VENTURE CAPITAL POST

The owner of British Airways must provide some sort of "cast iron permanent guarantee" on flights to Ireland if the government is to even consider its bid for Aer Lingus (AERL.I), Prime Minister Enda Kenny said on Sunday.

U.S. medical device maker Medtronic (MDT.N) gained European Union regulatory approval on Friday for its $43 billion takeover of Covidien Plc (COV.N) after agreeing to sell its Irish rival's drug-coated balloon catheter business.

Roughly one in five of the euro zone's top lenders failed landmark health checks at the end of last year but most have since repaired their finances, the European Central Bank said on Sunday.

European bank stress tests have found that Ireland's permanent tsb (PTSB) (IPM.I) had a capital shortfall of 800 million to 850 million euros at the end of 2013, a source familiar with the process said on Friday.

If the European Central Bank really wants to kick-start the euro zone economy, it should ensure the bloc's banks are up to the task of lending.

Ireland is set to announce legal changes next week to phase out the "Double Irish" tax arrangement that has let firms such as Google (GOOGL.O) save billions of dollars, two sources familiar with the matter said.

U.S. medical device maker Medtronic Inc is likely to try to renegotiate the structure and terms of its $42.9 billion deal to buy Ireland's Covidien Plc in response to new U.S. tax rules, according to people familiar with the situation.

The European Commission will accuse Apple Inc (AAPL.O) of benefiting from illicit state aid in Ireland, based on preliminary findings of an investigation into tax deals, the Financial Times reported citing people familiar with the matter.

Google will build a 600 million euro ($773.58 million) data center in the northern Netherlands, the company said on Tuesday.

Dublin, Ireland-based medical startup Mainstay Medical raised €18M as it completed a listing in the Iris Stock Exchange (ISE) to fund the clinical trials for its product in the US and Europe next year.

Mountain View, US-based search giant Google will shell out $207.7 million (€150 million) to expand its data center in Dublin Ireland to beef up its revenue generation through its cloud services.

Irish high-profile investor Michael Smurfit is set to take part in a €750,000 investment to be poured into Dublin, Ireland-based farm tech startup Moocall to alert farmers of calf birth to help them sleep better at night.

Belfast, Ireland-based alcoholic beverage firm C&C will shell out £1.2 million to expand in Belfast and open a new commercial business support center, creating an additional 25 jobs in the region.

Takamatsu-shi, Japan-based cranes and aerial work platforms manufacturer Tadano Ltd completed its acquisition of its Yorkshire, UK-based distributor Cranes UK for an undisclosed amount to continue its market expansion.

Belfast, Ireland-based home-brewing firm Cargo bagged £82,000 in funding from Invest North Ireland (NI) for the development and marketing of its smartphone-controlled beer-making robot Brewbot.