A round-up of today's other stories in brief
HP announces departure of chairwoman
Facing the intense pressure of federal, state and congressional investigations, Hewlett-Packard yesterday announced the January departure of Patricia Dunn, its chairwoman, as it moved to restore the reputation of the venerable Silicon Valley company.
HP said Ms Dunn would step down in January - but remain a board director - and that Mark Hurd, president and chief executive, would take on the additional role of chairman.
HP has been damaged by an investigation ordered by Ms Dunn as she sought to uncover a boardroom mole. Private investigators impersonated company directors and journalists to access telephone records and identify the source of leaks.
HP shares were bolstered by news of Ms Dunn's resignation, rising 1.7 per cent to $36.97 in midday trading in New York. - (Financial Times service)
NBC moves into online video
NBC Universal is trying to challenge Yahoo and Google for supremacy in the burgeoning market to distribute online video.
The media group, owned by General Electric, launched a new marketplace for online video yesterday that includes its 230 affiliate television stations as well as more than two dozen outside partners, including About.com, College Sports TV, The Horror Channel and others.
The initiative, known as the National Broadband Company, or nbbc, will allow partners to make video clips available to a central pool from which others can draw and post on their own sites. - (Financial Times service)
ThirdForce losses more than double
Interim losses at listed e-learning group ThirdForce have more than doubled. The company yesterday announced losses of just over €1 million for the first six months of 2006, compared to €456,000 in the year-ago period.
Turnover jumped 32 per cent year-on-year to €7.56 million following a number of acquisitions.
Company chairman Pat McDonagh said the performance "reflected the the group's continuing investment in new products and new markets".
Thirdforce also announced it had won a contract from the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) to produce a new educational TV series to help adults to learn literacy and numeracy skills. The series will receive €1.5 million from the BCI.
AIB opts to sell Dublin premises
AIB said yesterday it had decided to sell and leaseback its Donnybrook House premises in Dublin 4.
The bank said the building was no longer suitable for its use and will be leased to the bank for three years. No price was disclosed.
Glencar issues two million shares
Glencar Mining confirmed yesterday that it had issued two million shares to Africa Resources and La Societee Malienne de la Petite Mine d'Or in part consideration of the purchase of a number of licences in southern Mali.
Scope for tax cuts, says FF economist
There is scope for cuts of two percentage points in the top and bottom tax rates in the next budget, according to Friends First (FF) chief economist Jim Power.
Such a policy would "increase effort and initiative and promote economic activity and facilitate spending," Mr Power told the Leinster Society of Chartered Accountants Lunch.
