DUBLIN // Global equity and currency markets were jittery yesterday as an EU-led crisis team headed for Ireland to push for a bailout that Dublin has desperately sought to avoid.
Officials from the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund were dispatched after an emergency meeting on Tuesday of EU finance ministers. They fear that the Republic of Ireland's sovereign debt crisis could spread to the rest of the euro zone.
After four days of sharp declines, stock markets recovered yesterday as expectation grew that Ireland would have to accept the EU rescue plan.
But the appearance of a crisis team in the Dublin finance ministry will deal a crushing blow to what little credibility the Irish prime minister, Brian Cowen, still enjoys after presiding over the implosion of one of the biggest financial bubbles in history.
Mr Cowen and his finance minister, Brian Lenihan, have repeatedly assured their citizens and the international community that Ireland would be able to fund a controversial bank guarantee that has already cost taxpayers €45 billion (Dh224bn), with further losses thought likely.
Yesterday Mr Cowen was still resisting talk of a "bailout", a term that he described in the Dail, the Irish parliament, as "pejorative". Mr Lenihan also avoided the term, saying that the IMF-EU mission was coming for a "short, focused consultation" about structural problems in the Irish banking system, and there was no deadline.
“Despite a large range of measures adopted by the government, Ireland is a small country, and if the banking problems in the country are too big for this small country to manage, Europe is making it clear that they will help and help in every possible way to secure the system,” he said.
Both in Brussels and in Dublin, however, it is now widely seen as inevitable that Ireland must accept a rescue package in the near future. Otherwise, it will face being shunned by global financiers when it next seeks to borrow money to fund a public deficit pushed to about 30 per cent of GDP – 10 times the EU limit – by the cost of the bank rescue.
“With all the pressure, it’s clear now that it’s just a matter of how much of a loan they are going to obtain and the terms and conditions,” said Constantin Gurdgiev, professor of finance at Trinity College, Dublin. “It’s not a matter of if, but of how much and when.”
Three years of Irish economic decline reached crisis point in recent weeks as bond markets, fearing a default, pushed the interest rates demanded for holding Irish sovereign bonds as high as 9 per cent – levels at which Dublin could not afford to borrow.
Yesterday morning, following news that EU ministers had failed to agree on a rescue package with Mr Lenihan in Brussels on Tuesday night, the yields on Irish bonds increased again to 8.25 per cent, having fallen earlier in the week on expectations that Dublin would accept a bailout. Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and Greek bond yields also increased, while in contrast, yields on equivalent German bonds dropped a little to 2.59 per cent.
The Dublin government has so far resisted the extreme pressure from Brussels to accept a deal, arguing that it is not affected by the current punitive interest rates because it temporarily withdrew from the bond markets in September, having fully funded its spending until the middle of next year.
But the indebted governments of Portugal and Spain – which unlike Dublin are still tapping the bond markets for cash – complain that the threat of Irish insolvency is driving up the interest rates they must pay.
Brussels and the IMF hope that by ending uncertainty over Ireland’s position they can forestall the need to rescue Portugal or – even worse – Spain, which accounts for almost 12 per cent of the Eurozone’s output. EU council president Herman Van Rompuy warned on Tuesday that such a chain reaction would threaten the survival not only of the single European country but also the European Union itself.
But many of Ireland’s 4.5 million people fear that, in return for a rescue, IMF and EU officials would impose cuts in services, welfare and spending even more draconian than the €15 billion in savings already signalled by Mr Lenihan for the next four years.
Ireland’s ruling classes are also outraged by what they see as the loss of sovereignty implicit in accepting the supervision of IMF and European officials. More specifically, they fear that Ireland will be forced to abandon its controversially low corporate tax rate of 12.5 per cent, which other European governments say has turned Dublin into a tax haven for their own corporations.
The United Kingdom – one of the countries to suffer most from Ireland’s low corporate tax rates – yesterday signaled that it too would be willing to contribute to a rescue, despite not belonging to the Euro zone. Its motives may not be entirely neighbourly.
An influx of foreign money stemming from the low corporate tax rate helped to fund the “Celtic Tiger” boom of the 1990s, combining with Ireland’s relatively cheap and well-educated English-speaking workforce to fuel world-record growth rates.
However, this genuine boom mutated into a massive property bubble. Subject to “light-touch” regulation by an earlier incarnation of the present administration, Irish banks borrowed heavily on the international bond markets, then lent the money to domestic property developers and commercial and residential buyers, driving property prices to several times their real long-term value.
Meanwhile, the government used the windfall revenue from property sales taxes, the consumer boom and a grossly over-expanded construction sector to pump up spending and inflate public pay, at the same time as it cut income taxes.
In September 2008, after the global economic downturn had burst Ireland’s bubble, the Irish banks persuaded Mr Cowen and Mr Lenihan to issue a blanket guarantee covering not only the banks’ deposits but also their debts – a potential liability to the Irish taxpayer of more than €400 billion.
As a result, the coalition led by Mr Cowen’s centre-right Fianna Fail party – the dominant force in Irish politics since 1932 – is now deeply unpopular. It currently enjoys a majority of only three in the Irish parliament, and is desperate to delay a general election that could eliminate the party as a political force.
Attacking Mr Cowen in the Dail yesterday, the opposition leader Enda Kenny said that his government had repeatedly claimed that previous rescue measures would work and no foreign help would be needed. Instead, he said, the IMF and EU were coming “and they’re not coming in here to say ‘well done Brians, well done lads, keep at it, you’re doing a great job”.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Teams
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
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Manchester City (0) v Liverpool (3)
Uefa Champions League, quarter-final, second leg
Where: Etihad Stadium
When: Tuesday, 10.45pm
Live on beIN Sports HD
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
MORE ON IRAN'S PROXY WARS
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
England squads for Test and T20 series against New Zealand
Test squad: Joe Root (capt), Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Dominic Sibley, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes
T20 squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Pat Brown, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Lewis Gregory, Chris Jordan, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid, James Vince
ACC%20T20%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Championship
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Company%20Profile
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The specs: 2018 Bentley Bentayga V8
Price, base: Dh853,226
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 550hp @ 6,000pm
Torque: 770Nm @ 1,960rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.4L / 100km
The%C2%A0specs%20
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UAE gold medallists:
Omar Al Suweidi (46kg), Khaled Al Shehhi (50kg), Khalifa Humaid Al Kaabi (60kg), Omar Al Fadhli (62kg), Mohammed Ali Al Suweidi (66kg), Omar Ahmed Al Hosani (73), all in the U18’s, and Khalid Eskandar Al Blooshi (56kg) in the U21s.
ENGLAND SQUAD
Joe Root (captain), Dom Sibley, Rory Burns, Dan Lawrence, Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes (wicketkeeper), Moeen Ali, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net
Williams at Wimbledon
Venus Williams - 5 titles (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008)
Serena Williams - 7 titles (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2016)
8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21
- Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
- Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
- Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
- Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
- Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
- Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
- Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
- Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA
Price, base / as tested Dh150,900 / Dh173,600
Engine 2.0L inline four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 211hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 1,200rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
RACE CARD
4.30pm: Maiden Dh80,000 1,400m
5pm: Conditions Dh80,000 1,400m
5.30pm: Liwa Oasis Group 3 Dh300,000 1,400m
6pm: The President’s Cup Listed Dh380,000 1,400m
6.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown Group 2 Dh300,000 2,200m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (30-60) Dh80,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Handicap (40-70) Dh80,000 1,600m.
Company%20Profile
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