Monthly Archives: April 2013

denisBaloonAnd 100 job losses.

Weeeeeeeeeee

Independent News and Media, of which Denis O’Brien is the biggest shareholder, is to get a debt write-off worth €140 million from Bank of Ireland and AIB.

RTÉ reports:

“A consortium of eight banks including state-owned AIB and Bank of Ireland has agreed to write off almost €140m in debt owed by Independent News and Media.
The move is part of a series of measures being implemented by INM which the company said will reduce its net debt burden from €424m to €118m.
INM is using the €167m proceeds from the sale of its South African business to pay off some of the loans.
It will also raise €40m in new equity by issuing shares in a rights issue – where existing shareholders are offered the chance to buy more stock in proportion to their stakes in the company.”

….
“(Vincent Crowley) said the company will be looking for 100 job cuts as part of its restructuring, and that all structures – including the merger of the Irish Independent and Sunday Independent newsrooms – are being looked at.”

Merger, eh?

That should end well.

INM agrees debt restructuring as losses mount (RTÉ)

Previously: Mwahahaha

INM Write-Down Ahoy

Denis O’Brien: Dividends, Debt And Paying Back Anglo

Eamonn Farrell/Photocall Ireland

posterThere may be tay.

Jennifer O’Leary writes:

1913 Unfinished Business is an activist group working to reinvigorate class politics in Dublin using the centenary of the Lockout as an inspiration.‘We’re Not Leaving’ is a public meeting of young people to fight forced emigration. Emigration during the recession has reached famine level, with 200 people leaving the country every day. This social disaster is a direct result of the conditions facing young people in the Irish economy: youth unemployment, precarious work, unpaid internships, higher education fee hikes and grant cuts. How can young workers, students and the unemployed work in solidarity across our different struggles to tackle the challenges that unify us? How can we stay and fight? The public meeting will build towards a youth bloc on the May Day march in Dublin.

 

1913 Unfinished Business (Facebook)

Orphan children have a meal at an orphanage in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don

The letter to Ireland’s lawmakers suggested Russia would proceed with this tactic despite criticism that it harms the interests of the country’s orphans, while also dashing the hopes of prospective adoptive parents abroad, who form an emotional and motivated constituency to influence elected officials. But the Kremlin, much diminished in its foreign policy reach since the end of the cold war, has few other levers of influence left…

 

Brian Sammon writes:

Russia threatens adoption ban if the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade passes resolution on the Magnitsky case…

 

Russia Using Adoption Leverage (New York Times)

Sergei Magnitsky?

Bill Browder’s story here

Pic: Al Jazeera

blairOBAMA-4-popup

At the George W Bush Library opening at the Southern Methodist University near Dallas yesterday . From top, l-r: Tony Blair, Condaleeza Rice, Dick Cheney and Jenna Bush; José María Aznar of Spain and Silvio Berlusconi.

The words Iraq and Afghanistan, however, never passed Mr. Bush’s lips, or those of the four other presidents who spoke.They alluded to the American wars there by praising Mr. Bush’s deep concern for wounded soldiers and the families of those killed in combat, but put aside for a day the arguments over how the wars were conducted, why they were waged and what they accomplished.

For Bush, a Day to Bask in Texas Sun (New York Times)

(Stephen Crowley/New York Times)

 

casey

 

 

 

Patricia Casey of the Iona Institute spoke on ‘Morning Ireland’ earlier with Cathal Mac Coille about a survey carried out to gauge psychiatrists’ views on abortion as a treatment for suicidal women.

This, despite Dr Anthony McCarthy’s assertion on Wednesday that psychiatrists from the College of Psychiatry in Ireland would not participate in compulsory assessment of pregnant women with suicidal ideation who are seeking an abortion.

He said said compelling psychiatrists to take part in such a system was abusing their profession, which is supposed to offer comfort, compassion and support to people in vulnerable situations.

Dr McCarthy said the Government has to deal with the abortion issue and legislate adequately for it, and should not pass the social control of a situation onto psychiatrists.

He said asking psychiatrists to test the truth of women’s stories was extremely abusive.

Listen  here.

Reilly meeting Labour junior ministers to agree heads of bill in abortion issue (RTE News)

More than 100 psychiatrists disagree with abortion proposal (Eilish O’Regan, Irish Independent)