Accor, Europe’s biggest hotel operator, offered to buy Australia’s Mantra Group in a deal valuing the hotel and resort company at $1.2bn (€795m).

Two technology companies are to create 160 jobs over the coming years as they set up their first Irish bases.

The High Court has dismissed a software company's claims that a rival entity established by three former senior workers had conspired to "hijack its' business" by developing a competing product.