05/02/10: The Finance Bill contains little to support indigenous business and shows government to be out of step with the day to day realities of indigenous business, according to the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland (CPA). 05/02/10: Glen Dimplex has announced the closure of Bitech Engineering in Dunleer with the loss of 200 jobs after failing to secure pay concessions from employees. 04/02/10: Finance minister Brain Lenihan has unveiled a range of novel measures in Finance Bill 2010 03/02/10: Activity in the Irish services sector declined at its strongest pace in six months in January, according to NCB's purchasing managers' index for service operators. 03/02/10: Denis O'Brien's Saongroup.com has expanded its jobs websites in Africa with the launch of recruitment websites Myjobsinbotswana.com, Myjobsinkenya.com and Myjobsinmozambique.com. 03/02/10: The Live Register of dole claimants jumped by 13,340 to a new high of 437,000 in January, according to the CSO 02/02/10: The value of the euro against other major currencies is likely to fall further over the coming months, according to Bank of Ireland. 01/02/10: Activity in the manufacturing sector deteriorated in January as a result of the big freeze. 29/01/10: The majority of Irish businesses plan to continue restructuring in the year ahead, according to a PwC poll carried out with The Dublin Chamber of Commerce. 28/01/10: Twelve companies have successfully completed the second series of the Enterprise Ireland/Bord Bia/Superquinn Supplier Innovation Development Programme.

This Weeks Irish Business News

Japanese online gaming company Gala Inc has announced plans to expand its European headquarters in Dublin with the creation of 103 new high-quality jobs. 27/01/10: Scandinavian airline SAS is offering its customers the chance to earn as much as €80 cashback when they book return flights. 25/01/10: Business Plus has hooked up with Energia for a novel competition seeking Ireland's Most Switched On Boss, with prizes valued at €3,500 25/01/10: The majority of chief financial officers of major Irish companies believe that the Irish economy will not significantly recover until 2011. 25/01/10: Electricity prices to businesses in Ireland fell by 15% in the first half of 2009, according to a report issued by Sustainable Energy Ireland. 22/01/10: Ireland is still lagging behind competitor countries in terms of rolling out high speed next generation networks (NGN), according to a new broadband benchmarking report published by Forfás. 21/01/10: Mobile operators O2, Vodafone, Meteor and 3 have launched a fundraising initiative to support relief efforts in Haiti. 21/01/10: The majority of Irish workers now believe that the worst of the economic downturn is behind us, according to the latest Jobs Market Sentiment Survey from Berkley Recruitment. 20/01/10: Rainbow Telecom has teamed up with SME software and services company, Mamut, to replace its database software and accounts package. 19/01/10: Burke Insurances has launched a new website for their range of public liability insurance. 19/01/10: All-time low interest rates, house prices at 2003 levels and diminished consumer confidence have resulted in record highs in housing affordability, according to the quarterly EBS/DKM Affordability Index. 14/01/10: The past 12 months may have marked a low point for the Irish commercial property market, but expectations of a rebound in activity in 2010 are premature, according to property consultants CB Richard Ellis. 11/01/09: CityJet passenger numbers on the Dublin to London City Airport route increased by 23% during the last three months of 2009 and the airline has added an extra frequency on the Dublin-London City route and introduced a promotion fare at €48 one way, including taxes. 08/01/10: The number of people on the Live Register claiming unemployment benefits surged by 10,000 through December, reversing a downward trend seen through last autumn. 06/01/10: Conditions in the Irish services sector continued to improve in December, despite activity at providers continuing to decrease, according to NCB's services PMI. 04/01/2009: Finance minister Brian Lenihan has confirmed that he has been diagnosed with cancer and that he intends to remain in his ministerial position. 04/01/10: An average of almost four companies went bust every day during 2009, according to provisional figures compiled by InsolvencyJournal.ie. 04/01/10: There was little change in conditions in the Irish manufacturing sector during December, according to NCB's manufactruing PMI. 22/12/09: The Financial Regulator has published new data on mortgage arrears and repossessions. The data show that as at end September 2009 there were 26,300 mortgage accounts out of a total of 792,000 which were in arrears of more than 90 days. 21/12/09: Small firms wait an average of 75 days for an invoice payment, according to a Credit Watch survey of 600 firms by lobby group ISME. 21/12/09: Conditions facing Irish business remained tough during the final three months of the year but they were markedly better than those prevailing through late 2008 and early 2009, according to a new business sentiment survey. 16/12/09: The number of people employed in the State at the end of September was down by 40,200 compared with the end of June, according to the Quarterly National Household Survey for the third quarter of 2009. 16/12/09: The government has confirmed a new €23m expansion of the AIB Seed Capital Fund, bringing the total size of the fund to €53m. 15/12/09: Mallow-based wholesale and distribution company The Barry Group has completed a deal to buy the Carry Out off-licence business. 14/12/09: Seven out of every ten organisations in Ireland reduced their payroll during 2009, according to Mercer's Planning for 2010 Snapshot Survey. 11/12/09: The volume of retail sales in October this year was 9.1% lower than in the same month last year. 09/12/09: Finance minister Brian Lenihan has announced details of the government's tax and spending measure for next year in Budget 2010. A novel provision for SMEs is that they will be able to appeal being turned down for a bank loan. 09/12/09: Over half of Irish businesses reduced their communications spend in 2009, according to a survey by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg). 08/12/09: Just 4% of Irish employers have forecast a rise in staff numbers in the first quarter of 2010, with almost one in five (17%) predicting that they are likely to cut staff numbers in the opening months of the new year. The remainder of employers (78%) predict no change. 07/12/09: Workers and job seekers have described 2009 as a "year of fear" in a new survey from IrishJobs. However, despite the troubles of this year, the majority of respondents say they are hopeful for 2010 04/12/09: The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Coughlan, has announced details of a second broader call for applications for the Employment Subsidy Scheme at a cost of €65m. 04/12/09: Irish shoppers spent a total of €435m on shopping in Northern Ireland in the 12 months to the end of June this year, according to estimates by the Central Statistics Office. 03/12/09: Sentient Management, led by corporate finance veteran Martin Cole, has issued a new guide to Management Buy-Outs which is designed to examine how MBOs are typically structured. 02/12/09: The impact of the economic crisis on Ireland's private sector has been laid bare by a collapse in tax receipts through November 02/12/09: Cork Chamber has called for the government to extend its flood relief package to businesses in the Cork region. 02/12/09: New figures have shown that the number of people unemployed in the state continued to stabilise in November. 01/12/09: Estate agents have reacted with fury to Justice Minister Dermot Ahern's decision to outlaw upward only rent review clauses. 01/12/09: Output from the Irish manufacturing sector expanded for the first time in more than 18 months in November, according to the NCB Purchasing Managers' Index. 27/11/09: Domini and Peaches Kemp have been named joint winners of the Image magazine Businesswoman of the Year Award. 27/11/09: Bank of Ireland has announced a number of measures to assist personal and business customers in areas impacted by the recent floods. 26/11/09: Irish charity Camara has launched an appeal to help fund the transportation of thousands of computers to learning centres across Africa this Christmas. 25/11/09: The High Court has appointed Simon Coyle of Mazars as provisional liquidator to Budget Travel, one of Ireland's largest tour operators. 25/11/09: Almost one quarter of Irish businesses do not expect an improvement in the economy until after 2011, according to a survey by trade credit insurer Atradius. 25/11/09: Employers and recruitment agencies are being invited to post job vacancies for free on a new mobile and online platform, txtajob.ie. 25/11/09: Leading registrar and hosting provider Blacknight is urging businesses and individuals to become more aware of new types of online domain names. 24/11/09: Insurance brokers Marsh Ireland have issued advice on what steps companies can take to mitigate further risks due to the recent flooding, which the Irish Insurance Federation estimates is set to cost over €200 million. 24/11/09: Irish owned telecommunications company Advanced Telephone Systems are offering startup companies, expanding young companies and non profit organisations the chance to avail of free second-hand telephone systems, handsets and voicemail systems. 23/11/09: Chamber Business School has launched a new training course aimed at helping small business owners maximise funding applications. 23/11/09: More than half of Irish consumers say that they will spend less this Christmas than they did last year due to the recession, according to the latest Quarterly Consumer Sentiment Savings Survey by ESB. 20/11/09: The number of people visiting Ireland in September this year was down 14% on the same month last year, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office. 19/11/09: Equinome, a new biotech company, has been named as the winner of NovaUCD's 2009 start-up award. 19/11/09: One in five Irish households are in arrears of at least one type, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office. 18/11/09: US software company Bentley Systems has announced plans to create up to 150 new jobs in Dublin with the opening of a new international shared services, sales and marketing centre. 18/11/09: AIB Bank has announced that Colm Doherty, formerly managing director AIB Capital Markets, has been appointed AIB Group Managing Director with immediate effect. 17/11/09: Around three out of every four chief financial officers in Irish companies see revenues and profits stabilising or recovering, rather than falling further, over the next six months, according to a survey by Deloitte. 16/11/09: Around two out of every three Irish businesses have switched their phone, internet or electricity supplier during the past 12 months, according to a survey by telecoms firm 3. 16/11/09: Irish organisations are taking tougher action on restructuring, layoffs and pay than other countries, according to research from consultants Watson Wyatt. 16/11/09: Eligibility criteria of the government's Work Placement Programme have been relaxed so that small firms can now avail of the scheme. 13/11/09: The volume of retail sales decreased by 10% year-on-year in September. However the monthly increase was 2.1%, evidence that retail sales could be stabilising. 13/11/09: Web Reservations International, global market leader in online hostel and budget accommodation, has been purchased by affiliates of private equity investment firm, Hellman and Friedman LLC. 12/11/09: Consumer prices fell by 6.6% in the year to October, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). 12/11/09: Irish consumers will spend on average 22% less this Christmas according to the annual Deloitte consumer survey of Christmas spending. 11/11/09: Almost one third (32%) of Irish business leaders expect their operations to return to growth in 2010, according to PwC's Business Sentiment Snapshot Survey. 10/11/09: Minister for Enterprise, Mary Coughlan, has announced that to date almost 7,500 jobs are to receive direct support under the first round of the Employment Subsidy Scheme. 09/11/09: Bank of Ireland and Kernel Capital have unveiled a €26m VC fund which will invest in startup and early stage companies that are deemed 'high potntial'. 09/11/09: Female entrepreneurs are being invited to participate in 'Going for Growth' roundtables where they will be mentored by successful entrepreneurs. 05/11/09: Digiweb has announced it intends to acquire the entire customer base and assets of Smart Telecom, subject to High Court approval. 04/11/09: The number of people signing on for unemployment benefit fell for the first time in more than three years in October. 04/11/09: Activity in the Irish services sector declined at its slowest rate in more than 18 months in October, according to the latest NCB Services PMI survey. 03/11/09: A new joint initiative from Engineers Ireland and CIMA is offering a Certificate in Business Accounting to engineers 03/11/09: The KBC Ireland/ESRI Consumer Sentiment Index improved to 54.2 in October from 49.6 in September, though three out of four people remain concerned about the outlook for the labour market. 02/11/09: A report issued by the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland has found that turnover in pubs has contracted sharply over the last 18 months. 02/11/09: Operating conditions at Irish manufacturers continued to deteriorate during October, but the sector moved a step closer to recovery, according to the latest NCB Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI). 30/10/09: The average price of a house in Ireland fell by 1.1% in September, taking declines in the first nine months of 2009 to 11.1%. 29/10/09: A new 12 month confidential advice programme is being rolled out in the Cork region to help small businesses ride out the recession. 29/10/09: Mobile broadband provider 3 has awarded a contract to Satellite Broadband Ireland to provide satellite broadband services to homes and businesses in rural Ireland, under the Government's National Broadband Scheme. 27/10/09: Bank of Ireland has launched a new independent mentoring initiative that is targeted at its SME customers to help and support them through these challenging times. 23/10/09: Average weekly earnings in the public sector rose by 3.2% in the year to June 2009 from €943 to €973, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office. 23/10/09: Kilkenny businessman Terry Clune, who set up global income tax service firm Taxback.com in 1996, has been named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for 2009. 21/10/09: Business conditions for Irish firms remain tough, but not nearly as tough as at the start of the year, according to the latest KBC Ireland/Chartered Accountants Ireland Business Sentiment Survey. 20/10/09: Jones Lang LaSalle has completed a very detailed and topical Pan European review in thirty countries contrasting typical lease length, terms, rent review provisions, standard lease obligations and local tax liabilities. 20/10/09: Over 85% of Irish motor insurance companies say that they expect their company to increase premiums in 2010. 19/10/09: More than one third of the Irish workforce expect a payrise in 2010, according to the latest job/workforce sentiment survey from Berkley Recruitment. 19/10/09: Managers from SMEs are being urged to train as China experts and boost their careers as well as their companies' business opportunities under the fully-funded EUChina Managers Exchange and Training Programme. 16/10/09: Delta Airlines has teamed up with ebookers.ie to offer Business Plus readers the chance to win two return flights from Dublin to New York. 16/10/09: The volume of retail sales in August was 9% lower than in the same month last year, which was the smallest rate of decline so far this year. 16/10/09: Daft Media has been named as the top ranking firm in the 2009 Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Awards. 15/10/09: The company which owns Abrakebabra has bought the O'Briens chain of sandwich bars out of liquidation. 14/10/09: Dublin is the second most expensive city in Europe to rent retail space despite plunging prices over the past year, according the latest Knight Frank Autumn 2009 European Market Indicators. 13/10/09: RTE is seeking entrepreneurs for the second series of its hit television show Dragons' Den. 13/10/09: RaboDirect is offering 0% entry fees across all of its investment funds for the remainder of 2009. 13/10/09: The annual survey of Multinational Corporations (MNCs) released yesterday from The IMI and National Irish Bank has found that while multinationals in Ireland are still strong, the economic downturn is taking its toll on them 13/10/09: State think tank ESRI has predicted that Ireland's GNP will fall by 8.7% in 2009 and by 1.7% in 2010. In GDP terms the corresponding figures are -7.2% for 2009 and -1.1% in 2010. 12/10/09: Ryanair has announced that from midnight tonight it will release 100,000 free seats for every false claim made by BBC Panorama in its 'hatchet job investigation' of Ryanair to be screened tonight on BBC1. 12/10/09: The great and the good from the world of Irish Internet came together in Dublin over the weekend for the 2009 Irish Web Awards, which was this year sponsored by Realex Payments. 09/10/09: Applications are being invited from organisations and social entrepreneurs throughout Ireland for the new Arthur Guinness Fund which is now live. 08/10/09: The European Central Bank left its refi rate unchanged at 1% today for the fifth month in a row, having reduced this key official interest rate by a total of 3.25% between October 2008 and May this year. 08/10/09: The fall in the price of consumer goods picked up pace in September, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office. 07/10/09: Bank of Ireland has organised a 'Show your Business' week across its 277 retail branches from October 12 to 16 where 1,050 SMEs will showcase their products and services. 05/10/09: Irish SMEs are having to wait up to an average of 76 days for payments from big business and state bodies, according to the latest ISME Credit Watch survey. 05/10/09: Deloitte has announced that forty companies are in the running to be listed among Ireland's Best Managed Companies 10/05/09: For the twentieth consecutive month in September, business activity at Irish service providers decreased, according to NCB's Purchasing Managers Index. Despite this, September data signalled optimism regarding future activity levels for the fifth consecutive month. 01/10/09: The gradual pickup in consumer sentiment continued in September, according to the KBC Ireland/ESRI Consumer Sentiment Index. 01/10/09: The rate of contraction in the Irish manufacturing sector eased further in September, according to the latest NCB Purchasing Managers' Index. 30/09/09: There was a surprise monthly fall in the number of people signing on the Live Register in September, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office. 29/09/09: Alternative fund administration firm Butterfield Fulcrum is to create 40 new jobs over three years at its Dublin office on Lower Leeson Street. 29/09/09: Enterprise minister Mary Coughlan has announced new initiatives aimed at supporting the development of new businesses and fostering an entrepreneurial culture in Ireland. 29/09/09: Average national house prices fell by 1.5% in August according to the latest edition of the Permanent TSB/ESRI House Price Index. 25/09/09: Abbott Ireland has won the Overall Outstanding Achievement in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at Chambers Ireland's President's Awards for CSR, which were held in Dublin on Thursday night. 24/09/09: Eircom has launched a new suite of broadband bundles that include 30 minutes of calls to any Irish mobile, unlimited local and national calls and fast broadband. 24/09/09: Tax and accountancy franchise TaxAssist Accountants has launched its pilot shop front in Fairview Strand, Dublin as it prepares to roll out the service across Ireland. 23/09/09: O2 has launched a new price plan for Irish SMEs which the company says will save customers money on their mobile phone bills. 23/09/09: Independent News & Media plans a rights issue priced at 5c per share if the group can reach agreement over eifinancing with lenders. The share is trading today at the 30c level. 23/09/09: The European Commission and the government of China have decided to extend the EU-China Managers Exchange and Training Programme (METP) by a further intake. 22/09/09: Etihad Airways is offering customers in Ireland the chance to buy two Pearl Class business flights for the price of one. 22/09/09: Registrar and hosting provider Blacknight Solutions has reduced the price on .mobi and .im domain names for businesses and individuals. 22/09/09: There were 1,938,500 persons in employment in the second quarter of 2009, an annual decrease of 174,000, according to the CSO. 22/09/09: Digiweb, the national telecommunications and managed services provider, has successfully completed a hosting, telecommunications and managed hosting solution for Ask Jeeves/Ask.com. 21/09/09: National College of Ireland in the IFSC is inviting applicants for a new entrepreneurship course which is 100% FAS funded and is now enrolling 18/09/09: Irish retail sales increased by 0.2% in July compared to June, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office. 17/09/09: More than two thirds of Irish businesses who use the social networking website Twitter believe that the tool is most useful for building an online community. 15/09/09: RaboDirect is partnering with sustainability investment group SAM to provide Irish retail investors with direct access to a portfolio of sustainable asset management funds. 15/09/09: The average price of a hotel room in Ireland dropped 26% year-on-year in the first six months of 2009, according to the latest Hotels.com Hotel Price Index (HPI). 10/09/09: Finance minister Brian Lenihan has published a revised National Asset Management Agency Bill 2009, which he said contains many changes form the draft legislation unveiled in July. 10/09/09: There was a surprise rise in the price of some consumer goods in August, but annual deflation is still running at 6%. 09/09/09: The Revenue Commissioners have published a new booklet for employers on PAYE. It's available for download by clicking the headline. 09/09/09: Entries are being sought for the SFA National Small Business Awards 2010. 08/09/09: A new survey from Manpower has found that 13% of Irish employers anticpate reducing staff numbers between October and December of 2009 08/09/09: Forfas has published 'Enterprise Statistics at a Glance 2009', which contains a summary of statistics on a number of areas relevant to the performance of the Irish enterprise sector. 08/09/09: Some of the country's biggest business names have teamed up to give one-to-one support to entrepreneurs in a scheme organised by the Institute of Technology, Tralee and Shannon Development's Kerry Technology Park. 07/09/09: Finance Brian Lenihan has published the Report of the Commission on Taxation which reviewed the structure, efficiency and appropriateness of the Irish taxation system. 07/09/09: TD Waterhouse, the international execution-only broker, is to launch an online equity trading service in Ireland 03/09/09: Activity in the Irish services sector contracted at the slowest pace in seventeen months during August, according to the latest Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) from NCB. 02/09/09: D4 Hotels, the Sean Dunne company that operates the three former Jurys-owned hotels in Ballsbridge, has defended the establishment of a convenience store in one of the hotels. 02/09/09: There was no sign of an end to Ireland's unemployment crisis as the Live Resgister of benefits claimants ticked up to 429,000 people. 02/09/09: PricewaterhouseCoopers has launched a new guide to the proposed new International Financial Reporting Standards for SMEs, which may have a radical effect on end of year audits. 01/09/09: People are saving approximately €1,000 per annum less than they were this time last year, according to research released today by EBS Building Society. 01/09/09: The rate of contraction in activity in the manufacturing sector continued to slow in August, but new order levels deteriorated for the second consecutive month, according to the latest NCB Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI). 31/08/09: Two five-day training courses instructing software developers how to build iPhone apps are taking place in Dublin in September. 31/08/09: Average house prices in Ireland fell by 1.1% in July taking the drop for the first seven months of 2009 to 8.7%, according to the latest edition of the Permanent TSB / ESRI House Price Index. 31/08/09: Engineering employees at Green Isle Foods' manufacturing facility in Naas have gone on strike after three colleagues were fired for viewing porn on the internet. 31/08/09: Entries are being sought for the Food and Drink Industry Awards 2009 which are being run by Bord Bia in association with Food and Drinks Industry Ireland (FDII). 28/08/09: The government is urging SMEs that have been refused credit by banks to inform the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. 27/08/09: Glencar Worldwide Water Company in County Sligo is seeking investors to finance development of his plan to sell bulk water by tanker. 27/08/09: InterTrade Ireland has raised its Seedcorn Business Competition prize fund to a record €360,000 in a bid to help fledgling companies across the island as they continue to feel the effects of the recession. 27/08/09: UTV Media's television advertising revenue from the Republic of Ireland dropped by 40% in the first half of 2009, largely reflecting reduced revenue from multinational advertisers. 26/08/09: 26/08/09: Piet Moerland, chairman of Rabobank Group, the bank which has been taking a hard line with Irish property debtors, has cautioned that he sees no sign of economic recovery. 25/08/09: The European Union's executive has proposed to increase minimum parental leave from three to four months per child by 2011, which will affect national laws in the UK, Ireland, Belgium, Portugal, Romania and Malta. 21/08/09: Forfas has a launched a guide that the agency says provides companies with proven tactics for boosting productivity. 21/08/09: The global decline in top personal income tax rates over the past seven years may be coming to an end due to the need for new sources of budgetary and stimulus funding among governments, according to a survey by KPMG. 19/08/09: Vodafone Ireland has bolstered its fixed line services for business with the introduction of Vodafone Office multi-line, a tailored voice and broadband offering for SMEs. 18/08/09: The 2C Company, licensed partner of Go Mad Thinking in Ireland, is to host a day of presentations and discussion aimed at helping business leaders improve their company's performance. 14/08/09: Bank of Scotland (Ireland) has announced that Paul Cunningham, head of banking, is leaving the bank at the end of September. 13/08/09: There was a rare bounce for retail sales in June, according to latest figures from the Central Statistics Office. 13/08/09: Businesses in Ireland and Northern Ireland are operating at the bottom of a steep economic downturn, according to the latest InterTradeIreland Quarterly Business Monitor. 12/08/09: DCU and Bank of Ireland have announced a unique discounted loan scheme for those recently unemployed who wish to study engineering and computing at postgraduate level at DCU. 12/08/09: Eircom has announced the four award winners for its €100,000 Web Innovation Fund, which aims to promote, mentor and sponsor innovative web applications in the Irish internet sector. 11/08/2009: Entries are now being taken for the 2009 Irish Web Awards, which will this year be sponsored by Realex Payments. 06/08/09: Enterprise minister Mary Coughlan has announced an employment subsidy scheme that will provide a subsidy of €9,100 per employee over fifteen months to qualifying exporting enterprises in the manufacturing and/or internationally traded services sectors. 04/08/09: MyHat.ie, a website which tracks asking prices for houses and apartments, recorded price drops across the board through July, with no sign of the market bottoming out. 04/08/09: The Irish Taxation Institute has published a free tax guide for SMEs, available to download here. 31/07/07: Average house prices in Ireland fell by 7.7% in the first half of the year, according to the permanent tsb / ESRI House Price Index. The average price outside Dublin is now back to the level recorded in April 2004. 31/07/09: The pace of decline for the overall Irish Property Index compiled by Jones Lan LaSalle slowed to -4.7% in the second quarter, an improvement from the -8.9% recorded in Q1 2009. 31/07/09: Enterprise minister Mary Coughlan has urged businesses to plan for likely implications of a swine flu epidemic. Briefing and checklist documents are available to download here 30/07/09: SMEs are continuing to shed jobs and introduce pay cuts across the board in response to ongoing difficult trading conditions, according to the latest pay and conditions survey from ISME, the Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association. 30/07/09: Spending in all retail categories continued to decline through Q2, with property and cars hit hardest, according to the MII's Consumer Market Monitor. 29/07/09: The latest CBRE Dublin Office report indicates that vacancy rates increased to 21% in Q2 2009 with 718,000 square metres of accommodation now unoccupied. 28/07/09: Irish bosses are becoming increasingly concerned over the potential impact of swine flu on the workplace. 27/07/09: The Hothouse Venture Programme which fosters graduate entrepreneurs is seeking applicants for its next programme commencing in September. 27/07/09: The new Dublin City Council traffic plan which closes College Green to cars and commercial vehicles during morning and evening rush hours starts today. 23/07/09: Horwath Bastow Charleton, the accountancy and business advisory practice, has announced the results of its annual Ireland and Northern Ireland Hotel Industry Survey, one of the most comprehensive industry-wide surveys of its kind. 22/07/09: BT is to transfer all of its consumer and small business broadband and voice customers to Vodafone under a strategic partnership agreed by the two firms. 21/07/09: A new career development website has been launched which aims to give jobseekers a set of unique tools designed to help them plot the best course for their career. 21/07/09: Energy and communications minister Eamon Ryan has pledged that the government will establish a 'digital IFSC' by this time next year. 17/07/09: Retail sales were down 15% year-on-year in May. Excluding the car sales, the annual decline to was 9%, with housing-related categories continuing to suffer more than most. 17/07/09: Online marketing company vStream have set up the Digital Marketing School. The company claims it's the first time in Ireland that SMEs and startups will have an online consultancy resource that will cost them nothing. 17/07/09: In a decision which will have significant impact across a range of sectors, the European Court of Justice has ruled against Ireland in a VAT case taken by the European Commission. 16/07/09: The public spending review group, chaired by UCD economist Dr Colm McCarthy, has unveiled proposals to eliminate 17,400 public sector jobs in order to cut public expenditure by an annual total of €5.3 billion. Download the complete documents. 15/07/09: Chambers Ireland has launched a guide to Best Practice in Outplacement, which covers a range of strategies for employers forced to reduce their headcount by helping managers support their employees. 15/07/09: Vodafone has launched Vodafone Wireless Office Control, billed as an 'all you can eat' voice tariff that offers SMEs what Vodafone claims is the "best value on mobile calls on the market." 14/07/09: Former telco entrepreneur Sharon Bannerton is urging unemployed individuals to part with €245 to participate in one-day workshops aimed at finding a new job. 14/07/09: Financial Ombudsman Joe Meade has awarded a couple €90,000 compensation after they contended that they didn't know what they were getting into when they invested €150,000 in a leveraged property fund. 03/07/09: The rate of contraction of business activity in the services sector continued to ease in June, according to the NCB services Purchasing Managers Index (PMI). 