DUBLIN, May 24 (Reuters) – Irish officials and business
leaders like to trumpet their success in attracting U.S.
investment as proof the country is on the road to recovery.

At a conference in Dublin on Friday the head of Ireland’s
largest bank gave small business leaders the “15-second elevator
pitch” he gives to U.S. executives when he is in New York or
Boston.

CORK/DUBLIN (Reuters) – Until this week, Richard Bruton enjoyed the sweet spot in Irish government. While cabinet colleagues rolled out spending cuts and tax hikes, Bruton got the photo opportunities with foreign CEOs investing in their favorite corner of Europe.

Now the strategy that underpins Bruton’s role as jobs minister and the country’s hopes of recovering from the crisis that drove it to take an international bailout is under attack from the United States and the rest of Europe.

DUBLIN (Reuters) – Ireland called on Wednesday for an international clampdown on multinationals shifting profits around the world to avoid tax, after criticism that Irish loopholes helped technology giant Apple to shrink its tax bill.

A U.S. Senate investigation into the tax affairs of the maker of iPhones, iPads and Mac computers has shone an uncomfortable spotlight on Ireland’s tax regime and forced the government to defend itself against accusations of being Europe’s onshore tax haven.

CORK/DUBLIN (Reuters) – Ireland said on Tuesday it was not to blame for Apple Inc’s low global tax payments and had no special rate deal with the company after the U.S. Senate said it paid little or no tax on tens of billions of dollars in profits stashed in Irish subsidiaries.

The Irish government, which has seen the luring of U.S. multinationals with low taxes as a key part of its economic policy since the 1960s, said its system was transparent and other countries were responsible if the tax rate paid by Apple was too low.

DUBLIN (Reuters) – Ireland said on Tuesday it was not to blame for Apple Inc’s low global tax payments after the U.S. Senate said the company paid little or nothing on tens of billions of dollars in profits stashed in Irish subsidiaries.

The Irish government, which has seen the luring of U.S. multinationals with low taxes as a key part of its economic policy since the 1960s, said its system was transparent and other countries were responsible if the tax rate paid by Apple was too low.

DUBLIN (Reuters) – Ireland said on Tuesday it was not to blame for Apple Inc’s (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) low global tax payments after the U.S. Senate said the company paid little or nothing on billions of dollars in profits stashed in Irish subsidiaries.

In a 40-page memorandum released ahead of an appearance by Apple CEO Tim Cook before Congress on Tuesday, a Senate subcommittee identified three subsidiaries that have no “tax residency” either in Ireland, where they are incorporated, or in the United States, where those companies are managed.

DUBLIN, May 19 (Reuters) – Ryanair posted
forecast-beating full-year earnings on Monday, buoyed by strong
growth in fares and a sharp rise in charges for items such as
baggage and in-flight refreshments.

Shares in Europe’s largest budget airline jumped more than 6
percent to a record high of 6.764 euros.

DUBLIN, May 15 (Reuters) – Ryanair aims to grow much
faster than previously indicated over the next five years in a
bid to exploit the weakness of mid-tier European rivals
struggling with recession, the firm’s chief operating officer
has told Reuters.

Three decades after it launched the industry’s cheap flights
revolution, the Irish airline hopes to raise passenger numbers
by more than 8 percent annually in 2015-18, double last year’s
growth and up from a forecast of 5 percent it gave in March.

DUBLIN, May 9 (Reuters) – Ireland needs to do more to tackle
unemployment and bad mortgage debt, its international lenders
said on Thursday in a relatively critical statement as the
country moves towards the end of its bailout programme.

The European Union, International Monetary Fund and European
Central Bank said Ireland was on course to become the first euro
zone country to complete its bailout at the end of the year, but
listed several concerns.

DUBLIN (Reuters) – World leaders must act urgently to break the diplomatic deadlock around Syria if they want to prevent the crisis from reaching a dangerous tipping point, the heads of the United Nations aid agencies said on Monday in a rare political appeal.

If the international community continues to dither the crisis could turn into a humanitarian catastrophe that could scar the region for a generation, one of the leaders said.