Britain's leading advertising watchdog said yesterday it had called on media outlets not to carry what it has alleged are "misleading" advertisements by low-cost carrier Ryanair.
Ryanair has said it will defy demands by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to scrap the ads, in which the word 'Lyon' appears in small print beneath the airline's St Etienne destination.
Earlier this month, the ASA had ruled that "to classify St Etienne as serving Lyon was misleading", and demanded that the ads be withdrawn. "We have alerted the media of the decision and requested that the media do not accept any ads without clearing them through the Committee of Advertising Practice's Copy Advice Team," said an ASA spokeswoman.
The spokeswoman said media outlets that did not follow the recommendations could be referred to Britain's Office of Fair Trading, where they could face fines or other legal action.
Ryanair spokesman Mr Paul Fitzsimmons said: "We will not not have any need to amend our policy. We haven't received one single complaint."
Aminex dampens petroleum hopes
Aminex PLC, the Dublin and London-listed oil and gas company, tried yesterday to dampen expectations of an impending petroleum strike at its site adjacent to the large gas fields at Songo Songo, Tanzania.
The firm said yesterday that it was "making good progress" on drilling toward a sand layer beneath its Nyumi-1 well that may contain oil or gas.
Jury in favour of Bertelsmann staff
Two former employees who helped Bertelsmann build up its online operations in the mid-1990s deserve at least €200 million for their work, a US jury has concluded, after finding the German media group liable for breach of contract.
Jan Henric Buettner and Andreas von Blottnitz argued that Thomas Middelhoff, Bertelsmann's former chief executive, had promised them an equity interest in its online business, which became the European arm of America Online.
Although the exact amount for which Bertelsmann could be liable remains unclear, the verdict could represent a significant setback to the company's plans to reduce debt at a time when it is also struggling to address weaknesses in some of its business areas.
In 2000, Bertelsmann sold its 50 per cent stake in AOL Europe to Time Warner for $6.75 billion. The two men sued for compensation after alleging that Mr Middelhoff had reneged on promises of an equity stake, which would have meant significant benefits from the disposal. - (Financial Times Service, Reuters)
Anglo Irish Bank share sale
Anglo Irish Bank group secretary Mr Bernard Daly announced yesterday that he had sold 70,000 of his shares. He retains 15,129 shares.
SIPTU to suspend overtime ban
SIPTU has agreed to suspend its ban on overtime working in return for the withdrawal of protective notices at Arcon mines.
"Management has accepted our proposal and the notices have now been withdrawn," said SIPTU Kilkenny's branch secretary Mr Bill Mulcahy. "We have agreed to suspend the overtime ban on the basis that talks on outstanding pay rises will continue next Tuesday."
Industrial output volume rises 6.6%
Industrial production volume rose 6.6 per cent in the three months ending in October 2003, according to early estimates. The seasonally adjusted figures, compiled by the CSO, show a year-on-year rise for October 2003 of 11.5 per cent.
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