02/07/09: The European Central Bank (ECB) has opted to leave its main interest rate at a record low of 1%, as expected. 02/07/09: 3 has confirmed that more than 150,000 customers have now signed up to its mobile broadband in Ireland. 25/06/09: The average price paid for a house fell by 1.3% in May, extending falls for the first five months of 2009 to 6%. 19/06/09: Irish small firms are now waiting an average of 73 days to be paid by large firms and state bodies, according to the latest credit watch report by the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME). 16/06/09: Irish exporters must start looking at the non-banking sector when it comes to arranging their credit facilities, according to the Irish Exporters Association. 10/06/09: Sage has made its accounts software TAS Books Basic and Quickpay Free available for free download. 09/06/09: Thirteen percent of Irish employers expect to reduce staff numbers between July and September this year, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey. 29/05/09: The government will have to pump €4 billion of taxpayers' money into Anglo Irish Bank to keep the bank solvent 21/05/09: More than three out of every four housebuilders are currently not building, with over one third (36%) indicating that they expect to deliver zero completions in 2009, according to the latest Irish Housebuilder Survey from Merrion Stockbrokers. 21/05/09: Retail activity remained weak in March with sales volumes down by 17.9% year on year in the months. 20/05/09 ACCBank has announced that it is cutting staff levels and will be closing 16 branches 18/05/09: Companies in the Republic are suffering more from the recession than their counterparts in the North, according to InterTradeIreland's All-island Business Monitor. 07/05/09: The European Central Bank has cut its main interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to a record low of 1%. 29/04/09: Merlin Car Auctions plans to introduce a second car auctions facility in Dublin followig the success of its facility in Naas. 28/04/09: A new report by National Irish Bank has attempted to quantify what is calls the dramatic reversal in Irish wealth holdings in 2008. 20/04/09: Data centre provider Data Electronics has announced the opening of its new €25m facility in Dublin. 14/04/09: The Fingal County Enterprise Board is aiming to create 50 companies through their new Start-Me-Up package. The package offers budding entrepreneurs the mentoring, advice and in some cases funding, necessary to start their own business. 14/04/09: RecruitIreland.com is offering Irish employers the opportunity to advertise vacancies through their site for free. The online recruitment solution is hoping that their offer will encourage employers to start hiring again. 08/04/2009: The Supplementary Budget 2009 has creamed middle income earners. Find out the hit to your take home pay with this Budget calculator 07/04/09: Budget 2009 MK II has revised the qualifying criteria for the Back To Work enterprise and education allowances 07/04/09: Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan has delivered his emergency budget in the Dail, stating that the new measures will raise €1.8 billion in 2009 and over €3.6 billion in a full year. 07/04/09: Family wealth passing from parents to their children has been hit by major tax increases in the Supplementary Budget 07/04/09: Finance minister Brian Lenihan has announced a €50 million bailout fund for troubled companies in the emergency Budget unveiled today 06/04/09: Business print and design group Snap Printing has announced the completion of expansion of two of its network of franchises, Little Island, Co Cork and Fairview, which has now moved to Clonshaugh Industrial Estate in Dublin. 02/04/09: The European Central Bank has taken markets by surprise by cutting its main interest rate by just 25 basis points. 02/04/09: With the challenges facing the Irish economy increasing, three of Ireland's largest stockbroking firms have put their heads together to come up with a common proposal to adress our national difficulties. 30/03/09: Nine out of every ten SMEs have introduced either pay freezes or wage reductions over the past six months, according to a survey by ISME, the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association. 27/03/09: A new industrial policy document from Fine Gael costed at €18 billion does not contain a single proposal to assist SMEs 25/03/09: Sage Ireland has launched a new accounts package for smaller practitioners and bookkeeping businesses in Ireland. 24/03/09: The average price of a hotel room in Ireland fell by 17% year on year in the fourth quarter of 2008, according to the Hotels.com Hotels Price Index (HPI). 19/03/09: Microsoft has announced the availability of its new web browser Windows Internet Explorer 8 from this evening (Thursday 19 March). 13/03/09: RaboDirect.ie, part of the Rabobank Group, has announced plans to launch a €1m integrated on and off line marketing campaign later this month. 13/03/09: Sir Anthony O'Reilly is to step down as chief executive at Independent News and Media in May, it has been confirmed. 10/03/09: HP has confirmed plans to create 500 new highly-skilled jobs at its operation in Leixlip, Co. Kildare over the next 12-months. 09/03/09: The Government, through Enterprise Ireland, supported the establishment of 71 new high potential startup companies (HPSUs) in 2008. 06/03/09: Allegations that Ireland is a tax haven are wide of the mark, writes Brian Keegan, Director of Taxation with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland 06/03/09: The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland has published an information booklet on 'Going Concern' considerations in the current economic environment. 05/03/09: Connemara Seafoods has been named as the overall winner at the SFA National Small Business Award 2009. 05/03/09: The European Central Bank has cut its main interest rate by 50 basis points to a record low of 1.5%. Such a move had been widely expected. 04/03/09: Malev Hungarian Airlines has launched a new cheap flights promotion for summer 2009. 04/03/09: Meteor has launched its new mobile broadband offering, Broadband to Go, to customers in Dublin and Cork. 04/03/09: Chocolate maker Cadbury and Fairtrade Mark Ireland have announced plans to achieve Fairtrade certification for Cadbury Dairy Milk, the country's top selling chocolate bar, by the end of summer 2009. 04/03/09: The number of people on the Live Register rose by 8% to 353,000 in February, up from 326,000 in the previous month, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). 04/03/09: There was a further significant decline in activity in the Irish services sector in February, according to the NCB services PMI. 02/03/09: Details have been confirmed about this year's Sales Expo '09, an event for Irish sales professionals and business managers involved in the business of sales. 02/03/09: Activity in the Irish manufacturing sector deteriorated significantly in February, according to the latest NCB Purchasing Managers' Index. 27/02/09: Vodafone Ireland has announced that it will offer fixed line services to business customers from 2 March with the introduction of Vodafone Office, a new fixed voice and broadband service for small single fixed line businesses. 27/02/09: Chip maker Intel has announced plans to invest over €50m in a major expansion at its Research and Development facility in the Shannon Free Zone in Co. Clare. 27/02/09: The number of people in employment in the state fell by 4.1% through 2008, according to the latest Quarterly National Household Survey from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). 27/02/09: The European Central Bank (ECB) could cut rates as low as 1% over the coming months, according to Bank of Ireland. 25/02/09: More than 70% of Irish retailers have actively sought a rent reduction from their landlords this year, according to a survey by retail body, Retail Excellence Ireland (REI). 25/02/09: Total spending in the Irish construction sector will fall to €10.5 billion next year, down from a peak of €39 billion in 2007, Davy Stockbrokers has forecast. 23/02/09: To promote the launch of their new technology package, PeachyPeople, Donegal company Nvolve are offering free registration until the end of March. 23/02/09: The organisers of the 2009 Furniture and Home Accessories Fair at the RDS are offering a 30% discount to all exhibitors this year. 23/02/09: IT products and services firm Nostra Systems has announced the launch of Hosted IT, their new service which the company says will enable customers to make huge cost savings on IT expenditure. 23/01/09: CityJet Air France has announced an increase in services on its Shannon to Paris CDG route. 20/02/09: HR & Recruitment Ireland magazine have joined forces with their readers to form a free CV service for the unemployed. 19/02/09: A total of 4,200 days were lost to industrial disputes during 2008, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). This compares with 6,000 days lost in 2007. 18/02/09: The total value of mortgage lending in Ireland declined sharply in 2008 to just over €23 billion, according to the Irish Banking Federation. 17/02/09: Merlin Car Auctions in Naas has announced that it will this week launch a new online car auction service. 13/02/2009: The Financial Regulator has published a Code of Conduct for Business Lending to Small and Medium Enterprises, in line with the government's announcement on recapitalisation arrangements. 13/02/09: Last year was the worst for retail sales since 1982, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). 12/02/09: The new 50,000 seater stadium being built on the site of the old Lansdowne Road will be called the Aviva Stadium after the insurance company Hibernian Aviva secured naming rights. 12/02/09: The average price paid by consumers for their goods deflated for the first time since 1960 in January, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO). 11/02/09: Ulster Bank has launched a new initiative designed to help potential home buyers onto the property ladder. 09/02/09: Activity in the Irish construction sector declined at a record pace in January, according to the latest Ulster Bank Construction Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI). 05/02/09: The European Central Bank has left its main interest rate unchanged at 2%, as expected. 05/02/09: Irish technology firms raised €242.9m in venture capital funding in 2008, up 7.5% on the previous year and up 26% on 2006, according to the Irish Venture Capital Association VenturePulse survey. 04/02/09: The number of people on the Live Register rose to a record high of 326,000 in January, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO). 04/02/09: Activity in the Irish services sector continued to contract in January, with the slowdown in activity and employment both accelerating. 03/02/09: Dublin is Europe's least attractive market for investment and development prospects, according to the real estate forecast, Emerging Trends in Real Estate Europe 2009. 02/02/09: The Small Firms Association (SFA) has called on the Government to support the business community in its Economic Renewal plan, due to be announced on Tuesday. 02/02/09: The contraction in activity in the Irish manufacturing sector continued to slow in January, according to the latest NCB Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI). 30/01/09: The average price paid for a house in Ireland fell by 9.1% in 2008, according to the year-end ESRI/Permanent TSB House Price Index shows today. The cost of buying a home in the Dublin commuter belt fell by a steeper 16.8%. 30/01/09: Cork Chamber has called on the Government to postpone the national pay agreement and to implement a decisive recovery intitiative to address the current economic siuation. 29/01/09: Starbucks Corp has announced plans to axe almost 7,000 jobs by the end of this fiscal year. The coffee chain plans to close a further 300 stores around the world on top of the 600 they began closing in the US last summer. 29/01/09: The Financial Regulator today issued a warning about Hunter Rowe Financial, an investment company that has been operating without authorisation. 28/01/2009: The European Commission today announced that it will award €100m in fast-track funding to Ireland's electricity interconnector project which will be completed by 2012. The East-West interconnector was identified by the Commission as a strategically important element of their €5 billion 'Investing today for tomorrow's Europe' package. 27/01/09: The Construction Industry Federation (CIF) has forecast that as many as 55,000 jobs could be lost in the building sector by the end of 2010, unless the Government takes steps to protect jobs and boost activity. 26/01/09: The Ulster Bank Group has confirmed that 750 jobs are to go across the island of Ireland as aprt of a major cost cutting plan. 23/01/09: Retail sales fell to their lowest level in more than 24 years in November, according to new figures released by the Central Statistics Office. 23/01/09: EBS Building Society has announced details of an Affordable Housing Fund worth €150m. The Fund has been developed to ensure that finance is accessible and available for buyers seeking to purchase their first homes. 22/01/09: The Government has unveiled plans to invest €223m into Ireland's broadband services, which it claims will ensure 100% coverage by September 2010. 21/01/09: Supermarket chain Superquinn has confirmed plans to cut 400 jobs across its 24 stores in Ireland. The move will also see the company close its Dundalk store, where it employs 67 staff. 20/01/09: Leyton Associates is to host a breakfast seminar in association with Industry Research & Development Group (IRDG) to help companies gain an understanding of how recent changes to the 2008 Finance (no.2) Bill will impact companies undertaking research and development in Ireland. 20/01/09: The number of new cars licensed in Ireland last year was almost one fith lower than in 2007, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office. 19/01/2008: Irish bank shares have plunged by 50% today as investors ponder which bank is next to be nationalised by the government 15/01/09: The European Central bank has cut its main interest rate by half of a percentage point to 2% - matching an all-time record low. 15/01/09: Lower mortgage repayments and falling petrol and diesel prices prompted a further sharp fall in the inflation rate in December. 15/01/09: Irish farmers and exporters are calling on the Government to introduce a sterling equalisation support scheme following the sharp depreciation of the UK currency against the euro in recent months. 13/01/08: Bank of Scotland (Ireland) and the European Iinvestment Bank have pledged €50m each to form a Business Investment Fund that will benefit SMEs in the Republic and Northern Ireland. 13/01/09: The number of new businesses started up in Ireland in 2008 was down 21% on the previous year, according to the Bank of Ireland Business Banking Business Start-up Barometer. 09/01/09: The unemployment rate rose to 8.3% in December, according to the latest Live Register figures published by the Central Statistics Office. 08/01/2009: Computer manufacturer Dell is to shift production of PCs and laptops from Limerick to Poland through 2009, resulting in the loss of 1,900 jobs at the Raheen plant 07/01/09: The consumer mood brightened considerably in December, according to the KBC Ireland/ESRI Consumer Sentiment Index. 07/01/09: Irish tourism revenues fell by 2% in 2008 to €6.3 billion as a result of the first decline in overseas visitor numbers (down 3%) in seven years and no growth in domestic expenditure for the first time in five years, according to Failte Ireland. 06/01/09: According to Sherry FitzGerald, the average price of a second-hand property in Dublin has fallen 30% since it peaked in 2006. Dublin has recorded the sharpest falls in the cost of property nationally in recent years with reductions of 20.1% last year alone. Sherry FitzGerald recorded a fall of 7.8% in the fourth quarter. 06/01/09: Activity in the Irish services sector contracted again in December, albeit at a slower pace than in previous months. 05/01/2009: David Carson, a partner in Deloitte Ireland, has been appointed receiver of the Irish operations of Waterford Wedgwood plc. Partners in Deloitte UK are also expected to be appointed as administrators to Waterford Wedgwood UK plc and certain UK subsidiaries later today. 22/12/2008: A consumer survey of 1,000 people by Standard Life has found that two thirds have cut back on day to day spending due to the credit crunch. 19/12/08: David Drumm, chief executive of Anglo Irish Bank, has resigned after the revelation of hidden loans to former chairman Sean FitzPatrick, who resigned yesterday 19/12/08: The average price paid for a house fell by 0.5% in November, according to the latest edition of the permanent tsb / ESRI House Price Index. This follows reductions of 0.8% in October and 1.1% in September. 19/12/08: Further evidence of the slowdown in the Irish construction industry was revealed today by new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) which show that output in building and construction decreased by 24.4% in the third quarter of 2008, compared with the third quarter of 2007. 18/12/08: The Government has unveiled plans for a new €500m 'innovation fund' to support companies in the early stages of development. 18/12/08: Ireland's GNP contracted by 4.9% in the year to the end of September this year, according to the latest quarterly national accounts from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). 17/12/08: The volume of retail sales in October plunged by 7.3% year-on-year. 17/12/08: With the sharp increase in companies announcing redundancies, IrishJobs.ie has introduced a new online outplacement service to its subscribers called Horizon, which aims to provide support and advice for companies and their employees faced with a redundancy situation. 15/12/08: The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) has outlined a set of proposals aimed at ensuring Ireland becomes one of the top OECD countries in terms of mathematical proficiency. 15/12/08: Late payments are imposing serious financial constraints on SMEs and causing many small firms to have to close down, according to the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME). 12/12/08: Vodafone Ireland has confirmed that 150 jobs are to be lost following a review of the company's operations. 11/12/08: Cost management and employee engagement will be the key human resource management concerns for employers in 2009, according to Watson Wyatt 11/12/08: The annual rate of inflation fell sharply in November as a result of falling clothing and energy prices. 09/12/08: Insurance group Aon is to establish a new Global Centre of Excellence in Dublin in a move which is expected to create around 100 high skilled jobs. 08/12/08: There was yet another sharp contraction in activity in the construction sector in November, according to the latest Ulster Bank figures. 04/12/08: The European Central Bank has slashed its main interest rate by a further 0.75% at its December meeting - the biggest single cut in rates in the near ten-year existence of the euro. 03/12/2008: Bank of Ireland has cut the interest rate charged for fixed rate mortgages and introduced a 4.8% APR fixed raate for first time buyers. 03/12/08: The standardised unemployment rate rose to 7.8% in November, the highest level since 1997. 03/12/08: Activity in the Irish services sector declined at a record pace in November, according to the NCB Services PMI. 01/12/08: Ryanair has made a cash offer of €1.40 per share for Aer Lingus in its second attempt to take over its Irish rival 01/12/08: There was a further substantial deterioration in operating conditions in the Irish manufacturing sector in November, according to the latest NCB Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI). 28/11/08: According to the most recent Permanent TSB/ERSI House Price Index, the average price of houses in Ireland fell a further 0.8% in October. Although prices fell consistently all over the country, the rate of reductions has accelerated in Dublin where the average cost of a house fell 2.6% compared with 1.4% in the rest of the country. 28/11/08: Bank of Ireland Global Markets has predicted that the European Central Bank (ECB) will slash interest rates by 75bps in December and by another 50bps early in 2009. 27/11/08: A new survey has found that 95% of chief executives in Ireland are less optimistic about Irish economic prospects in the short to medium term than they were 12 months ago. 26/11/08: Average earnings of those working in the financial sector increased by 5.7% in the second quarter this year. 21/11/08: The number of people employed in the state fell by 25,200 in the three months to the end of September, according to the latest Quarterly National Household Survey. Air traffic through Irish airports has begun to decline for the first time in 15 years. According to the Bord Failte passenger statistics for the month of October 2008 total air traffic in and out of the country was down 1% last month when compared to October 2007 while ferry traffic has seen a dramatic 15% drop in the same period. 20/11/08: Bank of Ireland Business Banking has announced the launch of a new banking package specifically targeted at medical professionals in Ireland. 19/11/08: OSK has announced it is to merge with fellow Dublin accountancy firm Cunningham & Company with immediate effect. 18/11/08: The number of new private cars licensed in October was almost half the number licensed in the same month last year, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). 17/11/08: Investec Ireland, part of the Investec international banking group, has announced the launch of new six, nine and twelve month fixed term deposit accounts with a fixed interest rate of up to 6.50% AER (Annual Equivalent Rate). 14/11/08: The annual volume of retail sales decreased by 6.2% in September, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). 13/11/08: The annual rate of inflation fell back to 4.0% in October from 4.3% in September, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). 12/11/08: Almost one quarter of people believe that the Irish economy will start to improve in the next six to 12 months, according to a survey carried out by the Jobs Online Group. 12/11/08: Irish consumers will spend 5.3% less on average this Christmas compared with last year according to the annual Deloitte consumer survey of Christmas spending. 11/11/08: Swedish cosmetics company Oriflame has opened its new €2.4m research and development centre at Bray Business Park in Co Wicklow. 11/11/08: Two companies have been presented with lead entrepreneur' awards at the annual networking and showcase event of DIT's Hothouse Venture Programme. 06/11/08: The European Central Bank (ECB) has cut its main lending rate by half of a percentage point to 3.25%. 05/11/08: The number of people on the Live Register rose by 6% month on month in October taking numbers past the 250,000 mark for the first time since 1997. 05/11/08: Activity in the Irish services sector fell to the lowest level on record in October, according to the NCB PMI for the sector. 04/11/2008: The latest EBS/DKM Affordability Index shows that affordability for first time buyers continues to improve and that this trend is set to continue over the coming months. 03/11/08: Activity in the manufacturing sector fell to an all-time record low in October, according to the NCB manufacturing PMI. 31/10/08: Entrepreneur Pat Phelan of Maxroam has been named overall Net Visionary for 2008 at the IIA and Enterprise Ireland Net Visionary Awards. 30/10/08: Bank of Ireland has forecast zero job creation in 2009 and believes that the number of people in work in Ireland will next year fall by 30,000. 24/10/08: Average national house prices fell by 1.1% in September according to the latest edition of the permanent tsb / ESRI House Price Index. This follows reductions of 0.9% in August, 0.2% in July and 0.6% in June. 24/10/2008: Quinn Insurance has been fined €3.25 million by the Financial Regulator for breaching regulations relating to loans to related companies. 23/10/08: Online gaming company Goa is creating 400 new jobs in Dublin in the company's multilingual customer and operations support centre in the city centre 23/10/08: It seems that every cloud has its silver lining and for Ireland, foreign investment could be just that. A survey of American Chamber of Commerce member companies today revealed that there are currently 1,500 positions available in US companies in Ireland. 22/10/08: Nearly 90% of Irish motor insurance companies said that they expect to increase premiums in 2009. In total, 41% expected an increase of up to 5%, with 42% expecting increases of between 5% and 10% according to Deloitte's annual Motor Insurance Survey. 22/10/08: Gabriel Daly, Partner at Beauchamps Solicitors yesterday warned directors that trading while insolvent presents a serious risk of personal liability should the company eventually go into liquidity. 21/10/08: The commercial property market will take until early 2010 to recover, according to a survey of chartered surveyors. 20/10/08: Local pharmaceutical Bricved ltd was announced as the winner of Waterford City Enterprise Board's Overall Enterprise Award 2008 at Dooley's Hotel on Friday 17 October. 20/10/08: Movidia, the Dublin-based mobile video processor company, said it has secured over $14m (€10.4m) in Series A funding from an international syndicate led by Celtic House Venture Partners and Capital-E. 17/10/08: Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan was far too upbeat over the prospects for the Irish economy, according to Goodbody Stockbrokers which has slashed its economic forecasts for 2009. 16/10/08: Irish company Nualight, which specialises in food display illumination, has been selected by retailer Tesco in a €1m deal to implement its energy saving LED lighting product in Tesco Ireland's stores. 16/10/08: The number of people employed in the public sector rose by 8,600 in the year to June this year, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO). 14/10/08: A levy of up to 2% is to be applied to incomes as part of a raft of tax increases in Budget 2009 aimed at squeezing Ireland's middle class to pay for the bloated public service. 10/10/08: The latest Business Start-up Barometer from Bank of Ireland shows that there has been a decrease in the number of new businesses established in the last quarter 10/10/08: The Ballymun Regeneration project has been awarded the Vodafone Innovative Organisation of the Year award at this year's Vodafone Innovation in Government Awards. 09/10/08: The Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan, has confirmed the Government's intention that the Guarantee scheme for banks announced last week would be available to certain banking subsidiaries in Ireland with a significant and broadbased footprint in the domestic economy. 09/10/08: The annual rate of inflation remained unchanged in September at 4.3%, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). 08/10/08: Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) has launched a major awareness initiative to encourage more SMEs to avail of its free energy assessments service. 08/10/2008: The European Central Bank has reduced its base rate by 50 basis points to 3.75% in tandem with similar rate cuts by central banks around the world. 07/10/08: Multinationals in Ireland remain confident that Ireland can continue to attract foreign direct investment, according to the latest Irish Management Institute/National Irish Bank Survey of Multinationals in Ireland for 2008 07/10/08: The Institute for Minority Entrepreneurship at the Dublin Institute of Technology is to host a course for entrepreneurs from minority groups later this month. 07/10/08: The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has lowered its economic forecasts for the full year 2008. 06/10/08: Financial services company IFG Group has announced the acquisition of two Irish pensions companies in deals worth up to €13.5m. 06/10/08: Business activity levels weakened during the autumn months and are set to decline further by the end of the year, according to the autumn 2008 IIB Bank/ICAI Business Sentiment Survey. 03/10/2008: Finance minister Brian Lenihan has little choice but to take the axe to health, welfare and education spending if he is to rein in the ballooning Exchequer deficit. 02/10/2008: Estate agent Sherry Fitzgerald said house prices in Dublin have declined 33% in real terms since the peak in summer 2006. 01/10/2008: Landsbanki has agreed to sell the majority of its European investment banking businesses to Straumur-Burdaras Investment Bank. 01/10/08: Steve Collins is to launch the 11th annual Entrepreneurs Live! seminar series on October 8. The series will be run in NovaUCD in Belfield every Wednesday at lunchtime (1pm to 1.50pm) and will feature a different entrepreneur every seminar. 30/09/08: Property consultants CB Richard Ellis said that conditions in the Irish commercial property have continued to deteriorate in recent months against a backdrop of weakening economic indicators and financial market turmoil. 30/09/08: The government has stepped in with a €500 billion no-limits deposit and debt guarantee for six Irish financial institutions. 26/09/08: From Monday next Aer Arann will increase its scheduled Waterford to Amsterdam route to five flights a week. 25/09/08: The organisers of Building Exhibition 2008 at the RDS in Dublin said the show attracted 9,500 visitors. 25/09/08: A sharp decline in investment and a fall in consumer spending has pushed the Irish economy "officially" into recession. However the picture may not be as grim as it seems. 24/09/08: Eddie Rockets burger tycoon Niall Fortune has launched a new burger concent called The Counter in Dundrum Shopping Centre. 23/09/08: The number of new private cars licensed in August this year was 32% lower than in the same month last year, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO). 22/09/08: Taxi fares will increase by over 8% from November, the Commission for Taxi Regulation confirmed today. 19/09: Average national house prices fell by 0.9% in August according to the latest edition of the Permanent TSB / ESRI House Price Index. 17/09/08: IBM has announced plans for an investment of €30m in a next generation 'Green' Data Centre at its technology campus in Dublin which will create 34 new jobs. 17/09/08: A survey of employers has found that 15% of all Irish companies expect to reduce staff numbers in the final quarter of 2008. 17/09/08: A new national pay deal, to take effect from January 2009, has been agreed between the government, the trade unions and the employer's body IBEC. 16/09/08: International Financial Data Services (Ireland) Limited (IFDS Ireland) has acquired a substantial minority interest in Percana Group Limited (Percana). 15/09/08: Dublin listed business support services group DCC has acquired FindlaterGrants, the Irish wine and spirits distribution business, from C&C Group. 15/09/08: BCM Hanby Wallace has signed legal documentation to occupy over 150,000 sq ft of office space at Number 2, Grand Canal Square. The law firm is currently located on Harcourt Street and expects to move to its new home in early 2010. 15/09/08: The value of private equity completions in Ireland in the first half of 2008 was €73.5m, down 73% from €277m in the first half of 2007, according to figures from the Centre for Management Buy-out Research (CMBOR). 12/09/08: The continuing slump in retail sales was masked by a surge in car sales in July as a result of the new VRT tax system. 09/09/08: Magnet Entertainment has launched a new service which included free TV plus a unique boost feature which allows customers to increase their broadband speed on demand. 08/09/08: A new state of the art €1.1m Incubation and Enterprise Centre has been opened in Baile Mn, Cill Chartaigh, in the South West Donegal Gaeltacht. 05/09/08: Kilkenny engineering consultants Prochem Engineering today launched its new €1.2m headquarters at Danville Business Park in Kilkenny city. 04/09/08: US online freight services provider Freightquote has confirmed that is has established a European Headquarters in Sandyford, Dublin in a move which will create 100 new positions over the next 12 months. 