A roundup of today's other business news in brief:

Sachsen LB Europe reports €122.4m loss

Sachsen LB Europe (SLBE), the troubled Dublin-based subsidiary of German bank Landesbank Baden- Württemberg (LBBW), has reported pretax losses of €122.4 million for the six months to June, compared to profits of € 22 million for the same period last year.

The bank said the loss was driven mainly by negative mark-to-market movements of €107 million, caused by the difficulties within the credit markets. Fee income also declined 92 per cent at the bank to €2.1 million, driven in part by the discontinuation of the bank's controversial conduit structures, Ormond Quay and Sachsen Funding One.

During the first six months of the year, SLBE received a capital contribution of €165 million from its parent company. With regards to the bank's sale to LBBW and resulting claims of state aid from the European Commission, Sachsen LB said it continued to work with LBBW to achieve "an outcome which will satisfy the EU's ruling". This may result in a sale or liquidation of SLBE.

Pretax loss of 3.4m for Qualceram Shires

Bathroom fittings specialist Qualceram Shires lost €3.4 million before tax in the first six months of the year, according to figures released yesterday.

Turnover fell 28 per cent to €36 million from €50 million during the same period last year.

Its operating loss was €76,000, against a profit of €2.4 million in 2007. Once-off charges, goodwill impairment and interest payments left it with a pretax loss of €3.4 million.

Iona Technologies reports $11.5m loss

Iona Technologies has reported an operating loss of $11.5 million (€7.8 million) for the six months to the end of June. This compares to an operating loss of $4 million for the same period in 2007.

Operating expenses were 18 per cent higher, while revenue fell 4 per cent to $33 million. Iona's shareholders voted on Wednesday in favour of the company's acquisition by Progress Software in a deal that values it at $162 million.

Kenmare raises $30m in share sale

Kenmare Resources has raised $30 million in a share sale to help increase output at its Mozambique titanium mine.

Some equipment at the Dublin-based company's Moma mine was unsuitable and had to be replaced, it said yesterday, and delays have restricted production.

- (Bloomberg)

Aminex first-half loss narrows to $1.37m

Exploration minnow Aminex lost $1.37 million (€934,000) before tax in the first half of the year, a 10 per cent improvement on its performance in 2007.

It said revenues grew 54 per cent to $4.5 million.

'Sharp' fall in Irish orders for Aga

Aga Rangemaster's order intake dipped 5 per cent this summer amid challenging consumer markets. In Ireland, where its market has been described as "very weak", Aga's performance was markedly worse, with "sharp" falls for its oil-fired Stanley cast-iron range and a 20 per cent drop in Rangemaster sales.

- (PA)