ALMOST 200 people working in one of Offaly’s biggest employers are to lose their jobs by the end of the year.

RISING operating costs were blamed yesterday for the loss of 320 Cork jobs.

AT Hollinger International’s 2003 annual meeting, Conrad Black tried to disarm critics who alleged that he and top executives enriched themselves at shareholders’ expense.

Mild economic data and strong retail sales lifted stocks today and helped investors overcome concerns about the Federal Reserve’s expected decision on interest rate hikes next week.

US stocks climbed today as strong April retail sales and a steep drop in oil prices alleviated investors’ worries about a greater-than-forecast jump in labour costs.

Investors concerned about inflation after a surprise jump in labour costs bid stocks sharply lower on Wall Street today, with unfounded rumours of a terror threat compounding the selling.

Another surge in oil prices and a sharp drop in consumer spending rattled US investors today, sending stocks lower and hitting the technology sector particularly hard.

THE former Tyco International executives accused of pilfering company funds for lavish homes and decadent parties spent the money like lottery winners, but they “didn’t win the jackpot, they stole it” a prosecutor said yesterday.

Bargain hunters surfaced on Wall Street today, sending stocks sharply higher after two days of steep declines left blue chips and tech shares at four- and six-year lows.

New questions about accounting practices at Tyco and Enron provoked a broad selloff on Wall Street today as investors grew more doubtful about the honesty of corporate bookkeeping in general.