Joe Atkinson PwC 1
Top Stories

Xi’s superpower ambitions fuel a dangerous debt spiral in China

The Chinese leader is presiding over a surge in indebtedness that is strangling the economy and spilling overseas, writes Brian Spegele, The Wall Street Journal.

Munster-based clean-label YOJO targets bubbling energy drinks market

Inspired by the success of VitHit, siblings Molly and Jake Ryan and their friend Tom Murphy are launching a new premium, low-calorie energy drink.

Colm Wu companies dissolved over Revenue debts of €11.8m

A liquidator has been appointed to 10 companies linked to the businessman who was disqualified from acting as a company director last July for reckless trading.

Tinakilly row continued: Spanish shares, a wastewater plant, and €3.3m owed

The bitter row between Gerard Lane and Denis Connolly continued in the High Court with accusations of opportunism, chutzpah, and pulling stunts.

Air travel emerges as dangerous front line in global conflicts

Governments caution flying to Saudi Arabia, or through its airspace, after weekend attack left at least 12 dead, writes Benjamin Katz, The Wall Street Journal.

The welfare state is crushing Britain

The soaring number of people on disability and sickness benefits is blowing up the country’s welfare bill and imperiling its long-term financial stability, write Max Colchester and David Luhnow, The Wall Street Journal.

The town that wrinkles forgot: How the world’s supply of Botox came to be made in Westport 

Thirty years ago, a rural Irish town famed for barefoot pilgrimages became Ground Zero for the injectable that keeps Hollywood upright. But, how?

€100k-a-day: State could face €36m annual bill as EU court case looms

Years of foot-dragging leaves Ireland potentially facing some of the steepest daily penalties ever sought by the European Commission as it takes Ireland to the Court of Justice of the European Union over recurrent urban wastewater treatment failures.

Top Voices

Colm McCarthy: Ireland’s answer to Doge has been deactivated in all essentials

Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers announced plans for a new oversight taskforce to monitor public spending in Budget 2027. Scrapping DPER might have been more effective.

O’Mahony, O’Shea and Munster’s road back: Rewinding the week that was

A new CEO will begin work at Munster Rugby later this month – and Avan Lee has a big challenge on his hands. Talented young players like Charlie O'Shea will help, but they'll need to be part of an organisation better equipped to recover lost ground.

The red flags at Thomond Park that the new CEO must remove

Munster still has the name, the ground and the history. What it needs now is a functioning pathway, fuller stands and a willingness to confront what has gone wrong.

Peter O’Mahony: The unbelievable stress of getting both barrels from Joe Schmidt

In an extract from his new autobiography, Peter O’Mahony reflects on the "brainwashing" Ireland players experienced under their relentless head coach – and why those training sessions that annihilated some players made Ireland the force they became.

Budget 2027: Moving incrementally from wealth taxation to wealth accumulation

At a briefing with LHK Group, The Currency brought together economists, investors and financial advisers to examine Budget 2027 and the challenge of turning Ireland’s extraordinary wealth into a more sustainable future.

Dan O’Brien: To some, a budget surplus is like being in Alice in Wonderland

With imminent elections primed to transform the European political landscape and an Irish economy humming along nicely, hitting the fiscal accelerator was unnecessary. But with debt levels low, Ireland is in a strong position to handle any bond market woes.

John Looby: There really is nothing new in finance

The financing of AI infrastructure may be dressed up as a new asset class for a new industrial revolution. But the basic financial trick – turning future income into something investors can buy – is as old as finance itself.

Budget 2027: The tax-incentivised investment accounts had to be compelling – and they are

A tax-free threshold of €50,000 and an annual contribution limit of €12,000 will make Ireland’s new tax-incentivised accounts intriguing to many. Can they succeed in pushing savers towards investing?