A round-up of today's other business stories.
Icon buys US pharmacology unit operator
Clinical trials group Icon has bought US pharmacology unit operator Healthcare Discoveries for an initial cash sum of $12 million (€8.2 million). Under the deal, a further consideration of up to $10 million may be payable if the company meets prescribed performance thresholds.
Icon's chief executive Peter Gray said Healthcare Discoveries, which is a subsidiary of Catalyst Pharma Group, gave it a platform in the US clinical pharmacology market that would complement its existing European operations. The deal means Icon has added an 85-bed facility in San Antonio, Texas, to its existing 80-bed clinical pharmacology unit in Manchester.
Sixth Citroën dealer charged
A sixth Citroën dealer appeared before Ardee District Court in Co Louth yesterday as part of a Competition Authority investigation into alleged car price fixing.
James Durrigan and Sons Ltd of Drogheda Road, Ardee, is accused of two breaches of the Competition Act between June 24th, 1997 and February 15th, 2002, both dates inclusive.
Unpaid fuel bills to dominate talks
Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko will arrive in Moscow today in the middle of a stand-off over allegedly unpaid fuel bills to Gazprom, the Russian energy giant that is threatening to cut gas supplies to Ukraine unless it hands over $1.5 billion (€1 billion) in arrears.
Gazprom, which is controlled by the Kremlin, extended its original deadline for a deal over the debt from this morning to 6pm, and the dispute is bound to dominate Mr Yushchenko's talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin. Negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian officials ended in deadlock last night.
Aminex abandons well in Tanzania
Aminex Plc, the London and Dublin-listed oil and gas explorer, abandoned its Kiliwani-1 well in Tanzania after failing to find sufficient hydrocarbons to make the project commercially viable.
The well has been plugged and abandoned and the drilling rig relocated to the nearby Songo-Songo gas field, Aminex said yesterday. - (Bloomberg)
Amarin regains Nasdaq compliance
Drug company Amarin has regained the compliance requirements it must satisfy to list on the Nasdaq, the US equities index on which it has its primary stock market listing.
Amarin conducted a stock split in January to meet Nasdaq requirements for its shares to trade above $1. A stock trading below this level is liable to be delisted.
Ulster Bank offer to move accounts
Ulster Bank is offering customers €2,000 to move their mortgage and current account in an attempt to lure borrowers from its rivals. The bank is already offering customers €150 to move their current accounts but will now pay €1,650 if they move their mortgage and a of €200 bonus if they move both. The bank's head of marketing, Patrick Farrell, said 100,000 had already moved their current account to Ulster Bank.
Smurfit Kappa appointment
Contrary to a report in Saturday's editions, newly-appointed non-executive director of Smurfit Kappa Paul T Stecko has not retired from Packaging Corporation of America (PCA). Mr Stecko is currently chairman and chief executive of PCA.
Smurfit Kappa has pointed that it is not a rival of PCA as the two companies do not do business in the same markets. PCA operates exclusively in the US. Smurfit Kappa operates in Europe and Latin America.
