What the papers say: Friday's front pages

Eva Osborne

Here are the stories making headlines this Friday.

More than a million Irish households will see their annual energy bills climb by hundreds of euro as a result of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, with Electric Ireland announcing price increases of up to 8 per cent, The Irish Times reports.

The Irish Examiner leads with survivors of road collisions going abroad for vital rehabilitation to avoid waiting lists of up to 10 months as doctors call for urgent investment in rehab services here.

Residents of a north Cork housing estate say they are living in fear after the latest series of attacks occurred there in the early hours of yesterday, according to The Echo.

A garda investigation is under way after a petrol bomb was thrown at a house in Meadow Part Ave in Ballyvolane.

A mother of two’s body was thrown into a river in Clif­den, Co Gal­way, after she was stabbed to death. Gardaí believe the vic­tim was lured from an Ipas centre, the Irish Independent reports.

The body of the woman (31) was dis­covered shortly before 9am yes­ter­day along the Owenglin River, near Water­loo House Ipas Centre in Clif­den. She had two chil­dren, aged seven and nine. A man, who was known to the woman, was arres­ted and is being detained.

The Irish Daily Mirror also leads with the Galway murder investigation, labelling it a "throat slash horror".

The woman who was killed in Galway had "fled Iran for a better life here," according to the Irish Daily Star.

Cartel beha­viour in pub­lic pro­cure­ment has been hap­pen­ing for ‘many dec­ades’, the coun­try’s com­pet­i­tion reg­u­lator believes.

The Com­pet­i­tion and Con­sumer Pro­tec­tion Com­mis­sion has only recently received new powers of sanc­tion, des­pite call­ing for them for years, and is also look­ing for fur­ther abil­ity to screen pub­lic tenders in a bid to spot sus­pi­cious activ­ity, the Irish Daily Mail reports.

The woman killed in Galway was employed loc­ally and a per­son who knew her recalled her as “gentle and smi­ley”.

It is under­stood there had been ser­i­ous con­cerns for the woman’s safety in the past, according to The Herald.