A year-old pact underpinning billions of dollars of transatlantic data transfers won a green light from the European Union yesterday after a first review to ensure the US protects Europeans’ data stored on American servers.

AIB is preparing to launch the largest non-performing loan sale in its history next month as it embarks on the final phase of its post-crisis balance sheet purge amid a fresh crackdown on the sector from the European Central Bank.

Beryl Dunne, an IT manager who lives in Bray, Co Wicklow, is semi-retired and said she had to ramp up her payments so that she could retire when she wanted.

Changes to the way the State pension payment is calculated were introduced in 2012.

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe has delivered his first Budget and it’s safe to say it was a bonanza for nobody, but who has fared the best?

Nama’s top bosses have moved to pre-empt criticism of the agency’s new role managing the Government’s latest housebuilding fund, including telling the Irish Independent they’ll work with builders regardless of any previous disputes.

The Government has been accused of only adding 31 homes to house building targets for next year.

It’s the one day when the most popular thing for Irish people to talk about is not the weather.

Budget 2018 will have ” no fireworks” and no “big bonanza”, according to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

The Telephone Allowance is to be brought back from October 2018, Independent.ie has learned.