Effective use of cloud strategies could create up to 8,600 jobs and deliver €9.4bn annually in sales, business analysts said at an Irish Management Institute (IMI) breakfast briefing in Dublin.

Graham Rowntree has underlined the British and Irish Lions’ ambition to raise the performance bar in their clash against Western Force tomorrow.

Preparing for the launch of a computer game called Kings of the Realm this summer, Dublin games company Digit Games Studio expects to have hundreds of thousands of players by the end of the year and several million by 2014.

For many thousands of years humankind has delved deep into the earth in search of tin, coal, copper, and precious stones. And the treasures uncovered have played a significant part in humanity’s evolution. The Bronze Age, for instance, produced some incredibly beautiful artefacts and the first durable weapons, while coal fuelled the accelerated expansionism of the Industrial Revolution.

The British and Irish Lions will play Test matches in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney when they tour Australia in 2013.

The X Factor finalists will release a cover of Rose Royce’s 1978 hit 'Wishing on a Star' in aid of a children’s charity.

It is getting down to the serious end of affairs in the Pat Hennerty Sales Irish Laurels at Curraheen Park and the talk of the greyhound world this week is that intriguing fourth quarter final to be run on Saturday night.

Owen McKenna and Conor Fahy could be the trainers to follow when the first round of the Ladbrokes.com Irish Derby continues at Shelbourne tonight.

I’M something of an optimist by nature but I can’t help but detect a number of very positive signs on the Irish greyhound front that provides renewed hope for the future of the industry.

STEM cells supplied to a Dutch clinic where Irish multiple sclerosis (MS) patients went for treatment were not “intended for human use”, a General Medical Council (GMC) hearing in London was told.

THE economic downturn is delaying plans for the redevelopment of the old boatyard site in Dingle.

The number of victims trafficked into Ireland who seek help to escape the vice trade are just the tip of the iceberg, it was claimed today.

DUBLIN-based ventilation firm Aervent has been bought by a Swedish company Lindab International for nearly €7.5 million.

THE Taoiseach believes e-voting is a success, except for the software being faulty. That’s like saying the Government is a success, except for ministers being faulty.

VENTURE capital investment in Irish companies has fallen overall by 22% in the last three months according to the latest Techpulse survey by Ion Equity.

OLDER people who have limited mobility are being encouraged and shown how to exercise even from a chair through a new DVD.

Conservative Prime Minister John Howard’s government has invoked special powers to invalidate a territory’s law that had been the first in Australia giving legal recognition to same-sex relationships.

THE IRISH Medicines Board has confirmed it will investigate claims stem cell treatment was being offered on ferries between Cork and Wales in an attempt to avoid EU law which regulates stem cell usage.

IF anything goes wrong for Munster in Sunday’s Heineken Cup semi-final against Leinster at Lansdowne Road, don’t be surprised to see Jim Williams make an attempt to pull on a jersey and get on the pitch.

REGULATIONS governing the use of controversial stem cell therapies will be introduced within a matter of months, Finance Minister Brian Cowen said last night.

IT’S now nearly 23 years since Roger Hall was first diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

A PHARMACEUTICAL company fronted by former Elan executives plans to raise over €40 million from a stock market flotation.

VENTURE capital firm ACT has splashed out €10 million to take a stake in Dublin-based Silicon & Software Systems (S3), a specialist in advanced software for use in microchips and mobile phones.

LIFESTYLE SPORTS has been taken over in a deal believed to be worth around €40 million.

Australia head coach Eddie Jones has axed tight-head prop Al Baxter for Saturday’s clash with Ireland at Lansdowne Road and gambled on an inexperienced front row.

DETAILS of alarming cancer rates have led county councillors to call on Health Minister Mary Harney to open a 30-bed ward at Cork University Hospital for sufferers of the disease.

Elton Flatley, who so nearly dashed England’s dreams in the World Cup final a year ago, has returned to the Australia side for their defence of the Cook Cup at Twickenham on Saturday.

FIRST Veteran: I served with John Kerry.

Venture capital firm ACT has raised $33 million (€27.3m) with the sale of its 27% shareholding in semiconductor company Alphamosaic.

LIFESTYLE SPORTS cut more than 100 jobs last year as it reversed a €3.4 million loss into a profit.

THE GOVERNMENT has given the contract to manage operate high-speed internet networks to Limerick firm E-Net.

Limerick-based technology company e-net has been awarded the contract to manage the broadband network by the Department of Communications.

The Association for Competitive Technology (ACT), which supports Microsoft Corp, has said it is disappointed at the breakdown of settlement talks between the European Commission and the world's number 1 software company.

Fergal McCann, venture capital expert and lead adviser with InterTrade Ireland, the cross-Border business development body, said there was no shortage of funding available to entrepreneurs but businesses needed to do more to attract interest from venture capitalists.

Stockbyte, the Irish owned, global stock photography leader, today announced that it has bought out the 30% stake held by its venture capital partner, ACT Venture Capital, for an undisclosed sum.

TRALEE-BASED Stockbyte has completed the multi-million buyout of the 30% stake held in the company by ACT Venture Capital.

Australia coach Eddie Jones has resisted the temptation to select five-try hero Chris Latham and made just one change to his first-choice starting line-up for the match against Ireland in Melbourne on Saturday.

Chris Whittaker will lead Australia for the first time after Wallabies coach Eddie Jones made the expected sweeping changes to his starting line-up for his team’s World Cup pool match against Namibia in Adelaide on Saturday.

Veteran flanker Owen Finegan was the biggest omission from Australia’s World Cup squad announced in Sydney today.

Rising star Mark Gerrard has extended his Super 12 contract with the ACT Brumbies until 2005.

The continuing misfortunes of Andrew Mehrtens and Jonah Lomu continue to dominate the build-up to New Zealand’s Tri-Nations clash with Australia on Saturday.

Ireland go into tomorrow’s Test against world champions Australia in Perth brimming with confidence despite a brewing selection row.

IT’S D-day for a number of clubs in the AIB All-Ireland League and none more so than Buccaneers, UL/Bohemians and Co Carlow in Division One, Dolphin and Old Crescent in Division Two and Waterpark in the third.

ACT Venture Capital has raised €170m for its third venture capital fund, which is mainly targeted at investments in technology-based companies in Ireland.