Irish lender says its first half was the victim of an increase in bad loan charges as it reports that underlying losses have climbed 26% year on year

Biggest winners of single currency's decline are multinationals with a large cost base in Europe but a high proportion of sales outside eurozone

Anecdotes thrown up such as McKillen's meeting on a yacht in south of France with U2's Bono and Prince Waleed bin Talal to finalise sale of Savoy