An equal pay case is being taken against supermarket giant Tesco which lawyers estimate could lead to a bill of £4bn (€4.5bn).

Iceland will be the first country in the world to make employers prove they offer equal pay regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexuality or nationality, the government has said.

Ireland is among a handful of countries in the EU where women are falling farther behind men in what they are paid when working, and when they retire.