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Barnier says ‘every day counts’ as Brexit talks continue
Post-Brexit trade talks between the UK and European Union will continue in London as Michel Barnier said both sides have a “common responsibility” to strike a deal. The European Union’s chief negotiator is expected to continue discussions with his UK counterpart David Frost as the deadline for an agreement looms. Talks had been in limbo after…
Read More70 days until Brexit transition ends – Coveney
The Minister for Foreign Affairs has called on all Irish businesses who rely on suppliers, producers, clients and customers from the UK to immediately check on their preparations for Brexit. Simon Coveney said that while the UK officially left the EU at the end of January this year, the real impact of Brexit has been…
Read MoreUK retail sales growth beat expectations in September
British retail sales beat expectations in September to cap a record quarter of growth that took total sales volumes further above their pre-pandemic level, but rising Covid cases risk crimping demand going forward. UK retail sales volumes expanded by 1.5% in September alone and are 4.7% higher than a year earlier. This was the largest annual…
Read MoreEU and UK negotiators to resume stalled post-Brexit talks in London
EU and UK negotiators will resume talks in London later today after both sides agreed to set out an intensified schedule of negotiations in the coming weeks. A joint statement issued last night effectively removed a threat by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to end the talks completely and to prepare the UK for a…
Read MoreSterling holds near new highs as Brexit talks restart
The pound slipped slightly this morning, but remained close to six-week highs it touched on the previous day after news that stalled Brexit negotiations were due to resume. Sterling rose by as much as 1.7% against the dollar yesterday after the European Union’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier said that an EU-UK deal was “within reach”.…
Read MoreEU Council chief says UK has choice to make on Brexit
Britain has sovereign choices to make on Brexit and they will determine its future access to the EU’s internal market, European Council President Charles Michel has said. He suggested it was now up to the British government to break an impasse on negotiations. “The UK now has an important choice to make on its own future,”…
Read MoreRTÉ to reinstate frozen incremental wage increases
RTÉ is to make immediate arrangements to reinstate previously frozen incremental wage increases to affected staff, after accepting a recommendation of its internal Industrial Relations Tribunal. Earlier today, the IRT ruled that the broadcaster had been wrong to impose a unilateral freeze on increments, which unions argued was unfair as it had a disproportionate impact…
Read MoreHalf of people on Pandemic Unemployment Payment to get €50 increase
HALF of those claiming the pandemic unemployment payment will get a €50 increase in their payment bringing it to €350 a week. A total of 122,000 people will benefit from the hike in payment from next week. The top rate at the moment is €300 a week so the increase will mean they get an extra…
Read MoreEU pledges to intensify talks on Brexit and legal texts
Senior European Union officials have said the EU is ready to intensify talks towards a deal on future trade ties with the UK after a meeting to discuss the existing Brexit agreement. European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic said that Britain had much work to do to honour commitments on the island of Ireland. He said…
Read MoreUrgent need to focus on pension sustainability here – Mercer
Ireland is ranked in 14th place out of 39 countries in the 2020 Mercer Global Pensions Index despite the country’s underlying sustainability issue. The Netherlands topped the index again this year despite significant pension reform currently under way there, but Ireland came ahead of countries such as Belgium, the UK, France, Spain and Austria. Mercer…
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