French President Jacques Chirac will today launch an intensive week of meetings with Asian leaders aimed at promoting French companies and cementing Europe-Asia ties.

Alcatel’s Board of Directors have reviewed and approved second quarter 2004 results for the company.

Chief executives from 10 major multi-national communications companies will have a summit next week in Dundalk with telecommunications ministers from throughout the EU and the accession states.

Alcatel announced today that Jean-Pierre Halbron, President of Alcatel and a member of the Board of Directors, will retire on December 31, 2002.

Alcatel is to shed a further 10,000 jobs in Europe on top of the 23,000 job losses worldwide it announced earlier.