A roundup of today's other stories in brief.
Four worker directors elected at ESB
Four new worker-directors have been elected to serve on the board of the ESB following an election among union members.
The four will join eight other directors who make up the ESB board.
The following were elected: John Coleman, ATGWU; Tony Merriman, Siptu; John Nugent, ESB Officers Association; Bob Yeates, TEEU. A member of Amicus failed to get elected.
Wholesale prices rise in October
Factory gate prices rose by 0.3 per cent in October, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office.
This compares to an increase of 0.3 per cent recorded for October of last year. As a result, the annual percentage rate rose by 0.1 per cent, unchanged from September.
Public sector earnings up 4.8%
Average weekly earnings in the public sector, excluding health, rose by 4.8 per cent in the year to June 2006.
The index of average earnings, which excludes some effects of changes in employment composition, also rose by 4.8 per cent for the same period, according to data from the Central Statistics Office.
Excluding the health sector, a total of 250,100 people were employed in the public sector in June 2006.
Island Oil wins Dutch licence
Irish exploration group Island Oil & Gas has been awarded its first international licence. The Dublin-listed company said yesterday it had won a licence to drill for oil and gas off the coast of the Netherlands. Initially Island will hold a 100 per cent interest in the licence, which will fall to 60 per cent under rules requiring 40 per cent state participation in such projects.
The site, known as Q13, contains the Amstel field, an area known to contain between seven and 12 million barrels of gross recoverable reserves.
M&S plans €50m expansion in NI
UK retailer Marks & Spencer is to create 250 new jobs in Northern Ireland as part of a €50m investment.
The investment will cover seven stores, including the complete redesign and extension of its flagship store in Belfast where the adjacent former Bank of Ireland building will be incorporated into the store.
Elan director exercises options
Elan director William Daniel has made $644,533 (€497,927) selling shares in the pharmaceutical group.
