The US Department of Justice will ask a judge to force Alphabet’s Google to sell off its Chrome internet browser, Bloomberg News has reported, citing people familiar with the plans. The DOJ will also ask the judge, who ruled in August that Google illegally monopolised the search market, to require measures related to artificial intelligence […]
The European Commission has fined Meta Platforms €797.7m over abusive practices benefiting Facebook Marketplace. “The European Commission has fined Meta…for breaching EU antitrust rules by tying its online classified ads service Facebook Marketplace to its personal social network Facebook and by imposing unfair trading conditions on other online classified ads service providers,” the European Commission […]
A multi-national company that designs, develops and manufactures medical devices has announced the creation of 250 jobs in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim. Freudenberg Medical, the largest employer in Leitrim, expects the recruitment drive for 250 staff to increase existing staffing levels in Carrick-on-Shannon by over a third to 950 people by 2026. Recruitment for the newly […]
Microsoft is to create an additional 550 new engineering and research and development jobs in its Dublin office. The positions, which will be focused on developing artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity products and services, will be added over the next three to four years. However, 120 of the jobs are available to apply for from […]
What an incredible day at Abbey Wood, Killarney NP, Co Kerry! This week, our team at Red Chair Recruitment took part in our “giveback” day, stepping out of our comfort zones to work alongside the inspiring Killarney Meitheal team. Suited up (hard hats, safety goggles, gloves and waterproofs) and ready for the challenge, we spent […]
The Government has published a list of nine national public authorities that will be responsible for policing the new EU Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act. The bodies will be given additional powers under the AI Act to facilitate them in protecting fundamental rights in circumstances where the use of AI poses a high risk to those […]
The Government is establishing a pilot scheme for reimbursing apartment owners who fix Celtic Tiger era defective properties at their own expense. Two years ago the total cost for repairing the homes was estimated at €1.5 billion to €2.5 billion. The total number of properties affected is up to 100,000, according to the working group […]
PIETA’S suicide prevention efforts in Kerry have received a major boost from 70 local companies who have collectively donated €14,200 to the charity via a continuing initiative at Kerry Airport. Passengers travelling on outbound flights can see the logos of the many businesses who have each made a donation to support Pieta’s work throughout Kerry. […]
The “legendary” Bewley’s Café on Dublin’s Grafton Street has had its annual rent cut in half following a ruling at the Circuit Court. Judge Jennifer O’Brien ruled that Bewley’s Café should have to pay a rent of more than €738,000 per year to its landlord, developer Johnny Ronan. This is a 50% drop in the […]
The Irish Data Protection Commission has imposed fines totalling €310m on social media platform LinkedIn. It follows an investigation into the company’s processing of the personal data of users for the purposes of behavioural analysis and targeted advertising. The inquiry found breaches of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) relating to the lawfulness, fairness and […]
Social media companies must comply with a new online safety code or face fines of at least 20 million euros, media regulator has said. The independent body Coimisiún na Meán published an Online Safety Code for 10 video-sharing platforms that are based in Ireland, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and X. The code requires the […]
Google is to back a wave of newly-built nuclear reactors to power its data centres. In a radical move, the tech giant says that it will be an anchor customer for a fleet of new “small modular reactors” to help address the challenges around powering its operations in an age of power-hungry artificial intelligence (AI). […]
Social Welfare A social protection package worth almost €2bn has been announced in Budget 2025, described as the largest in the history of the State. Double payments for some social welfare recipients in October €12 increase for those receiving the weekly Social Protection payment Carer’s allowance means test disregard to increase to €625 for a single […]
The Department of Finance has estimated the State will have a general surplus of between €23 billion and €24 billion this year. The figures will also be boosted by Apple’s back tax of about €14bn which will be booked into the accounts for 2024. Minister for Finance Jack Chambers said that the Apple money will […]
The Minister for Tourism has said it there is no legal mechanism outside of the planning process to enable the passenger cap at Dublin Airport to be lifted. Catherine Martin said her Government colleagues, Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan and Minister of State James Lawless, cannot see a legal mechanism to resolve the issue. Minister […]
Taoiseach Simon Harris will today chair an Online Safety Summit in Government Buildings. The purpose of the summit is to ensure the new Online Safety Framework is implemented. The Taoiseach and ministers will be briefed by regulators, as well as An Garda Síochána, on progress to date and how the Government can support their work […]
The national commercial vacancy rate hit a new high of 14.4% in June, new data shows. 30,246 commercial units were classified as vacant across the country, according to the latest GeoDirectory report. The analysis, prepared by EY, found that the commercial vacancy rate increased in 14 out of 26 counties surveyed. “While the national commercial […]
New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the annual rate of inflation eased to 1.7% in August from an annual rate of 2.2% in July. The CSO said this is the first time since June 2021 that its official measure of annual inflation has been below 2%. Today’s figures show that the most […]
Ireland’s tech sector expects a resurgence in hiring confidence following consecutive quarters of stagnant recruitment, according to the latest Manpower Group Employment Outlook Survey. The study shows that hiring optimism in the sector has reached its highest level since the post-pandemic hiring boom. Despite this, hiring at volume is expected to remain subdued, with high-skilled […]
The domestic economy grew by almost 2% in the first six months of this year, according to latest figures from the Central Statistics Office. Today’s CSO figures show that personal spending on good and services are continuing to grow and rose by 1.1% in the second quarter of 2024. Wages grew in the quarter by […]
Growth in the service sector continued in August but the outlook weakened, new data shows. The latest Purchasing Managers Index from AIB shows that growth in new business and employment accelerated, while outstanding work increased at the strongest rate in almost a year. However, the 12 month outlook was the weakest since November 2022. In […]