Medicines shortage, insolvencies warning and time to cull some meetings

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Ireland’s medicines shortage is getting worse as its health system struggles to cope with a wave of winter infection, according to a new analysis. The number of products unavailable to Irish doctors and pharmacies to treat patients has jumped by more than 15 per cent over the past month. Dominic Coyle has the details.

More than 1,000 Irish businesses could go to the wall this year, costing creditors and others €3 billion-€4 billion, a report published on Monday warns. Between one and two businesses fail every day in the Republic, according to some calculations. However, a new PwC report warns that this could rise to more than 1,000 – almost three daily – this year, as the global recession bites more deeply in coming months. Barry O’Halloran reports.

Emma Jacobs says it is time we culled the amount of meetings we have to attend.

Sewage crisis: why this UK election is being fought on – and in – rivers and lakes

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Hubristic Woodford was the orchestrator of his own downfall

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Despite what people may think, taxes in Ireland are low compared to Europe

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China’s view of the world puts Ireland between a rock and a hard place

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Building slowed at its fastest rate since the summer last month as inflation continued to hit the industry, writes Barry O’Halloran. The latest construction survey shows that building slowed for the third month running in December, with rising costs hitting demand. The Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index, seen as a key indicator of industry trends, slid to 43.2 in December, its sharpest fall since July, writes Barry O’Halloran.

In our Opinion slot Paul Egan SC, senior consultant with Mason Hayes & Curran and chair of the Company Law Review Group, argues that an amendment is needed following the ECJ’s ruling on corporate transparency.

Professional services group Aon has signed up to occupy a state-of-the-art office block being refurbished by property group Iput on Dublin’s south quays in an early-year boost for the commercial property sector. Dominic Coyle reports.

CES usually sets the scene for the year in terms of what electronics we can expect to see on the shelves. From huge TVs to the latest cars, the show is the setting for big launches each January. But what caught Ciara O’Brien’s eye as she wandered the halls.

In recent years it has – or should have – become increasingly clear that monetary “independence” in the sense of having one’s own floating currency is not all it is cracked up to be, argues Martin Sandbu

What will 2023 have in store for the economy, the media landscape and the tech sector? To reflect on last 12 months in business and take a look ahead to the new year, on our Inside Business podcast presenter Ciarán Hancock is joined by Irish Times business journalists Eoin Burke-Kennedy, Ciara O’Brien and Laura Slattery.