IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 5 January
05-01-2010
by Sylvia Leatham
Minister Lenihan gets online support | Ryanair faces booking fees probe
The Irish Times reports that medical devices group Creganna has acquired Tactx Medical, as noted by ENN on Monday.
The Irish Independent says that Finance Minister Brian Lenihan has received thousands of well-wishing messages online after his decision to continue in his job while fighting cancer. On Monday, the number of people who had signed up to the Facebook group 'Politics aside, we wish Brian Lenihan well' stood at over 5,000.
The paper also notes that Ryanair is to be probed by a British regulator who accused it of "taunting consumers" with its charging policy. The head of the Office of Fair Trading in Britain, John Fingleton, said his office was to investigate the airline over its online pricing and advertising. However, Ryanair said there are no hidden fees or charges when people book flights on its website. The airline claimed its payment handling fees were discretionary and that these fees could be avoided.
The Irish Examiner reports that two former Sligo students have set up a business aimed at helping people affected by tinnitus. Restored Hearing was set up by Eimear O’Carroll and Rhona Togher, together with Anthony Carolan, their former science teacher at Ursuline College in Sligo. The girls were part of a team that scooped a top prize at the 2009 BT Young Scientist competition for their simple therapy which eases temporary tinnitus for anyone with internet access and a set of outer ear headphones.
The Wall Street Journal reports that worldwide chip sales rose 3.7 percent sequentially in November, the ninth month in a row of sequential gains. The USD22.6 billion total, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association, was an 8.5 percent increase from a year earlier and the first growth of 2009. Sales through November were down 13 percent from a year earlier. SIA president George Scalise said the release of Microsoft's Windows 7 and stronger sales of LCD televisions have helped demand improve.
The paper also says that Kia Motors America and Microsoft are partnering to provide a new system that will allow drivers and passengers to make phone calls and control a car's audio system through voice commands. The UVO hands-free system will be offered in several Kia vehicles by the end of the year, the first being the 2011 Kia Sorento crossover, likely to be out around July. UVO will be the first direct competition to Ford's Sync system, which is also based on Microsoft technology.
According to the Financial Times, Hong Kong conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa is considering making a buy-out offer to take its loss-making telecoms subsidiary private. Shares of Hutchison Telecommunications International (HTIL), which has a market value of about USD1.02 billion, were suspended from trading on Monday. HTIL said a bid from Hutchison, its controlling shareholder with a 60 percent stake, "may be imminent".
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