03/09/08: The Government has confirmed that the announcement of the 2009 Budget has been moved forward by two months due to the accelerated pace of economic slowdown over recent months. 03/09/08: The number of people on the Live Register increased by 4% to 235,100 in August, up from 226,000 in July, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). 02/09/08: Around four out of every five business owners have no legal arrangements in place to protect their businesses in the event of the death of a fellow director, according to research from AIB / OCS Consulting. 01/09/08: Smart Telecom has launched its new "LineMax" broadband product which it claims offers download speeds of up to 24Mbps. 29/08/08: A new website has been launched which will allow users to book conference and meeting rooms online. 25/08/08: Zeus Packaging Group has acquired All Purpose Packaging, a UK based packaging distribution company for approximately €11 million, and Omega Packaging for a further €8 million. 20/08/08: The total number of immigrants into the State in the year to April 2008 fell by 26,000 to 83,800, while the number of emigrants has shown a marginal increase on the previous year to 45,300, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO). 20/08/08: Average rents in Ireland's five main cities fell 3.5% in the second quarter and are now about 2% lower than this time last year, according to the Daft Q2 Rental Report. 11/08/08: The average price paid for a house in June this year was almost €30,000 lower than in the same month last year, according to the latest edition of the permanent tsb / ESRI House Price Index. 06/08/08: The majority of Irish businesses insist that marketing will remain a key priority for their firm in the remainder of 2008 despite continuing fears of an economic slowdown and talks of cost-cutting. 05/08/08: Irish book retailer Hughes & Hughes has unveiled a new store at the Pavilions Shopping Centre in Swords, Co. Dublin. 30/07/08: BT has announced plans to upgrade speeds for its consumer and business broadband customers. 29/07/08: Despite the economic doom and gloom, more than half of Irish businesses see their business activity as flat or improving, according to the Summer 2008 IIB Bank/ICAI Business Sentiment Survey. 28/07/08: There was a 17.5% drop in the number of new cars bought during the first half of 2008, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO). 22/07/08: A new mortgage service provider is looking to put more pressure on traditional mortgage brokers with the launch of a new 'no fee' online comparison site. 14/07/08: Davy, the stockbroker and wealth manager, is to lay off up to 15% of its staff due to the downturn in stock markets 11/07/08: The number of firms going into voluntary liquidation rose by 76% in the opening six months of this year, according to figures released by Farrell Grant Sparks. 09/07/08: Bank of Ireland Business Banking has released its latest Business Start-up Barometer, which tracks the number of business start-ups throughout the nation. 09/07/08: Asking prices for property are at their lowest level since May 2006, according to the latest report published by the property website Daft.ie. 03/07/08: The European Central Bank has hiked its main interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 4.25%, as expected. 30/06/08: Irish telecommunications company Smart Telecom has concluded a multi-million euro deal with ESB Telecoms (ESBT) enabling Smart Telecom to provide high capacity Next Generation broadband services throughout Ireland. 16/06/08: Irish businesses both north and south of the border remain optimistic about the outlook for their company over the coming three years, according to the first Annual Report of the Business Monitor published by BT and InterTradeIreland. 13/06/08: The Decorate Life trade fair, aimed at the retail and manufacturing sectors worldwide, will take place at the Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre between July 4-8 this year. 12/06/08: The global credit crisis is likely to see an increase in demand for venture capital by Irish companies according to a study conducted by the Irish Venture Capital Association (IVCA). 11/06/08: Malahide-based start-up company Zignals has announced a partnership with Microsoft which will see the Irish firm launch a beta online active trading service for investors. 10/06/08: For the first time ever in Ireland, charities will be given the opportunity to have top level marketing expertise at their disposal at no cost and for no profit. 09/06/08: The Hibernian Group has launched its new health insurance arm, Hibernian Health 03/06/08: FinanceOne has launched IrishDeposits.ie, a new website aimed at helping consumers find the best savings options available in the market 28/05/08: Davy Stockbrokers has forecast that Ireland's economic growth will fall to 2% in 2009. 27/05/08: Ireland's largest Bookmaker, Paddy Power, has expanded into the Northern Irish retail sector with the acquisition of McGranaghan Racing, a leading independent bookmaker in the Greater Belfast area. 21/05/08: Tanya Airey, managing director of Sunway Travel, has been named Businesswoman of the Year in the annual awards scheme organised by Image magazine. Ocean Advertising has launched a new unique charity initiative to coinside with its 5th Birthday celebrations which will offer 5 Irish charities the chance to win free creative campaign which will include 48 sheet poster sites in Dublin city over the coming months. 16/05/08: The prospect of the European Central Bank raising interest rates before the end of the year has led to an increase in longer term fixed rates. 16/05/08: Baguette Express, the Scotland-based healthy snacks franchise chain, is about to enter the Irish market and has set itself the ambitious target of opening 30-plus outlets over the next two years. 15/05/08: Dublin-based digital marketing agency Interactive Return has been acquired by French multinational media company Publicis Groupe Media (PGM) with immediate effect. The acquisition price was not disclosed. 15/05/08: The number of persons employed in the construction sector decreased by 11.7% in March, compared to the same month in 2007. 14/05/08: The total value of new mortgage lending was down 24.3% in the first quarter of 2008 on the previous quarter, according to the latest the Irish Banking Federation (IBF)/PwC Mortgage Market Profile. 14/05/08: Irish law firm Mason Hayes+Curran has announced a 14% increase in turnover to €32m in 2007, up from €28m in 2006. 14/05/08: The number of overseas visits by Irish Residents increased by 13% to 7,713,000 in 2007 compared to 6,848,000 in 2006, figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show. 13/05/08: The percentage of firms reporting vacancies in the private sector fell by 3 percentage points to 7% in April - the lowest the economy-wide vacancy rate has been since August 2005, according to the FAS/ESRI Employment and Vacancies Survey. 12/05/08: Activity in the construction sector slowed markedly in April, according to the Ulster Bank Construction Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI). 12/05/08: Just over half (51%) of all respondents to a new employment survey have indicated that they are more worried about job security than 12 months ago. 12/05/08: BizSales Business Brokers, in conjunction with Focus Business Advisers and Financial Engineering Network have organised a free seminar on "grooming your business for sale, selling it and enjoying the hard earned proceeds". 09/05/08: Diageo has confirmed that it will continue to brew Guinness at its historic St. James's Gate brewery in Dublin, but said that its breweries in Kilkenny and Dundalk are to close with a new brewery to be built on a site close to Dublin. 08/05/08: The new Peak Health fitness facility in Bray, Co Wicklow will be officially opened next week by Olympic gold medalist Ronnie Delany. 08/05/08: The European Central Bank (ECB) has voted to keep its key benchmark interest rate unchanged at 4%, as expected. 08/05/08: Publishing company Mediacontact.ie has launched an updated version of its Irish Media Contacts Directory. 07/05/08: Bmi has launched a new company rewards product allowing SME's travelling frequently with the airline to benefit from an innovative new points system which rewards companies collectively for all travel booked by its employees. 07/05/08: Irish IT services company Origina, formerly Unitech Systems, one of Ireland's leading IT services and consulting companies, has announced it is to invest over €3 m and create 60 new jobs in the next two years. 06/05/08: Star Alliance, has announced that Star Alliance Company Plus, the loyalty programme for small and medium businesses in Ireland, will be offering double points on all flights departing Ireland until May 31, 2008. 06/05/08: The average owner or director of a Small or Medium Sized Enterprise (SME) in Ireland is working two hours a week more than they did in 2004 according to the annual O2 SME Lifestyle Survey. 02/05/08: The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.5% in April according to the seasonally adjusted Live Register, but economists predict that further increases are likely in the months ahead. 01/05/08: Irish investor activity in the commercial property market was very limited during the period January to March of this year, with only €52.5m of deals concluded, according to the latest bulletin from the property advisors, Jones Lang LaSalle. 30/04/08: The value of the National Pensions Reserve Fund dropped by 10.5% in the three months to the end of March as a result of the turmoil in financial markets and the global credit crisis. 29/04/08: ADM Londis has posted a 20% rise in pre tax profits to €6.1m, on a wholesale turnover of €371m (up 4.5%) for the year ended December 31, 2007. 29/04/08: A survey of lump sum investments made by more than 25,000 customers of Irish Life in 2007 shows that the average amount invested was €44,915. 28/04/08: More than half of Ireland's small firms expect to expand their business in 2008, according to the Small Firms Association's Annual Employment Survey. 25/04/08: An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has unveiled the Dublin Airport Authority's masterplan for the development of a €4 billion Dublin Airport City located to the east of Dublin Airport on lands owned by the DAA. 24/04/08: Preliminary figures show that Irish exports increased by 4% in February compared to January, while imports decreased by 3%. 24/04/08: Manufacturing prices fell by 4.3% on an annual basis in March, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). 23/04/08: Goodbody Stockbrokers has more than halved its GDP growth forecast for the full year as a result of what it refers to as "an unhelpful cocktail of factors". 22/04/08: Just over five million passengers passed through Dublin airport in the first three months of 2008, the Dublin Airport Authority said. 21/04/08: Business telecoms provider Magnet Business has announced the acquisition of Irish internet telephony provider, Glantel, for an undisclosed sum. 18/04/08: Dublin-based spread betting company WorldSpreads has confirmed plans to list on the Irish Stock Exchange next month. 17/04/08: Asking prices for residential property in Ireland dropped by almost one and a half per cent nationally in the first quarter of the year, according to the MyHome.ie NCB Property Barometer. 16/04/08: The number of firms in the private sector reporting vacancies remained unchanged in March from February, according to the FAS ESRI Employment and Vacancies Report. 15/04/08: The number of new businesses started up in Ireland during the first quarter of the year has fallen by 20% to 4,019, according to the Bank of Ireland Business Banking Start-up Barometer. 15/04/08: Whether you're embarking on your career, considering changing employment or returning to the workforce, job hunters will be interested in the FÁS Jobs Ireland Munster 2008 on the 18th and 19th April in Nemo Rangers Complex, Douglas, Cork. 14/04/08: Activity in the construction industry continued to deteriorate in March, according to Ulster Bank's Construction Purchasing Managers Index. 11/04/08: The number of persons employed in the construction industry fell by 11.1% in February this year, compared to the same month last year. 10/04/08: The European Central Bank has left its key interest rate on hold at 4% as expected and hinted that rates won't be changing any time soon. 10/04/08: The annual rate of inflation edged up to 5.0% in March from 4.8% in February, due to increasing energy, fuel and transport prices, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) said. 08/04/08: Asking prices for houses fell in most parts of the country in the first quarter of the year, according to a new analysis by Daft.ie. 07/04/08: The average pedestrian footfall on Ireland's Top 50 high streets during the first quarter was down by over 17% year-on-year, the latest High Street Productivity Review report carried out by CB Richard Ellis and CREST Retail Excellence Ireland shows. 04/04/08: There was an increase of 12,000 people signing on for unemployment assistance in March and the unemployment rate is now at 5.5%. 03/04/08: The Construction Industry Federation (CIF) has criticised the Irish Planning Institute's (IPI) call on local authorities to further significantly increase their development contribution charges. 02/04/08: On joining the oneworld airline alliance on 1 April 2007, the nine partner airlines brought more than 65,000 passengers on board Malév. This has generated nearly HUF 3.5 billion in extra revenue for the Hungarian national airline. 02/04/08: Broadband and web hosting provider Digiweb is offering a three month introductory half price offer for new subscribers to its home Metro broadband and phone service. 02/04/08: Taoiseach Bertie Ahern today announced that he will tender his resignation to President Mary McAleese on May 6, 2008, amid mounting pressure about his personal finances. 01/04/08: Sherry FitzGerald said that the average price of a second-hand property in Ireland fell by 1.9% during the first quarter of 2008, compared to a price reduction of 2.4% in the final quarter of 2007. 31/03/08: Almost three quarters (72%) of small business expect to grow their business over the next year despite the gloomy outlook for the Irish economy, according to a new survey. 27/03/08: Irish technology companies raised €84.4m from investors in the fourth quarter of 2007 despite the fact that most Irish venture capital funds were raising new capital, according to the Irish Venture Capital Association (IVCA) Techpulse survey. 26/03/08: Smart Telecom is looking to shake-up the broadband market with the launch of a suite of high speed business packages aimed at SMEs and corporate firms. 26/03/08: The value of Irish pension scheme assets dropped by 1.3% during 2007 to €86.6 billion from €87.7 billion at the end of 2006, according to the Irish Association of Pension Funds (IAPF) annual asset allocation survey. 26/03/08: A leading economist has forecast that the Irish economy will grow by 3% this year and by 4% in 2009. 20/03/08: The number of firms reporting vacancies in the private sector fell to 10% in February - its lowest level since August 2005, according to thee FAS/ESRI Employment and Vacancies Survey. 19/03/08: IBM is to establish Europe's first Cloud Computing Centre at its Innovation Campus at Mulhuddart. 18/03/08: The value of Ireland's private housing stock fell by 4% in 2007, according to the latest Halifax Review of the Value of the Irish Housing Stock report. 14/03/08: The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has forecast that Ireland's GNP growth will slow to 1.6% this year, which would be the slowest pace of GNP growth since 1988. 14/03/08: Wavin, a leading European supplier of plastic pipe systems and solutions, has announced plans to downsize its operations in Ireland with up to 50 redundancies. 13/03/08: The annual rate of inflation rose sharply in February to 4.8%, up from 4.3% in January, according to new figures. 13/03/08: Dublin-based gourmet jelly beans producer Aran Candy has picked up the top SFA National Small Business Award 2008. 12/03/08: NCB Stockbrokers has forecast that the Irish economy will grow by 3.5% this year and said that any risks to this prediction are to the upside. 11/03/08: The Irish Home Builders' Association (IHBA) said it is confident that improving sentiment in the housing market will encourage higher residential construction activity than recent statistics have suggested. 11/03/08: US wireless technology developer Qualcomm Incorporated has announced the acquisition of Dublin-based Xiam Technologies Limited, which provides wireless content targeting solutions. 07/03/08: The number of people claiming unemployment benefit rose to its highest level since August 1999 in February, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). 06/03/08: A leading economist has forecast that Ireland's GDP is likely to grow by 2.3% this year due to a tougher economic outlook. 05/03/08: The number of persons in employment in Ireland last year grew by 3.2%, despite a 2% drop in the number of people employed in construction, according to the Quarterly National Household Survey. 05/03/08: Sentiment in the commercial property market has fallen across all sectors according to a new survey. 04/03/08: Tax revenues slumped through February, with a fall in Exchequer VAT receipts signalling alarm bells for finance minister Brian Cowen. 04/03/08: Commercial cleaning company SanServ has announced the expansion of its brand with the launch of a nationwide franchising programme. 03/03/08: Smart Telecom has launched a new range of high-speed broadband products for the residential market, ranging from 4Mb up to 15Mb. 03/03/08: Teva Pharmaceutical is to create more than 165 new jobs over the next five years at its Waterford-based subsidiary 29/02/08: Figures released by the Central Bank show that growth in private sector lending fell to a four-year low in January, as demand for new mortgages plummeted. 28/02/08: The newly refurbished Regency Hotel is hosting corporate hospitality for the forthcoming Ireland vs Wales Six Nations Rugby internationals at Croke Park on March 8 28/02/08: Patent and intellectual property law firm Cruickshank has launched its new 'IP-Free60' service, which offers a free patents and trademarks advice in the form of a one-hour free consultation 28/02/08: The Government has announced €50m in funding through Enterprise Ireland for the development of enterprise in the regions. 28/02/08: Irish software SMEs are being effectively ruled out of taking part in the Irish public procurement process, according to a new survey. 27/02/2008: A new major training initiative for employees of the retail sector has been launched by Minister Micheal Martin. 26/02/08: Cork based recruitment group Premier has launched a cash bid of around €60m for UK recruitment company Imprint. 25/02/08: The McConnell Group and The AFA Group have merged to create the largest advertising agency in the country, both in terms of staffing and billings. Dublin-based Breaking Gaming Concepts company has won the Docklands Innovation Park Enterprise Awards 2008, a joint initiative of the Bolton Trust and DIT Hothouse. 21/02/08: Corporate Ireland is being encouraged to enter teams of runners, joggers or walkers in a unique Business Challenge which will be incorporated into the Great Ireland Run. 21/02/08: Irish manufacturing prices fell by 3.8% on an annual basis during January, new figures from the Central Statistics Office have revealed. 20/02/08: The growing strength of the euro against sterling is placing Irish food and drink exporters under serious competitive pressure, particularly those with exposure to the UK market, the Food and Drink Industry Ireland (FDII) has warned. 19/02/08: UK-based Parity has won an EU-wide tender to re-develop and maintain Bord Bia's website, extending its six-year relationship with the Irish Food Board 18/02/08: The number of passengers passing through Dublin Airport in January was up 7% on the same month last year to 1.5m, according to the Dublin Airport Authority. 13/02/08: A total of 158,098 new mortgages were taken out last year to a value of €33.8 billion, the latest in the series of the IBF/PwC Mortgage Market Profile has shown. 12/02/08: The adjustment process currently taking place in the property market is far from over, according to Goodbody Stockbrokers. 11/02/08: Activity in the construction sector fell for the third consecutive month in January. 08/02/08: The number of people employed in the construction industry was down 6.4% year on year in December 2007, according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). 07/02/08: The annual rate of inflation fell to 4.3% in January from 4.7% in December as a result of the January sales. 07/02/08: The European Central Bank today voted to keep its main interest rate steady at 4%, as expected. 07/02/08: Estate agents in Ireland saw an increase in the level of inquiries and viewings in January compared to the second half of 2007, according to a new survey. 06/02/08: The Government has unveiled a new €60m growth fund to support small and medium enterprises in Ireland. 04/02/08: Eircom is calling on entrepreneurs to apply for it's €100,000 Web Innovation Fund. 04/02/08: In one of the gloomiest economic forecasts yet, Ulster Bank has predicted that Ireland's GNP will grow by just 2% in 2008. 01/02/08: The number of people claiming unemployment benefit rose by 4.5% in January from December, according to the CSO. 31/01/08: Finance Bill 2008 contains few new initiatives over those announced in December when Budget 2008 was unveiled, though there is a new tax incentive scheme for caravan parks and camping sites. 30/01/08: Allergan Inc. has announced the phased closure of its manufacturing facility in Arklow, Co. Wicklow which will account for 360 job losses. 30/01/08: Irish investors remain optimistic about the future, despite recent market turmoil, with four in ten planning to make investments over the next one to two years, according to a new survey. 29/01/2008 Bank of Ireland has teamed up with 15 County & City Enterprise Boards to provide countrywide support to early business start-ups with an Enterprise Bus. 29/01/08: Fine Gael has launched a new ten point plan to improve broadband availability and take-up levels in Ireland. 29/01/08: Eircom is to invest €100m in a new 125,000 square foot managed services data centre in Clonshaugh, Co. Dublin. 28/01/08: Ballymore has announced that it is sponsoring the title race at the Irish National Hunt Festival at Punchestown, which adds €600,000 in prize fund value to the festival 28/01/08: Science Foundation Ireland has announced at a board meeting held in Cork that its research commitments have exceeded €1 billion. 28/01/08: Housebuilder McInerney said that the number of house completions in Ireland fell by almost one half in 2007 to 594, down from 1,025 in 2006. 24/01/08: The Government has launched a revised and simplified Research and Development (R&D) Grant Scheme which it claims will make €500m available to companies across all sectors. 24/01/08: New figures show that Ireland's trade surplus narrowed in November 2007, relative to October, courtesy of a 10% rise in imports and a 3% drop in exports. 22/01/08: The US Federal Reserve has slashed its benchmark interest rate by three quarters of a percent from 4.25% to 3.5% amid yet more declines in global stock markets. 22/01/08: The number of new businesses started up in 2007 was down 2% on the 2006 figure, according to the Bank of Ireland Business Start-up Barometer. 21/10/08: A survey has revealed that 83% of mortgage switchers found it easy to change mortgage providers. 18/01/08: Goodbody Stockbrokers has cut its GDP and GNP growth forecasts for 2008 to 2.3%, from 2.5% previously. The broker said this is mainly on the back of lower export growth assumptions. 18/01/08: Demand for quality Irish seafood increased in 2007, with estimated total sales worth €803m, up 6% on the €778m recorded in 2006, according to the end of year statement of review for the Irish seafood industry from An Bord Iascaigh Mhara, the Irish Sea Fisheries Board. 17/01/08: The annual rate of inflation fell to 4.7% in December, from 55 in November, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO). 17/01/08: The number of vacancies across all sectors of the economy decreased by two percentage points to 14% in December, according to the FAS/ESRI Employment and Vacancies Survey. 16/01/08: The number of containers passing through the Port of Cork grew by 8% last year to 200,000, up from 185,000 in 2006. 15/01/08: Malev Hungarian Airlines is offering flights from Dublin to Budapest for as low as €63 return as part of its New Year seat sale. 15/01/08: New figures show that Christmas 2007 was a slower one for Irish retailers with national Footfall Index figures revealing that 2.3% less people visited shopping centres and city stores in December 2007 compared to December 2006. 14/01/08: Irish consumer sentiment fell to its lowest level since in four and a half years in December. 14/01/08: Activity in the construction sector declined significantly in December, according to the latest Ulster Bank Construction Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI). 11/10/08: The number of people claiming unemployment benefit in December 2007 was up by more than 15,000 when compared to the same month in 2006. 10/01/08: The European Central Bank has kept its main interest rates on hold despite calls for an easing of monetary policy in the euro zone. 10/01/08: A new survey has revealed that workers in Cork are far more concerned about their job security than their counterparts in Dublin. 09/01/08: The number of international passengers passing through Shannon International Airport in 2007 increased by 6% to 3.1m despite the commencement of the Open Skies agreement. 08/01/08: Tens of thousands of male construction workers face long term unemployment because of their lack of education if the sector goes into serious decline, the chief executive of the Higher Education Authority, Tom Boland, has warned. 07/01/08: Corporate finance firm CFM Capital has described 2007 as 'a bumper year' for merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in Ireland. 07/01/08: The number of jobs created by IDA Ireland backed companies fell by around 2,000 to 9,216 in 2007, according to the organisation's end of year statement. 07/01/08: Almost two thirds of Irish small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are more confident about the overall business climate in Ireland going in to 2008 than they were at this time last year, according to the latest annual O2 Business Confidence Survey. 04/01/08: Fruit distributor Fyffes has raised its profit outlook for the full year 2007 as a result of by favourable exchange rates and higher average selling prices in the second half of the year. 04/01/08: Business confidence in the service sector came under pressure in December, according to the NCB Purchasing Managers' Services Index. 02/01/08: Confidence among SMEs remains high, with over three-quarters of companies across Ireland expecting their own performance in 2008 to be the same or better than in 2007. 02/01/08: Estate agent Sherry FitzGerald said the average price of second-hand houses fell by 10% in Dublin through 2007. 20/12/07: A national technology donation programme for non-profit organisations in Ireland has been launched 20/12/07: Global PR firm FD has strengthened its presence in the Irish market with the acquisition of K Capital Source, a four-year-old niche PR company 19/12/07: DCC said it has received and accepted an offer to sell its 49% shareholding in Manor Park Homebuilders to Morvest Limited, a Moran family company, for a consideration of €9m 18/12/07: Media group UTV has bought Dublin radio station FM104 from the Communicorp Group for a cash consideration of €52m 18/12/07: Kingspan said that trading in the first 11 months of the year has shown strong growth, but cautioned that challenging market conditions make it difficult to guide for the coming year 17/12/07: The majority of accountants expect the business climate in Ireland to deteriorate in the next year, according to the latest business barometer survey from the Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Amarach 17/12/07: A new survey shows that financial confidence is holding up in Ireland despite the recent volatility in financial markets 14/12/07: CityJet has confirmed that it is to commence a twice daily service from Shannon Airport to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) on February 4, 2008 13/12/07: The annual rate of inflation increased to 5.0% in November from 4.8% in October, but rents showed signs of levelling off 13/12/07: Convenience foods group Greencore has announced two acquisitions in the UK for a total cost of around £15m (€20.8m) 13/12/07: The M50 Enterprise Programme is calling on budding entrepreneurs in the early stages of starting their own business to sign up to apply 13/12/07: Irish owned technology companies raised €75.4m from investors in the four months to October 2007 according to the latest Irish Venture Capital Association (IVCA) Techpulse survey 12/12//07: Blackrock International Land has announced that it has agreed to purchase a Class A office investment in Amsterdam for a total consideration, including costs, of €25.5m 11/12/07: A survey of estate agents by Merrion Stockbrokers has revealed that purchasers' decisions about buying property have not been affected by the recent Stamp Duty changes 11/12/07: Convenience foods group Greencore has announced that chief executive David Dilger is to retire from his position at the end of March 2008 06/12/07: The European Central Bank has left its key interest rate unchanged at 4%, as expected, for the sixth consecutive month 06/12/07: Renewable energy company Airtricity has signed a new €1.5m green energy contract with Cork City Council for a number of their premises including their Head office, City Hall, pump houses and the Jack Lynch Tunnel. 05/12/07: Minister Brian Cowen's fourth budget has been given a general welcome by the business community 05/12/07: The failure to adequately promote renewable energy in Budget 2008 will cost Ireland in terms of lost investment and further carbon penalties, according to the Wind Energy representative group 05/12/07: The reform of the stamp duty system announced in this year's Budget has been welcomed by the Construction Industry Federation and the IAVI 05/12/07: The director general of IBEC, Turlough O'Sullivan, welcomed Minister Brian Cowen's budget as being responsible and prudent but called for a new Commission on Taxation 05/12/07: In opening his Budget Speech this afternoon, Finance Minister Brian Cowen said the the fundamentals of our economy are still good and said that his budget would maintain a sound and sensible fiscal policy. 05/12/07: Average hourly earnings in the financial sector rose by 11.7% in the year to the end of the second quarter this year. 04/12/07: Online savings and investment bank RaboDirect has announced a new fixed term rate of 4.50% for balances on deposit for a one month period. 03/12/07: The economic health of the Irish manufacturing sector improved moderately in November, according to the seasonally adjusted NCB Purchasing Managers' Index. 03/12/07: The mortgage market has continued to soften in recent months, according to the winter 2007 IIB/IMAF mortgage market survey. 30/11/07: Healthcare company Baxter International is to invest more than €75m over a six year period as part of a strategic programme to introduce new technologies and higher value products to its manufacturing plants in Castlebar and Swinford, Co. Mayo. 30/11/07: Bank of Ireland has launched an online training course especially designed for those considering starting or already managing a small business. 29/11/2007: International Securities Trading Corporation (ISTC), the lender of capital to financial institutions, has announced the appointment of an interim Examiner to allow the company sufficient time to negotiate with its creditors. 29/11/07: Consumer sentiment sank to a four year low in November, according to the latest overall IIB Bank/ESRI Consumer Sentiment Index. 29/11/07: Property and private equity investment group Quinlan Private is to form a 50/50 joint-venture partnership with Hungarian real estate development company, SCD Group, to lead a €450m real-estate development programme at Lake Balaton in Hungary. 28/11/07: Anglo Irish Bank has reported a 46% rise in pre tax profits to €1.243 billion for the year to the end of September 2007. 