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The European Commission asserted the “sovereign right” to regulate the activities of tech giants within the bloc and rejected claims by President Donald Trump that its rules unfairly harm US firms. Brussels has adopted a powerful legal arsenal aimed at reining in tech giants, particularly through the Digital Markets Act (DMA) covering competition and Digital…

The Chief Operations Officer at Tuath Housing has said there is a need to “ramp up social and cost rental supply” to provide security for the next generation. Bronagh D’Arcy said decisions taken in this year’s budget will be “critical” as the Approved Housing Body released its annual report today. It emphasises that demand continues…

Vhi, the country’s largest health insurer, is to increase the prices of its policies by an average of 3% from October. It is estimated the increase will mean an individual will pay between €15 and €80 extra per year for their health insurance, while a family plan could go up by around €180. Consumers will…

US President Donald Trump has threatened further tariffs and export restrictions against countries that he says are targeting US tech firms. “Digital Taxes, Digital Services Legislation, and Digital Markets Regulations are all designed to harm, or discriminate against, American Technology,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. His comments appear targeted at European countries…

The number of derelict properties around the country has fallen, according to the latest GeoDirectory Residential Buildings Report. The analysis is based on a study of the stock of houses and apartments across Ireland. The report also showed the number of new addresses added to the database was up 33,000 in the 12 months to…

Consumer sentiment recovered in August from a near two-year low as concerns about the impact of tariffs on European Union exports to the US appeared to ease, a survey showed today. The Credit Union Consumer Sentiment Survey improved to 61.1 in August from 59.1 in July. The reading is below the 72.1 level posted in…

German economy shrank 0.3% in second quarter as US tariffs slowed exports Germany’s economy shrank by 0.3% in the second quarter compared with the first three months of the year, as demand from its top trading partner the US slowed following months of buying ahead in anticipation of US tariffs. The statistics office today revised…

New figures from Worldpanel by Numerator show that grocery inflation continued to rise in August, increasing from 5.43% to 5.86% now. Today’s figures show that shoppers contributed an additional €68.2m to the grocery market’s overall performance in August, due to several festivals, sell-out concerts and the Galway Races. Take-home value sales rose 6.2% over the…

Dutch online bank Bunq has received a €2.6m fine for failures in its money laundering controls, Dutch central bank DNB said today. Bunq said it disagreed with DNB’s decision, to which it has formally objected. DNB said Bunq was fined in May for “serious shortcomings” in four cases between January 2021 and May 2022, in…

Senior officials have warned ministers that Ireland’s rapid growth in data centres is using up electricity capacity and adding to the risks around energy costs and climate targets. In a confidential memo issued in November last year, the Secretary General at the Department of Public Enterprise, NDP Delivery and Reform (DPER) said that soaring electricity…