• Dunloe to revisit Orb bid as Smyth makes peace

  Mr Noel Smyth, chairman of Dunloe Ewart, has made a peace overture to Mr Liam Carroll, saying the property developer is entitled to a seat on the company board if he wishes. Mr Carroll, who bought 13.58 per cent of Dunloe Ewart in recent weeks, failed in a last-ditch attempt yesterday morning to force Mr Smyth to carry through a plan to take the company private. p
  

• McCreevy revises tax date

  The main accountancy bodies have welcomed the decision by the Minister for Finance, Mr Charlie McCreevy, to revise his proposal to introduce a June 30th deadline for the self-employed to file their tax returns. p
  

• NIB heads top of next batch paying arrears

  Negotiations between National Irish Bank and the Revenue Commissioners could lead to it making a final DIRT settlement this month. p
  

• ECB unlikely to raise interest rates as euro zone slowdown looms

  The European Central Bank looks likely to exercise caution by keeping interest rates unchanged at its council meeting today, as fresh evidence pointed to a slowdown in the euro zone, even as inflation simmers. p
  

• Judge strikes out Sean Quinn Group's action

  A High Court judge yesterday struck out proceedings taken by a cement manufacturer, Sean Quinn Group, against Lagan Cement after he found the action was mounted in "a cynical, calculated and unscrupulous fashion" for the sole purpose of inflicting damage on a competitor. p
  

• Small firms begin to pay more - survey

  Pay in small and medium-sized enterprises has risen by an average of 10 per cent in the past year, according to a major survey by ISME. This is at least 20 per cent faster than in larger enterprises and almost double the rates provided for in the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness. p
  

• De Palacio urges strategic EC role on oil reserves

  EU Transport and Energy Commissioner, Ms Loyola de Palacio, yesterday suggested a European Union-wide approach to the use of strategic oil reserves which would give the European Commission a greater role to play. p
  

• Haughey's former adviser settles dispute

  The former special adviser to Mr Charles Haughey, Ms Catherine Butler, has settled her long-running employment dispute with property development group Ballymore Properties. p
  

• Estuary fined for petrol trade deal

  A judge who fined an oil company £1,000 (€1,270) for a breach of the Competition Act 1996, in the first criminal prosecution of its type, said people in Ireland did not know what was going on in petrol stations. p
  

• Baltimore to acquire Canadian software firm

  Baltimore Technologies has signed an agreement to acquire a Canadian-based software development company, Nevex Software Technologies, in an all-stock deal worth about £29 million sterling (€48 million). p
  

• US firm to set up Dublin Net centre

  ServerVault, a US-based data hosting and management company, is to invest up to $150 million (€172 million) in a fully managed Internet hosting centre in Dublin. It is expected to employ 50 people. p
  

• Orbiscom stake sold for $12m

  Telecoms and computer company, ITG, has sold 4.9 per cent of its stake in Orbiscom, an online payments company, for $12 million (€13.75 million). It is now left with a holding of 9.66 per cent. p
  

• Corrib partners to fund pipe cost

  The Government has agreed to share the £100 million cost of building a pipeline to connect the national gas grid to the Corrib field off Mayo. p
  

• BoI raises loan rates to 5.85%

  Bank of Ireland has raised the rate of interest applied to its loans and deposits. The bank has increased its standard variable mortgage rate by 0.25 of a percentage point to 5.85 per cent. p
  

• First Active appoints Gaffney

  Former Esat Telecom chief operating officer Ms Lucy Gaffney has been appointed to the board of directors of First Active. p
  

• Barry's buys 24 shop franchises

  Barry's, a Mallow-based wholesale distribution company, has bought the Costcutter franchise of low-price grocery stores in the Republic from Costcutter UK. It comprises 24 independent retailers. p
  

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