27/11/07: A total of 40,992 new mortgages to the value of almost €9 billion were issued during the third quarter of 2007, according to the latest IBF/PwC Mortgage Market Profile 26/11/07: Mobile phone services provider Zamano has conditionally agreed to acquire Dublin-based Red Circle in a reverse takeover for a sum of up to €24.4m 22/11/2007: The ongoing sell-off of Irish equities has left some Dublin stockbrokers bemused at what's going on, though others have been number crunching to try and spot a floor. 21/11/07: Bank of Scotland (Ireland) has today announced that it has cut its two, three, and five year fixed mortgage rates, and introduced a new one year fixed rate, which is the best available on the market. The rates are available through the broker channel. 20/11/07: Irish builders and trade professionals are now embracing the internet in large numbers to help boost flagging demand for their products and services according to figures from Onlinetradesmen.com 19/11/07: New media publishing firm iText has launched Mobi-Cards, what it calls "the first Christmas cards for mobile phones" 19/11/07: Smart Telecom has launched a 12-month free broadband offer as it attempts to re-establish itself in the residential market 16/11/07: Mercer's Total Remuneration Survey (TRS) has reported an increase in Base Pay levels for 2008. 16/11/2007: Lulu O'Sullivan, founder of Ireland's largest online gift delivery company 4giftsdirect.com, has been named Internet Entrepreneur of the Year in the annual awards scheme organised by the Irish Internet Association. 15/11/07: C&C has announced a major re-organisation and cost reduction programme which will result in the loss of 150 jobs across the group 14/11/07: Bank of Ireland has posted a 24% rise in pre-tax profits to €1.091 billion for the first six months of the year, up from €879m in the first half last year 13/11/07: Vodafone Ireland has announced the acquisition of fixed line voice and broadband services provider Perlico 13/11/2007: The Director of Corporate Enforcement has tried and failed to get the Supreme Court to decide whether Jim Flavin, cjairman of DCC plc, should be disqualified as a director. 13/11/07: Savenet Solutions has launched Ireland's first hosted Disaster Recovery (DR) solution, ResurrectIT, specifically tailored for the SME market 13/11/07: Limerick-based Calibration Technology Ltd (CTL) has became the first dedicated pipette calibration laboratory in Ireland to achieve ISO 17025 accreditation 12/11/07: Accounting Ireland has been enlisted by Ireland West Airport Knock to overhaul its business and accounting system as part of a major investment to achieve the goals set out in the airport's 'Vision 2020' strategy 12/11/07: Providence, the AIM and IEX listed oil and gas exploration company, has announced that it has entered into a new farm-in agreement for the AJE Field, located in OML113, offshore Nigeria. 09/11/07: Head of marketing at Permanent TSB, Niall O'Grady, has been named as Marketer of the Year for 2007 09/11/07: Support services group Newcourt has announced the acquisition of Lenmac Mechanical Services Limited for an undisclosed sum 08/11/07: A delegation from Pakistan's IT industry is visiting Ireland to explore business opportunities with Ireland through a series of networking events until Saturday, November 10 07/11/07: Effective website content management is becoming increasingly important for Irish businesses, according to the results of a new survey 06/11/07: Company directors and senior managers could face prosecution for workplace health and safety offences, the Health and Safety Authority (HAS) has warned 06/11/07: Microsoft has announced that Ireland has been selected as the location for its new European data centre 05/11/07: A national programme to install a new smart electricity meter in every home is to begin in 2008, according to energy minister Eamon Ryan, who has launched a pilot programme of 25,000 homes 02/11/07: BSkyB said it added a net total of 16,000 new customers in Ireland during the three months to the end of September, bringing the total number of Irish subscribers to 513,000 02/11/07: NTR has announced the completion of the acquisition of Verdant Group, by its Greenstar UK business 01/11/07: Activity in the manufacturing sector grew at its slowest rate since May last month, according to the latest NCB Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) 31/10/07: The IE Domain Registry (IEDR), the managed registry for Ireland's dot-ie domain names, has relaxed the rules for registering personal dot-ie domain name registrations for individuals 31/10/07: Ireland has been ranked 22nd in the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI), maintaining its performance over recent years 30/10/07: National Irish Bank has reported pre-tax profits of €21m for the first nine months of the year, compared to a loss of €4m in the same period last year 26/10/07: Tesco Ireland has launched of Ireland's newest mobile telephone service, Tesco Mobile, but its pricing does not impress rivals 25/10/07: While higher interest rates have inflicted some pain on Irish consumers, there is no evidence of a sharp deterioration in their debt burden in the past year, according to IIB Homeloans/ESRI Irish Household Finances Survey 2007 24/10/07: Enterprise Ireland has set an ambitious €4 billion target for new export sales from Irish companies over the period of its new strategy Transforming Irish Industry 2008-2010 24/10/07: Broadband company Magnet Networks has confirmed the appointment of Mark Kellett as its new chief executive 23/10/07: RaboDirect, Europe's largest online bank, has launched two new investment funds, the JPMorgan Global Natural Resources Fund and the Robeco Emerging Stars Equities Fund 23/10/07: Smurfit Kappa Group has warned that its underlying profits for the full year will be towards the lower end of the range of current market expectations 23/10/07: Eircom has announced that it is offering all its new and existing broadband customers free access to almost 1,100 of Wi-Fi hotspots nationwide 22/10/07: Bank of Ireland has announced that following a €10m investment in its online banking service a range of new services are now live for its banking 365 internet customers 19/10/07: PulseLearning, the e-learning firm has been named as the fastest growing IT company in Ireland at the 2007 Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Awards 18/10/07: Qualceram Shires, the bathroom furnishings firm, said that the slowdown in the Irish housing market and higher interest rates mean that group turnover is likely to be down by approximately 8% to 9% on current market expectations for 2007 17/10/07: Imtech N.V., the Dutch publicly quoted technical services provider, is to acquire the Irish-based Suir Engineering for an undisclosed all-cash sum 16/10/07: Postbank, the joint venture established between An Post and Fortis, has launched a new investment fund 15/10/07: Coca Cola's parent board has endorsed the decision by local management to close their concentrate plant in Drogheda, Co. Louth with the loss of 250 direct jobs 15/10/07: United Drug, the Irish drug and medical equipment distributor, has announced the acquisition of US company Alliance Healthcare Information in a deal worth over $10m 12/10/07: Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) has launched an incubator programme to support new small ventures for emerging green business opportunities in the sustainable energy sector 10/10/07: Global medical technology company Smith & Nephew and the Regenerative Medicine Institute (Remedi) at NUI Galway are to invest over €6m to establish a four-year R&D collaborative programme 10/10/07: Nortel Networks has announced that it is to create 60 new high level research positions over the next three years at its Galway facility 09/10/07: Engineering firm White Young Green has bought engineering consultancy PH McCarthy & Partners 09/10/07: Nearly two-thirds of businesses across the island of Ireland expect growth in cross-border co-operation in the next five years, according to a new study 08/10/07: Irish consumer sentiment recovered slightly in September following sharp falls in the previous three months, according to the latest IIB Bank/ESRI Consumer Sentiment Index 04/10/07: The European Central Bank (ECB) has left its main interest rate unchanged at 4%, as expected by economists 04/10/07: The second Manufacturing Technology Ireland exhibition is to hold an evening opening on the first day to facilitate visitors who can't make it during the day 03/10/07: Ryanair founder Dr Tony Ryan has died at aged 71 after a long illness 03/10/2007: KPMG Corporate Finance has been apointed to find a buyer for sub-prime lender Start Mortgages, which claims to be market leader in the sector in Ireland. 03/10/07: American pharma giant Amgen is abandoning plans to set up a bulk manufacturing facility in Cork that promised to deliver 1,100 jobs 03/10/07: The Competition Authority has found that a lack of competition in dental services and restrictive practices are pushing up dental prices in Ireland 03/10/07: Bank of Ireland has reduced its interest rate for small business customers with a reduction in the rate of its Developing Business Loan fund to 5.9% for new business with immediate effect 02/10/07: National Irish Bank (NIB) has forecast that Ireland's GDP will grow by 6pc this year despite the slowdown in the construction sector 01/10/07: Most Irish firms are still experiencing growth in activity and remain optimistic about the current business climate, according to the latest business sentiment survey from IIB Bank/Chartered Accountants 01/10/07: Applications from small firms seeking solutions to their knowledge questions are now being sought for the third round of Enterprise Ireland's Innovation Vouchers initiative 01/10/07: Business conditions in the Irish manufacturing sector improved markedly in September, according to NCB's Purchasing Managers' Index. 26/09/07: Bank of Scotland (Ireland) has entered into a joint venture arrangement with Impala Limited to acquire and develop Clancy Barracks, a historical site in Dublin 8, and two sites on Davitt Road also in Dublin 8, which were formerly owned by Unilever and Lyons Tea. 26/09/07: The Mayor of Clare has expressed disappointment that a Government motion on the Shannon to Heathrow issue has been postponed after Fine Gael tabled a motion of no confidence in Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. 26/09/07: Ryanair has launched a strong attack on the board of Aer Lingus over the airline's trading performance and refusal to call an emergency general meeting over the Shannon issue. 21/09/07: Global management consultancy Hay Group has launched a global total remuneration solution, PayNet International 21/09/07: Irish companies need to dramatically change their attitude to design if they want to gain real return on investment and effectively promote their services at home and abroad, according to the Graphic Design Business Association (GDBA) 18/09/07: Galway-based Novate Medical has completed a €4m round of funding 17/09/07: Jurys Doyle Hotel Group has become the first hotel group to offer free high-speed internet access (HSIA) and free WiFi connectivity to guests across all its international properties, including the Westbury, Jurys Croke Park Hotel and Jurys Cork Hotel in Ireland 17/09/07: Enterprise Ireland has launched its International Selling Programme for 2008 14/09/07: Property consultants HT Meagher O'Reilly has announced an association with one of the world's largest independent property consultants, King Sturge 13/09/07: Dell Ireland, supported by WEEE Ireland, is offering the public a free recycling day for electrical and electronic waste 12/09/07: Business electricity provider Energia will power SME customers under an exclusive affinity deal with the newly established business networking group Biznet.ie 12/09/07: The IE Domain Registry (IEDR) has announced a relaxation of the rules for registering personal dot.ie domain names for individuals 11/09/07: A special awards ceremony in Cork has been planned to recognise some of the leading companies and individuals who are driving progress in technology and business innovation in the region 10/09/07: Eirebloc, a new startup company, is to establish a manufacturing facility in Macroom, Co Cork, with the creation of 73 high value jobs 10/09/07: Texas-based SolarWinds, a provider of network management software, is to establish its EMEA headquarters at City Gate in Mahon in Cork, with the support of IDA Ireland, creating 75 jobs in the process 07/09/07: Global finance company CIT group is to expand its European headquarters in Blackrock, Co Dublin with the creation of 150 jobs 07/09/07: Genzyme, one of the world's largest biotechnology companies, is to invest €20m in its manufacturing campus in Waterford, creating 18 biotech jobs 06/09/07: The European Central Bank (ECB) has kept its key interest rates steady at 4% at today's policy meeting 06/09/07: Construction services company Siteserv has bought utilities services provider Sierra Communications for €46m 04/09/07: BMI has announced the largest-ever expansion of its route network, with the opening of sales to 17 new destinations 04/09/07: Two separate pieces of research have found that Oki has taken the number one market share ranking in Ireland for A4 Colour multifunction products (MFP) 03/09/08: The first work area recovery centre in the west of Ireland has been set up by Work Area Recovery Solutions (WARS) at the Ennis Information Age Park 03/09/07: Growth in Ireland's manufacturing sector reached its strongest for over a year in August, according to the latest NCB Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) (03/09/07) The Environmental Protection Agency has expanded its website to include environmental maps for various regions in Ireland 03/09/07: Bailey Waste Reycling, a family firm founded during the Second World War, has been bought by Greenstar, grossing at least €6m each for the two principals. (03/09/07) The South East region is to hold an Enterprise Week in October to promote the area's importance as a base for knowledge-based enterprises 30/08/07: Irish consumer sentiment weakened for a third successive month in August, according to the latest IIB/ESRI Consumer Sentiment Index 29/08/07: The TEEU union has condemned Coca Cola's decision to axe 275 jobs in Drogheda as an example of corporate greed 29/08/07: RaboDirect.ie has launched a new look website that will include RaboDirect.ie provides customers with enhanced financial content including podcasts from financial experts and an online investor centre 29/08/07: The European Commission has approved the extension the Business Expansion Scheme but some observers believe the strings attached will render the tax incentive pointless 28/08/07: The Irish Exporters Association (IEA) has released its half year review with very positive news of continued merchandise export growth adding to the robust services growth 24/08/07: Companies that are non-compliant with health and safety legislation can spend 350% more on claims by not carrying out safety audits and becoming fully compliant, according to health and safety organisation, Olive Safety 24/08/07: Bank of Ireland has called the top of the interest rate cycle and has predicted that there will be no more rate hikes from the ECB. 23/08/07: Practical and manageable advice on how to foster innovation, challenge the competition, drive down costs and ultimately increase profits will be a focal point of this year's Shop exhibition at the RDS from September 2-4 23/08/07: Pat Rabbitte has resigned as leader of the Labour Party with immediate effect and said the party had to change its appeal to voters 21/08/07: An Post and eBay.ie, the dedicated Irish eBay website, have joined forces to introduce a new pilot scheme to reward eBay sellers resident in Ireland 21/08/07) The Fitzwilliam Hotel Dublin brand is to spend E30m on a new Fitzwilliam Hotel in Belfast city centre 20/08/07: Residential rent inflation cooled through July according to online letting agency Daft.ie 17/08/07: In the United States the Federal Reserve has cut its so-called discount rate temporarily by a half percentage point, to 5.75%, in an effort to improve liquidity 17/08/07: A total of 50 people will lose their jobs at Christmas when Smurfit Kappa closes its Killeen Corrugated Products plant at Ballyfermot, Dublin 17/08/07: Global recruitment consultancy Harvey Nash has entered the Irish market with the purchase of Rescon IT for €7.7m in cash and shares and a possible further €2.3m on the earnout. 16/08/07: Racegoers planning to attend the Desmond Stakes at Leopardstown Racecourse on Sunday August 19th can have their admission ticket sent to their mobile phone in advance The Vodafone Ireland Foundation will provide over €800,000 to 16 charities which it will fund through its 2007 grant application programme 10/08/07: The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the volume industrial production in June fell by 0.7% from May, giving an annual increase of 0.1% 08/08/07: The latest ESRI and IIB Bank consumer sentiment survey has found that consumers are more gloomy now than they have been for four years 08/08/07: Dublin-based Blue Ocean Wireless has agreed to sell a 30% equity interest to Filipino company Smart Communications for $15.9m 07/07/07: Dublin-listed investment group TVC Holdings has led a group which has bought two hotel chains from Choice Hotels Ireland for €41.5m 03/08/07: Confidence at service firms fell to a ten-month low in July. Companies with a negative outlook were concerned by the impact of recent interest rate rises. 01/08/07: The July NCB PMI report on manufacturing pointed to a solid improvement in business conditions in the Irish manufacturing sector as output and new orders continued to rise robustly. 31/07/07: Bank of Ireland has revised downwards its forecast for house prices in Ireland 30/07/07: Total Produce plc, the Fyffes spinoff that distributes fresh produce across Europe, has acquired 92% of Wholefoods Wholesale, Ireland's leading health foods distributor 26/07/07: Deloitte and Enterprise Ireland have announced a new venue for CEO Forum 2007, at the Radisson SAS Royal Dublin Hotel, and a day later in Limerick for the firs time 26/07/07: Friends First chief economist Jim Power has said that the sharp slowdown in housing activity will put pressure on tax revenues and employment levels in the economy 26/07/07: Bank of Ireland Group has announced plans to establish a specialist business in Belfast to service the rapidly growing offshore alternative investment funds market, creating 149 new jobs in the process 25/07/07: The hotel industry performed strongly in 2006 and occupancy rates in Dublin reached an all time high of 76.8% 24/07/07: The Irish housing market is on the brink of adjustment and it is now likely that output will fall significantly over the rest of 2007 and into 2008, according to Davy Stockbrokers 23/07/07: German company Hypo Real Estate is to acquire Dublin based bank Depfa in a deal valuing the company at €5.7m 19/07/07: Caribbean wireless telecoms operator Digicel, owned by Irish billionaire Denis O'Brien, has issued a claim in the English High Court against Cable and Wireless plc and some of its subsidiaries. 19/07/07: Companies supported by Enterprise Ireland achieved €11.7 billion in export sales last year an increase of 12.1% on 2005, according to EI's annual report 18/07/07: Cork based commercial property investment firm CMC capital has acquired German appliance manufacturer AEG-Electrolux's HQ building for €60m 18/07/07: Private equity house Quinlan Private has spent approximately €60m in acquiring a 50% interest in a new office and hotel complex in Frankfurt 16/07/07 - Ulster Bank announced today that it will spend more than €1m over three years to become the title sponsor of the Dubiln Theatre Festival 16/07/07 Merrill Lynch has announced the establishment of a €30m new Research, Development & Innovation (RDI) Centre at its offices in Leopardstown in Dublin. Up to 40 new, high-value, research-based jobs will be created at the centre 16/07/07 - The €20m Athlone Springs Hotel has just opened in the up-and-coming midland town of Athlone 16/07/07 - Capital Bars announced today that it will be providing free wireless Internet access via a service from free-hotspot.com 12/07/07 - O'Connor, Leddy & Holmes (OCLH) has been appointed as the new Irish member of PKF International, a global association of business advice and accountancy firms 11/07/07 - VIVAS Health announced a 15% introductory discount to its corporate health insurance plans today 11/07/07 - Professional services firm Mazars has announced the establishment of its new practice in Belfast 11/07/07 - Chambers Ireland called today for the government to make the procurement and tendering process more accommodating to small and medium enterprises 11/07/07: Magnet Business has launched a 10Mb DSL business broadband service 10/07/07: The online recruitment sector grew in Ireland during the second quarter of this year according to the new Monster Employment Index 10/07/07 - Employment services company CPL Resources, plc announced on 8 July that it had acquired the assets of the Richmond Recruitment group 09/07/07: O2 has become the latest mobile operator to launch a broadband service, offering data speeds of up to 3.6Mbps from €30 a month 09/07/07: Funds raised by Irish technology firms declined to €62.6m in the first half of 2007, compared to €83.7m in the same period of 2006 06/07/07: Retail and wholesale group Musgrave has acquired the Northern Irish wholesale firm J&J Haslett for an undisclosed sum 06/07/07: There was a sharp rise in the number of people on the Live Register in June, while the unemployment rate moved up to its highest level since 2003, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) 05/07/07: The government's Innovation Voucher initiative for SMEs has entered its second phase after the first phase kicked off this week, and the government is encouraging small firms to apply 05/07/07: The turnover of building firms with more than 20 workers more than doubled in the five years from 2000 to 2005, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) 04/07/07 - Supply of and demand for Dublin office space have both risen in 2007 and will likely continue to do so, according to a report by property advisers DTZ Sherry FitzGerald 03/07/07: The latest Exchequer figures show that government finances recorded a deficit of €1,427m in the first half of 2007 03/07/07 - UCD's Smurfit Graduate Business School, and the Sales Institute of Ireland have collaborated to launch a new Advanced Management Diploma in Sales Management 02/07/07 - Most Irish law firms plan to grow their businesses domestically, and for many, staffing is crucial to that growth, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers survey released today. 02/07/07: The growth rate of Irish manufacturing output increased in June after hitting a six-month low in May, according to a report released today by NCB Stockbrokers. 29/06/07: information and communications research centre the Tyndall National Institute has announced a €50m expansion programme which will create 170 new jobs 28/06/07: Electronics contract manufacturer Sanmina-SCI is to undertake a €30m investment for the transformation of its Fermoy, Co Cork, facility into a manufacturing and design centre-of-excellence for the medical industry 27/06/07: Consumers are worried about job loss, inflation, and the recent rise in interest rates, according to a report released today by IIB Bank and ESRI. 27/06/07: UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School is launching a new Advanced Management Diploma in Business & Executive Coaching in collaboration with Peter Bluckert Coaching (PBC) 26/06/07: Dublin-based business and IT consultant Clarion has bought a 51% stake in UK consultancy The Planning Loft for an undisclosed sum 25/06/07: Adults in Ireland rated their financial confidence at an average of 62 out of 100, according to a new survey by Standard Life 25/06/07: Aer Arann and Galway Airport have announced the creation of 30 new jobs as result of a major expansion at the airport by the airline 22/06/07: Bank of Scotland (Ireland) has opened a new office in Drogheda that will provide business banking services to businesses in Louth and the surrounding counties 22/06/07: Smart Telecom has raised €65m in new funding and has been handed full ownership of the T50 fibre ring, valued at €25m, by majority shareholder Brendan Murtagh 22/06/07: The National Pensions Reserve Fund (NPRF) has made a 7.5% return in the first five months of this year following a strong performance by stockmarkets in April and May, with its total value at the end of May set at €20.75 billion 20/06/07: Finance minister Brian Cowen has introduced a bill to abolish Stamp Duty for first time buyers of residential property 20/06/07: Over 50% of companies in the Republic of Ireland expect their business prospects to improve in the year ahead and a further 30% believe their business performance will remain the same, according to the latest Ulster Bank Business Confidence Survey 19/06/07: The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that in the first quarter of the year, more people from Ireland traveled abroad than there were incoming visitors 19/06/07: Independent News & Media has bought back 2.5m of its own shares as the company faces continued pressure from Denis O'Brien 19/06/07: A new financial services firm, Emerald Financial, is offering to pay the legal fees on all mortgages over €200,000 if the borrower uses an Emerald Financial-approved solicitor 18/06/07: A new report from Sigmar Recruitment shows that there has been a substantial increase in supply chain and logistics roles over the past year and the report predicts a lot more activity for 2007 18/06/07: Cork Chamber chief executive Conor Healy has called on the incoming government to "deliver on key issues" affecting the economic development of the region 18/06/07: Fingal County Enterprise Board (CEB) is launching a new Tech-Check programme for small businesses with free information seminars and access to independent expert IT advice 18/06/07 - Hewlett Packard in Ireland announced on 12th June a weeklong 'Carbon Footprint Challenge" to encourage its employees to live in a more environmentally friendly way. The company, which employs about 4,000 people in Ireland, plans to reduce its energy consumption 20% by 2010 18/06/07: A new study has found that many European employees would not engage in whistle blowing for fear of reprisals 15/06/07: Lapple Ireland has announced with regret that, following a review of its operations, it is to close its manufacturing facility in Carlow, which employs 140 people 14/06/07: Bank of Ireland Business Banking announced today the launch of a business banking proposition for Polish customers, the first service of its kind in Ireland 13/06/07: Rents have increased by 11.9% over the past year as supply falls, according to a new report from property website Daft.ie 11/06/07: SMEs that use design effectively are 2.5 times more likely to experience growth in demand according to a new report from the Centre for Design Innovation 11/06/07: A new survey from telecoms regulator ComReg has found that significant numbers of telecoms customers have begun shopping around to compare prices between operators 11/06/07: A report commissioned by minority shareholder Denis O'Brien is highly critical of the corporate governance structure at Independent News & Media 11/06/07: Bank of Scotland has purchased a 10% equity stake in maritime communications firm Blue Ocean Wireless in a deal valuing the firm at €36m 08/06/07: A survey by the Berkley Recruitment Group has found that 71% of respondents would be willing to take a pay freeze if the government took action to freeze prices on all goods and services 07/06/07: Bank of Ireland Private Banking has spent €309m acquiring a 50% stake of the New Mersey Retail Park on behalf of its clients 06/06/07: The European Central Bank (ECB) has announced an increase of a quarter of a percentage point in interest rates to bring its key rate up to 4.0%, the highest in nearly six years, and has indicated there could be further raises 06/06/07: Corporate law firm Matheson Ormsby Prentice is to relocate to Dublin's Docklands, to what it says will be largest law firm offices in Ireland 06/06/07: New mortgage lending in the first quarter of 2007 was 7.5% lower in value and 19% lower in volume than it was during the first quarter of 2006 05/06/07: Service business in Ireland continued to expand in May but the rate of expansion decreased, according to the latest NCB Purchasing Managers' Services Index. The seasonally adjusted index fell from 58.1 to 54.9, the lowest growth rate since August of 2003 05/06/07: South Dublin County Council is nearing completion of its commercial property revaluation of the area and has posted Proposed Valuation Certificates today to nearly 6,000 commercial and industrial ratepayers 01/06/07: The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the Live Registered fell slightly in May, but rose to its highest level for almost a year when seasonal factors were taken into account 01/06/07: Vodafone Ireland Foundation, Ireland's only corporate foundation, is making available €1 million in funding to registered charities in Ireland, through its 2007 grant application round. 30/05/07: Sandyford Business Estate Association, which represents businesses in Sandyford and Stillorgan Business Estates in Dublin, is mulling a rates protest over the local council's failure to manage the area. 30/05/07: Consumer sentiment improved slightly in May, according to the latest figures from IIB/ESRI, but economists said the mood remained cautious 29/05/07: Employers group IBEC has launched a new e-based business network to boost trade with Asia 28/05/07: InterTradeIreland is calling on companies to register their interest in the All-Island Seedcorn Business Competition, where a record prize fund of €280,000 will be up for grabs by small companies throughout Ireland 28/05/07: Following the launch of its dedicated business start-up package last month, Ulster Bank has dropped its loan rate for entrepreneurs and startups even further to 4.95% variable 23/05/07: The Irish Exporters Association has said the new government faces several challenges in reversing the decline in manufacturing export and employment 23/05/07: The European parliament has voted in favour of a regulation to cap charges on mobile phone users roaming abroad 22/05/07: American Airlines is ending its transatlantic service out of Shannon in October 22/05/07: US medical devices company Conor Medsystems has announced that it will be cutting 165 jobs at its plant in the IDA industrial estate Athlone, Co Westmeath. 21/05/07: A new €20m programme aimed at increasing the number of third level lecturers in the sector will create 35 new engineering posts in Hhgher education institutes over the next four years 21/05/07: VHI Healthcare has opened a new contact in Gweedore, creating 25 jobs at the facility 18/05/07: Former NCB Stockbrokers managing director Padraic O'Connor has been appointed the new chairman of the Irish Stock Exchange 18/05/07: NCB economist Dermot O'Brien is predicting that growth in Ireland's GDP will strenghten this year and that fears of a slowdown are misplaced. 17/05/07: Investec Ireland has announced record pre-tax profits of €24m for the year to 31 March 2007 across all business units, an increase of 147% on the same period last year (2006: €9.7m) 17/05/07: The Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland (CPA) has become the first professional accountancy body to give students the option of tailoring their studies depending on whether they wish to work in industry or in professional practice 17/05/07: Progressive Democrats leader Michael McDowell has warned that an alliance of Fine Gael, Labour and the Greens in government would result in higher taxation. 16/05/07: University College Cork is to host seminar on how SMEs can take better advantage of Irish and EU R&D funding 16/05/07: Telecoms services firm Obelisk as announced that it will treble its staff by recruiting 100 new employees over the next twelve months 15/05/07: A new investment opportunity and exit mechanism for owners of independent retailers in the builders' providers, home improvements and DIY market, has been announced by Associated Hardware (AHL) 15/05/07: The number of people in employment in Ireland continues to rise but the rate of growth has slowed down, according to the CSO's quarterly national household survey. 