A SHORTAGE of specialist staff has created an “unsustainable degree of risk” in the policing of Irish Aid’s €671m budget.

THE number of liquidations, receiverships and examinerships jumped 17% in the first nine months of the year compared with last year.

Around 70% of companies going bust this year are in the construction, retail and hospitality sectors.

Athlone: Opening the Eastern Door – Doing Business in China, is a day-long conference which will explore the challenges and opportunities for Irish firms doing business in and with China.

High rents were today blamed for a surge in the number of companies being forced to the brink of collapse.

The number of businesses failing in Ireland is continuing to rise, according to figures released today.

JUST one-in-three examinerships were successful last year with figures showing close to five businesses failed each day over the last three months.

Bids for £50m (€55.6m) to build pre-Olympic training facilities in the North were rejected because they were submitted three minutes late, it emerged today.

The number of companies reporting serious financial difficulties has risen by 104%.

The number of company failures has increased significantly, according to a new report.

THE number of creditors’ voluntary liquidations, high court liquidations, receiverships and examinerships in the first quarter in 2008 has increased by more than 60% on the same period in 2007.

THE number of companies placed in liquidation, receivership or examinership increased by 7% last year.

FIREFIGHTERS have attacked the Department of the Environment and said if Wednesday’s blaze started in Dublin rather than Wicklow their two colleagues would still be alive.

A DEPARTMENT of Justice report recommended an intervention approach to tackle domestic violence be rolled out nationally, but six months later the pilot project is closing down.

Lack of funding will force the closure of National Domestic Violence Agency next week, writes Conor Ryan.

IT is a cause of very serious concern that Ireland has the second highest rate of fire-related deaths out of 19 countries in the developed world, according to the World Fire Statistics Office.

THREE financial practices announced the merger of their businesses, creating an independent firm of business advisors and consultants.

FAILURE by Tánaiste Mary Harney to introduce risk equalisation before the end of the year could have a catastrophic effect on the health insurance market, experts warned yesterday.

The failure to modernise the Irish fire service has undermined the morale of fire officers, it was claimed tonight.

The Government has abandoned plans to set up a national fire authority, it emerged today.

FIRE officers have again claimed that the lack of a national fire authority is putting lives at risk.