Your Tuesday morning catch-up
IRELAND
Irish homeowners could cut their mortgage rates in half under plans to open up the lending market right across the EU. Standard Irish rates are the highest in the EU as bailed-out banks try to recover and it is currently almost impossible for people to borrow from banks outside the country.
The 2015 Web Summit begins today, with more than 30,000 people expected at the RDS over the next three days. There is nine stages hosting events throughout the day, covering the latest issues affecting technology, sport, the media, enterprise and society.
More than 80% of men have been subjected to sexual harassment during their Christmas parties and 76% report that they were too ashamed of coming forward for fear of being emasculated by their peers.
There have been calls for increased measures to protect migrant workers on fishing boats after an article in The Guardian newspaper alleged some people were working “inhuman hours” and may be the victims of people trafficking.
Air passengers are facing further disruption today because of heavy fog. A number of flights were cancelled at Dublin Airport yesterday and dozens more were delayed.
WORLD
Calls by police groups to boycott Quentin Tarantino’s latest film are putting pressure on one of next month’s most anticipated releases and plunging one of Hollywood’s top directors into a pitched cultural battle. A growing number of police groups have called for the boycott of upcoming Weinstein release The Hateful Eight, after remarks the director made during a New York rally against police brutality.
The Russian plane that crashed in Egypt was not struck from the outside and the pilot did not make a distress call before it disappeared from radar, a source in the committee analysing the flight recorders said yesterday.
SPORT
Toulouse’s long-standing admiration for Munster’s Simon Zebo has resurfaced with the French Top 14 club again linked with a move for the Ireland star. With negotiations due to start on a new IRFU deal, it has sparked again in France. Munster maintained a diplomatic silence yesterday, refusing to comment on transfer speculation.
A mere 880 fans will get to attend Ireland’s most important game for almost three years on Friday week when Bosnia’s 11,500-capacity Bilino Polje stadium in Zenica hosts the Euro 2016 play-off first leg.
RUGBY WORLD CUP CENTRE
Bandon Grammar School will hope to be inspired by a little reflected Rugby World Cup glory after two of New Zealand’s try scorers in Saturday’s final took time out from their celebrations to tip the school for next year’s Munster Senior Cup.
For more latest news, views and banter visit our Rugby World Cup Centre HERE
BUSINESS
The US government has said German car giant Volkswagen cheated on emissions tests for a second time. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said the firm installed software designed to defeat emissions tests on 2014 to 2016 vehicles with three-litre six-cylinder diesel engines.
Ryanair have announced that their profits for the first half of 2015 have risen 37% to just over €1bn. The budget airline also announced that their traffic grew 13% to 58 million passengers as their load factor jumped 4% to 93%.
ANALYSIS
A resurgence of community spirit is being translated into economic and social development in the community, writes
LIFESTYLE
Irish women love nothing more than talking about each other says . It’s only when the focus switches to them that they begin to go on the defensive.
VIDEO
One of the world’s longest-running film festivals is rolling out the red carpet for a special guest next week who was tracked down after 40 years thanks to the .
VIRAL
Having a dog in the family reduces a child’s risk of asthma by 15%, and contact with farm animals can halve it, a large study has shown.
The International Space Station is marking an awesome milestone – the scientific outpost has been continuously inhabited since November 2000. In those fifteen years, more than 200 people have called the ISS home and next month the first Brit, astronaut Tim Peake, will be joining the list of space residents.
TECHNOW
Game publishing heavyweight Activision has made major waves this week by confirming the acquisition of Candy Crush development studio King Digital
Star Trek is coming back to TV. The show originally appeared on CBS a long, long (long!) time ago in 1966, and will be celebrating its incredible 50th anniversary next year in 2016.
Huawei has another new phone on the way, with details of the Mate 8 expected to arrive soon.
SHOWBIZ
Saoirse Ronan has described her new film, Brooklyn, as “the story of my people”. The Irish actress, whose leading role sees her play a young Irishwoman in New York, said her own move to London made her feel like “an open wound emotionally”.
MOST READ RIGHT NOW
Garda units are fighting a “war of attrition” against a handful of organised burglary gangs terrorising the country,
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