A round up of today's other stories in brief...

Abtran lands UK passport contract

Business process services firm Abtran has signed a new extended contract with the British Foreign and Commonwealth Service to provide passport information services.

The company, which has contracts to provide services to such clients as An Post, Hibernian Health, and the HSE, has said it expects turnover this year to be about €22 million.

A spokesman for the company said the new contract means Abtran will be providing services for three countries in addition to the eight it already handles.

The company provides back-up office services to embassies and consulates so they can free up their staff for other duties.

Cork-based Abtran employs 448 people in a number of locations in Ireland.

Founded in 1997, it is owned by Gerard, Michael and Patrick Fitzgerald, and Pat Ryan.

Cheaper holiday texts likely

European mobile phone users look set to enjoy steep reductions in the charges they pay for sending text messages during their foreign holidays.

Viviane Reding, European commissioner for telecommunications,will today confirm she plans to cut the price of sending cross-border text messages. She will also keep open the possibility of intervening to cut the cost of web surfing on handsets while abroad.

US drug company faces court action

Shares in Ranbaxy, India's largest generic drug maker, fell more than 10 per cent yesterday on news that US authorities had filed a court motion seeking documents and alleging the company sold adulterated products.

The report sparked investor concerns that it could derail a bid of up to $4.6 billion by Daiichi Sankyo of Japan to buy Ranbaxy, although both companies said that the takeover would go ahead.

The motion alleges Ranbaxy fabricated bio-equivalence and stability data.

Apple hails 3G iPhone success

Apple sold one million 3G iPhones during the handset's opening weekend, the computer maker said yesterday, as customers in 21 countries rushed to get their hands on the new version of the popular touch-screen device.

Steve Jobs, chief executive, hailed what he called a "stunning opening weekend" for the new device.

News of the performance sent Apple's shares up 1.1 per cent to $174.52 in New York.

Euro zone output shows big decline

Euro zone industrial output posted its biggest monthly fall in May since 1992, pointing to a slowing economy hit by soaring inflation and a strong euro.

Industrial production in the 15-country euro zone sank 1.9 per cent month-on-month and 0.6 per cent in annual terms.

The monthly decline was the largest since December 1992.

Firms get Celtic Sea licences

A consortium of three Irish oil and gas companies has been awarded an exploration licence for the North Celtic Sea basin off the south coast of Ireland.

Lansdowne Oil and Gas, the Aim-listed exploration company focused on offshore Ireland, has a 40 per cent stake in the Barryroe licence; Island Oil Gas has a 30 per cent stake, while Providence Resources has the remaining 30 per cent share.