A round-up of today's other stories in brief.
Citigroup to create 185 jobs in Belfast
Banking giant Citigroup will create 185 jobs in Belfast, at the new technology centre in the Northern Ireland Science Park.
The jobs will boost the US group's workforce in Belfast to 560. They were announced by Robert Druskin, Citigroup corporate and investment banking chief, as he and Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain opened the company's new premises on what used to be part of the Harland and Wolff shipyard.
The investment will contribute a further £21 million (€31 million) to the economy, according to the Government, which offered £3.6 million in assistance through Invest NI. - (PA)
Hibernian new business up 79%
Hibernian's new business sales jumped by 79 per cent to £902 million (€1.34 billion) in the first nine months of the year as a result of its link up with AIB life and pensions subsidiary Ark Life. The contribution from new business was £19 million, up from £13 million in 2005, according to figures in results published by Hibernian's parent, Aviva.
Sales through the AIB venture were £424 million, comprising £314 million in life assurance sales and £110 million in pension sales. Hibernian said this was a "substantial improvement" on 2005.
Life sales through the Hibernian broker channel rose 14 per cent to £190 million but pension sales through the broker channel fell 32 per cent to £288 million.
Correction: Paula Conroy
In a report of proceedings at Wicklow Circuit Court in the edition of Wednesday, October 25th, the offences with which Ms Conroy was charged were incorrectly described in the heading and first paragraph, resulting in the presiding judge discharging the jury due to what he termed a "prejudicial" report. Judge Patrick McCartan said that if there was a risk of an injustice "it is better that the trial does not proceed".
The Irish Times regrets the error in misreporting the nature of the alleged offences.
Irish Estates rebrands to Veris
Integrated property services group Irish Estates has rebranded itself as Veris, which combines the names of two of the group's subsidiaries, Vector and Irish Estates. The change of name was approved at an extraordinary general meeting.
Pernod Ricard sales rise 9.2%
Pernod Ricard, the maker of Jameson Irish whiskey, reported a 9.2 per cent increase in first-quarter sales to €1.457 million.
Pernod, which last year bought British drinks group Allied Domecq, said all of its main brands experienced "powerful growth" over the period, but volumes at its wine division fell 4.7 per cent. The company attributed this to difficulties in the British market and the Russian embargo on Georgian wines.The group reported organic growth of 5.6 per cent in first-quarter sales, but said this did not fully reflect underlying performance as it was affected by the transition of Allied Domecq brands. - (Additional reporting, Reuters)
Revenues at Buy4Now up 26%
Online retailer and e-commerce software provider Buy4Now has signed two new contracts in the US valued at €5.5 million and announced strong interim results which showed revenues grew 26 per cent year on year to €3.15 million. Net profit for the six months to the end of September last was €354,000 compared to €379,000 for the first half of the 2005 financial year, but the group said it expected net profits of €800,000 for the full year, a 32 per cent increase on 2005. The growth in profits factors in a €250,000 investment in new business ventures.
