The budget is now firmly on the horizon, to the extent that anything related to the economy is seen through that prism. To that end, the latest exchequer returns are fascinating reading. Corporation tax receipts more than doubled in August compared to the same month last year, with the latest spike in revenue from the business tax boosting the Government’s financial position ahead of the budget. Laura Slattery reports.
Kingspan “knowingly created a false market” for insulation used on the facade of the Grenfell Tower in London, where 72 people were killed in 2017 in a fire, by falsely claiming it passed tests to allow it to be used on high-rise buildings. That was the damning verdict of a long awaited report on the disaster published on Wednesday. Joe Brennan reports.
As students across the country start school and college there is a myriad of tech they may, or may not, need. Ciara also takes you through what is vital and what can be avoided.
Meta’s Oversight Board has ruled ruled that the use of the phrase “from the river to the sea” is not always harmful, violent or discriminatory despite the controversy surrounding the phrase. Ciara O’Brien has the story.
In her column, Karlin Lillington looks at why Elon Musk’s Teslas remain so popular in California even if he himself does not.
Dublin Airport operator DAA has said record-breaking travel demand will see passenger numbers exceed its annual 32 million passenger cap this year, while it warned that efforts to suppress numbers in 2025 will have an impact “beyond aviation”, costing thousands of tourism jobs. Laura Slattery reports.
Cantillon looks at the Dublin Airport cap and asks why would it be okay for a State-owned body like DAA to breach its planning requirements, while also reporting on problems at Belfast firm Kainos.
Volkswagen executives warned angry workers on Wednesday that a drastic fall in sales, equivalent to the output of two plants, means painful cuts are unavoidable if the group is to survive the next two years. Derek Scally reports that news of looming job cuts – and previously unthinkable factory closures – have struck fear into VW’s German-based workers.
In Innovation, Chris Horn writes on the unlikely role sharks may play in cutting emissions from the aviation sector while Olive Keogh writes on a new innovator helping ex-pats with their tax.
Northern Ireland’s business development agency Invest NI has opened a new Dublin hub in a bid to attract more investment from the South. As Eoin Burke-Kennedy reports, the agency, which recently opened similar hubs in London and Brussels, is aiming to exploit the North’s unique post-Brexit position of having dual access to the EU and UK markets for goods.
Reports last week highlighted the challenges in the commercial property market, particularly in the offices sector, with some prized assets receiving offers well below the sale prices attached by agents, with banks moving on some borrowers who find they are in breach of their covenants. Could office construction grind to a halt this year? That issue is discussed on this week’s Inside Business podcast, as is the growing trend of using AI to pad CVs.
Builders Glenveagh are contesting Fingal Co Council’s decision to refuse planning permission for its plans to construct a €60 million 135-unit apartment scheme at Deer Park in Howth. Gordon Deegan reports.
The chief executive of Ireland’s largest hotel operator said it “let customers down” after a systems error last week that led to the cancellation of room bookings at two of its Manchester hotels for the nights Oasis are due to play in the city next summer. Ian spoke to Dalata boss Dermot Crowley.
Growth in China’s services sector slowed in August as fierce competition forced businesses to cut prices while their own costs rose, according to a survey of private firms. The Caixin China services purchasing managers’ index (PMI) came in at 51.6 in August, down from 52.1 in July. Denis Staunton reports.
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