The publisher of the Irish Times posted an operating profit of over €2.6m in 2018 before taking account of the almost €2m in takeover and other reorganisation costs following the acquisition last summer of the newspaper titles and broadcasting interests of the Irish Examiner group.

Business and consumer groups have called on the Government to launch a probe into the grip that Allied Irish Banks and Bank of Ireland have over Irish banking and to consider the possibility of breaking up AIB to boost competition.

Multinationals will no longer be able to avoid paying tax by playing one country off another, under new rules drafted by the European Commission.

Get a taste of some of the interesting and quirky happenings in Europe from our Europe correspondent, Ann Cahill.

The owner of Heathrow has sold off its three other UK airports in a £1.05bn deal that means the company previously known as BAA will now operate only its flagship London hub.

Ryanair Holdings Plc will submit a non-binding offer for Cyprus Airways tomorrow as Europe’s No 1 discount carrier seeks to extend its footprint eastward to an island increasingly popular with Russian and Israeli visitors.

Ryanair has challenged a decision by the UK antitrust regulator ordering it to slash its stake in Aer Lingus to no more than 5%.

Denis O’Brien’s Communicorp media group is set to become the fourth largest commercial radio owner in the UK after agreeing the acquisition of eight regional stations.

Air passengers will be hit by a decision today to alter what airlines can be charged for using one of the UK’s busiest airports, according to low-cost airline Ryanair.

Car insurance premiums are too high and should be reduced through far-reaching reforms, the UK's competition watchdog said today.

Proposed price rises to electricity bills in Northern Ireland are set to be limited by the UK's Competition Commission.

In a perfect world Ryanair and the Government would both sell their stake in Aer Lingus at the same time so that a majority purchaser could be found, according to Aer Lingus CEO Christoph Mueller.

There are procedures in place to deal with any potential conflict of interest that will arise if the Government decides to sell Aer Lingus while Willie Walsh is NTMA chairman, according to the Department of Finance.

Consumer campaigners in the UK are urging stronger action to “clean up” the credit market after finding that going overdrawn with a bank can be as expensive as using a payday lender.

Ryanair chief executive Micheal O’Leary said that the company’s stake in rival airline Aer Lingus might be worthless and that his airline has received less justice than the Birmingham Six.

Ryanair’s 30% stake in Aer Lingus damages competition on routes between Britain and Ireland and must be cut to 5%, a UK regulator has ordered.

Budget airline Ryanair is expected to face an ultimatum from the UK's competition watchdog this week to sell all or part of its stake in Aer Lingus.

Low-cost airline Ryanair is pinning its hopes on an end to the summer heatwave after passenger numbers were hit by the good weather amid plunging first-quarter profits.

Ryanair says it is prepared to sell its stake in rival Aer Lingus in a bid to appease a British anti-competition probe, a move analysts said was an apparent gambit to avoid a forced selldown.

UK competition bosses today ordered accountants to bid for work at Britain's biggest companies every five years under plans to shake up the market.

At least five of South Africa’s host cities for the 2010 World Cup want hundreds of millions of dollars back from construction companies because they allegedly colluded and inflated prices when building stadiums and other infrastructure.

Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary does not expect that the airline will have to sell any of its near 30% stake in Aer Lingus when Britain’s Competition Commission rules on its findings next month.

Channel tunnel operator Eurotunnel is being banned from operating ferry services from Dover amid fears it could use its dominance of cross-Channel transport to hike prices.

Ryanair has criticised the UK Competition Commission's (CC's) provisional decision that Ryanair "has influence" over Aer Lingus and that this "could reduce competition".

Ryanair could be forced to reduce its stake in Aer Lingus, after a provisional ruling by the UK's competition watchdog.

Cold weather improved the performance of Irish based support service company DCC which is aiming to become Europe’s largest oil distributor.

Ryanair and Aer Lingus deny claims by Dublin Airport Authority that they are earning a profit of between 30% and 50% on the fees and charges they pass on to customers.

Three of this year’s best performing stocks — easyJet, Booker, and Domino’s Pizza — will post updates this week in what should be a quiet post-Easter period for corporate news.

EU anti-trust regulators have blocked a third bid by Ryanair to buy rival Aer Lingus, a ruling that Europe’s biggest low-cost airline called politically motivated and vowed to challenge in court.

Independent News and Media (INM) has sold off its extensive South African newspaper business for €170m as it battles to reduce its €420m debt mountain.

Ryanair has appointed the former secretary general of the Department of Transport, Julie O’Neill, to the board of Ryanair Holdings.

Ryanair has clarified that it is considering taking a stake in London’s Stansted Airport but is not actively pursuing a purchase.

One of the UK’s big four accountancy firms reported an 11% hike in profits today after it “held its nerve” and continued to take on staff despite challenging markets.

Ryanair’s €694m takeover bid for Aer Lingus faces an extended review by European Union regulators, five years after they blocked an earlier takeover because of competition concerns.

UK airport operator BAA is to give up its long legal battle over the forced sale of Stansted Airport.

Ryanair has described as “rumour and speculation” reports it has offered to pull a number of Aer Lingus routes if it is allowed to take over the rival airline.

Ryanair is planning to buy a 25% stake in London’s third largest airport, Stansted, according to its deputy CEO, Michael Cawley, who said they were hoping to make a bid within months.

Ryanair has asked the courts to block a British regulator’s probe into its 30% stake in Aer Lingus, saying it overlaps a new European review.

Shares in Dublin advanced 57.8 points to 3120.7 in line with most European bourses following ECB president Mario Draghi’s pledge to take whatever action is necessary to prevent a collapse of the eurozone.

Ryanair has asked European competition regulators to approve its €694m takeover bid for Aer Lingus, in what could be an uphill battle after an EU veto against a previous offer.

The Government has said it will consider Ryanair’s proposed takeover of Aer Lingus and the sale of its 25% stake in the former state-controlled airline.

The news that Ryanair has launched yet another takeover bid for Aer Lingus would ordinarily strike fear into the hearts and minds of the traveling public.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) in the UK has referred Ryanair's stake in Aer Lingus to the Competition Commission.

Britain’s Office of Fair Trading has until June 18 to complete its investigation into Ryanair’s minority stake in Aer Lingus, after Ryanair failed to secure a Supreme Court order to halt the investigation.

The UK's motor insurance market was today facing an investigation by the Competition Commission after a report found the market was “dysfunctional” and pushed up premiums by £225m (€281m) a year.

Doubts over the ability of EU leaders to deliver measures to ease the region’s debt crisis triggered a 2.5% slump for London’s leading shares index today.