A short look at what is happening in the world of finance this morning.

Decision on new terminal to be delayed

The aviation regulator, Bill Prasifka, is unlikely to make a decision tomorrow on the issue of a new terminal for Dublin airport.

It is understood Mr Prasifka only recently received details about the new terminal and his office has not had sufficient time to study the details.

Mr Prasifka is expected to make a determination on airport charges generally, but this determination is unlikely to deal directly with a new terminal.

The terminal is expected to cost between €170 and €200 million.

Government to fund green energy

A new Government support mechanism for renewable energy has been announced by the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Noel Dempsey.

The programme provides support of €119 million to renewable energy projects over a 15-year period.

Previously, Government support for renewable energy projects has been provided by way of competitive tendering. But earlier this year, Mr Dempsey decided that he would change this support mechanism to a fixed-price tariff system.

CNG sells leiure unti to Fexco

CNG Travel Group has completed the sale of its leisure division to Kerry-based company Fexco for an initial consideration of $2.5 million (€2 million). Depending on the performance of the business, CNG may receive a further $1.1 million over the next three calendar years. CNG's leisure division generated turnover of about $14.2 million in 2004. However, the business has been losing money in recent months.

Ryanair to add Bratislava service

Ryanair is to expand its presence in eastern Europe by starting regular services to the Slovakian capital, Bratislava.

The airline's deputy chief executive, Michael Cawley, said Ryanair would open connections from Bratislava to Milan, London and Frankfurt. He said the response had been "fantastic".

US carmakers under pressure

The competitive positions of General Motors (GM) and Ford has deteriorated further in recent months, raising fresh questions about the carmakers' long-term finances, Standard & Poor's (S&P) warned yesterday.

S&P cut GM's and Ford's ratings to junk in May and has a negative outlook on both companies.

Minco dredging for Mexican silver

The exploration company Minco is hoping to find new deposits of silver by dredging a lake in central Mexico full of silver left over from the colonial era.

Minco has three silver projects in Mexico - the world's largest producer of the metal.

Its Laguna tailings project aims to extract some 2.2 million ounces a year of silver and some gold from a manmade reservoir built in 1836, when the Mexican government dammed the area to create a water source to stimulate agriculture in the area. - (Reuters)

EU criticised for offloading sugar

Sugar exporting countries yesterday lambasted the European Union for offloading nearly two million tons of sugar on the world market, saying it would push down prices and undermine Europe's credibility in world trade talks. The EU recently declassified 1.9 million tonnes of sugar, despite a World Trade Organisation ruling. - (Financial Times Service)