lead researcher Professor Thomas Hartung from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the US, said: “Ninety-five per cent of drugs that look promising when tested in animal models fail once they are tested in humans at great expense of time and money.

“While rodent models have been useful, we are not 150lb rats. And even though we are not balls of cells either, you can often get much better information from these balls of cells than from rodents.

“We believe that the future of brain research will include less reliance on animals, more reliance on human, cell-based models.”

The brains were created using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), adult cells that have been genetically reprogrammed into an embryonic stem cell-like state.

Stimulation with the right chemical cocktail causes the iPSCs to further develop into the different cells and layers of the brain.

Potentially, thousands of exact copies can be produced – a hundred in just one laboratory petri dish, say the scientists. They can also be customised to display certain traits or genetic defects associated with diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis, as well as stroke or trauma.

He said one of the most exciting discoveries was that the brains displayed spontaneous electrophysiological activity that could be recorded with electrodes.

“It’s starting to produce a primitive type of thinking,” he added. “Obviously there’s no input or output. It is meaningless electrical activity but the neurons are trying to communicate with each other.

“This is the beauty of the third dimension. With a normal culture, which looks a little like eggs sunny-side up, there’s not a very dense cell wall where all these brain cells come together. In these new mini-brains they’re starting to produce functionality, and cellular communication on the level of using these electrical signals.”

After being cultivated for about two months, the brains developed four types of neurons and two kinds of support cell that nurture nerves.

One of the support cell types, oligodendrocytes, produce myelin, the fatty insulating sheath surrounding nerve fibres that is lost in multiple sclerosis.   

Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG

Ulster Bank partnership with An Post to widen its market place

 

Ulster Bank customers will be able to conduct certain transactions at post offices from next month.

Ulster Bank has announced a new partnership with An Post that will allow personal and business customers carry out certain transactions through the An Post network.

From next month, bank customers will be able to make cash deposits in any of An Post 1,140 branches or avail of cheque acceptance in designated post offices.

They will also be able to pay their Ulster Bank credit card bills using cash or debit card at any post office.

This partnership with An Post means that the number of places Ulster Bank customers can conduct basic banking transactions will increase from 111 to 1,251, providing them with greater choice, extended opening hours, accessibility and flexibility,” head of branch banking at Ulster Bank Jim Ryan said.

Liam Sheehan, sales and marketing director at An Post, said: “We look forward to providing top quality local services to Ulster Bank customers at 1,140 Post Offices around the country – and we’re also open on Saturday mornings.

“This further underpins our unique position in providing local, reliable financial services to Irish business and personal customers,” he added.

Pascal Donohoe says a bus plan could save taxpayers money and enhance quality of service

Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann union members face ballot over potential privatisation

  

Dublin Bus vehicles parked in Conyngham Road garage in Dublin. The trade union SIPTU is to ballot Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann driver members for industrial action, in protest at National Transport Authority plans.

Introducing tendering for some bus routes traditionally operated by State companies has the potential to save taxpayers’ money, according to the Minister for Transport.Paschal Donohoe told the Dáil he was fully committed to controversial plans to put out to tender 10 per cent of routes currently run by Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann.

However, the plan for the potential privatisation of the routes could lead to strikes in the State transport sector in the weeks ahead.

The National Bus and Railworkers Union (NBRU) andsSiptu will ballot members in Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann for industrial action up to and including strike action following the collapse of talks on the tendering plan at theLabour Relations Commission earlier this week.

Mr Donohoe said international experience indicated that competitive tendering was “beneficial in providing subsidised public service obligation bus services-socially necessary, non-commercial bus services”.

He added: “I believe that our support for improved bus services should be given in conjunction with an appropriate degree of competitive tension within the market, in the interests of quality and cost effectiveness for commuters. This is why I am committed to the tendering of 10 per cent of bus routes.”

The Minister said he was disappointed trade unions had withdrawn from the LRC talks. “It is the Government’s view that these Labour Relations Commission discussions would allow employee concerns to be addressed satisfactorily. Indeed there has been a particular focus on facilitating existing employees to remain in either Dublin Bus or Bus Éireann if either company did not succeed in the tendering process,” he said.

“I understand that strenuous efforts were being made within the talks process to facilitate as many as possible existing employees staying in their respective companies, arising from forecast growth in the public service obligation market under the Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann direct award contracts.”

Siptu said on Tuesday it would ballot drivers for industrial action. The NBRU said on Monday that it would be balloting its members in the two State-owned bus companies, as well as in Irish Rail, on the issue. It is also to initiate legal action aimed at blocking the initiative.

A Siptu spokesman said the result of the ballot should be known on April 10th. The union said it would be consulting with other grades of staff in the companies about “solidarity action”.

Unions say the tendering proposals could lead to the privatisation of routes and would result in a deterioration of their members’ terms and conditions if they have to move to private operators.

Under the current plans, orbital routes in Dublin, such as those between Blackrock and Rialto, and Chapelizod and Tallaght, would be put out to tender.

Bus Éireann routes earmarked for tender include commuter services from Dublin to Tullamore, Portlaoise and Kildare, as well as a number of routes in Waterfordcity.

Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann will be permitted to tender to continue to operate the routes.

The protective pros and cons of garlic

   

Forget the smelly breath< garlic can keep you youthful and healthy.