15/05/07: Ireland's software piracy rate dropped by one percentage point to 36% during 2006 and is now in line with the European Union average 14/05/07: The merger between financial services firms Independent Trustee Company and Lower Hatch Holdings has been finalised following regulatory approval. 14/05/07: The new Communications Regulation (Amendment) Act has been signed into law and will strengthen the enforcement powers of telecoms regulator ComReg 14/05/07: Aer Arann has announced a major expansion from Waterford airport, with a new route to Birmingham together with increased flight frequency on the existing London, Luton and Manchester services, creating 45 new jobs in the process 10/05/07: Venture capital investment in Ireland slacked off a bit in the first quarter of 2007, according to the quarterly European Venture Capital Report released by Dow Jones VentureOne and Ernst & Young 10/05/07: Franchise Development Services (FDS), an international franchise consultancy and publishing group, has appointed HJM Business Development as its Franchise Development Services International (FDSI) Associate for Ireland 10/05/07: The Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) has published the results of its fourth independent annual report on the Quality of Service performance of An Post, and they don't bode well for An Post 10/05/07: Enterprise Ireland and Invest Northern Ireland have launched a new cross-border business incubation programme, Transform - Ideas into Businesses 09/05/07: Helix Health, the new Irish healthcare technology company formed earlier this year through the merger of healthcare companies Medico and Systems Solutions, is to create 20 new programming and technical support jobs over the next two years 09/05/07: 2007 was the worst year for job creation by small firms, with just 7,787 new positions being created by businesses in the sector 08/05/07: Clothing chain A-Wear has been sold for an undisclosed sum by Brown Thomas in a management buyout deal 08/05/07: BT Ireland and Nortel have announced a new and strategic partnership to bring Nortel's leading communications system to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) 08/05/07: The Irish Home Builders Association has said that its members will no longer co-operate with local authorities on the direct sale of Part V affordable houses 08/05/07: The seasonally adjusted Live Register total increased from 157,500 in March to 158,200 in April, an increase of 700 or 0.04% 04/05/07: Smurfit Kappa Cartons is to close its plant in Coolock in Dublin later this year with the loss of 140 jobs 04/05/07: The seasonally adjusted Live Register total increased from 157,500 in March to 158,200 in April, an increase of 700. This compares with a decrease of 300 in March 03/05/07: The establishment of the Management Development Council has been announced, as recommended by the Small Business Forum 01/05/07: A new study from Merrion Stockbrokers says the majority of homebuilders expect completions to decline in 2007, but are much more confident on pricing 01/05/07: There was a slight fall in the number of new company formations in the first quarter of 2007, according to the latest Bank of Ireland's business startup barometer 01/05/07: The Irish manufacturing sector posted a solid improvement in April, recovering from a four month low in March, according to the latest NCB Purchasing Managers' Index 30/04/07: A new service from Simpson PR promises to help early stage tech firms raise their profile in order to attract BES or venture capital investment 30/04/07: Year on year growth in property asking prices has been slowing consistently over the last twelve months and stood at just 2.1% in April, compared to 13.8% in April 2006 27/04/07: Louth based telecoms firm Digiweb scooped two awards at the ICT Excellence Awards, including the overall ICT Company of the Year award 27/04/07: Green Party TD Eamon Ryan said today that Progressive Democrats leader Michael McDowell has employed the same underhand tactics his party was founded to fight against. 27/04/07: House prices nationally fell by 0.5% in Q1 compared with the final quarter of 2006, according to the Permanent TSB/ESRI house price index 25/04/07: Pharmaceutical firm Wyeth Biotech is to invest €24m establishing a new process development and R&D laboratory at its plant in Clondalkin 25/04/07: Bank of Scotland (Ireland) has opened a new business banking office in Kilkenny City that will provide business banking services to businesses in Kilkenny and the surrounding counties 25/04/07: The report of the Business Regulation Forum has been launched with the goal of finding ways to cut down on unnecessary costs for businesses created by the need to fill out forms and make returns 24/04/07: The deadline for entries to the first European Women Inventors and Innovators Network awards will fall on April 30 24/04/07: Outsourced payroll services provider Northgate has acquired Confidential Payroll for an undisclosed sum. 23/04/07: Research from AIB Corporate Banking has estimated that the government's new Home Computing Initiative could be worth €140m to Irish businesses 23/04/07: Publicly quoted mobile software firm Zamano has paid €1.7m to acquire mobile content developer Eirborne Text Promotions 20/04/07: Software firm NitroSell is to expand its Cork operation and increase its workforce from 16 to 67 people. 20/04/07: The Progressive Democrats have pledged to introduce Stamp Duty reform in a new government before the Dáil summer recess 20/04/07: Life Sciences Ireland, a division of the Irish Exporters Association (IEA), has launched a range of training and development programmes for the sector 20/04/07: Chip development firm RedMere Technology has raised €3.6m in funding from investors, brining the amount invested in the company to €9.9m in the past six months 20/04/07: Japanese online game developer Gala is to establish its European headquarters in Dublin's Digital Hub, creating 32 jobs 19/04/07: Marks & Spencer has announced plans to anchor a new retail development in Athlone Town Centre in Co Westmeath in autumn 2007, creating 100 new jobs 19/04/07: The UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business has announced two new Executive MBA programmes - an MBA in Financial Services and an MBA in Regulation and Compliance 19/04/07: Ireland's accountants are twice as pessimistic about the business climate than they were six months ago, with many believing the economy will continue to disimprove into 2008 18/04/07: Fianna Fail's pre-election policy document on the economy has qualified the tax cuts pledge made by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern at the party's Ard Fheis. 18/04/07: An ad-hoc group of Irish business people have formed their own trade delegation to tour Silicon Valley and create closer bonds with companies and people in the 'mecca' of the IT world 18/04/07: Residential property prices in Ireland fell by an average of 3% through the first quarter to 2007, according to property website MyHome.ie. 18/04/07: Halifax has announced plans to launch the 'best value' personal current account in Ireland from May 21, with 10% interest paid on balances up to €2,000. 17/04/07: Some 250 jobs are to be created over the next five years in both Limerick and Shannon Free Zone as a result of expansions by five companies 17/04/07: The Quinn Group has announced plans for 500 more jobs at the former Bupa base in Fermoy following the group's acquisition of the health insurer 17/04/07: Estate agents CB Richard Ellis have branded a shock horror TV show about Ireland's property market as 'irresponsible'. 16/04/07: Ulster Bank has launched a new dedicated Business Start-Up Package, offering customers transaction fee free banking 16/04/07: Fianna Fáil has launched its main economic policy document, promising a broad range of tax cuts if it is re-elected in the upcoming general election 16/04/07: A group of investors led by Quinlan Private has spend €1.6 billion on the acquisition of 47 hotels operated by Marriott in the UK 16/04/07: The construction sector continued to expand during March, but growth slowed according the Ulster Bank construction Purchasing Managers Index 16/04/07: US dental insurance management firm DeCare is to create 100 new jobs over the next five years through an expansion of its Cork based subsidiary 13/04/07: Radisson SAS hotel is to open its new Dublin city centre hotel this June, creating 120 new jobs 13/04/07: The seasonally adjusted live register declined slightly during March, dropping 300 to 157,500 from 157,800 in February 12/04/07: It is currently taking 45 working days to process work permits and green cards for foreign nationals but new procedures will eventually alleviate application problems, according to consultancy firm Deloitte 12/04/07: The IDA is giving grant aid to US company Paragon Global Resources, which specialises in relocation services around the world. 11/04/07: The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that the economy saw strong growth in industrial production from December to February 11/04/07: International biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences has announced plans to invest €60m in developing a new pharmaceutical plant at Grange Castle Business Park in Clondalkin, Dublin, creating 80 new jobs 11/04/07: Irish firms were involved in acquisitions and disposals worth more than €15 billion last year, a 20% increase on 2005 and Bank of Ireland is forecasting activity to increase again in 2007 10/04/07: Irish alternative energy company Wavebob has announced that it is to provide technical consulting services concerning the conversion of ocean wave energy into useful power to Chevron Technology Ventures (CTV) 10/04/07: Irish Life & Permanent (IL&P) has set up a new subsidiary - Bluecubeloans - that will provide personal loans by phone and internet 05/04/07 Meat processing firm McCarrens has announced a €2.5m expansion programme that will create 40 new jobs at its pig processing facility in Cavan 05/04/07: Telecoms operator Digiweb has been assigned the 088 mobile prefix by ComReg for voice services on its new wireless network 04/04/07: Property portal Propertynews.com has said that it has captured over 65% market share of all property for sale on the island of Ireland 04/04/07: Nua Homeloans, a new joint venture between Finance Ireland and banking group Investec Holdings Ireland, is set to introduce a new sub-prime mortgage product 04/04/07: Benchmark Capital partner and Bebo.com director Barry Maloney was the first guest speaker at the NovaUCD Entrepreneurs Live seminar series 04/04/07: The Companies Registration Office (CRO) has introduced a new online filing system for company directors to file their annual returns 04/04/07: Activity and new orders in the services sector continued to rise sharply in March, according to the PMI issued monthly by NCB. However the level of business confidence was the least marked for six months. 03/04/07: The winners of this year's Genesis Enterprise awards have been announced, with Marwin Environmental Trading, based at the Cork Institute of Technology, winning the Emerging Business of the Year award 03/04/07: Malév Hungarian Airlines has joined leading global airline alliance Oneworld and can now offer its customers a much wider global reach 03/04/07: A survey from O2 Ireland has found a dramatic increase in teleworking or working from home among owner-managers and senior executives in Irish SMEs 02/04/07: According to Dublin company Hammer.ie, €1.8m is spent every year on auction property home surveys. The company has launched a new website service that it said will help home buyers to lower their survey costs 02/04/07: Vodafone Ireland has announced a complete prepay review that sees two new price plans and free texts or weekends 'for life' offerings 02/04/07: Chambers Ireland and its partner Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) have announced that they are seeking nominations for the fourth annual President's Awards for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) 30/03/07: Ryanair has reacted with fury after a leaked document revealed that EU regulators have decided that the airline's proposed purchase of Aer Lingus would harm competition 30/03/07: Northern Irish services company Resource has bought Dublin-based support services firm Masterclean Services for an undisclosed sum 30/03/07: Satellite TV operator Sky is to create 100 new customer service jobs in Cork through its partnership with business process outsourcing firm Abtran 29/03/07: Pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline has announced that it is to create 150 new high level positions at its Currabinny facility in Cork 28/03/07: The trade group Trade Facilitation Ireland has launched its inaugural publication, 'Single Window Ireland - Facilitating Our Trade', a vision statement for a new way to propel Ireland to the forefront of facilitating international trade 28/03/07: Employers group IBEC has advised companies to review and update continuity plans in light of new risks, such as a possible flu pandemic 28/03/07: Irish company Silicon & Software Systems (S3) is to invest €9m in an R&D investment at its facilities in Cork and Dublin, creating 20 new high-value R&D roles 28/03/07: Bank of Ireland has said that the Irish housing market has already reached a peak, but a sharp rise in private sector rents proves demand for housing remains strong 27/03/07: Figures from telecoms regulator ComReg indicated that for the first time, 50% of Ireland's internet users are accessing the web with broadband 27/03/07: IT giant IBM has said that it will create 130 new jobs at its IBM Tivoli software development labs in Cork and Galway 27/03/07: An emergency plan is in place in Co Kildare after a number of serious car crashes on the M7 motorway involving up to 40 vehicles. 26/03/07: Bank of Ireland Private Banking has said that the property investment market reached a turning point in 2006, with the drivers of return shifting away from falling interest rates and yield compressions 26/03/07: Telecoms firm Digiweb plans to create 200 new jobs over the next three years following the opening of its new data centre in Dublin 26/03/07: The total investment by Irish businesses in research and development is expected to exceed €1.5 billion per annum for the first time 23/03/07: A new report by the Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies in UCD has found that venture capital backed firms continue to provide the impetus for development of a knowledge based economy 22/03/07: US credit reporting firm Equifax has announced that it is to create a further 180 jobs over the next five years at its Wexford facility 22/03/07: The Science Foundation Ireland is to invest up to €18m a year in a new programme that will create 150 extra research posts in third level institutions 21/03/07: The Green Party will outline proposals tomorrow for the abolition of motor tax. However the tax would be replaced with an equally punitive emissions levy. 27/03/07: Enterprise minister Micheál Martin has unveiled a €10m fund to assist small Irish firms to become more innovative. 16/03/07: Chambers Ireland is urging the government to reform Ireland's visa policy for non-EEA residents 16/03/06: Zed Candy has announced that it will be closing its plant in Kilcock, Co Kildare in mid-2008 with the loss of 75 jobs 15/03/07: Fine Gael has pledged to implement major reforms to the stamp duty tax if elected to government. 14/03/07: Online savings and investment bank RaboDirect has entered the personal lending market with the launch of the RaboDirect Credit Account 14/03/07: Voluntary recycling initiative Repak and the Environmental Protection Agency have announced a €200,000 packaging prevention programme 12/03/07: Ardagh Glass Group has announced the acquisition of UK plc Rexam's glass container manufacturing division for €660m 12/03/07: Energy minister Noel Dempsey has unveiled details of the government's new energy policy in a White Paper. 09/03/07: In another blow for the Irish economy, Zomax/MPO, an outsource supply chain services company, has announced the immediate closure of its facility at Blanchardstown in Dublin with the loss of 98 jobs 09/03/07: Management consultancy firm Accenture has said that it plans on recruiting an additional 100 employees to its expanding Irish operations 08/03/07: Anglo Irish Bank has raised the interest it pays across its range of personal savings accounts effective from Friday March 9. 07/03/07: Enterprise Ireland has said that indigenous Irish companies that it supports will create more than 1,250 new jobs in the coming years 07/03/07: Most Irish pension schemes are designed to meet the needs of employers rather than scheme members, according to the Pensions Ombudsman, Paul Kenny 07/03/07: Procter & Gamble has announced that it is to shed 280 jobs at its cosmetics manufacturing plant in Nenagh 06/03/07: Eircom has announced that it is to make life easier for broadband users who wish to change provider, with the introduction of a new system 06/03/07: NCB has raised €20m from clients of its wealth management division for new venture Canford Healthcare 05/03/07: The job market in the technology sector remains buoyant but the drain of jobs to low-cost locations looks set to continue 05/03/07: Internet auction site eBay has announced that it now has 500,000 Irish users, the equivalent of 58% of all Irish internet users 03/03/07: Davy Stockbrokers, Ireland's leading broker, has moved to reassure investors that they should keep faith with shares despite last week's collapse in prices 02/03/07: Alternative telecoms representative organisation ALTO has urged ComReg to deny eircom further funding 01/03/07: Mapping and location software firm Mapflow has secured €3.8m in funding in a round lead by Sean O'Sullivan's SOSventures 01/03/07: SSIA savers whose equity policies matured at the end of February have lost between €1,000 and €,1800 due to the recent weakness in equity markets 01/03/07: Lenovo has become the latest laptop manufacturer to announce a battery recall 01/03/07: The Purchasing Managers Index for February recorded strong growth, signalling a return to health for the Irish manufacturing sector 28/02/07: IT security firm EuroKom has bought Unit 4 Agresso Security Solutions Ireland Ltd. 27/02/07: A new survey of mortgage brokers has reported lower mortgage approvals than a year ago, but the market appears resilient 26/02/07: Sales at the Centra convenience store chain increased by 17% during 2006 to reach €1.2 billion 26/02/07: Training provider SureSkills is teaming up with FAS to present a new training programme for newly recruited employees and graduates 26/02/07: A new programme of training courses, networking opportunities and mentoring will be targeted at small business managers in the Dublin IT sector 23/02/07: A new report from telecoms regulator ComReg has found that while Eircom's speed at providing a telephone service has improved, the number of faults reported has increased 23/02/07: Finance minister Brian Cowen has announced that the government has approved the publication of the Asset Covered Securities (Amendment) Bill 2007 which will amend and update the Asset Covered Securities Act 2001. 23/02/07: Wireless broadband operator Digiweb has secured a mobile broadband license in Norway and will launch there during 2008 22/02/07: US software group VMare is to create 369 jobs in its technical support centre in Ballincollig, Cork 22/02/07: Ryanair said that there was no truth to reports that the company was about to mount a fresh bid to takeover Aer Lingus 21/02/07: US-owned company Sanmina has announced that it will be shutting down its plant in Lisburn, Co Antrim resulting with up to 300 job losses 21/02/07: The Maxol Group and BWG Foods have announced agreement on an exclusive forecourt partnership agreement for the next five years, worth €80m per year in retail turnover 21/02/07: Capital grants totalling €86m by the government have been announced for the country's six regional airports 20/02/07: A high number of vacancies in certain sectors is causing salaries to increase, in some cases quite significantly 19/02/07: Enterprise minister Micheál Martin has announced that €40m will be allocated to for research in agriculture, food, health, the marine, energy and the environment 19/02/07: Minster for Finance Brian Cowen has published the results of the 2006 Review of the Business Expansion Scheme (BES) and Seed Capital Scheme (SCS) 19/02/07: Renewable electricity supplier Airtricity has won a €1.1 billion contract to help build a wind project in Texas which could serve over one million homes 16/02/07: The European Commission (EC) has lifted its forecast for eurozone growth this year to 2.4% from 2.1% 16/02/07: Web hosting provider Blacknight has cut its prices on domain names for a limited period, from mid-February to mid-March 15/02/07: The Pensions Board has published its report on trusteeship and recommended that pension scheme administrators should be registered and supervised 15/02/07: Trinity College spin-off company Cellix has raised €800,000 in seed capital in a funding round led by NCB Ventures 14/02/07: DCC plc and businessman Joe Moran have agreed to sell Manor Park Homebuilders in its entirety 13/02/07: The Competition Authority has said that competition in the health insurance market has been held up by public policy choices and as long as the market is underpinned by those choices, competition will be constrained 13/02/07: Cork based mobile top-up supplier Yq International has acquired Dublin-based Lighthouse vending for an undisclosed sum 09/02/07: Business and employer's group IBEC has expressed optimism about industry jobs in the face of recent job losses, saying that there was an improvement in 2006 on the 2005 statistics 08/02/07: Enterprise Ireland has launched an International Selling Programme in Cork to help Irish companies win more export sales and boost profits 08/02/07: Denis O'Brien has increased his stake in Independent News and Media and now owns over 5% of the company 07/02/07: The Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC) and the Small Firms Association (SFA) are setting up a service to offer funding advice to Irish business to increase awareness on grants 07/02/07: Irish SMEs could avoid €100m a year in energy costs by exploiting opportunities for energy efficiency gains, Sustainable Energy Ireland has said 07/02/07: The National Competitiveness Council has warned that domestic consumption and construction investment have replaced net exports as the drivers of growth 06/02/07: The Financial Regulator has warned homeowners about equity release schemes and said some could find debt difficult to cope with later in life 06/02/07: UCD-based accounting software developer Visor has raised €1m in funding from Enterprise Ireland and a number of private investors 05/02/07: The Institute of Technology Tallaght has unveiled a new €3.5m state-of-the-art innovation space called Synergy Centre that provides office space and business support to early-stage enterprises 05/02/07: Walsh Western International, headquartered in Dublin, has consolidated its position as one of Europe's leading logistics companies by acquiring TDS Logistics, a specialist provider to the automotive sector. 05/02/07: The Halo Business Angels Partnership has announced that it has raised €20m to invest in startup and developing companies 02/02/07: Telecoms regulator ComReg has revealed that Eircom has requested the establishment of a fund to meet the costs of its universal service obligations 01/02/07: Finance minister Brian Cowen has unveiled details of a new tax incentive scheme for tourism projects along the River Shannon in Finance Bill 2007. 31/01/07: Quinn Group has reached agreement to buy health insurer BUPA's operation in Ireland. 31/01/07: Consumer sentiment improved in January, with the overall consumer sentiment index standing at 93.2, compared to a figure of 89.8 in December 31/01/07: Access Accounting Ireland has moved to larger offices and increased its consultancy and client services team to accommodate the company's continued business growth 31/01/07: Irish Life & Permanent has established a new venture called Springboard Mortgages to target borrowers who get turned down for mortgages from mainstream lenders. 31/01/07: National Irish Bank has reported a pre-tax profit of just €3.5m for 2006, though the surplus before before tax, goodwill and integration costs amounted to €38m. 30/01/07: Microsoft has released Windows Vista and Office 2007 to smaller business customers and consumers today 30/01/07: Computer retailer PC world has put another nail in the coffin of the floppy disk by announcing that it is to stop selling floppy drives and disks 30/01/07: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin has announced the approval of almost €1.5 million in support of five industry networks who are undertaking collaborative projects under the Enterprise Ireland Industry-Led Networks Pilot initiative. 30/01/07: Dublin City Council has announced details of the Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV) cordon restrictions which come into operation on February 19. 29/01/07: A new survey has found that Irish opinion leaders trust businesses more than other institutions, with 50% believing they will do the right thing 29/01/07: Mobile data services firm Zamano has announced that it will seek a supplementary listing on the Irish Enterprise Exchange 26/01/07: Bespoke Trustees, established by Kevin Coghlan and specialising in the provision of Self Administered Pensions (SAPs), has been formallylaunched by minister Dermot Ahern. 26/01/2007: Major companies will be recruiting at Job Scene The Roadshow at the RDS (Concert Hall) on Tuesday 30 January 2007. 26/01/07: Irish-owned Portuguese property developer Oceanico Developments has announced that it is to abandon deposits for new properties in favour of a €15,000 bond 26/01/07: Nominations are now being sought for finalists to participate in the 10th Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year programme. 24/01/07: Enterprise minister Michael Martin has given details of Ireland's new employment permit regime for non-nationals, which takes effect on February 1. 24/01/07: Estate agent Gunne has urged vendors to lower their sights when selling this homes in 2007. 24/01/07: Rugby World Cup 2007, landmark new GAA deals, the World Rally Championships and Seve Trophy all set to push spend by businesses on major sponsorship in Ireland up to a new high of €103m in 2007. 23/01/07: French company FCI Ireland BV has announced it is to close its Co Cork manufacturing plant by the end of next year with the loss of 240 jobs 23/01/07: UK plc White Young Green has bought Athlone based engineering consultants Malachi Cullen & Partners in a €1.6m deal 23/01/07: Clarion Consulting, the Business and IT consulting firm, has secured an Enterprise Resource Planning contract with crisp and snack food manufacturer Largo Foods worth €500,000. 22/01/07: The five firms which graduated through the Dublin Business Innovation Centre raised €7.3m in funding in tripled employment to 66 during 2006 22/01/07: The 2006 property market in Ireland saw growth in capital values for the year as a whole across the country, according to the Annual Property Survey of the Irish Auctioneers and Valuers Institute. 22/01/07: Enterprise minister Micheál Martin has officially opened the new Hedge Fund administration operation for Daiwa Securities Group Inc, located in Dundalk. 22/01/07: A survey by by global talent management consultancy Hudson has found that a majority (77%) of senior executives believes that a fixed quota for annual staff dismissal would boost financial performance and productivity. 19/01/07: ClearTone Technologies has been named the winner of a competition to secure free office space for a year in the new Synergy Centre at the Institute of Technology, Tallaght 19/01/07: Premier Foods, one of UK and Ireland's leading food manufacturers, has announced the acquisition of Chivers Ireland for an undisclosed sum. 18/01/07: The Revenue has updated two VAT Information Leaflets in relation to Solicitors and Retailers. 18/01/07: Vaveeva.com, a new multilingual website aimed at migrants before and after they move to Ireland, is set to launch in mid February. 17/01/07: eBay.ie has announced its Seller of the Year competition, which is designed to encourage Irish entrepreneurs to start selling online 17/01/07: PC manufacturer Dells is predicting that Irish firms will spend more on IT this year as they seek to improve efficiency and productivity 16/01/07: Merrion Stockbrokers has unveiled its top ten Irish stock picks for 2007 - after recording a gain of 50% with the portfolio through 2006. 16/01/07: Dublin e-mail security firm Brandmail Solutions has won a contract with BT Ireland which will see its services rolled out to BT customers 16/01/07: The four-star Brooks Hotel in central Dublin has been named as the Georgina Campbell Business Hotel of the Year 2007 16/01/07: The Financial Ombudsman has awarded damages of €16,500 against an unnamed mortgage broker over a conflict of interest issue 12/01/07: Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is to open a restaurant at the new Powerscourt Ritz-Carlton hotel 12/01/07: The Companies Registration Office has said that it has a collected €102m since 2001 from companies who failed to file their annual returns on time 11/01/07: Analysts have detected a softening of tone at the European Central Bank over the future direction of interest rates. 11/01/2007: Taxi regulator Ger Deering is quitting his role for another State job, this time as director of the new National Employment Rights Authority. 11/01/2007: Labour leader Pat Rabbitte has warned that growing deficit in the balance of payments is a signal that the Irish economy isn't as healthy as most people think. 10/01/07: Preliminary results of a survey of companies who raised funds under the Business Expansion Scheme revealed that 60% employed less than 60 while two thirds had turnover of less than €1m 09/01/07: Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has branded Enda Kenny's suggestion that Dublin should get a second airport as "stupid". 08/01/07: Healthcare software providers Systems Solutions and Medicom have announced a merger that sees Systems Solutions acquire the majority stake in Medicom 08/01/07: The Spanish subsidiary of the Halifax Bank of Scotland group has begun offering mortgages, current and savings accounts along with insurances services to Irish buyers of property in Spain 08/01/07: Consumer sentiment improved in December as the impact of a generous budget outweighed concerns abut a continuing sequence of interest rate increases 08/01/07: A survey from IrishJobs.ie has found that 42% of respondents have made it their New Year's resolution to change jobs 08/01/07: Private equity in the UK has become hugely successful in defeating corporates in auctions, winning 74% of bids compared with only 30% five years ago, as a result of better execution rather than paying more, according to new research from Deloitte 05/01/07: Business morale in the eurozone hit a historic high in December and the jobless rate slid further in November with monthly producer prices holding flat, according to the European Commission (EC) 05/01/07: Investec Ireland's Wealth Management unit has achieved a sale price of £19m (€28m) on behalf of an Irish investment syndicate through the sale of 2 Seething Lane, London EC3 04/01/07: The Irish Exporters Association (IEA) has reported that Irish-owned exporters increased their overseas sales by 10.2% last year to €11.8 billion 04/01/07: Cheltenham Racecourse and Anglo Irish Bank have announced details of the 2007 Cheltenham Irish SME Sponsorship Award 03/01/07: Research from Irish Life & Permanent (ILP) has found that three-quarters of people do not understand that they can pay less tax by putting money into their pension 02/01/07: The manufacturing sector picked up in December after slowing to a 15-month low in November, according to the latest figures from the NCB Purchasing Managers' Index 20/12/06: Enterprise minister Micheál Martin has responded with "utter disbelief" to the decision by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions to lodge a formal complaint with the European Union over the expansion of the Business Expansion Scheme. 