Brexit bickering; a nose for discovery; rugby’s Pro14 pays; and Louth turns back on Teeling

The war of words between Michel Barnier and David Davies shows no sign of abating as the Brexit deadline draws ever closer. This weekend Barnier called on Britain to stop playing "hide and seek" and decide on a realistic exit strategy for the country.

An Irish company developing a breakthrough therapy for a common nasal condition has raised €9.3 million. Medical device start-up Neurent Medical is eyeing a $2 billion market from its base in Oranmore, Co Galway

As players unwind after the Pro14 rugby final that saw Leinster see off Scarlets in front of a record crowd for the competition at Dublin's Aviva stadium, it has emerged that tournament turnover has doubled in just two years following its decision to expand to include South African teams. Barry O'Halloran writes that the company is already eyeing further expansion.

Louth became synonymous with John Teeling as he broke the Irish Distillers stranglehold on Irish whiskey, with his Cooley Distillery. But, reports Jason Corcoran, that wasn't enough to see off objectors for a major whiskey warehousing development in the county. Now he is looking elsewhere.

Neurent raises €9.3m to put paid to chronic runny noses

---

SSE Airtricity blames increased competition as profits fall

---

Markets trend down as US-China trade talks hit obstacle

---

Ryanair shares surge after it reports that profits grew 10% to €1.45bn

---

Transparency on gender pay gaps is strongly supported by Irish companies, but almost two in three fear it could cause them reputational damage, a Mercer survey finds. Laura Slattery has the details.

Women entrepreneurs struggle more than men to secure financing to scale their businesses, says Hassle.com founder Jules Coleman says – and that makes survival even harder for their companies, writes Charlie Taylor.

Chris Johns notes that two very different referendum outcomes in the UK and Ireland only serve to highlight the uneasy relationship between Northern Ireland and both Britain and the Republic.

And Pilita Clark is somewhat taken aback when wine is quaffed at a business lunch. Later, she comes across research in the Harvard Business Review suggesting that people are better problem solvers with the benefit of a few drinks. Could it be true?