ICMSA has put pressure on the European commissioner for agriculture and rural development, Phil Hogan, to live up to his promises to level the playing pitch for farmers, versus what the dairy farmers’ organisation calls “margin-grabbing” retailers.

FORMER Laois hurling boss Niall Rigney, will be involved with Kilkenny club James Stephens in 2011.

THE number of Americans filing first-time applications for state unemployment benefits fell to 339,000 last week, the lowest in almost three years, suggesting job prospects are improving.

The Nasdaq composite index burst past the 2,000 milestone today and the Dow Jones industrials surged more than 120 points as investors shook off concerns about the impact of mad cow disease and looked optimistically toward 2004.