INDEPENDENT News and Media (INM) has signed a lucrative £40 million (€45m) deal to take on the printing of the Irish editions of two of the biggest selling British daily newspapers.

IT’S war – the phoney peace has ended – Denis O’Brien has the O’Reillys in his sights and this time there will be blood on the floor.

HOSTILITIES have effectively resumed between Denis O’Brien and the O’Reilly family over the running of Independent News & Media.

DENIS O’BRIEN has hit back at Independent News & Media’s (INM’s) planned sale of its South African outdoor advertising subsidiary, by calling for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to block the move and make further changes to the INM board.

Independent News and Media (INM) tonight dismissed calls from major shareholder and billionaire telecoms mogul Denis O’Brien to sell off its London titles.

Businessman Denis O'Brien is calling for a major shake-up at Independent News and Media.

THE ISEQ index closed up 14.58 points yesterday at 2,970.15.

Independent News & Media (INM) today lowered its profit forecast for 2009, describing the current business environment as "extremely challenging".

INDEPENDENT NEWS & MEDIA chairman Dr Brian Hillery has been appointed a director of the Central Bank and Financial Services Authority along with former NCB Stock-brokers chief economist, Dermot O’Brien.

The Medical Council has elected Dr Colm Quigley as its new president.

At Providence’s AGM in Dublin today, shareholders were told the oil and gas exploration company will start appraisal drilling on its Hook Head Project in the Celtic Sea later this summer.

Media magnate Tony O’Reilly’s Independent News & Media today robustly defended itself against accusations about the way the company is run.

INDEPENDENT News & Media, which is in the process of shedding jobs from its Dublin newspapers, rewarded its executive directors with an 18% pay rise last year.

Shares in Providence Resources started trading on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange today.

TONY O’REILLY is investing €3 million in Providence Resources as part of the exploration firm’s flotation on London’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM).

Exploration company Providence has announced in its preliminary results for 2004 that profit after tax was €165,000, up from a net loss of €580,000 in 2003.

THE directors of Independent News & Media (IN&M) were paid €8.1 million last year, a 10% rise on the 2003 figure.

Oil and gas exploration company Providence Resources has been granted a 100% interest in a new licensing option 05/3 in St George’s Channel, off the south east of Ireland.

Providence Resources today announced it has received the go-ahead for two new Frontier Exploration Licences in the Porcupine Basin off the west coast of Ireland.

INDEPENDENT News & Media has bowed to investor pressure and separated the roles of chairman and chief executive.

The ISEQ index closed up 73.36 points at 5,449.45 at close of trading today.

Dr Tony O'Reilly has resigned as chairman of Independent News and Media.

ISEQ-listed exploration company Providence Resources plc has announced that it has completed a site survey on the Blackrock Prospect in the Irish Celtic Sea.

PUBLICLY-QUOTED exploration company Providence Resources will raise up to €18 million after getting approval from shareholders for a new fundraising round yesterday.

Providence Resources plc today confirmed to shareholders at an EGM that the company expects to raise up to €18m to extend and develop its natural resources portfolio.

The ISEQ closed up for the third session running this evening at 4,851, up 27 points or 0.57%.

The ISEQ list of shares in Dublin dipped into negative territory this morning, falling nearly five points, or 0.10%, to 4,819.

Ryanair’s share price plunged 12c to €6.48 after a French court in Nancy upheld a lower court’s ruling on subsidies it received from Strasbourg’s Chamber of Commerce.

Dr Brian Hillery has been appointed non-Executive Director of Independent News and Media.

A potential recoverable volume of up to 613 million barrels of oil has been identified by Providence Resources from its Blackrock prospect, the company's AGM was told today.