Irish Sun
First published 1880 Sunday 18th May 2008 Issue 1487
Front Page Breaking Business News
Morgan Stanley sheds jobs in economic shakeout


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It has been reported that Morgan Stanley cut 1,500 jobs last week as part of a process to cut 5 percent of employees across almost every business, excluding the retail brokerage...


Housing market gets some positive news
There has been a slight ray of hope in the troubled US housing market with starts and permits showing a surprisingly strong jump in...


Oil price soars on the back of natural disaster
Goldman Sachs says crude oil has hit record new prices following the Chinese...


New fuel limits for Indonesian motorists
Limits have been set on subsidised fuel purchases in...


New Pentagon contact let to Lockheed
A US government contract has gone to the Lockheed Martin to start building a new generation of global positioning...


Ecuador offers new deal for oil companies
President Rafael Correa of Ecuador says his country wants to buy out private oil companies who are unwilling to negotiate new...


Chinese earthquake forces insurers to consider more cover
The Chinese earthquake is forcing the nation's insurance industry to bring itself up to...


Ukraine welcomed into WTO fold
Ukraine has become the 152nd member of the World Trade...


Department stores show weak earnings
The weak US economy has caused some department stores to report lower...


Henry Paulson makes positive speech on economy
US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has said he believes the financial crisis is coming to an end but society could take some time to fully emerge from the...


UK construction industry hit by government squeeze
A squeeze on UK government spending has begun to hit the construction...


Car sales hold up in Europe
New car registrations are up in...


Napa Valley wine patriarch dies
A pioneering winemaker from California’s Napa Valley has...


SingTel moves into faster networks
Singapore Telecommunications, otherwise known as SingTel, has awarded a SIN$220 million contract to Ericsson Telecommunications to expand its 2G and 3G mobile...


Indonesian leaders to meet over fuel prices
Indonesia’s House of Representatives Speaker, Agung Laksono, has invited President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to a consultative meeting on the government's plan to raise fuel oil prices....


Indian car maker launches eco-friendly model
Tata Motors of India has launched a new dual fuel, eco-friendly model of its Indica range of...


Bacon painting fetches record price
Renowned artist Francis Bacon's masterpiece, 'Triptych', has set a new record in sales by fetching a whopping 43 million pounds at an auction in New...


British Airways lifts profits
British Airways has reported a 45% rise in annual profits but warned that economic uncertainty and high fuel costs pose challenges....


New rules aimed at making it easier to buy train tickets have come into force.
New fares structure They mean that passengers have to choose from only three ticket types when planning their journey.Out go fares like Leisure Advance, Business Advance, Value Advance and Apex -...


Microsoft tries to buck trend by staying on top
SAN JOSE, California : Mathematicians have long tried, and failed, to solve the Riemann Hypothesis, a stubbornly unyielding math problem. Good luck to whoever tries to figure it out. For the first...


Anil Ambani group firm forays into Hollywood
CANNES: Anil Ambani group firm Reliance Big Entertainment on Sunday made its foray into Hollywood, with the announcement of development deals with celebrities including Angelina Jolie, Julia...


Deutsche CEO says end of credit crisis near
ZURICH (Reuters) - The end of the credit crisis is getting closer and the U.S. real estate market should recover in the second half of the year, Deutsche Bank...


New rail ticket system launched
Rail passengers pre-booking their trip will now be issued with an "advance ticket" as the first phase of a new ticketing system comes into operation. The ticket replaces discounted offers such as...


Union rejects American Airlines offer
Negotiators for union mechanics and bag handlers at American Airlines have rejected a contract proposal from American Airlines that called for lump-sum payments instead of wage...


Canadian union accepts Chrysler deal
MONTREAL: Canadian Auto Workers union members voted in favor of a three-year labor agreement with Chrysler, the union said on Saturday. The accord, based on a deal ratified with Ford Canada...


Era of cheap Chinese goods threatened by new worker power
HONG KONG: Migrant workers, for years the backbone of China's export miracle, are discovering their economic muscle, threatening an end to the flood of cheap goods heading west, the author of a new...


EU plans farming shake up to lift output
BRUSSELS: The European Commission will unveil on Tuesday a proposed shake-up of the EU's common agriculture policy to lift output in the face of a food crisis, with Britain and France gearing up...


Worst may be over for US
WASHINGTON: A growing number of analysts are expressing confidence that the worst may be over for the US economy, even if it struggles for some time due to weak housing, tight credit and high...


