Anyone who has not paid the Household Charge by the end of this month will be hit with a €200 bill from July 1.

A TD who has led the anti-Household Charge campaign has said he will not pay his property tax.

Of the more than 300,000 people unemployed across the country, almost 60% have been without a job for over a year, according to the Central Statistics Office.

The Environment Minister Phil Hogan has defended the decision of Clare County Council to ask students applying for third level grants for proof that their families had paid the household charge.

The agency tasked with collecting the Household charge says staff members have received hate mail and death threats.

Jobs Minister Richard Bruton has today defended a Cabinet colleague who said that that income tax hikes may have to be considered if people refuse to pay the Household Charge.

Household names may be few and far between for the Manchester United XI that take on Cork City at Turner’s Cross this evening but United reserves manager Warren Joyce believes several of those on show can make the leap up to the Red Devils’ first team.

Socialist Party TD Joe Higgins has said that he cannot accept that TDs in Dublin should not campaign on national issues.

The construction sector has just entered its fifth straight year of decline and is continuing to lose jobs, according to the latest Ulster Bank Construction Purchasing Managers' Index published today.

NOW in the merry month of May, a potpourri of events and delights on our doorstep.

The Government is being warned that the opposition to water charges is going to be "enormous".

Government threats to withdraw public services where the Household Charge is not paid are an outrageous attack on the poor, it has been claimed.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny said today that he expects the Irish people to obey the law, and pay the Household Charge.

Children's Minister Frances Fitzgerald has insisted that the Government needs to implement the Household Charge to maintain local services.

Social Protection Minister Joan Burton has said that she is confident that the majority of people will pay the new Household Charge, which is due at the end of this month.

A total of 128,000 people have so far paid the new €100 Household Charge.

Profits of more than £14bn and a pay package worth up to £12.5m for its chief executive are set to be revealed by HSBC today.

The campaign against the Household Charge is being stepped up a gear today with the launch of a new hotline number.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has ignored threats of a potential mass boycott over the €100 household charge the Government is to impose in the New Year.

ON TUESDAY, November 2, Kerry Against the Household Charge was launched at the Grand Hotel, Tralee.

The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Associationhas called on the Government to "stop shilly-shallying" on the issue of unemployment and face up to an already "grim" situation.

Banking giant HSBC was rebuked by shareholders today over plans that could see chief executive Stuart Gulliver earn up to £12.5m this year.

British Chancellor George Osborne has set out a four-year plan of cuts today which he said would drag Britain “back from the brink”.

The number of long-term unemployed more than doubled over the last year, it was revealed today.

FREE hearing aids, dental and eye treatment are among some of the benefits that would be removed under the proposals in this week’s Bord Snip Nua report.

Mohamed al Fayed was challenged today to produce evidence to back up his claims that his son Dodi and Diana, Princess of Wales, died as the result of a plot involving the royal family.

THE decision that Baroness Butler-Sloss should sit as coroner and preside over the inquests into the deaths of Dodi Fayed and Diana, Princess of Wales, was condemned as “fatally flawed” by a QC at the High Court yesterday.

HSBC shares were under pressure today after the banking giant increased the amount of money set aside to cover US borrowers defaulting on their mortgages.

Banking giant HSBC today unveiled a forecast-beating 5% rise in half-year profits to $10.64bn (€8.7bn) as it reaped the rewards of its major global presence.

Household products group Reckitt Benckiser targeted further strong growth today after rounding off last year with record sales figures.

Banking giant HSBC today set a new European record for half-year earnings after profits rose 53% to £5.14bn (€7.8bn) in the first six months of 2004.

Household products group Reckitt Benckiser raised the bar on its annual revenues target today after growth across all its product categories.

Household product maker Reckitt Benckiser said today that a range of successful new cleaning products helped deliver a strong start to the financial year.

HSBC Holdings, the world’s No 2 bank by market value, increased second-half profit by 58% after the $15.5 billion purchase of Household International.

John Bond, chairman of HSBC Holdings has declined to comment on reports in the British press on Sunday that the bank is in merger talks with Deutsche Bank AG.

Banking group HSBC was announcing today that profits in 2003 had risen by more than a third to about £7.1bn (E10.6bn).

The British royal household is taking legal action against the Daily Mirror and its reporter Ryan Parry for breach of confidence, Buckingham Palace said.

Household goods group Gillette saw third quarter earnings rise by 18%, the company reported today.

The FTSE 100 Index has put back most of Friday's heavy slump as blue-chip shares benefit from strong figures from HSBC.

The HSBC has shrugged off the impact of the Iraq war and SARS on its business and unveiled a 26% rise in first half pre-tax profits.

EXECUTIVES at HSBC Holdings Plc, Europe's largest bank by market value, and food retailer Tesco may be next to face outrage from their shareholders for being paid too much, investors said.

Ireland's employment and unemployment rates both rose last year, according to the latest Quarterly National Household Survey.

London shares ended the week on a positive note today as HSBC helped to push the FTSE 100 Index further away from the 4000 barrier.

Banking giant HSBC today struck a €14bn deal to buy credit firm Household International, owner of the HFC and Beneficial brands.