Connaught paper in talks over jobs
MEDIA
INDUSTRIAL action at the 'Connaught Telegraph' newspaper has been suspended pending talks. Seven workers at the paper affiliated to Unite had been advised that pre-press production in Castlebar was being shut down and their roles outsourced. The union said it was "seeking to replicate agreements reached with publishers of the Mayo News when local jobs were saved last year in similar circumstances".
Half of firms expect overseas growth
EXPORTS
NEARLY half of Irish companies expect most of their turnover to come from overseas markets by 2014, a new survey shows. According to Deloitte, 47pc of respondents indicated they expect more than 50pc of their company's turnover to come from abroad in three years' time. The survey also asked each Irish company to identify those countries they were most likely to expand into. Unsurprisingly, the UK was the most popular, followed by Germany, France and the US.
Skillpage claims one million users
technology
SKILLPAGE has said that more than one million people have joined the platform since its formal launch in January. The company, which describes itself as a "skills-based social network", is an Irish-owned firm which has raised €3.5m to date and was co-founded by former Perlico chief executive Iain MacDonald. "Our user growth is a reflection of how people are reacting positively, creating a SkillPage and getting found by new customers and employers," he said.
China gives fewer loans to rein in prices
economics
CHINA'S banks extended fewer than expected new loans in May as the country kept up its efforts to rein in rising prices. Chinese banks lent 551.6bn yuan (€58bn) in new loans, compared with 739.6bn yuan in April, according to the People's Bank of China. Authorities have been trying to slow down lending to rein in rising property prices and inflation. "Lending growth is slower than market expectations, showing that tightening measures are biting," said E Yongjian of Bank of Communications in Shanghai.
Irish Independent
