It was at very much at this time of the year — an early March Saturday — 87 years ago that Franklin D Roosevelt, as the 32nd president of the United States, gave in his inaugural address a warning. “Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is ... fear itself.”

The building industry here has the capacity to expand housing output by 30% a year over the next few years, without causing huge strain, the chief executive of Kingspan has said.

Shares in Dutch brewing giant, Heineken, surged by as much as 6% after it posted better-than-expected earnings for 2019 and said that it expects further growth this year.

Kerry Group’s shares jumped by nearly 3% after the nutrition and food group reaffirmed its full-year earnings guidance on the back of a strong nine-month performance.

Kerry Group’s share price shot up by almost 6% on the back of strong first-half earnings and revenue growth, positive full-year guidance, and the company claiming it is well-positioned to ride out any market disruptions borne by Brexit or global trade tensions.

BMW’s second-quarter earnings fell by a fifth, hit by exchange rate moves and investments in manufacturing electric and hybrid cars to help meet stricter emissions limits.

Hugo Boss expects full-year sales and earnings to come in at the lower end of its forecasts due to challenges in the US market, despite strong sales growth in China.

French car maker Renault posted a decline of almost 7% in first-half vehicle sales amid a global car slowdown but said a forthcoming product offensive would begin to help soften the blow in key markets.

CRH needs to press ahead with extensive structural improvements, activist shareholder Cevian Capital has said, adding that the Dublin-based building materials company could double in value in the next three to five years if it does so.

The story of the macrocarpa, aka Monterey cypress, is intriguing.

Smartphones, we all use them, but how sustainable are they really. Tonnes of electronic waste is generated each year and we need to do our part in reducing it.

This year, Berlin celebrates the life of a distinguished son; Alexander von Humboldt, who was born in the city 250 years ago.

Apple has finalised a short list of locations for its first retail store in India.

Hugo Boss said the renovation of several major stores should revive sales growth after the German fashion house reported a drop in first-quarter earnings due to reorganisation costs, higher marketing spending and a strong dollar.

Dublin couple Katie Hogan and Luke Gibney run a travel website which they update from around the world.

Former amateur world champion Michael Conlan will face Mexico City’s Ruben Garcia Hernandez tomorrow night as part of a bumper weekend of Irish boxing on Americas east coast.

You might say that Naples is a city of three volcanoes. Vesuvius looms behind the city and the bay, Campi Flegrei is the super volcano nine miles wide that lurks beneath - and then there is the football club, writes David Shonfield.

Ireland’s medicines watchdog is at a “sensitive stage” of its contingency planning for Brexit, Health Minister Simon Harris has said.

CRH is looking to generate €7bn in cash, before asset disposals, over the next four years which it may use to fund acquisitions, increase dividends, or buy back more shares.

Paper and packaging giant Smurfit Kappa Group (SKG) is eyeing acquisition opportunities in the Americas as it looks to grow further in the region.

The IDA spent almost €17.2m funding its operations overseas last year.

The planned supervised injecting centre is a “specific” public health measure being taken to tackle Ireland’s very high drug mortality rate, the Government says.

China’s growing value and importance for the Irish economy was further underlined, this week, by pharmaceutical giant WuXi Biologics choosing Ireland — and Dundalk, in particular — as the location for its first manufacturing site outside of China.

Ulster have confirmed the appointment of Dan McFarland as their new head coach.

The Department of Foreign Affairs looked for a Brexit war chest to manage Ireland’s interests as the UK prepares to leave the EU.

The National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) today raised €4bn through the syndicated sale of a new 10-year benchmark Treasury Bond maturing in May 2028.

Two wolf dogs from the North who starred in Game Of Thrones are helping drive a surge in the rare breed's popularity.

Food, water, and energy depend on healthy, diverse ecosystems, but these are declining faster than at any previous time in human history, says Robert Watson

Kerry Group shares rose nearly 3% despite management cutting the upper limit of its full-year earnings expectations, writes Geoff Pervical.

Smurfit Kappa shares rose 3% as the international box-packaging firm posted rises in revenue and margins on the economic recovery in the EU. It said demand for recycled containerboard had reduced stock levels in Europe, while global demand for kraft liner, or packaging paper, meant supply was “extremely tight”. Shares of packaging firms such as Smurfit Kappa tend to slide during world economic downturns because it is very difficult to close capital-intensive mills.

Smurfit Kappa shares rose 3% as the international box-packaging firm posted rises in revenue and margins on the economic recovery in the EU.

Heineken, the world’s second-largest brewer, reported an increase in third-quarter beer sales, with growth in all regions except Europe, where poor summer weather reduced demand, and in the US.

The pound surged against the euro today amid jitters over Catalonia's independence and news that EU member states will start preparing for the second phase of Brexit talks.

French drinks company Pernod Ricard has said it expects further good sales growth in its current financial year, largely driven by the performance of Jameson whiskey in the US and Europe.

After Ophelia, and especially after a Fianna Fáil ard fheis, don’t forget that the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China opens in Beijing today. It may be more important.

Certain varieties of Penstemons can bring colour and life to a garden late in the year, says Peter Dowdall

Pre-tax profits at medical device manufacturer Clearstream Technologies fell 12% to €23.47m last year.

IT is hard to know if the suggestion from New York’s mayor Bill de Blasio, that he might remove the statue of Christopher Columbus which has dominated Manhattan’s Columbus Circle since 1892, the 400th anniversary of the Genoese adventurer’s arrival in the Americas, is serious or not.

Building materials giant CRH has said it is ready to act further on what it sees as “a strong pipeline” of acquisition opportunities in light of selling part of its US operations for $2.6bn (€2.2bn).

Paper and packaging giant Smurfit Kappa Group has extended its presence in Russia with the acquisition of a Moscow-based corrugated packaging company for an undisclosed sum.