One of Ireland’s foremost show jumpers, Cameron Hanley, has lost the ride on almost all of his top horses.

Thurles show jumper Thomas Ryan gave Ireland its second win at the five-star show in Basel, Switzerland, at the weekend after Cork’s Billy Twomey provided the opener.

Show jumper Billy Twomey gave Ireland its first win at the five-star show in Basel, Switzerland, yesterday, taking the top prize in a 1.45mtr speed class.

Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) chairman Pat Wall believes the organisation is doing enough to ensure equestrian sport is clean, but concedes “we have to continue to be vigilant”.

Loose monetary policy makes it easy for euro-area banks to keep bad debt on their books, potentially delaying the flushing out of sour loans, the Bank for International Settlements said in its annual report.

Living The Dream lived up to its name yesterday for Mayo show jumper Alex Duffy, the pairing finishing third in a competitive grand prix in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Art: Aideen Barry

Central banks can’t expand loose monetary policy without exacerbating risks to world economies, the Bank for International Settlements said.

Novartis, Europe’s largest drugmaker by revenue, is looking for office space in Dublin and may lease an additional 100,000sq ft (9,300sq m), two people with knowledge of the matter said.

France, the European Union’s largest agricultural producer, plans to ban Syngenta AG’s Cruiser insecticide for some uses after the national food- security agency said a study showed adverse effects on honeybees.

Show jumper Billy Twomey’s fourth place in the World Cup qualifier at Leipzig, Germany, has propelled him to the top of the Olympic rankings, according to Horse Sport Ireland, while Jessica Kürten posted her first major grand prix win in over a year in Amsterdam.

HORSE Sport Ireland (HSI) yesterday reiterated its willingness to meet show jumper Denis Lynch in a bid to resolve any issues he has with team manager Robert Splaine.

Brad Pitt has an expensive new addition to his art collection after splashing out almost $1m (€700,000) on a painting at an international art show.

The World Health Organisation is working closely with Mexican officials to make sure drugs are available to fight the outbreak of swine flu, but warns other countries may need more as well if the disease spreads, a senior official said today.

A FORMER Ryanair pilot was shocked that his decision not to operate a flight on safety grounds triggered an immediate disciplinary hearing, an Employment Appeals Tribunal in Dublin heard yesterday.

People who feed pigeons in New York City could be fined more than $1,000 under plans designed to rid the city of the menace.

The super-rich are being offered a version of the world’s newest and largest airliner as a private flying mansion.

CHINA may increase the flexibility of the yuan should the country’s trade surplus continue to expand this year, central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan said.

EUROPEAN Central Bank policymakers yesterday stressed their concern that high oil prices may curb growth and stoke inflation in the eurozone.

Sanofi-Synthelabo SA, France’s second-largest drugmaker, may struggle to outbid Novartis AG for Aventis SA because the Swiss competitor is more than twice its size and has more cash to trump its hostile €46.5 billion ($55 billion) offer, said investors including Holger Geissler.

A massive inspection of the French rail network was getting under way today after a railway worker found a bomb with seven detonators buried in the bed of a commuter line between France and Switzerland.

LACK of solid US data pushed the dollar to record lows yesterday as the euro hit a high of $1.2898.

Libya has officially accepted responsibility for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.

NOVARTIS AG, Europe’s third-biggest drugmaker, said second-quarter profit rose 2.3% as the company boosted sales of its top two products, the hypertension drug diovan and leukemia medicine gleevec.