19/12/06: UCD-based medical technology firm BiancaMed has raised €2.5m in funding for development and marketing of its health monitoring products 19/12/06: An RTE documentary series in development is offering the principal of a family business a free holiday so they can record how the business gets on without him or her 18/12/06: Vodafone Ireland Foundation (VIF) has announced plans to work with two Irish charities, the Irish Association of Young People In Care (IAYPIC) and OPEN who work with lone parent families throughout the country 18/12/06: The Irish Exporters Association has express unhappiness about the new HGV Management Strategy introduced with the opening of the Dublin Port Tunnel and has said it will damage exporters 18/12/06: Enterprise Ireland has called on SMEs to fully exploit the benefits of technology licensing 15/12/06: Sherry FitzGerald subsidiary DTZ Sherry FitzGerald has acquired property advisors McCormack Property Consultants for an undisclosed sum 14/12/06: Health insurer Bupa has announced that it is to withdraw from the Irish market, citing the payment burden required by the Risk Equalisation Scheme 13/12/06: A new study has found that while employment rates for women are on target, they are still underrepresented in decision making structures 13/12/06: Bank of Ireland has launched a new business card offering, the Gold Visa Business Card, which is specifically designed for business customers 12/12/06: The Director of Corporate Enforcement, Paul Appleby, has warned that thousands of apartment owners risk losing millions on the value of their property if deficiencies in the operation of property management companies are not addressed 12/12/06: In its third acquisition this year, IT services company Calyx has bought the Mentec group of companies in a €16m deal 11/12/06: TV3 has announced that it will become a significant investor in sports television company Setanta 08/12/06: Following the extension of the Business Expansion Scheme for a further seven years, Davy and BDO Simpson Xavier have announced the 2006 Davy BES Scheme, aimed at raising €15m 08/12/06: Irish company Smarthomes has announced a €10m investment in Dundalk that will lead to the creation of 100 new jobs over three years 08/12/06: Eircom has sold its new headquarters building in Dublin to Quinlan Private in a sale and leaseback deal 06/12/06: The annual VAT cash accounting threshold for small firms is being raised from €635,000 to €1 million from 1 March 2007. This allows smaller firms to pay VAT on receipt of payment rather than at the time a sale is made 06/12/06: The Business Expansion Scheme (BES) has been extended by finance minister Brian Cowen for a further seven years, until 2013, in Budget 2007 06/12/06: UCC has become the first Irish university to announce work placement programme for commerce undergraduates 04/12/06: Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly is to invest up to €400m setting up a new manufacturing facility at its existing plant in Kinsale in Co Cork, creating up to 200 new jobs over the next five years 04/12/06: Chambers Ireland has launched a new programme to help companies "grow their IQ" through innovation 04/12/06: Over 97 per cent of chief executives believe that the Minister for Finance should use this week's Budget to introduce incentives to encourage entrepreneurs to set up or expand their businesses, according to a Deloitte survey 30/11/06: The Labour Court has recommended that the minimum wage should rise from €7.65 to €8.65 an hour in 2007 30/11/06: The UCD Michael Smurfit School of Business is stepping up its drive to attract the best MBA candidates by launching a series of new scholarships for the 2007/08 academic year worth €165,000 29/11/06: Microsoft Ireland and the Irish Management Institute (IMI) have announced plans to develop a €2m National Productivity Centre (NPC) 29/11/06: Ulster Bank has launched a €500m loan fund, available to companies operating in the waste management sector 29/11/06: The Health Service Executive (HSE) is looking for SMEs interested in securing the executive as a client, but the closing date for applications is this Friday December 1 28/11/06: The Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas (ASPO) is to hold its sixth International Conference in University College Cork on September 17 and 18 of next year 28/11/06: Elite Multi Room Systems, a provider of high quality home entertainment and multi-room music systems, has just opened a state-of-the-art demonstration room at its new Home Cinema Center in Dalkey, Co Dublin 27/11/06: Consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has launched 'How to…sell your business', a comprehensive guide that provides practical advice to business owners considering the sale of their business 27/11/06: The Wine Buff opened three new shops in as many weeks bringing the total number to 14 24/11/06: Print cartridge refill firm Cartridge World won two awards at the Irish Franchise Association Awards 24/11/06: Irish mobile marketing company Return2Sender has announced the launch of what it calls Ireland's first mobile advertising campaign 23/11/06: A competition to win free office space at Dungarvan Shopping Centre in Waterford has been extended to January 26, 2007. 23/11/06: Irish Life & Permanent (IL&P) has announced that it has selected BT Ireland as its voice and data network partner 23/11/06: Fine Gael transport spokeswoman Olivia Mitchell TD said the traffic chaos on the N11 yesterday was an indictment of Traffic Corps management and the ability of the corps to perform its primary function 23/.11/06: The Society of Actuaries in Ireland has expressed concern that certain investment products, in particular those relating to overseas property, are outside the scope of consumer protection regulation 23/11/06: Property website Daft.ie has retained its title as the busiest website in the country, according to the latest independent audit of internet traffic by ABC Electronic 23/11/06: Xsil, which makes laser micro-machining systems to the semi-conductor industry, has scooped the top prize in this year's Deloitte Technology Fast 50 awards due to revenue growth of 17,300% over the last five years 22/11/06: Members have the Aer Lingus employee share ownership trust have voted overwhelmingly to reject Ryanair's takeover bid for the company 22/11/06: IBM has won the overall award for Outstanding Achievement in CSR at Chambers Ireland's President's Awards for Corporate Social Responsibility 21/11/06: Business law firm Mason Hayes+Curran has announced the appointment of six partners 21/11/06: Networking firm Cisco has announced that it will open an R&D centre in Galway which will create 200 high skills jobs 21/11/06: Food giant Greencore has submitted a €1.1 billion development plan for Carlow Town to Carlow County Council 20/11/06: A new survey of Irish small and medium sized businesses, which make up 97% of Irish enterprises, reveals an easing in confidence levels compared to two years ago 16/11/06: Swiftcall has announced the acquisition of Dublin-based telecoms firm Ninetel for an undisclosed sum 15/11/06: Eircom has promised to spend an extra €300m over the next three years on improving its telecoms infrastructure 15/11/06: Google has announced that it will create over 500 jobs at its EMEA headquarters in Dublin with the support of IDA Ireland. 14/11/06: Ryanair has announced that it is to extend its takeover offer for Aer Lingus to December 4 following a poor response from shareholders 14/11/06: Vodafone has reported that average revenues per customer have fallen to €46.90 a month during the third quarter, down from €48.80 in the second quarter and €53.10 in the third quarter of 2005 13/11/06: Mobile operator O2 said its average revenues per user fell to €45 per month in the third quarter, down from €46 in the previous quarter and €47 during the same period last year 13/11/06: Three new initiatives have been launched to assist the small business sector embrace new technology 10/11/06: The seasonally adjusted volume of industrial production for manufacturing industries was down 0.2% in the third quarter compared to the second 10/11/06: The first service using the Azotel wireless broadband solution has been rolled out in Roscommon 09/11/06: US firm Digital River is to establish a new European headquarters at the Shannon Free Zone, creating 350 jobs over the next five years 09/11/06: A majority of top Irish chief executives are less optimistic about the Irish economy than they were twelve months ago 08/11/06: US electronics firm CEM solutions has announced plans to create 100 jobs at a new engineering and research centre in Belfast 07/11/06: Pharmaceutical firm Merck Sharp & Dohme is to establish a research and development centre and new manufacturing facility at its Tipperary plant 07/11/06: Eight firms have been chosen to take part in the second phase of the national digital terrestrial television trial 06/11/06: The Simon Communities of Ireland have urged businesses not to send Christmas Cards this year and instead make a donation to the charity 03/11/06: A major new €200m retail park scheme has been announced for Tyrrelstown, Dublin 15 02/11/06: Bank of Ireland has reported that 2006 was another record year for mortgage numbers but said property price inflation would slow next year 02/11/06: BT Ireland has announced an new initiative in the telecoms market with its new all-in-one communications package for small to medium enterprises (SMEs) 01/11/06: ESB Independent Energy (ESBIE) has launched an Energy Advice Booklet for business customers in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland 01/11/06: The Purchasing Managers' Index for October signalled a solid improvement in Irish manufacturing business conditions, though the latest expansion was the least marked since March 01/11/2006: Managers and staff at Davy Stockbrokers have completed an MBO that is worth €317m to the vendor, Bank of Ireland 31/10/06: Prepaid credit card firm 3V Transaction Services has raised €20m in first round funding from Atlas Ventures and Benchmark Capital 31/10/06: Smart Telecom has lost its bid to regain the 3G mobile license withdrawn from it by telecoms regulator ComReg 31/10/06: The business and employers group IBEC has announced details of a new accreditation for graduates on its Export Orientation Programme (EOP) 31/10/06: Mobile data services firm Zamano today commenced trading on the London Alternative Investments Market 26/10/06: The National Competitiveness Council (NCC)has released a new publication, Statement on the Costs of Doing Business in Ireland, that shows the country is cost competitive with a number of other countries 25/10/06: The Irish entertainment and media market is currently the fastest growing in Europe, according to a new report from consultancy firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) 25/10/06: Consumer marketing website Pigsback.com has raised €4m in funding from UK private investor group Hotbed and some existing shareholders 24/10/06: Jeff Skilling, the former chief executive of Enron, has been sentenced to more than 24 years in prison on 19 counts of fraud, conspiracy and insider trading which led to the collapse of the energy giant in 2001 23/10/06: The Irish Medical Devices Association has called on the government to appoint a chief manufacturing advisor in its 2007 budget submission 20/10/06: NTR subsidiary Bioverda has announced that it will build a vegetable oil-based biodiesel facility at Cork port 19/10/06: Transport minister Martin Cullen has announced the route the new Metro north rail line will take between Dublin's city centre and Swords 19/10/06: The National Competitiveness Council has said that productivity growth was one of the key drivers of Ireland's economic success, but has begun to fall off 19/10/06: Eircom has announced that it will upgrade a further 100 telephone exchanges with DSL broadband technology 18/10/06: Confectionery giant Cadbury has announced that it plans to layoff 450 jobs at its Coolock plant in Dublin over the next two to three years as part of a restructuring plan 17/10/06: Mobile operator Vodafone has pledged 1m free text messages to the Irish Blood Transfusion Services Board as part of its Corporate Responsibility programme 17/10/06: National Irish Bank has launched a new mortgage that has a pricing model that directly links the interest rate to the value of the property 16/10/06: Drogheda-based technology firm RedMere has announced that has raised €6.5m in its first found of venture capital funding 16/10/06: Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has officially opened the new ArcLab Research and Innovation Centre at Waterford Institute of Technology 12/10/2006: Microrpint, based in Tallaght, has bought Lithographic Web Press's printing operations. Litho's plant in Glasnevin will close when the deal goes through 12/10/06: National Irish Bank has announced the cessation of cash services at its Howth Road branch in Dublin due to the recent kidnapping of a branch official 12/10/06: Davy Stockbrokers Private Client division has opened an office in Galway to support its clients in the region 11/10/06: Chambers Ireland has called on the government to cut VAT rather than income tax in its upcoming pre-election budget 11/10/06: The Competition Authority has announced that it failed to make a decision on the takeover of Statoil's Irish business by Topaz before its deadline had passed 10/10/06: Bank of Ireland has begun offering a new mortgage package aimed at home buyers who are trading up 10/10/06: Radio station Newstalk 106 has launched a new competition for students who are aspiring entrepreneurs 06/10/06: Anglo Irish bank has announced the opening of its sixth regional office in Sligo 05/10/06: Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin has launched the FSI International Life Insurance Skillnet to train people in the insurance industry 05/10/06: PepsiCo has announced that it will be establishing its global research and development centre for next-generation products at its Cork facility as well as locating its Worldwide Concentrate Headquarters in Cork 05/10/06: Ryanair has launched a takeover bid for Aer Lingus that values the airline at €1.48 billion after buying a 16% stake in recent days 04/10/06: The National Consumer Agency has said that an unregulated property management industry is leaving apartment dwellers vulnerable 02/10/06: Belfast call centre operator Gem has announced the creation of 300 new jobs on the back of securing two new contracts 02/10/06: Estate agent Sherry FitzGerald said the average price of second hand property rose by 2.6% in the third quarter of this year, a slower rate of growth than recorded in the past twelve months 29/09/06: Communications regulator ComReg has reported that An Post's rate of delivery within one working day has declined by 5% 29/09/06: Unilever Ireland has announced that it is to close its plant in Inchicore in Dublin by the end of next March, with the loss of 125 jobs 29/09/06: CPL Resources founder Anne Heraty has been named as the 2006 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 26/09/06: The Dublin and Northern Ireland chambers of commerce are launching an all-Ireland lobbying initiative aimed at what they call "poor infrastructure and rising costs of doing business" on the island of Ireland 26/09/06: Snap Printing has completed a €4m investment in developing its 20,000 sq ft centralised facility at Baldonnell, Dublin 26/09/06: A new study has found that while job satisfaction in the workforce is high, 61% of workers claim that they are overworked 26/09/06: Wireless broadband supplier Digiweb has announced a new range of web hosting packages for business users 22/09/06: Cash strapped telecoms firm Smart has revealed that it is to cut its workforce from 348 to 100 22/09/06: Dublin City University has unveiled a new Graduate Diploma and Masters programme in strategic procurement 22/09/06: The European Commission has proposed to increase the financial support Member States may give to companies beyond formal state aid 22/09/06: Independent News and Media has announced that its Northern Ireland based PropertyNews.com is to begin operating south of the border 20/09/06: A majority of businesses in Northern Ireland expect to increase their turnover in the next three months 18/09/06: The wholesaling sector could be one of the major areas of growth in the Irish economy over the next five to ten years, cementing Ireland's position as a world leader in the field, according to the head of AIB's retail sector 18/09/06: UCD has announced that it intends to force its business school into the global elite following completion of a ten-year strategy 18/09/06: Enterprise minister Micheál Martin is leading an Enterprise Ireland trade mission to South Africa 15/09/06: Troubled telecoms firm Smart has announced that it is to cut 76 jobs in field sales and related functions 13/09/06: Slattery's Travel has bought rival tour operation Stein Travel for an undisclosed sum 13/09/06: Print firm Absolute Print has introduced a new digital printing service for trade printers 12/09/06: The number of immigrants into Ireland in the 12 months to April 2006 is estimated to have been 86,900 which is the highest figure recorded since the present series of annual migration estimates began in 1987 12/09/06: Sherry FitzGerald has expanded its presence in London to twelve offices with the purchase of London estate agents Vanstons 11/09/06: The fourth survey of business sentiment in the commercial property market is predicting higher office and retail rents 11/09/06: The latest industrial production data shows a continuation of the strong momentum seen in Irish industry in recent months 11/09/06: Eircom has announced that it is to cut prices on residential and business broadband packages by up to 25% 08/09/06: New figures from the Companies Registration Office (CRO) show that over 6,000 companies were struck off in the first eight months of this year 08/09/06: The developers of the €130m Bridgewater Centre say the centre will provide around 750 jobs when it opens in autumn 2007 07/09/06: Northern Trust Corporation is to establish its second fund administration operation for Ireland in Limerick, creating 300 new jobs 07/09/06: FÁS and Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) have launched SalesWISE, a new nationwide domestic sales management programme for SMEs 06/09/06: The Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) has launched the new sections to its website, www.callcosts.ie, which now allows consumers to compare home phone and broadband packages offered by telecoms operators 06/09/06: Outsourcing and its offshore counterpart, offshoring, are increasing in prominence for both the public and private sector organisations according to a key business analyst 05/09/06: Dublin financial practice FGS, formerly known as Farrell Grant Sparks, has merged with Northern Ireland firm McClure Watters and Longford firm Lyons Keenan Kilemade to create the six largest practice in the country 05/09/06: Both the business and employers group IBEC and the CTU have accepted the terms of the new social partnership deal Towards 2016 04/09/06: Horizon Technology is selling is IT distribution division Clarity to UK firm Westcoast 01/09/06: The number of people on the Live Register rose by 600 in August to stand at 158,200, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office 31/08/06: Kerry-based Fexco has announced that its Australian subsidiary, Body Corporate Services (BCS), has formed a property management joint venture in Bahrain 31/08/06: Irish insurance company Quinn Direct has announced 1,000 new jobs for three locations in the Republic 30/08/06: A new information handbook on buying an affordable home has been launched by the government, with Minister of State for housing Noel Ahern calling for extra taxation on housing speculators at the publication's launch 29/08/06: South Korean company Daewoo Electronics has told staff that it was shedding 205 jobs at its television and DVD factory in Antrim 29/08/06: Companies using ineffective spam filters are playing "Russian Roulette" with their profits, according to new research 28/08/06: Concerns among employers over legal liability issues are hampering the chances of people with disabilities gaining employment, according to law firm McCann FitzGerald 25/08/06: The Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland (CPA) recommends that entrepreneurs should overestimate the costs of setting up a business, and underestimate expected cash inflows to identify a more realistic amount of capital required for success 24/08/06: The details of major new consumer protection legislation that will extend new protections for consumers and overhaul structures in what is the biggest reform of the area in 30 years have been announced by enterprise minister Micheál Martin 23/08/06: Business software firm Sage has launched the latest version of its accounting package, Line 50 23/08/06: ITV has announced that it has reached an agreement to sell its shareholding in TV3 to Doughty Hanson 22/08/06: Labour costs are still the biggest concern for small businesses in Ireland, with non-pay costs hampering small businesses' plans to expand and hire more staff, according to the fifth annual Small Firms Association (SFA) national business survey 21/08/06: Telecoms regulator ComReg is contemplating the introduction of a retail price cap on narrowband access 18/08/06: Seasonally adjusted exports in June fell by 9% from the May 2006 high of €8.041 billion to €7.339 billion, but imports rose by 4% to €4.961 billion from the May value of €4.758 billion, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) 18/08/06: Communications minister Noel Dempsey has announced that Irish language TV station TG4 will become an independent channel by April 2007 18/08/06: Newcourt has announced that its offer for the Ely property group is now unconditional 17/08/06: BrandMail Solutions has secured €1.25m in a first round of funding led by Dublin auditing and taxation firm Cooney Carey 16/08/06: The pilot phase of the proposed Digital Terrestrial Television service has been launched, serving viewers in Dublin and Louth 16/08/06: Ulster Bank has completed the rebranding of its former Commercial Services division to Ulster Bank Invoice Finance 15/08/06: Renewable energy firm SWS Group has launched a 45 megawatt wind farm near the Kerry village of Kilgarvan 15/08/06: TAS Software, a subsidiary of Sage, has launched the latest version of its accounting software package, TAS Books Version 6 15/08/06: PC maker Dell has announced that it is to recall around 4.1 lithium ion laptop batteries after a number of incidents of laptops catching fire 14/08/06: A new survey by the Financial Regulator has found that there are potential savings of over €1,000 on different car finance agreements 14/07/06: Trintech has sold its payment systems business to American firm Verifone for $12m cash. The sale divests Trintech of over half its current business 09/08/06: Ryanair has said it will create 200 new jobs in a big expansion of its operations at Dublin Airport with a 12 new routes from the airport 08/08/06: Chambers Ireland has called for the introduction of a consolidated Employment Act to reduce the difficulty businesses face in tracking and complying with constant changes in legislation 08/08/06: Roches Stores has announced that it has agreed to sell its retail business to Debenhams Retail (Ireland) Limited, a subsidiary of Debenhams plc 04/08/06: Systems integrator Horizon Technology has acquired WBT Systems, a developer of e-learning solutions for the enterprise sector 03/08/06: The Green Party has launched its small business policy, claiming that small businesses are central to its economic policies 03/08/06: Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources Noel Dempsey has launched an €11m grants package to encourage industry and commercial users to generate their own electricity and heat 03/08/06: Chambers Ireland has called on the government to modify its funding regime for High Potential Startups (HPSUs) following changes by the EU Commission to state aid guidelines for risk capital 02/08/06: Property website Daft.ie has said house price growth slowed from 14% in April to 6.2% in July, while investment yields are at a historic low 01/08/06: Specialist flexible jobs placement agency Jobshare Recruitment Services has introduced a new interactive web-based facility to cater for job hunters looking for part-time or job sharing positions 31/07/06: Bank of Ireland has said 2006 is on track to set new records for house prices, completions and mortgage lending, but growth will slow down by the end of the year 28/07/06: The Irish Times has acquired property portal MyHome.ie from a group of leading estate agents 27/06/06: O2 Ireland acquired 6,000 net new customers during the second quarter, but has been steadily losing customers from its pre-pay business 26/07/06: NTR has announced that it plans to raise €150m in new equity to finance further expansion 26/07/06: Software firm Version 1 has acquired Dublin-based Prose, a specialist in business software for private and public sector clients 25/07/06: Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Cordis is to open a new development and manufacturing facility in Cashel, Tipperary 24/07/06: IT solutions firm System Dynamics has acquired Software Resources, a supplier of Oracle:JDEdwards products and consulting services 24/07/06: Revenues from Vodafone's Irish customers dropped in the second quarter, although they still remain well above the European average 21/07/06: Office lettings in Dublin increased by 27% in the first six months of this year, when compared to the same period last year 19/07/06: The ESB has said further price increases may be in the pipeline, and electricity costs could rise by 10 to 20% by next year 19/07/06: Strong economic growth over the next two years has been forecast in a report by Davy Stockbrokers, but it adds that it is highly likely that growth will slow in the later years of this decade 19/07/06: Preliminary figures from this year's census show that Ireland's population has reached 4.2m people, the highest level since 1861 18/07/06: Companies are increasingly being more compliant with the rules for filing accounts, according to the Companies Registration Office (CRO) 18/07/06: Online recruitment firm Keyland has bought Beijing-based MyJob.com, its second Chinese acquisition 18/07/06: Newcourt has announced details of its offer for AIM-listed Ely Property, which will be its sixth acquisition of this year 17/07/06: Fine Gael transport spokesman Olivia Mitchell has strong criticised Dublin Airport Authority for long delays at immigration checks 17/07/06: A recent study of Irish SMEs has revealed that companies in the sector are operating at less than 65% of their potential 14/07/06: Social affairs minister Seamus Brennan has said some tough decisions will have to be made if everybody in this country will have a retirement income 14/07/06: RTE has announced that it will webcast the Munster Senior Football Final replay between Cork and Kerry this Sunday 13/07/06: The economy continued to grow strongly in the first three months of this year, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) 13/07/06: Irish based airline CityJet has completed a €173m deal to acquire 23 new aircraft in order to expand it services 12/07/06: The largest group of independent brokers has called on the Financial Regulator to ensure that its office is fully staffed 12/07/06: The Central Bank expects economic growth of around 5% this year, but in its annual report it has expressed concern about the recent pick-up in house price growth 10/07/06: Barry's of Mallow has acquired the business of Kilkenny Wholesale Cash & Carry 07/07/06: Green Isle Foods has announced that it is to close its fish processing factory in Boyle with the loss of 78 jobs 06/07/06: Enterprise Ireland has opened its Webworks facility in Cork - a fully-serviced office facility developed for the benefit of services-focussed small and medium enterprises trading internationally from Cork 06/07/06: IBM is to spend €46m on expanding its Dublin based software development operation and launching a new business incubation centre 05/07/06: The former Enron chairman and chief executive Kenneth Lay has reportedly died of a heart attack 05/07/06: The owners of Ely Wine Bar are undertaking a €5m expansion programme that sees the opening of two new wine bars in Dublin's Docklands area, generating over 100 new jobs, between now and early autumn 05/07/06: Ireland's third entry into the national directory enquiries market - 11890 - has been launched, claiming that it will offer Irish consumers significant savings on its rivals 03/07/06: Independent energy company Energia has won a gas supply contract with the Dublin Airport Authority worth €4.2m 03/07/06: The Financial Regular has called on equity SSIA holders to inform themselves of all their options before their SSIA matures 30/06/06: Chambers Ireland has criticised the government's position on the World Trade Agreement negotiations, which is opposing concessions regarding cuts in farm supports. 30/06/06: IDA Ireland has opened its first office in China, in the city of Shanghai 28/06/06: A new partnership involving Azotel, Hosting 365 and Motorola is to begin offering a package that will enable users to set up a wireless broadband ISP 28/06/06: Two international companies at Shannon Free Zone have announced expansion plans that will generate up to 285 new jobs over the next five years 27/06/06: Employers' group IBEC has said that the government has underestimated the future rate of growth in freight traffic through the country's ports, adding that there is a risk of a "major capacity crisis" within a few years 26/06/06: The Dublin City Business Association (DCBA) has welcomed the announcement by Minister of Environment, Heritage and Local Government Dick Roche of the publication of enabling legislation for the establishment of Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in Ireland 26/06/06: Telecoms operator Imagine has announced the opening of a new contact centre in Armagh which should create 300 jobs 26/06/06: Software company Norkom Technologies was admitted to the IEX and AIM markets this morning with a market capitalisation of €100m 23/06/06: Over 50 Irish entrepreneurs will travel to China this weekend as part of this year's Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Programme. 