PHARMACEUTICAL EXECS GATHER FOR CONFERENCE - Senior executives in Ireland's pharmaceutical industry, which employs 20,000 people here, have been meeting this week at the Pharmatex conference in Cork.
Gerry Creaner, deputy chief of DPS Engineering, says that the industry's three main priorities are education, manufacturing costs and preparation for new technologies.
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IEDR TO GET PERSONAL - The IE Domain Registry yesterday announced the relaxation of registering personal '.ie' domain names for individuals.
David Curtin, chief executive of the IEDR, says '.ie' is one of the safest and most respected addresses on the Internet.
He also says that sole traders and professionals who have not registered their '.ie' internet addresses have seven weeks to do so.
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ITALIAN CONSUMERS GO ON STRIKE - The unthinkable is happening in Italy, as the natives are turning up their noses at dishes such as spaghetti, tagliatelle, and ravioli in a day-long protest organised by consumer groups.
Paddy Agnew, a Rome-based journalist for The Irish Times, says although it is a symbolic pasta strike, Italians are protesting about the prices of a range of products and services.
He says the boycott, called by four consumer associations in the country, means that people are not allowed smoke, use their mobile phone, take a taxi or go to a bank, cinema or theatre.
