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EasyJet challenges fee increase at Gatwick
Budget airline easyJet went to court Thursday seeking a judicial review of a sharp fee increase at Gatwick Airport. (AP, 1 p.m.)
Abramovich wins skirmish in battle of billionaires
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich won the first round of his legal battle Thursday against a $4.3 billion lawsuit from fellow oligarch Boris Berezovsky. (AP, 12:53 p.m.)
Iceland keeps interest rates on hold
Iceland's central bank left official interest rates unchanged at 15.5 percent -- already the highest of any industrialized country -- on Thursday, taking a breather in its ongoing struggle to contain surging inflation and support a collapsing currency. (AP, 12:46 p.m.)
UN agency says soaring international rice prices may fall
Soaring world rice prices may begin to drop amid excellent production prospects this year, but overall food prices that have set off protests around the world are likely to remain high, a U.N. food agency said Thursday. (AP, 12:26 p.m.)
Yes vote in Ireland's 'vital national interest'
Taoiseach Brian Cowen has said a Yes vote in the Lisbon Treaty referendum is in Ireland’s “vital national interest”. (7:05 a.m.)
Lie-down protest targets cluster bombs
More than 100 campaigners against cluster bombs staged a lie-down protest in the middle of O'Connell Street in Dublin this morning. (7:05 a.m.)
Man (80) found dead in Kilbeggan house
An 80-year-old man has been found dead in a house in Co Westmeath. The man’s body was found in the house on Main Street, Kilbeggan shortly after 10am, according to gardai. The scene has been preserved for a technical examination and the State Pathologist’s office has been contacted. (7:05 a.m.)
Russia's Medvedev travels to Kazakhstan
Dmitry Medvedev arrived in Kazakhstan on Thursday during his first trip abroad as Russia's new president, reaffirming Moscow's push to control the flow of energy from the Central Asian region. (AP, 9:59 a.m.)
Italy wants to bring back nuclear power
Italy's industry minister says the new government plans to restart the country's nuclear power program. (AP, 12:26 p.m.)
Shots fired at house in Dublin
Two shots were fired at a house in Dublin’s inner city last night. Two shots were fired at the house on Hanover Street West, Dublin 8, shortly after midnight. One shot hit the front door and the other a fornt window. A man, a woman, and two children who were asleep upstairs, were not physically injured. Gardai in Kevin Street are ... (7:05 a.m.)
Former leaders to receive NI honour
Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern and former British prime minister Tony Blair will be honoured today by Queen's University Belfast for their role in the Northern Ireland peace process. (7:05 a.m.)
Europeans open antitrust probe of GDF gas ops
European Union regulators launched an in-depth antitrust probe into Gaz de France on Thursday, saying the energy company may have deliberately choked France's gas supply. (AP, 12:32 p.m.)
Man dies in Tipperary traffic collision
A man died last night following a road traffic collision in Co Tipperary. The crash happened shortly after 11pm at Moorestown on the N24 between Clonmel and Cahir. Four other people were injured in the two-car collision. It is understood the dead man was in his twenties. Gardaí say traffic diversions will remain in place until later in the day. (7:05 a.m.)
Swedish authorities release nuclear sabotage suspects
Two men arrested in an explosives scare that triggered a security alert at a Swedish nuclear plant have been released, police and a prosecutor said Thursday. (AP, 12:18 p.m.)
Twin Leona enters the record books
WOMEN'S CLOSE CHAMPIONSHIPTHERE WAS no need to refer to the history books yesterday at Westport. Leona Maguire was crowned the youngest player to win the Lancome Irish Women's Close Championship, as the 13-year-old and her twin sister, Lisa, continued to equally charm and astound the golfing world. (7:05 a.m.)
United left standing tall after shoot-out
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL Manchester Utd 1 Chelsea 1 (aet: Utd win 6-5 on pens)SO THEY WERE right, it was written in the stars. Fifty years after the disaster that robbed the club of one great team and 40 after the triumph of another, the team Alex Ferguson has hailed as the best he has worked with in his 22 years ... (7:05 a.m.)
McDonald's firebomb attack investigated
The PSNI is investigating an explosion at a McDonald's restaurant in Co Tyrone last night. (7:05 a.m.)
Government wins Dáil cancer vote
The Government has won a Dáil vote on the retention of cancer services in the north-west. (7:05 a.m.)