Georgia lures Arab investors
POTI: The port city of Poti has long symbolised Georgia's collapse, but President Mikheil Saakashvili sees potential for a Black Sea Dubai in its crumbling buildings and pot-holed streets -- and ...


KDB ends talks with Goldman on Daewoo sale
"We had been in talks with Goldman, a preferred negotiator, to manage the deal," a KDB spokesman said by telephone. "But Goldman said it could not accept our requests, so the talks...


Westpac may boost $17.6 billion bid for St. George
Speaking to the Australia Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Westpac chairman Ted Evans said "never say never" when asked whether the bid would be...


Austrian Airlines CEO open to majority takeover
Research ) was quoted on Saturday as saying he would be open to a majority takeover of Austria's national carrier if that were needed for it to prosper amid soaring fuel...


Three Turkish banks post quarterly earnings
ISTANBUL / ANKARA - BloombergThree Turkish banks posted their quarterly earnings Friday. While Yapı Kredi, a Turkish bank that is co-owned by Italy's UniCredit SpA, managed to more than double its...


How Microsoft forced open a new window of opportunity
Business news & features section. It was last updated at 00:04 on May 18 2008. Much heat and little light were generated last week by the announcement, made jointly by Microsoft and the One Laptop...


EADS to roll out A400M on June 26
Having delayed the first flight from the start of the year, manufacturer Airbus Military said initially it would aim to get the plane aloft in July, before switching to a timetable of "summer", which...


Wall Street may get best indicators yet about recession or economic recovery as summer begins
Joe Bel Bruno May 17, 2008 - 03:57 a.m. NEW YORK (AP) - After nine months of turmoil that started with the collapse of the subprime mortgage market, Wall Street appears to be at a turning point...


There could be more casualties in the airline industry because of spiralling costs, Sir Richard Branson has warned.
'Same number of people flying' The Virgin Atlantic boss said fuel rises would mean some smaller companies would either be forced to merge or go under.He also predicted the cost of oil, now at...


Saudis protect own interests in oil production
WASHINGTON – When President Bush, once a Texas oilman, asked Saudi Arabia to pump more crude, he may have forgotten that the Saudis have a long memory. And that made it a good bet his mission...


Iran says OPEC will not boost output
TEHRAN – Iran's oil minister rejected on Saturday any idea of OPEC raising production, saying it would fail to ease record prices as the market was already “saturated” with oil. ...


AIG to set up services, data centers in Malaysia
Research ) plans to establish a global shared services and data centers in Malaysia through one of its subsidiaries, the insurance giant said on...


Cathay Pacific Airways considers cutting routes
By MIN LEEASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER HONG KONG -- Cathay Pacific Airways might cut routes to help cope with surging fuel prices, its chief executive said. Tony Tyler said in an internal company...


County employment outlook warming up
After a sluggish winter, employment in San Diego County rebounded last month, fueled by strong hiring in hotels, restaurants and government work, according to data released yesterday by the state...


Health care billing fight is looming
Doctors and hospital officials will square off with health insurers Monday in San Diego over a state plan to ban medical providers from billing emergency room patients for charges not covered by...


Alvarado Hospital loses dispute with Blue Shield
Alvarado Hospital in San Diego has lost its court battle over a contract dispute with Blue Shield of California, demonstrating how challenging it can be for stand-alone hospitals to demand higher...


U.N. predicts downturn for world economy
The world economy is “teetering on the brink” of a severe downturn and is expected to grow only 1.8 percent in 2008, the United Nations said in its midyear economic projections....


Wall Street sees light at end of tunnel
NEW YORK - Wall Street is clawing its way back from a dismal start to the year as confidence grows about the prospects of a US economic recovery without a calamitous...


$100 laptop nonprofit now teamed with Microsoft
BOSTON - The One Laptop Per Child project is about to find out whether Microsoft Corp., a rival the nonprofit group once derided, is the solution to its problems in spreading inexpensive portable...


; Store Joins Target, Wal-Mart in Selling Discounted 90-Day Generic Prescriptions
Posted on: Saturday, 17 May 2008, 00:00 CDT By CHERYL CASWELL Kroger is jumping on the prescription discount bandwagon and offering 90-day supplies of hundreds of generic medications for $10. The...


UAW, American Axle reach deal that could end strike
DETROIT – A bitter 80-day United Auto Workers strike against an auto parts maker that has crippled dozens of General Motors Corp. factories could be coming to an end soon with a tentative...


Fla. lifts ban on Allstate selling new insurance policies
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Allstate Corp.'s subsidiaries can resume selling new car insurance and other policies in Florida after the insurer turned over documents showing how it sets homeowners...