A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Labour calls for Kozeny explanation
Labour Party spokesman on Justice, Deputy Joe Costello, has called on Minister for Justice Michael McDowell and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern, to explain how an Irish passport holder and international fugitive, Victor Kozeny, came to have six Irish passports.
"Mr Kozeny, whose extradition is now being sought from the Bahamas by US authorities, is also wanted on charges of defrauding thousands of investors of some €240m in the Czech Republic in the early 1990s," he said.
"It was a matter of public record that he held an Irish passport granted under the Passports for Investment Scheme, but it has now emerged in a court hearing in the Bahamas that he had six Irish passports."
Pratt exercises rights to shares
Eircom non-executive director Maurice Pratt has spent more than €27,000 to exercise rights to acquire shares in the telecoms company. Mr Pratt paid €1.35 per right to acquire 20,161 shares in the firm.
Stock exchange admits NeoNet
The Irish Stock Exchange (ISE) has admitted the Swedish company, NeoNet Securities, as a trading member of the exchange.
This brings to 25 the number of trading member firms on the ISE. Neonet is keen to access Irish stocks, many of which are components of European stock market indices.
Anderson lifts stake in IWP
Well-known investor Kevin Anderson has lifted his stake in cosmetics and household products group IWP International to 4.8 per cent, the company said yesterday.
Mr Anderson previously held a stake of less than 3 per cent in the company but additional share purchases earlier this month lifted his stake above this level.
Martin opens Starwood offices
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin yesterday opened the new offices of Starwood Hotels and Resorts in Cork City.
Starwood, one of the world's largest hotel and leisure companies, currently employs 380 people at its global reservation centre in Cork and plans to add another 20 people by the end of December. The company first opened its customer contact centre in Cork in 1994.
"The additional support for the customer contact centre has enhanced its strategic role within the Starwood group and is a further indication of Starwood's long-term commitment to Cork and to Ireland," said Mr Martin.
'Support needed for start-ups'
More support and incentives to seek advice should be offered to start-up companies to help them develop their business, the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland (CPA) said yesterday, writes Claire Shoesmith.
In a submission to the Small Business Forum, CPA president Michael Dolan said the group's members regularly meet clients who have good business ideas but who lack the expertise to construct business plans, research their market or test their business forecasts.
He said start-up businesses have been the backbone of the boom. "A detailed knowledge of how business works is the biggest deficit facing entrepreneurs," he said.
AIB prepares to raise €500m
AIB is to raise €500 million through the issue of a floating rate note (FRN), due in 2010.