Philips sells stake in Medquist Inc.
Philips Electronics NV has agreed to sell its 69.5 percent stake in MedQuist Inc. to CBaySystems Holdings Ltd. of the Virgin Islands for around $285 million. (AP, 6:37 a.m.)
Cable and Wireless full-year profit falls
Cable and Wireless PLC reported Thursday that full-year profit dropped 5.7 percent compared with the previous year, when the bottom line was boosted by the sale its Bahrain unit. (AP, 6:16 a.m.)
Georgia polls show ruling party ahead
Partial returns Thursday and an exit poll showed President Mikhail Saakashvili's ruling party heading for a strong majority in Georgia's parliamentary election, drawing a challenge from his opponents. (AP, 1:55 a.m.)
Cruise line fined $1M in blast that killed 8
A federal judge has ordered a cruise line to pay $1 million for an explosion that killed eight crew members at the Port of Miami. (AP, 1:02 a.m.)
Brothers seek more reform on feudal island
Two media magnate brothers went to court Wednesday in an effort to move a tiny, car-free island in the English Channel further away from its feudal past. (AP, 1:25 a.m.)
2 workers arrested at nuclear plant
Sweden STOCKHOLM - Swedish police arrested two maintenance workers on suspicion of plotting sabotage after they tried to enter a nuclear power plant yesterday with traces of a powerful explosive like that used in the 2005 London transit bombings, officials said. The plant's operator, OKG, said no bomb was found and the incident did not pose a threat to the ... (Boston Globe, 12 a.m.)
More suspects tied to Basque separatist group arrested
PARIS - French and Spanish police arrested two more suspects yesterday in a new crackdown on the Basque separatist group ETA that netted the alleged head of the organization in a raid late Tuesday in the French city of Bordeaux, officials said. (Boston Globe, 12 a.m.)
Berlusconi offers steps on issue of immigrants
ROME - Emerging from his first Cabinet meeting as Italy's new prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi yesterday presented a series of forceful measures - from new restrictions on immigrants to a military-style strategy to tackle a longstanding garbage crisis in Naples - that presaged a direct, no-nonsense style of leadership uncommon in Italian politics. (Boston Globe, 12 a.m.)
Georgia polls show ruling party ahead
An exit poll said President Mikhail Saakashvili's ruling party held a strong majority in Georgia's parliamentary elections Wednesday, a result his opponents immediately challenged. (AP, 5/21/08)
IRA veteran charged in 1977 killing of soldier
An Irish Republican Army veteran was charged Wednesday night in connection with the execution of an undercover British soldier 31 years ago -- one of Northern Ireland's most bitterly debated killings. (AP, 5/21/08)
Warren Buffett sees more opportunity in Europe
American investment guru Warren Buffett said Wednesday he sees more opportunities for big acquisitions in Europe than elsewhere. (AP, 5/21/08)
EU to France: Don't let strikes disrupt commute
European Union lawmakers, facing delays on their commute home from Strasbourg, demanded Wednesday that the French government ensure their work is not disrupted by transport strikes. (AP, 5/21/08)
Correction: Obit-Azcona story
In a March 25 story on the death of Spanish novelist and scriptwriter Rafael Azcona, The Associated Press, relying on information from the Spanish Writers and Editors Society, erroneously reported that he died Sunday, March 23. Azcona's widow, Susan Youdelman, says he died Monday, March 24. She goes by the name Susan, not Susi, as given in the story. (AP, 5/21/08)
Sea Launch puts satellite into orbit for Intelsat
A communications satellite for Intelsat Ltd. was lofted into orbit early Wednesday from an oceangoing rocket platform in the equatorial Pacific, Sea Launch Co. said. (AP, 5/21/08)
Farm productivity protects biodiversity
Business groups argued Wednesday that helping improve the productivity of the developing world's farmers would be useful both in protecting biodiversity and relieving skyrocketing food prices. (AP, 5/21/08)
British Airways to spruce up amenities at JFK
British Airways says it will spend $30 million trying to make its terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport a snazzier place for first-class passengers. (AP, 5/21/08)
Russia accuses foreigners of crab poaching
Russian investigators on Wednesday accused an American, a Russian and a German citizen of poaching millions of dollars of king crab for export to U.S. markets. (AP, 5/21/08)