AstraZeneca vaccines row, Yew Grove’s share sale and Innovation Awards winners

The row over vaccines between AstraZeneca and the EU intensified on Wednesday, with the company suggesting EU governments are getting "emotional" and the EU saying factories in Britain should make vaccines for the bloc. Naomi O'Leary has the latest.

Karlin Lillington also considers AstraZeneca vaccines in her column, specifically the erroneous claims made about them in the German media this week. She argues the episode provides useful insights into how easily misinformation and disinformation can spread online.

Yew Grove Reit, the Dublin-listed owner of office and industrial assets, is eyeing a €50 million share sale as soon as late March to reboot its growth strategy, writes Joe Brennan. The group's chief executive notes that its plans to fundraise last year were put back by 12 months at least.

Still with fundraising, angel investors continued to back Irish start-ups in 2020 despite the coronavirus pandemic, new figures show. Charlie Taylor has that story, which is based on data from the Halo Angel Business Network.

‘Short squeeze’ spreads as day traders hunt next GameStop

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European stocks tumble as Germany slashes its economic growth forecast

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Emma Motion mattress: wake up feeling refreshed and relaxed

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EasyGo overtakes ESB as largest provider of charge points for electric vehicles

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Dublin has dropped out of the top 10 in an index of the "most liveable" cities in the world compiled by mobility consultants ECA International. The capital is now the 15th most liveable city, down from ninth place last year, according to the data.

The White House is "monitoring" the so-called short-squeeze on stocks that spread from Wall Street to markets around the world on Wednesday, with individual stocks subject to erratic moves. The issue started with shares in GameStop.

Are you still using WhatsApp? You may have noticed a growing movement away from the messaging app over recent weeks, but where is everybody going? Ciara O'Brien outlines the various alternatives on offer, including Signal, Telegram and Threema.

Ciara also reviews Samsung's latest big handset release, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, for which prices start at a cool €1,299.

In our Innovation section, we celebrate the worthy winners of the 2020 Innovation Awards, with Suzanne Moloney, founder of Galway-based HidraMed Solutions taking home the overall award.

Olive Keogh speaks to Niall McCormack of Corr Optical, who has invested €500,000 in the launch of the first ever Irish-made brand of safety eyewear. Thus far, the sector has been dominated by multinational brands.

Olive also profiles Back To Work Connect, an education and career hub aimed at helping women who have taken time out to raise their families to get back into the work force.

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