Garlic is hardly new, but it might be time to add it to your list of superfoods.

A recent study has discovered the pungent cloves can protect against ageing and disease, even preventing against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Whether taken as a supplement or eating it as a tasty addition to your dinner, the University of Missouri claims garlic can work wonders.

“Garlic is one of the most widely consumed dietary supplements,” Zezong Gu, associate professor of pathology and anatomical sciences at the MU School of Medicine and lead author of the study said. “Most people think of it as a ‘superfood,’ because garlic’s sulphur-containing compounds are known as an excellent source of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory protection.”

It was a carbohydrate found in the cloves that really sparked the researchers’ interest.

“Scientists are still discovering different ways garlic benefits the human body,” he continued.

“Our research focused on a carbohydrate derivative of garlic known as FruArg and the role this nutrient plays in protective responses.”

FruArg could even reverse the damage caused by things such as smoking, pollution, brain injury and the natural process of ageing.

Immune cells in the brain called microglia are normally the first line of defence in the nervous system. However, a by-product of their function as protectors is the production of nitric oxide, which can be harmful. And this is where garlic comes in.

“When stress was applied to the model, there was an expected increase in microglial cells and their by-product, nitric oxide,” Zezong explained.

“However, once we applied FruArg, the microglial cells adapted to the stress by reducing the amount of nitric oxide they produced.

“Additionally, FruArg promoted the production of antioxidants, which offered protective and healing benefits to other brain cells.

“This helps us understand how garlic benefits the brain by making it more resilient to the stress and inflammation associated with neurological diseases and ageing.”

Want more kitchen inspiration? The Rush University in Chicago recently found spinach can knock up to 11 years off brain age, so start stocking up on those leafy greens, too!

Ireland’s marriage age jumps to its highest level ever

  

The average age of Irish newlyweds has risen to its highest ever recorded level, with couples waiting until their mid-thirties before they tie the knot.

Less than two-thirds (59%) of couples decided to be wed in a Catholic church, while 28% were married in civil ceremonies, down 1% on 2013.

Figures from the Central Statistics Office released today show that the average age of grooms is now 35-years-old, while the average for brides in 2014 was 33, up from 32.8 in 2013.

In more than 63pc of marriages, the groom was older than the bride, except when the couples were under 30 – in which case, the bride was, on average, older in almost 41pc of marriages.

The latest figures from the CSO show the average age for grooms has steady increased since the 1970s – where, in 1977, the average groom was aged 26-years-old.

Similarly, the average age for brides fell from 26.3 in 1964 to 24 in 1977 before increasing to its highest level of 33-years-old in 2014.

Based on local levels, Waterford had the oldest newlyweds, aged 37 and 34 respectively, while Monaghan recorded the lowest average for grooms and brides at 33.6 and 31.4.

Last year, nine out of ten marriages were the first for both the groom and bride – while nearly 2,500 weddings involved at least one divorced person.

Some 392 same-sex couples became civil partners in 2014. Three-quarters of these civil partnerships took place in Leinster, with more than 50pc of them being held in Dublin.

Meanwhile, the number of people opting for Catholic wedding services has fallen to its lowest level.

World oceans could take thousands of years to recover from climate damage,

A STUDY SAYS

    

Decades of climate change have taken a toll on ocean ecosystems – and it could take millennia for them to bounce back, according to new research.

It only took us an existential moment to damage them, but they won’t be fixed in our lifetime.

Researchers say ocean ecosystems have taken a hit from climate change – and that it could be thousands of years, not hundreds, before they recover. By analyzing layers of fossilized ocean fauna, scientists from UC Davis’ Bodega Marine Laboratory and Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute were able to make out correlations between abrupt climate change and disturbances in ocean biodiversity. Their study was published yesterday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Biologically diverse seafloors can lose large amounts of dissolved oxygen as a result of climate change. The process – called deoxygenation – can disrupt the biodiversity of ocean ecosystems. But previous studies did not quantify these disturbances and recoveries in relation to sudden climate change. Led by Sarah Moffitt, a UC Davis research team began by extracting a huge fossil core from the ocean floor off Santa Barbara.

“After the initial sampling at sea, I took the entire core, which was about 30 feet long,” Dr. Moffitt said in a statement. “I cut it up like a cake, and I sampled the whole thing. Because of that, I had the whole record.”

The core contained fossil evidence from a period spanning 16,100 to 3,400 years ago. In that time, Moffitt noticed repeating patterns. Diverse seafloor ecosystems would experience deoxygenation coinciding with warming periods, and rapid loss of diversity would follow. In low-oxygen periods, fossil evidence was minimal. Even minor drops in oxygen levels appeared to curtail undersea life. And while the warming events seemed to last hundreds of years – possibly only decades – it took ecosystems thousands of years to bounce back.

And it’s not all in the past – Moffitt says these deoxygenation events should viewed as analogues to the present.

“These past events show us how sensitive ecosystems are to changes in Earth’s climate – it commits us to thousands of years of recovery,” Moffitt said in a statement. “It shows us what we’re doing now is a long-term shift – there’s not a recovery we have to look forward to in my lifetime or my grandchildren’s lifetime. It’s a gritty reality we need to face as scientists and people who care about the natural world and who make decisions about the natural world.