Motorists are bracing themselves tonight for treacherous road conditions when temperatures plummet as the cold snap continues.

ABOUT €700 million worth of goods have been stolen from houses over the past decade, with burglary rates increasing by 8.25% over the past year, according to the latest annual Eircom Phonewatch burglary report.

PRIVATISING semi-state companies in order to raise desperately-needed cash for the Exchequer would be like “selling off the family silver”, the country’s most senior union leader has said.

AN office worker has been awarded €45,000 after the Equality Tribunal ruled that she had been sexually harassed on a “continuous and ongoing” basis lasting over five years by her employer.

IRELAND still faces an uphill challenge if it is to achieve a quality nationwide broadband internet network in the short-to-medium term, an industry conference was told yesterday.

The future of broadband in Ireland has been plunged into doubt because struggling Eircom cannot commit to rolling out the technology, it was warned today.

Almost €90m worth of goods were stolen from Irish homes during the course of a year, it was revealed today.

THOUSANDS of homes were left without electricity or telephones yesterday after 170km/h gales battered Ireland — the third strongest since records began in 1888.

More than 8,500 homes were left without telephone lines tonight as strong gales and heavy rains continued to hit the country.

RURAL internet users are finally in line for accessible high-speed broadband after part of the country’s under-used radio spectrum was opened up.

I ONCE envisaged making a film where a large group of people owned a company. As usual, where such a large group exists, somebody forms a committee to organise things.

AN accident involving a coach full of German tourists has again highlighted the need for a proper landline and mobile phone coverage in Kerry’s scenic Black Valley.

HUNDREDS of tourists pass through Kerry’s Black Valley each day, but emergency services can’t be contacted by phone in the event of an accident, or someone becoming seriously ill.

Sligo Rovers 2 Dublin City 0

The chairman of the Oireachtas communications committee is demanding proper telephone services for isolated rural communities.

IRISH companies were involved in merger and acquisition (M&A) deals worth over €3.8 billion in the three months to September, according to new figures from corporate finance specialists Ion Equity.

Conor Keane, Business Correspondent

THE IMI conference got more publicity than it bargained for, thanks to Martin Cullen’s outspoken comments on the second terminal at Dublin airport and the sell-off of Aer Lingus.

David Clerkin

Eircom has come in for criticism at an Oireachtas Committee hearing today.

TAX rates for business and wealthy people should be increased to pay for better public services and infrastructure, the leader of the country’s biggest public sector union urged yesterday.

PHONE companies should not be allowed to keep customers' billing records for up to three years, according to the Data Protection Commissioner.