Here is a selection of eight people who have recently begun interesting new roles with companies based in Ireland.

Price inflation at Irish supermarkets has eased somewhat this summer but continues at a fair clip of 2.5% despite the rise in the euro against sterling, a leading survey of the big five grocers suggests.

Food and drink are pricey in Ireland, with alcohol, meat and fruit, and vegetables among the most expensive items, according to a market research firm.

The euro slipped on the resignation of the Italian premier amid a confidence vote, as currency markets focussed on another confidence vote -- in UK leader Boris Johnson early next month.

The fortunes of supermarkets are diverging on either side of the Irish Sea, with UK grocers posting their first fall in sales since June three years ago and Irish supermarkets adding sales and increasing prices.

Grocery price inflation is climbing by an annual rate of 3.1%, the fastest pace since late 2014, market researcher Kantar has said.

Sainsbury’s, reeling from last week’s decision by the UK regulator to block its takeover of rival Asda, was alone among Britain’s big four supermarket groups in seeing sales fall in the latest 12-week period, industry data has shown.

Britain’s competition regulator has blocked Sainsbury’s proposed £7.3bn (€8.4bn) takeover of Walmart-owned Asda — a huge blow to the supermarket groups who wanted to combine to overtake market leader Tesco.

Aldi and Lidl gained market share as Dunnes retained its slot as the largest supermarket in a “bumper” market worth over €2.5 billion, the latest survey shows.

Tesco shares rose by over 7% as it won provisional approval for its £3.7bn (€4.1bn) takeover of wholesaler Booker from the UK competition regulator, moving the UK’s biggest retailer closer to securing a new avenue of growth, writes James Davey. 

Dunnes Stores has overtaken Tesco as the second largest player in the Irish grocery market, new figures show.

Britain’s decision to quit the EU in last month’s referendum has not had an immediate impact on grocery prices or the volume of goods sold, according to industry data.

The Irish grocery market has continued its solid growth in recent weeks, but the lure of potentially cheaper goods in the North — as sterling continues to weaken — is being viewed as a real threat.

Competition in the retail grocery market intensified in the last quarter, with Tesco continuing to narrow its sales declines, Dunnes closing the gap on its rivals, and the German discounters maintaining their combined record high share of the market.

A slight increase in footfall and higher spending by young families helped reinstate Tesco as the market leader in the Irish grocery sector in the past three months.

The head of Tesco’s operations in the London region has been handed the task of revitalising the supermarket giant’s fortunes in Ireland.

Grocery sales increased by 1.1%, year-on-year, during the 12 weeks to November 9. Those figures resulted in an additional €23m being spent by shoppers in the main supermarket retailers.

Musgrave-owned SuperValu and Superquinn are holding their own in the grocery shopping sector, as discounters Aldi and Lidl eat into the market share of the multiples.

Dunnes Stores increased its share of the grocery market in the run-up to Christmas as the major retailers dominated, with smaller stores taking a near 10% hit in the most competitive trading period of the year.

The Irish grocery market has grown by 0.4% for the 12 weeks to Nov 25, the second month of sales growth in a row and the highest rate since January this year.

Equity investors wishing to cash in on the London Olympics can take their pick from British hotels, advertisers or retailers — history suggests the FTSE 100 could shine in the following 12 months.

The UK’s biggest supermarket, Tesco, started its price war today after cutting the cost of 3,000 products as part of a £500m (€575m) campaign.

GERMAN discounters Aldi and Lidl are making significant inroads in the Irish grocery market with Lidl matching long-standing retailer Superquinn’s market share for the first time.

Dozens of Palestinians handed out sweets and waved yellow Hezbollah flags to celebrate what they saw as a major victory in Israel’s return of five Lebanese prisoners.

Israel has signed an agreement to swap prisoners with the Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas, according to a statement today.

Hezbollah will hand over two captured Israeli soldiers in exchange for five Lebanese prisoners in Israel, the militant group’s leader said today.

Israel’s government gathered today to vote on an emotionally charged deal to swap a notorious Lebanese prisoner for two Israeli soldiers captured two years ago – and declared for the first time to be dead.

Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert has concluded that Israel should exchange the perpetrator of a particularly serious terror attack for two Israeli soldiers held in Lebanon for the past two years, a senior government official confirmed today.

Hezbollah’s leader today pledged to bring home all prisoners held by Israel and said he expected to hear from a German mediator in the next three days on the proposed swap of prisoners and bodies with the Jewish state.