22/06/06: Dublin-based SerCom Solutions has opened an office Shenzhen, China 22/06/06: Mobile software firm NewBay has acquired Inamobile, a UK developer of mobile handset applications, for an undisclosed sum 22/06/06: Law firm Mason Hayes Curran has opened a new public affairs practice to assist clients in dealing with new legislation 22/06/06: Irish company Combilift has opened its new €10m headquarters in Monaghan town, which will create 100 new jobs over the next three years bringing total staff numbers to 250 21/06/06: The Independent Trustee Company and Lower Hatch Holdings have announced a merger, creating a company which will employ 100 people in eight offices 21/06/06: Bureau Veritas, a specialist in inspection services to the health and safety, insurance and construction sectors has opened its first office in Ireland 21/06/06: The Leinster Society of Chartered Accountants (LSCA) has published its annual salary survey 21/06/06: Norwegian oil company Statoil has sold its Irish business to Topaz for an undisclosed sum 20/06/06: Dundalk-based Littelfuse, which manufactures electronic components, has confirmed it is to close its plant there and transfer production to China, with the loss of 134 jobs 20/06/06: As part of a new strategic partnership, Chambers Ireland and FÁS have jointly launched a training initiative aimed at stimulating e-business use by Irish companies, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs) 19/06/06: NUI Galway has announced a new technology commercialisation agreement with Irish company Technology from Ideas 19/06/06: Anti-virus firm Trend Micro is to expand its Cork facility, doubling employment to 216 people 19/06/06: Telecoms firm Magnet has launched a new communications package for the Polish community in Ireland 19/06/06: Commercial property consultants Harrington Bannon has been acquired by BNP subsidiary Atisreal in a deal worth close to €10m 15/06/06: The best public relations campaigns over the past year have been announced at the annual PRCA Awards for Excellence in Public Relations 14/06/06: Vodafone has announced that it is to launch a flat-rate 3G service for €49 a month 14/06/06: RTE's annual report for 2005 showed the state broadcaster running a surplus of €16.5m, but a change in accounting standards led to much of the increase 14/06/06: Enterprise minister Micheál Martin has approved grants of €7m to 24 Community Enterprise Centres across the country 14/06/06: Estate agents Colliers Jackson-Stops has sold a 60% stake in the company to its UK affiliate Colliers CRE 13/06/06: Ryanair has filed a complaint to European Commission alleging that Air France is attempting to block airline competition in France 13/06/06: Former Taoiseach Charles Haughey died this morning at the age of 80 at his home in Kinsealy 13/06/06: Estate agents Hamilton Osborne King has been acquired by UK plc Savills in a €50m deal 12/06/06: Telecoms Regulator Comreg and the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner have censured TalkTalk for a breach of the telephone sales code 12/06/06: Mobile network operator Meteor has been awarded the OHSAS 18001 health and safety standard for all business activities 12/06/06: US networking hardware firm Netgear is to establish international headquarters in Cork, creating 100 jobs 08/06/06: Airtricity has announced a €250m fundraising round, but the Quinn Group is selling its stake in the firm 08/06/06: The European Central Bank increased its benchmark interest rate for the third time in six months to 2.75 per cent 07/06/06: Bank of Ireland has cautioned consumers about dubious reinvestment schemes for SSIA money 07/06/06: Mobile operator Vodafone has signed a deal with Sky, enabling it to offer 18 channels to 3G customers 06/06/06: Dublin Port Company has announced that two new services are being introduced to meet the increased demand from the business community for freight services between Dublin and Britain 06/06/06: Consumer confidence in Ireland is flagging in the face of interest rate rises, soaring inflation and higher energy costs, according to IIB Bank/ESRI's monthly survey 02/06/06: The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) has reached agreement to buy Paris-based Euronext for about €7.8 billion 01/01/06: PC manufacturer Dell opened its new offices in Cherrywood today, which will see 420 new jobs created at the company 01/06/06: The first Special Savings scheme accounts mature today with an estimated 40,000 account holders due to receive payments 31/05/06: The amount of private sector borrowing in the economy continued to grow strongly in April, with the annual rate of growth hitting its highest level since March 2000, according to the latest figures from the Central Bank 30/05/06: Mobile phone company O2 is the new sponsor of the Irish rugby team. The company already sponsors the English rugby team 30/05/06: Only a third of Irish companies believe that SSIA money will have a direct impact on their business according to new research 30/05/06: Direct marketing company DMA has just been awarded the BT Residential Direct Marketing Account 29/05/06: Vodafone has launched a new offer for top-tier post-pay customers, providing them with free calls for life to other Vodafone numbers 25/05/06: American firms operating in Ireland believe it is still a good location to do business, but labour shortages are affecting their ability to win new projects 25/05/06: More than 12,500 new jobs were created in 2005 by IDA-supported companies with 71 new foreign investment projects worth in excess of €700m, according to the agency responsible for attracting FDI 25/05/06: A Chambers Ireland study that compares Ireland's immigration process with those of five other countries with similar legal codes has revealed significant gaps in the Irish system 24/05/06: Hewlett Packard has signed a €20m deal with An Chéim to provide managed services to fourteen Institutes of Higher Education 24/05/06: Pension funds in Ireland and the UK have much more of their money invested in equities than their counterparts in the rest of Europe, according to a new survey by consulting group Mercer 24/05/06: The Irish Retail Newsagents Association has completed a deal with Energia, providing its members with savings of up to 10% on electricity 24/05/06: Meteor has announced the launch of free Meteor-to-Meteor calls for all existing and new business customers 24/05/06: Software firm Mamut has released Mamut Online Survey, a web-based survey and relationship building tool for small firms 24/05/06: The number of job vacancies in the IT sector has risen by 42% in the past year, but there may not be enough graduates to meet demand 23/05/06: BDO Simpson Xavier has launched a €100m South African Commercial Property Fund 23/05/06: The Business Software Alliance has claimed that 38% of the packaged software installed on PCs in Ireland last year was illegal 23/05/06: Enterprise Ireland has announced a €2m research programme for the biotechnology industry 22/05/06: Twenty four companies have made it to the shortlist for the 2006 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards 22/05/06: This year's InterTradeIreland Seedcorn competition will have the largest prize fund of any business competition in Ireland 22/05/06: Enterprise Ireland is investing €175m in a new round of venture capital funding, which will leverage an estimated €1 billion for investment in startup, early stage and development stage businesses 19/05/06: PC manufacturer Dell has abandoned its policy of only using Intel chips and will begin using AMD's Opteron processors in its new servers 18/05/06: Financial software firm Norkom is seeking to float on the AIM and IEX markets in June 18/05/06: The Irish Software Association has said that indigenous software firms can deliver value for money to the public sector and by investing in their products, the government would boost the profile of the sector worldwide 18/05/06: Newcourt Group has made its fifth acquisition this year, buying Ecom Interaction Services, a Clonakilty-based telemarketing firm 17/05/06: Skillnets, the enterprise-led training support body, has published the outcomes of its training networks programme, which shows that over 22,000 employees received training from 2002-2005 17/05/06: The Gunne family has sold its stake in estate agents Gunne Residential and Gunne Financial Services to a new team of investors 17/05/06: IT services company Calyx has bought Network Partners Holdings and MXC from the Matrix Communications group 16/05/06: A new government-sponsored report suggests the state take action to improve the business environment for small firms 16/05/06: The Great Southern Hotel group will go up for sale by public tender from tomorrow 16/05/06: A total of €29.13m in venture capital was invested in Ireland in the first quarter of 2006, with the IT sector attracting the lion's share 16/05/06: NovaUCD has launched its 2006 Campus Company Development Programme (CCDP) offering to assist UCD researchers and academics who are seeking to establish and develop new knowledge-intensive businesses 15/05/06: Telecoms provider Digiweb has announced a new phone and broadband package priced at €19.95 per month 15/05/06: The Irish Insurance Federation has announced a new phase in its fraud campaign, rolling out new technology in an effort to identify suspect claims 15/05/06: Aer Arann has announced that it is to buy 10 new 72 seater ATR72-500 series aircraft over the next three years in a deal valued at €140m 12/05/06: Management skills are a key drivers for SMEs and will have a large impact on Ireland's enterprise development, according to a new report 11/05/06: The Western Development Commission has said rural enterprises are being held back by the lack of broadband services 10/05/06: Life and pensions company Royal Liver Assurance has announced that it is to close its direct sales operations in Ireland from September with the loss of 121 jobs 09/05/06: Telecom's firm Digiweb has launched its broadband road show, The Broadband Experience, which is a mobile learning environment that will travel Ireland to showcase the company's broadband technologies 09/05/06: Dawn Farm Foods has announced a €28m investment in Naas, Co Kildare, that will create 100 new jobs 08/05/05: Business and IT consulting firm Clarion Consulting has announced that it has expanded its resourcing division in response to growing market demand for contract-based business and IT professionals 05/05/06: Bank of Ireland has announced the forthcoming launch of a new €20m Developing Business Loan fund to support startup and early-stage companies 03/05/06: The Talbot Hotel Group, has announced that it has received Four Stars from Failte Ireland for both the Talbot Wexford and the Stillorgan Park Hotel 03/05/06: New figures from Bank of Ireland show that almost half of first-time buyers are opting for a 35-year mortgage 28/04/06: Tipperary Water is urging companies and individuals to contribute to its 'Water For Africa' programme on May 5th by organising collections at office water coolers 25/04/06: Over half of Irish venture capital funds expect more of their client companies to IPO over the next two years, according to a new survey by the Irish Venture Capital Association (IVCA) 25/04/06: Flash memory maker Sandisk is to open its European, Middle East and Africa headquarters in Dublin, creating 38 new jobs 24/04/06: The number of merger and acquisition deals involving Irish companies increased by 30% to 38 in the first quarter of 2006 compared to the same period a year earlier, according to corporate finance specialists Ion Equity 24/04/06: The Financial Regulator has published its first cost survey on business current accounts 24/04/06: The cost of doing business in Ireland is spiralling out of control and threatening the viability of both indigenous and multinational companies, according to IBEC 21/04/06: Bad manners and unacceptable behaviour by employees could lose your firm business, a consultant has warned 21/04/06: Hungarian airline Wizz Air has announced that it is to open a new route between Cork and Poland 21/04/06: Motorola has said that it is holding talks with workers in Cork following reports that the company may be preparing to shed jobs 18/04/06: Dublin animation firm Jam Media has sold the rights to its children's animation series Picme to MTV subsidiary Nickelodeon 18/04/06: Newcourt Group has paid €2m for electronic security systems firm Security Technology Ireland 14/04/06: Celtic Transcriptions (Athscribhinn Cheilteach Teo), based on the Udaras na Gaeltachta Industrial Estate in Gweedore, Co Donegal, has announced that it has cut over half of it workforce. 13/04/06: C&C Group has said that it is undertaking a strategic review of Tayto but hasn't decided yet to sell the business 13/04/06: Fortis has announced that it is working with An Post to create a joint venture offering financial services through the post office network 12/04/06: BSN Medical, a manufacturer of orthopaedic goods, said it is to close its factory in Thurles by the end of the year, with the loss of 80 jobs. 12/04/06: Over 700,000 domain names had been registered within hours of the new EU domain name registration going live to the general public on April 7, but businesses have been warned about 'cybersquatters' by Dublin law firm Mason Hayes & Curran 12/04/06: House price growth will start to slow in the autumn as eurozone interest rates move higher, according to Bank of Ireland's latest review of the Irish property market 12/04/06: The Central Bank has raised concern about productivity and house price inflation, stating that the economy's already high dependence on property is "a significant risk" 12/04/06: Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) is to invest €52m in the development and expansion of its medical devices global manufacturing centre in Drogheda, Co Louth, creating 125 new jobs in the process 10/04/06: Irish house prices could go up by 10% as people cash in their SSIAs, according to a survey from IIB Bank and ESRI 10/04/06: Invesco has acquired the pensions, actuarial and personal finance business of L&P Financial Trustees 10/04/06: Mobile operator O2 has announced a new price structure for business users which will allow for flat rate calls to other O2 numbers 07/04/06: Consumer sentiment weakened significantly in March to its lowest level since October 2005 06/04/06: Emerging entrepreneurs are invited to attend a seminar on 'The legal and financial practicalities of establishing, investing in or buying your own business' at the Smurfit School of Business on Tuesday, April 11 06/04/06: Chambers Ireland announced that it is seeking nominations for its third annual President's Awards for corporate social responsibility (CSR) 05/04/06: Malév Hungarian Airlines, the national carrier of Hungary, has added another Cork to Budapest flight, making four direct flights per week between the two cities 05/04/06: The Gift Voucher Shop is running a campaign to promote vouchers as an alterative to giving candy this Easter 05/04/06: Joanne Coffey has been appointed managing director of Dublin public relations firm Keating & Associates 03/04/06: Business and financial advisory firm BDO Simpson Xavier has announced the creation of a special tax task force for the construction industry to address the newly announced Revenue crackdown on the sector 30/03/06: California tech company Pillar Data Systems is to establish its European, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) headquarters in Drogheda, Co Louth, creating 200 jobs 30/03/06: The broadband market continues to grow strongly in Ireland with over 270,000 subscribers at the end of December 2005, according to the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) 29/03/06: The rising property prices are making it increasingly difficult for investors to use rental income to cover mortgage repayments, according to a report by Davy 29/03/06: Two new Hilton Hotels currently being built in Dublin and Limerick will create 250 jobs before the end of the year 28/03/2006: Kevin Murray has quit DCC after his fellow executive director Tommy Breen moved closer to taking over from group founder Jim Flavin 28/03/06: The north-west region is set for a major telecommunications and IT Services infrastructure boost as BT unveiled plans for a multi-million pound investment in the area 28/03/06: Software company Mamut has introduced an online service that makes it easy for small businesses to back up and synchronise their data using the internet and to share information with customers and partners 27/03/06: Prem Group, the specialists in the management of hotels, serviced apartments and serviced offices, has announced a major €350m expansion programme over the next year that will see over 250 jobs created in Ireland 27/03/06: Independent News & Media has bought PropertyNews.com, the largest internet property site in Northern Ireland 24/03/06: A new initiative focused on removing barriers to cross-border rural economic development for counties Donegal and Tyrone has been launched 24/03/06: The EU Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services, Charlie McCreevy, has launched a new MBA (Masters in Business Administration) degree in International Business at Waterford Institute of Technology 23/03/06: Kathleen Lynch, Labour TD for Cork North Central, has called for an urgent meeting between the owners of the Wedding Dress Shop in Cork and their customers after closure of the business 22/03/06: NCB stockbrokers is predicting that Ireland's population will grow to 5.3m by 2020 and immigrants could account for 20% of the population by then 22/03/06: Microsoft has announced that the next update to its Windows operating system will be delayed until January 2007 22/03/06: Friends First chief economist Jim Power has warned that the economy is over reliant on the housing market 21/03/06: The Irish Brokers Association has said that insurance premiums are continuing to fall across all major personal insurance categories 21/03/06: Healthcare company Abbott will be investing €36m in a new facility in Donegal which will create 155 jobs 20/03/06: The controversial Groceries Order was abolished today when the new Competition Act came into force 20/03/06: American chip firm Actel is to open a European processor development centre in Dublin 15/03/06: Greencore has announced that it is abandoning its sugar processing operation following a review of the new EU sugar regime 15/03/06: Online auction firm eBay is creating 300 new jobs in a significant expansion of its Irish operations 15/03/06: Vistakon is to invest over €100m in its manufacturing facility in Limerick in a project that will create 124 jobs over next two years 14/03/06: Pharmaceutical firm Wyeth has announced that it is to lay off a quarter of its workforce in Newbridge, Co Kildare 14/03/06: Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) will establish an applied research institute in Athlone, creating up to 50 high-tech jobs over five years 13/03/06: Sales at the 171 shops in independent supermarket chain SuperValu grew 5% to €1.8bn during 2005 13/03/06: Enterprise Ireland has announced a new programme to help Irish manufacturers improve their product design 10/03/06: A new €100m healthcare park in Tullamore has the potential to create 1,500 jobs, its developer has said 10/03/06: NTR has launched Bioverda, a new bioenergy division which will concentrate on developing renewable energy sources 09/03/06: AssetCo, a new enterprise managed service centre, has announced that it is setting up operations in Lisfannon, Co Donegal, that should employ some 130 people 09/03/06: The Hotbed Skillnet, a training initiative funded by Skillnets and member companies, has launched its 2006/2007 training programme for small enterprises 08/03/06: Novum, one of Ireland's longest established indigenous manufacturing companies, has completed a €9m investment that is said will position the company for continued growth and expansion 08/03/06: The dedicated Irish eBay site, eBay.ie, will parade its selection of Gaelic products to eBay users worldwide in the run up to St Patrick's Day 08/03/06: Vodafone Ireland has announced the end of roaming charges for all Vodafone Ireland bill paying customers travelling to Northern Ireland and Britain from March 14 08/03/06: Nortel Ireland has announced that it is seeking national distribution partners to manage the Irish rollout of a new EMEA-wide initiative targeting the small and medium-enterprise sector 07/03/06: NTR has launched a new bioenergy division, Bioverda, with an investment of €120m 07/03/06: HP Financial Services is to centralise its European and Middle East operations at Hewlett-Packard's existing European headquarters in Leixlip, Co Kildare, creating up to 100 jobs 06/03/06: First Ireland Spirits has walked away with the overall SFA small business award 03/03/06: The International Fund for Ireland (IFI) has announced that it is providing €200,000 in funding for the Enterprise Networking Support Programme in Donegal 01/02/06: IT solutions firm Calyx has acquired Entropy, the Dublin based IT security company for €4.95m 01/03/06: Insurance firm Quinn Direct experienced dramatic growth in 2005, with pre-tax profits growing by 51% 28/02/06: A survey carried out in the week prior to Work-Life Balance Day has shown that many Irish-based companies are less than enthusiastic about work-life balance initiatives and training 28/02/06: The Engineers Skillnet, a new network training initiative funded by Skillnets, and companies involved in a wide range of engineering disciplines, has announced a €400,000 training initiative 28/02/06: Bank of Ireland chief economist Dan McLaughlin has said interest rates are likely to rise further in March 27/02/06: Ryanair founder Tony Ryan is backing a new Mexican airline which will begin operations later on this year 27/02/06: Directory assistance firm Conduit has been acquired by group led by Investcorp Technology Ventures for €90m 27/02/06: Dublin Chamber of Commerce has said Saturday's city centre riots cost retailers and estimated €10m 24/02/06: The bulk of Irish businesses continue to rely solely on An Post with only about 12% using An Post as well as other service providers, according to a survey by the communications regulator, ComReg 23/02/06: PC manufacturer Lenovo is focussing on the SME sector with its first range of own-branded products for the Irish market 22/02/06: The City Channel is to launch two new local television services in Galway and Waterford 22/02/06: Sage has announced it is establishing a new international localisation centre and European data centre in Dublin 22/02/06: Accountancy firms Mazars and OJ Kilkenny & Co are to join forces in a merger 22/02/06: A rise in energy consumption combined with continuing increases in energy costs could hamper competitiveness, the sustainable energy authority warned 21/02/06: NEC Semiconductors has announced that it will be closing its factory at Ballivor, Co Meath, resulting in the loss of 350 jobs 21/02/06: Business law firm Mason Hayes+Curran has partnered with the MBA Association of Ireland (MBAAI) to offer a new range of services to emerging entrepreneurs 21/02/06: The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) has announced that it has teamed up with Deakin University of Melbourne, Australia, in offering the institute's graduates an accelerated MBA programme 20/02/06: Convenience store chain Centra recorded a 14% increase in sales last year, bringing its annual sales figure to €1.03 billion, a first for the company 17/02/06: Korean company Saehan Media Ireland has announced that it is to close its plant at Hazelwood in Sligo in April with the loss of 91 jobs 17/02/06: A total of €30.58m in venture capital was invested in Ireland in the last quarter of 2005 with IT continuing to be a strong performance area 17/02/06: The first computer virus to target computers running Apple's OS X operating system has been discovered 16/02/05: State Securities' has announced the launch of a new asset finance service for southern Irish brokers and their SME customers 16/02/06: Chambers Ireland has called on the government to invest in a national fibre optic broadband network servicing every home and business in the state 16/02/06: Bank of Ireland and Kerry Local Authorities were overall public and private sector winners at the O2 Ability Awards 15/02/06: IT managers in European and North American firms have grown more concerned about information security over the past two years, according to a new study 14/02/06: Telecoms regulator Comreg has withdrawn its offer of a 3G mobile phone license from Smart Telecom 13/02/06: University College Cork has introduced a new Diploma in Speciality Food Production aimed at entrepreneurs who may be starting a speciality food business 13/02/06: Business-only ISP Netsource is the latest in a series of acquisitions by broadband provider Magnet Networks 13/02/06: Enterprise Ireland has announced a new export sales development programme designed to help Irish companies win more international business 13/02/06: The latest Bank of Ireland Business Banking Job Index shows that 2006 has started on a positive note for jobseekers with just over 19,000 recruitment advertisements placed in the national daily and Sunday newspapers in January 10/02/06: Enterprise Ireland has announced that it is investing €2.5m in a new industry-led research programme for the power electronics industry 09/02/06: US payments firm Vesta Corporation has announced that it is setting up its European Operations Centre in Dundalk, Co Louth, creating 350 jobs for the area 09/02/06: Thomas Crosbie Holdings has acquired the Wexford-based Echo Group, bringing its total number of newspapers to eighteen 08/02/06: Dublin mobile phone technology company ChangingWorlds has won the DHL Exporter of the Year Award 2005 08/02/06: Enterprise Ireland has announced that it has invested €1m in Delta Off-Site Solutions 06/02/06: Bank of Ireland will continue paying the 25% SSIA bonus to some of its customers for six months after expiration of the state sponsored savings scheme 03/02/06: The SWS Group has been named as the overall winner of the 2005 BT Cork Company of the Year Award 02/02/06: Finance minister Brian Cowen has announced improvements in the tax relief for film investment aimed at restoring Ireland's competitive position as a film location 02/02/06: Enterprise Ireland invested €17m in 75 new export focused, high potential companies in 2005, an increase from 65 startups funded in 2004 01/02/06: A new Chambers Ireland survey on business confidence among SMEs has revealed that while small firms are generally positive of the year ahead, there is concern at cost increases 01/02/06: The communications regulator has publicly warned An Post for issuing statements it deemed misleading for postal consumers 01/02/2006: An Post has unveiled details of its new postage charges which take effect from February 22 31/01/06: The latest figures from the Central Bank show that the amount of money being borrowed in the economy grew at a record pace last year 30/01/06: Chambers Ireland has expressed concern that legally binding arrangements from Social Partnership agreements are limiting competitiveness 30/01/06: Abtran will invest €1.5m in its research and development, and professional services divisions, creating 50 jobs in Cork. 27/01/06: The Irish Recorded Music Association has warned that businesses could be held liable if music file sharing occurs on their premises 27/01/06: Golden Discs, the largest Irish-owned music and DVD retailer, said it is undertaking a review of its branch network with a view to exiting high street locations 27/01/06: Former aviation regulator William Prasifka has been appointed as the new chairman of the Competition Authority. 27/01/05: Dublin-based software developer Similarity Systems, founded five years ago, has been bought by US firm Informatica for $55m cash 27/01/06: The Department of Agriculture and Food won three Innovation Through Technology awards last night for its role in advancing e-government 26/01/06: Bank of Ireland Business Banking has launched a range of business and personal products for professionals and mortgage intermediaries, including up to 100% finance on some products 26/01/06: Furniture retailing giant Ikea has announced that it intends to open two stores in Ireland, one in Ballymun in north Dublin, creating 500 new jobs, and the other close to Belfast City Airport 25/01/06: Smart Telecom has inked a deal with IBM to deliver enterprise level IT services to the SME market. 25/01/06: The new president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ireland has said that competitive issues are still a concern for American companies in Ireland 25/01/06: Global financial services group Citco has announced that it is expanding its operations in Cork, creating an additional 250 jobs 25/01/06: IBM has said it anticipates an upsurge in cyber attacks during 2006, as criminal elements begin to focus on the internet. 24/01/06: Irish house prices are likely increase by 8% this year, with a strong level of purchasing intention maintaining high demand. 24/01/06: The Wall Street Journal will begin printing in Ireland from February in a deal which will see a wider distribution of the paper across the country. 24/01/06: Ireland remains one of Vodafone's most productive markets with average revenues per user well above the European average. 23/01/06: Spar will spend €90m this year on an expansion programme which will include new shop layouts and the opening of up to 40 new outlets 23/01/06: Bank of Ireland expects the Irish economy to grow by 6% this year, with strong consumer spending, fuelled by income growth and SSIA money, the key driver for growth. 23/01/06: Irish mobile phone users continued to yield exceptional income for O2 last year, with average revenues per customer significantly higher than in Germany and the UK. 19/01/06: Ireland's economy will grow by 4.75% in 2006, compared with an average of 2% in the eurozone, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers' latest economic analysis 19/01/06: GN ReSound A/S has announced that it is to close its facility in Cork by the end of April 2006 with the loss of 180 jobs 19/01/06: BT and Calyx are targeting the SME market with a new all-in-one communications package, designed to meet all common requirements for a fixed monthly price 18/01/06: Norwegian software firm Mamut has appointed Hegarty Computer Services (HCS) of Tipperary and Riverlake Computer of Laois as authorised resellers of its products 17/01/06: Representatives of the Irish and Indian biotech industries have signed a collaboration agreement in Bangalore 17/01/06: IDA Ireland has announced that it is to apply for planning permission for a huge technology campus in West Dublin, which it is believed could generate 2,500 jobs 17/01/06: Smart Telecom has announced that it is creating 130 new jobs nationwide with immediate effect 13/01/06: The Minister for Enterprise Micheál Martin has announced the launch of the Enterprise Development Programme (EDP) aimed at further stimulating new technology business development in the midlands, west and northwest regions 13/01/06: Enterprise minister Micheál Martin has officially opened the new €9m headquarters at Multis in the Parkmore West Business Park, Galway. The company announced that 50 new jobs will be created 12/01/06: The European Central Bank (ECB) has held its key interest rates steady at 2.25% 12/01/06: Ballinasloe in Co Galway and Westport in Co Mayo are to get almost 200 new jobs in a further expansion of the country's growing medical devices manufacturing sector 12/01/06: Enterprise minister Micheál Martin has given funding of €3.8m to the Business Incubation Centres at Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) 11/01/06: Ulster Bank has announced that it is dropping many of its transaction fees for personal customers 10/01/06: Irish exports in 2005 increased by 3%, just about in line with inflation, according to the Irish Exporters' Association (IEA) 10/01/06: The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin has appointed a new FÁS board, whose period of office runs from now until December 2010 10/01/06: Bank of Scotland (Ireland) will tomorrow begin opening the first major new retail banking network in Ireland for over a century. In total, 46 branches will open over the next 14 months 09/01/06: G10 central bankers have said that "dynamic" growth in the world economy was set to continue and might even gain pace in 2006, according to European Central Bank (ECB) chief Jean-Claude Trichet 09/01/06: American tech firm Vallent Technologies has announced that it has created 20 new R&D positions in its Cork and Galway locations 09/01/06: Bank of Ireland has announced the appointment of Tom Hayes as chief executive to its Corporate Banking division 05/01/06: Channel 6, Ireland's newest national television station, has announced that it has secured €14m in funding through a number of investors 03/01/96: The IE Domain Registry (IEDR), the managed registry for Ireland's dot.ie domain names, has announced a 20% price cut, its most significant reduction to date 03/01/06: In its end of year statement, IDA Ireland has reported that 2005 was the best year for job creation since 2000 03/01/06: Minister for Enterprise Micheál Martin has announced the extension of the Enterprise Ireland Community Enterprise Centre scheme and said that he will add an extra €7m into building local businesses 23/12/05: Enterprise minister Micheal Martin has appointed Peter McLoone as chairman of the new board of FÁS 22/12/05: Heneghan PR and Park Communications have announced that the two companies are to merge, effective from January 1, 2006 21/12/05: Ryanair is launching 16 new routes from Dublin when it takes possession of five new Boeing 737-800 series aircraft in April 2006 21/12/05: ComReg, the telecoms regulator, has announced the winners of three 10-year national licences for the provision of wideband digital mobile data services 21/12/05: Fyffes has lost its insider dealing action against DCC and its chief executive Jim Flavin 21/12/05: The Revenue Commissioners have issude guidelines regarding the the taxation of employment income attributable to the performance in Ireland of the duties of a foreign employment of an individual 20/12/05: A company controlled by Denis O'Brien is a contender to win the contract to manage advertising on CIE-owned outdoor sites after preferred bidder Maiden pulled out of the deal 20/12/05: The latest quarterly business trends survey from small firms group ISME has found that business confidence, employment and investment prospects indicate a solid platform for SME growth over the next 12 months 20/12/05: Dublin-based tech firm ChangingWorlds has been selected as a finalist in the 2005 DHL Export Awards 19/12/05: Patrick Neary has been appointed to the post of chief executive by the financial regulator 19/12/05: New startup company BeoCare is to locate in Killarney, creating 48 high quality new jobs over the next two years 16/12/05: American software company VMware is to set up a technical support centre in Ballincollig, Co Cork, creating 78 new jobs 15/12/05: Online learning, from basic PC skills to financing packages, for SMEs is now available through Dell 15/12/05: Northern Rock is introducing a new postal savings account developed specifically for business customers 14/12/05: The Electronic Communications Appeals Panel has annulled ComReg's ruling earlier this year that Vodafone and O2 jointly hold dominant positions in the Republic of Ireland's mobile market 14/12/05: The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the amount of foreign direct investment (FDI) into Ireland fell again in 2004, down from over €20 billion in 2003 to almost €9 billion last year 14/12/05: The Dublin Business Innovation Centre (DBIC) has announced a new Business Angel Partnership (BAP) to harness the experience and financial resources of business angels with a view to supporting Irish entrepreneurial startups 13/12/05: The amount of cash the Central Bank has issued this year now stands at over €13 billion, an increase of 22% from the same time last year. The bank has also issued a warning on counterfeit notes 13/12/05: Internet search giant Google is to create 600 new jobs in an expansion of its European headquarters in Dublin 13/12/05: Liberty Global has completed the acquisition of NTL Ireland through its acquisition of MS Irish Cable Holdings BV 12/12/05: The financial regulator IFSRA has announced new measures to protect consumers in their dealings with banks 09/12/05: Hundreds of solicitors in Dublin were this week crippled when five rogue servers flooded out over 500,000 e-mails to fellow solicitors 08/12/05: Digiweb has announced that it has been offered a national license by ComReg to offer mobile data services in Ireland in the 900Mhz spectrum band known as 'Wideband Digital Mobile Data services' or WDMDS 08/12/05: A new multi-million euro national Institute of Microelectronics and Wireless Systems has been launched by National University of Ireland, Maynooth 07/12/05: Irish companies should apply as soon as possible for the new country code top-level website domain - .eu - in order to avoid potential legal actions against cybersquatters, according to solicitors McCann FitzGerald 07/12/05: Mamut, a provider of business software SMEs, has teamed up with Kerry-based Payback Software to offer Irish customers payroll functionality tailored for the local business environment 06/12/05: Harris Calorific, a leading manufacturer of gas equipment located in Rathnew, Co Wicklow, has drawn up plans to close its plant before the end of 2006 and relocate to Eastern Europe 06/12/05: A Deloitte survey has found that 97% of Irish chief executives believe that the finance minister should use the Budget to encourage individuals to reinvest the proceeds of their SSIAs 05/12/05: The latest figures from the tourism industry show that overseas visitors brought in nearly €4 billion worth of revenue this year 02/12/05: The winners of the 2005 Golden Spiders internet awards have been announced 02/12/05: The Health Services Executive paid nearly €7m to recruit agency personnel, mostly from England, to work on the controversial PPARs staff and payroll system 01/12/05: Minister for Trade and Commerce Micheal Ahern is to bring forward legislation for a new model of the Directors' Compliance Statement as recommended by the Company Law Review Group 01/12/2005: The Europen Central Bank has raised interest rates by 0.25% with effect from December 6 30/11/05; Enterprise minister Micheál Martin has called for both industry and academia to ramp up R&D activity in order to keep Ireland's economy thriving 29/11/05: Details have been announced for the planned €100m 100-bed private hospital and clinic to be developed at Adare, Co Limerick 29/11/05: Imera Power, a privately backed energy company, has announced its proposal to design, construct and finance a private merchant electricity interconnector linking Wales and Ireland 29/11/05: Lifestyle Sports, Ireland's largest retailer of branded sportswear, has been acquired by Stafford Holdings, an Irish family owned company 29/11/05: Goldenpages.ie has undergone an extensive redesign, which also includes an upgrade of the site functionality 29/11/05: Imag!ne has launched a new broadband offering to businesses that it claims will help to alleviate the slow take up of broadband by companies 29/11/05: Bank of Ireland's latest business startup barometer shows that 19,116 new businesses were set up in Ireland so far this year 28/11/05: The Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) has urged the government to set up a special fund of €10m a year for five years to market Shannon Airport to the North American market 28/11/05: The financial regulator, IFSRA, has announced that it is planning a New Year campaign to help people make informed choices on what to do when their Special Saving Incentive Scheme accounts mature 28/11/05: A survey of 601 small and medium-sized enterprises by the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland (CCI) has found that there are significant disparities in broadband access 25/11/2005: Eircom's share price has collapsed after the Swiss government blocked Swisscom from the mooted takeover of the Irish telco 25/11/2005: Bank of Ireland has announced rate increases across its of home loan and investment fixed rate mortgage products 24/11/05: The president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ireland, Eoin O'Driscoll, has strongly defended Ireland's 12.5% corporation tax rate 24/11/05: Higher borrowing costs won't cause the Irish building industry to buckle but they could have a major impact on how various sectors of the property market perform in 2006, according to IIB Bank's chief economist 23/11/2005: Property developer Sean Dunne has agreed to buy the Berkeley Court Hotel site from Jurys Doyle for €119 million 23/11/05: Fine Gael has branded as daft a proposal from the National Competitiveness Council that the Irish government should introduce a property tax 22/11/05: AIB and UK insurance group Aviva have announced that they will be merging their respective life assurance and pensions operations 22/11/05: Communications minister Noel Dempsey has announced a property deal in the Digital Hub in the Liberties area of Dublin City in the region of €118m 22/11/05: Venture capital investment in Ireland declined in the third quarter of 2005 in contrast to both the second quarter this year and the same period last year, according to the latest VC report 21/11/05: Eircom has received clearance from the Competition Authority for its acquisition of mobile phone company Meteor 21/11/05: The final value of the special savings accounts (SSIAs) scheme will be more than €16 billion, with the government recouping €400m through the 23% exit tax on interest earned on the accounts, according to a new report 18/11/05: A survey published by the Commission for Communications Regulations has revealed that 58% of fixed line consumers and 80% of mobile users rate value for money and lower prices as important when choosing or switching their phone operator 18/11/05: The Cork Chamber of Commerce has urged the government to introduce tax relief for workers using childcare facilities 17/11/05: Magnet Networks has announced that it is launching a 24Mb broadband service tomorrow 17/11/05: The Department of the Environment has launched a new series of Small Change seminars to advise SMEs on how to save money while managing their waste better 16/11/05: The closing date to enter the Cheltenham SME Sponsorship Award, November 20, is coming up and SMEs are being encouraged to enter the competition 16/10/05: Dublin-based Integrated Facilities Solutions (IFS) has won the top National Enterprise Award 15/11/05: The Companies Registration Office has announced several changes in pricing for activities including filing annual returns and changing company names and directors/secretaries' details 15/11/05: Stockbroker Merrion Capital has been sold to Icelandic company Landsbanki in a deal that values Merrion at €55m 11/11/05/: The government has urged Irish companies to redouble their efforts to drive down the levels of accidents and absenteeism at work, claiming that sick days cost the economy €1.6 billion every year 11/11/05: New Central Statistics Office figures show that the volume of industrial production in the third quarter of this year was up 5.5% on the second quarter 10/11/05: The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the annual rate of inflation remained at a two-year high of 3% in October 10/11/05: The Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) has launched a new website - www.callcosts.ie - that will allow consumers to compare mobile phone charges across all operators. 10/11/05: The Chambers of Commerce of Ireland (CCI) has urged the government to reform local authority financing to address imbalances that are skewering development 10/11/05: Eircom has outsourced its contact handling services for residential and business customers to UK plc Capita group in a five-year deal valued at €35m 09/11/05: Bausch & Lomb Ireland has announced a €42m expansion of its contact lens plant in Waterford 09/11/05: Enterprise minister Micheál Martin has announced Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) funding of €11.7m to the Irish Software Engineering Research Centre (ISERC) 09/11/05: The Moriarty Group has announced plans to create 350 new jobs in the next five years 09/11/05: Johnson & Johnson has been named overall winner at the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland's second annual President's Awards for Corporate Social Responsibility 08/11/05: Enterprise minister Michael Martin secured the approval of the government for the repeal of the Restrictive Practices (Groceries) Order 1987 in its entirety 08/11/05: The Irish Association of Pension Funds (IAPF) has urged the government to allow tax relief on all pensions contributions at the higher 42% rate to encourage saving by those on average or low incomes 08/11/05: Employers' group IBEC and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions have launched a joint ten-year strategy for childcare 07/11/05: Business coaching organisation Action International has won the Service Franchise of the Year Award 2005 07/11/05: The Labour party is calling on the government to increase it efforts in facilitating the rollout of broadband in Ireland 07/11/05: The Health and Safety Authority has issued an urgent warning to farmers and those in the building industry to be extra vigilant when working at heights in high winds 07/11/05: The Society of Actuaries in Ireland (SAI) has issued a report advocating a simple way for people to set targets when planning for their retirement: aim for a specific retirement fund (or lump sum amount) rather than a specific annual pension 04/11/05: The Chambers of Commerce of Ireland (CCI) has called for two fixed dates each year on which all regulations affecting business will come into effect 03/11/05: BT Ireland has bought CARA Group, which will create one of the largest networked IT services companies in Ireland 03/11/05: Figures from the latest NCB Purchasing Managers' Services Index show that activity in the service sector of the economy grew strongly again in October, though at a slightly slower rate than in September 02/11/05: The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin has announced the establishment of the Business Regulation Forum, which will be chaired by Donel De Buitleir of AIB Group 02/11/2005: Eircom has announced that it has received an approach to take over the company 02/11/05: Corporate legal firm Matheson Ormsby Prentice has announced the launch of its associated trade mark filing firm, MOP Trade Mark Advisers 02/11/05: Co Mayo-based producer of shellfish consumer products Connemara Seafoods Frozen has become the latest finalist in the 2005 DHL Export Awards 01/11/05: In one of the largest studies on entrepreneurship ever completed, international accounting firm Mazars and the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) have completed a survey of 'high expectation entrepreneurs" in 44 countries worldwide, including Ireland 01/11/05: The Central Bank has again warned about high debt levels, calling them one of the greatest threats to Ireland's financial stability 01/11/05: British retailer Marks & Spencer has announced three new investments on the island of Ireland worth a total of €33m 01/11/05: October data from NCB points to a solid improvement in Irish manufacturing business conditions. The seasonally adjusted Purchasing Managers' Index posted 53.4, the sharpest rate of industry growth since August 2004 28/10/05: Palm, which produces hand-held communications devices, is to open an engineering centre in Dublin, its first facility in Europe 27/10/05: Xilinx has officially opened a new research centre at its European headquarters in Dublin, marking the first expansion of Xilinx Research Labs (XRL) outside of the United States 27/10/05: Data Electronics has expanded its data centre facility in Kilcarbery Park, Dublin. The €2.5m 13,000 sq ft expansion takes the facility up to 21,000 sq ft 27/10/05: NTR has announced an initial €30m investment in Emerald Bio-diesel GmbH, a bio-diesel facility in Germany 27/10/05: The Chambers of Commerce of Ireland has called on the Minister for Finance Brian Cowen to use Budget 2006 to reward "real" risk investments 27/10/05: Systems Union Group has been listed 85th among the fastest-growing European companies included in the 2005 Europe's 500 list 27/10/05: The online savings and investments bank RaboDirect has said that it has secured €300m in deposits in its first six months of business, putting it six months ahead of target 27/10/05: Dell has introduced two new mono laser printers - the Dell Laser Printer 1710 and Dell Laser Printer 1710n 26/10/05: The .IE Domain Registry (IEDR) has announced that dot.ie domain registrations have now exceeded the 50,000 mark, a "significant milestone" in Ireland's online population growth and the development of e-commerce 26/10/05: Communications minister Noel Dempsey has launched 'makeITsecure 2005', a national IT security awareness campaign being run by his department in partnership with a number of private companies and representative organisations 26/10/05: All indicators point toward a quarter point rise in eurozone interest rates in the first three months of 2006, according to the latest Bank of Ireland Global Markets Economic Research Bulletin 26/10/05: Dermot Desmond has unveiled a new private members club in Dublin that runs to 12,000 sq f on three floors where members can play poker and blackjack 26/10/05: Global Voice Group (GV), the Irish-founded and Singapore-listed owner and operator of fibre networks across Europe, has announced the launch of a new disaster recovery (DR) solution, Active DR 26/10/05: Irish identity management company Safeguard Systems has acquired the Plastic Card Company (PCC) for an undisclosed amount 25/10/05: Commercial Websites has announced that the construction portal and information source for construction professionals - www.irishconstruction.com - has been relaunched with a new redesign 25/10/05: 4HOME Superstores, the Irish-owned DIY/homeware chain, is to open a new 36,000 sq ft store in Monaghan Town, creating 40 new full and part-time jobs in the process 25/10/05: The financial services ombudsman Joe Meade has issued his first report and the published decisions he made on complaints from customers of financial service providers show that complaints were up 19% yoy 24/10/05: The Fitzpatrick Hotel Group has announced plans for a new 250-bedroom hotel in New York, the third one that the company will own in the Big Apple 24/10/05: BT Ireland has announced details of the development and €1m investment in the BT Broadband Studio in its continuing drive to encourage broadband uptake 24/10/05: The new €7m Tony Ryan Academy for Entrepreneurship at DCU's new CityWest location has been officially opened 21/10/05: An Post employees had voted to mandate the union for industrial action to secure basic cost-of-living increases due under Sustaining Progress two years ago 20/10/05: Tech company Calyx has bought Cork-based QCL Technologies for a a total consideration of €1.283m 20/10/05: Whitewater Shopping Centre has announced details of its major fashion and retail development in Newbridge, Co Kildare 19/10/05: EURid, the European registry of .eu domain names, has fixed December 7, 2005, as the start of the 'sunrise period' for filing .eu domain name applications 19/10/05: Buy4Now, Ireland's online shopping centre and e-tail solutions provider, has announced details of a €2m contract with US food retailer, Roche Brothers 19/10/05: Prestige Group, the international property investment and development company, has launched 4 Garibaldi, a new €15m project in the exclusive District V area of Hungary's capital Budapest 18/10/05: Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and the Irish Management Institute (IMI) have announced details of a joint initiative that will see the establishment of a new Graduate School of Management 18/10/05: Wexford-based Pettitts Supermarkets is to join forces with SuperValu, the independent supermarket network operated by Musgrave Group 18/10/05: As part of its international expansion plans, IrishJobs.ie has announced a new venture in the Caribbean, CaribbeanJobs.com 17/10/05: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that there is a risk of a sharp decline in Irish house prices, despite the recent slowdown in prices 17/10/05: The Financial Regulator has published a new motor insurance cost survey that shows that savings of over €2,000 can be realised by shopping around 14/10/05: SMEs remain relatively positive about future business expectations, with companies more optimistic about future investment and employment prospects than in the previous quarter, according to a new survey from small firms group ISME 14/10/05: Employment Minister Micheál Martin has announced that he is to make an additional €16m available through the National Training Fund and the European Social Fund to promote in-company training 14/10/05: The Irish venture capital industry has between €100m-€150m to invest according to Desmond Fahey, chairman of the Irish Venture Capital Association (IVCA) 13/10/05: The 2005 David Manley Award for the most inspiring emerging enterprise has been won by IT training firm Innerworkings 13/10/05: Accountancy and business advisory firm BDO Simpson Xavier has announced the €37m acquisition of the historic Vattenfall Haus in central Berlin 12/10/05: Employment Minister Micheál Martin has announced planned details of the policies for new employment permits for migrant workers 12/10/05: PricewaterhouseCoopers has called on the government to increase the Capital Acquisition Tax (CAT) thresholds 12/10/05: Dublin-based location based services (LBS) firm Mapflow has secured a contract with BT Wholesale. The deal is expected to be worth more than €15m 12/10/2005: Industrial output data for August 2005 from the CSO indicates that manufacturing industry in Ireland is one the rebound, though indigenous firms are still feeling the heat 12/10/05: The independent insolvency practice Kavanagh Fennell has announced an association with British insolvency firm Begbies Traynor 11/10/05: Stokes Bio, a Limerick-based biotechnology company, has secured first round childhood leukemia research funding of €1m from Cork-based venture capital firm Kernel Capital Partners. 11/10/05: Travellers at Dublin Airport can now book car spaces online in advance after a new service - QuickPark - was launched jointly by O2 and Textus 11/10/05 Enterprise Ireland has launched TechSearch, an initiative designed to assist companies in examining the option of technology acquisition as a cost efficient way to enhance technical capability 10/10/05: Australian investment fund Babcock & Brown Capital and its manager has said that they had acquired a 12.5% stake in Eircom Group, which has been the subject of takeover speculation. The investment is worth about €250m 10/10/05: As part of a €40m investment, Marriott Johnstown House Hotel has unveiled the completion of its €10m spa complex 10/10/05: Associated Newspapers and Metro International have published the first edition of Metro in Ireland in partnership with The Irish Times 07/10/05: Recruitment website IrishJobs.ie has bought rival Jobs.ie, formerly known as Nixers.com, for an undisclosed sum 06/10/05: The Irish Independent has reported that Swisscom has made an informal approach to Eircom which could lead to a €3bn bid for the company. Eircom has denied than a bid offer is imminent 05/10/05: There is overwhelming evidence that the Irish economy has lost its competitiveness, according to employers' organisation IBEC 04/10/05: Ireland's first conference dedicated to indigenous Irish SME brands - Beyond Brand Belief - has been announced by the organisers 04/10/05: Eircom and The Chambers of Commerce of Ireland (CCI) have announced a major broadband development that will create 24 wireless broadband towns across the country 04/10/05: RaboDirect, the online savings and investment bank, has added an emerging markets investment fund to it list of savings products 03/10/05: A new software solution to tackle the abuse of company sick pay schemes has been launched by Softworks Computing, a provider of attendance and flexitime products for HR managers 03/10/05: First Active has announced a reduction in its 2, 3, 5 and 10 year fixed rate mortgages. The new ten year rate has been cut 30 basis points to is 4.4% APR 03/10/05: Waste management company Greenstar has acquired the trade and assets of Sligo based waste company WDS. 30/09/05: A major new €40m commercial development in Athy - the Athy Business Campus - has been launched by enterprise minister Micheál Martin 30/09/05: Communications minister Noel Dempsey has announced that, following a competitive process, a consortium lead by Waterford Institute of Technology have been designated as the National Centre for IPv6 in Ireland 30/09/05: The Taoiseach has opened the new freight handling service for Munster which has been launched in Cork by International Airline Handling 30/09/05: Gross Domestic Product at constant prices was 4.1% higher in the second quarter of 2005 compared with the same quarter of 2004 and Gross National Product grew by 3.1% in the same period 29/09/05: Vodafone Ireland has launched a new portfolio of business tariffs that combines free internal calls with shared bundled minutes 28/09/05 Tánaiste Mary Harney will highlight the need for Irish companies to recognise the value of excellent customer service by launching National Customer Service Week 2005 28/09/05: Ireland has again been ranked outside the top twenty countries in the Growth Competitiveness Index (GCI) 28/09/05: Waste management company Greenstar is to invest €12m over the next five years in the development of electricity from landfill gas 28/09/05: Public and private finance will be required to fund a capital infrastructure requirement in the region of €140 billion to sustain the Irish economy and to improve people's quality of life in the period to 2020, according to a new report 27/09/05: E-mail service provider EuroKom has launched a new service, called the Business Email Monitor, that will provide a comprehensive analysis of e-mail statistics based on e-mail in Ireland only 27/09/05: Internet service provider Digiweb has claimed immediate success with the launch of its telephone-broadband service, Metro 27/09/05: IIB Bank has predicted that migration, low interest rates and maturing SSIAs will keep the housing market buoyant for years to come 27/09/05: The entertainment and media (E&M) industry is in its strongest position since 2000 and will increase at a 7.3% compound annual growth rate to $1.8 trillion in 2009, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers 27/09/05: Shareholders in the Jurys Doyle Hotel group have unanimously approved the sale for E260m of the five acre site in Ballsbridge to property developer Sean Dunne 26/09/05: Dublin's new Liffey Voyage tour service was officially launched by Dublin's Lord Mayor, councillor Catherine Byrne, today 26/09/05: Transport minister Martin Cullen has opened the new Dundalk Western By-pass five months ahead of schedule 26/09/05: Property website MyHome.ie is going after Daft.ie with the launch MyHome2Let.ie. 23/09/05: Communications minister Noel Dempsey has approve a further 38 rural broadband projects under the County & Group Broadband Scheme (GBS) 23/09/05: The multinational biotechnology firm Genzyme is to create up to 100 new jobs at its Irish base in Waterford 23/09/05: Thomas Crosbie Holdings, publisher of The Examiner and Sunday Business Post, has hinted at further acquisitions on foot of its healthy financial results for 2004 22/09/05: Irish banks are not competing strongly enough with each other for SME or personal customer business, according to the Competition Authority 22/09/05: A US medical tubing manufacturer is to create 150 new jobs at a facility in Letterkenny, Co Donegal 21/09/05: AXA Assistance SA has set up a customer support centre in Athlone, Co Westmeath. The new centre is expected to create 300 new jobs over the next five years 21/09/05: Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) has launched a new website to coincide with Energy Awareness Week 20/09/05: The Chambers of Commerce of Ireland (CCI) has launched an initiative aimed at tackling the high failure rate of Irish family businesses as they pass to the next generation 20/09/05: IrishJobs.ie has announced the launch of a new Limerick office in a move that reflects major growth in online recruitment in the county and surrounding areas 20/05/06: Ballygowan has been named the official water sponsor for next year's Ryder Cup at the K Club 19/09/05: The board of Jurys Doyle has received a possible offer proposal from Eileen Monahan, Ann Roche, Bernadette Gallagher, Walter Beatty and Elizabeth Nelson 16/09/05: British newspaper publisher Johnston Press is to buy the Leinster Leader group of newspapers for €139m 14/09/05: Bank of Ireland has appointed entrepreneur Denis O'Brien as deputy governor (chairman) of the bank for a two year term 14/09/05: The government's quarterly household survey has found that in Q2 2005, the Irish labour force exceeded the two million mark for the first time since the QNHS began. 14/09/05: NewAddress.ie, the change of address notification service, has been officially launched today 14/09/05: Northern Ireland furniture store Dekko has launched a new online shopping service with over 8,000 products on offer 13/09/05: Jefferson Smurfit Group and Kappa Packaging are to merge their respective operations, subject to a number of conditions including EU competition approval and consultation with the relevant employee representative organisations 13/09/05: Intel Communications is to create 80 new jobs to add to its 120 workforce in the Shannon Free Zone 09/09/05: E-learning company Thirdforce has acquired a UK-based company, Creative Learning Media 08/09/05: The Indian IT company HCL is to expand its Armagh and Belfast contact centres and will create 600 new jobs Pharmaceutical manufacturer Wyeth is set to become the biggest multinational employer in Ireland following the opening on a new E1.8 billion in Dublin 06/09/05: The ESB should move from being a generator of electricity to buy in such service on a competitive basis, an ESRI report says 31/08/05: Jurys Doyle has decided to sell the Berkeley Court Hotel site and Jurys Montrose Hotel 30/08/05: RTE's 2FM pop station has axed its morning drivetime team of Rick & Ruth and replaced them with Marty Whelan The Clubman Omega shirt factory in Buncrana, Co Donegal is to close with the loss of 67 jobs 30/08/05: Eight higher education institutions have come together to open a SuperComputing Centre 30/08/05: Eircom is issuing 313 million new shares at €1.35 per share to fund its purchase of mobile phone company Meteor 29/08/05: Regina Breheny has been appointed director general of the Irish Venture Capital Association (IVCA) 29/08/05: TechCamp, Ireland's first self-organising tech business conference, will take place on Saturday, October 15, in the Northside Civic Centre, Co Dublin 29/08/05: Precinct Investments, the consortium which has made a provisional takeover bid for Jurys Doyle hotel group, is reported to have secured new funding from Halifax Bank of Scotland for its €17.50 per share offer. 29/08/05: The newly-formed Doughmaster is planning to open 45 Little Caesars pizza franchises in Ireland 26/08/05: The Competition Authority has approved Scottish Radio Holdings' (SRH) €7m acquisition of Donegal radio station Highland Radio, subject to a number of conditions 26/08/05: Jet2.com is to service a new route between Cork and Newcastle in the UK 26/08/05: Feargal Quinn's son Eamonn has left Superquinn following the completion of the supermarket chain's sale to Select Retail Holdings 25/08/05: Enterprise Ireland and FÁS have brought forward a joint proposal to source and develop increased levels of sales and marketing talent and place them in Irish companies 25/08/05: Kerry tour operator Slattery Travel has launched a Corporate Ticket Book for frequent business fliers direct from Cork to New York 25/08/05: Shares in Jurys Doyle Hotel Group were in freefall today after Anglo Irish withdrew financial support from bid consortium Precinct 24/08/05: Californian-based CB Richard Ellis Group has agreed to acquire all of the remaining outstanding shares of its 10%-owned affiliate in Ireland, CB Richard Ellis Gunne, for €20m in cash 24/08/05: More than 2,500 people have logged onto the new Smart WiFi network in Cork's city centre since it began operating four months ago 24/08/05: Up to 250 jobs are at risk in Dundalk as Quantum Corporation prepares to outsource its repair operations 23/08/05: The medical products manufacturer Hospira is to close its Donegal Town plant with the loss of 560 jobs 23/08/05: Bank of Ireland has forecast a rise in inflation to 2.5% this year and GDP growth of 5% 23/08/05: Laois Hire Services has been acquired for an undisclosed sum by HSS, the world's largest equipment and tool hire company 22/08/05: US financial services company Bisys is expanding its operations in Ireland with the creation of 250 jobs over five years in Waterford 22/08/05: Brown Thomas has become the first store group in Ireland to offer its overseas customers a choice to pay by credit card in their own currency in a fully integrated chip and PIN environment using Fexco technology 19/08/05: The volume of retail sales increased by 3.4% in June 2005 compared to June 2004. There was a monthly increase of 0.5%. If Motor Trades are excluded the annual increase was 5.6% and the monthly change was +2.1%. 18/08/05: BT Ireland has launched a promotion that offers SMEs business broadband for €10 per month 17/08/05: Radio Kerry has completed the purchase of two other radio stations, Shannonside and Northern Sound 16/08/05: Last year (2004) was a year where venture capitalists consolidated their positions in companies after a number of challenging years for the sector according to the Enterprise Ireland 2004 Report of its Seed and Venture Capital Programme 16/08/05: Treasury Holdings has announced details of a €120m investment to develop Ireland's first Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Powerscourt, Enniskerry, Co Wicklow 15/08/05: The Irish Direct Marketing Association (IDMA) has launched a campaign to provide businesses and consumers with the chance to register their dismay at the proposed sharp increase in domestic postal tariffs 15/08/05: A new initiative has been introduced jointly by the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland and the Small Firms Association aimed at helping company directors better understand complex accountancy and regulatory issues 12/08/05: Donegal Creameries will recommend to shareholders at an EGM next month that they vote to allow the firm to delist from the official list on the Irish Stock Exchange and seek an alternative listing on the Irish Enterprise Exchange (IEX)