Today's other stories in brief

THE NUMBERS

€4 billion

Value of losses that the Republic's agriculture and food industry have been spared as a result of the collapse of the World Trade Organisation talks, according to the Irish Farmers' Association

€15 billion

Value of the boost that Irish exports would have enjoyed had the negotiations been successfully completed, according to the Irish Exporters' Association.

€8.6 billion

Second-quarter profit made by oil giant BP on the back of soaring oil prices.

 €1.28 billion

Second-quarter profit made by AIB, despite the plunging economy.

"

It's just a guessing game"

Hedging on oil prices is a tricky business for the turbulent airline industry, admits Ryanair deputy chief executive Michael Cawley.

GOODWEEK

The cosmetics industry British chemist chain Superdrug has found a revenue stream not exploited since new romanticism by launching a range of make-up for men - including a "Guyliner" kohl pencil and a "Manscara" lash and brow gel. Meanwhile, Avon can afford to throw a few Tupperware parties after its profits doubled thanks to the endorsement of wholesome A-lister Reese Witherspoon and Grey's Anatomy heart-throb Patrick Dempsey.

Salary slashers

First Bank of Ireland chief executive Brian Goggin took a 25 per cent cut, then C&C cider supremo Maurice Pratt had to take a 30 per cent slimmer package. But now the credit-crunch pay pruning has spread to Arnold Schwarzenegger's Californian domain, where public-service workers are being threatened with a cut that will take their wages below the state minimum, while the makers of Channel 4's Countdown tried to inflict a 90 per cent pay cut on longserving numbers woman Carol Vorderman, who promptly did the maths and left.

BAD WEEK

Gas users

The price of the tasteless, odourless, colourless stuff is set to rise by 20 per cent from the autumn, adding €150 to the average annual household bill, with further increases next January.

Extraterrestrial life

If aliens do exist, they should shut the giant eyes in the middle of their foreheads and stick their claws in whatever they have by way of aural sockets, as social networking site Bebo is about to beam 500 messages from its users into space. The Message From Earth project aims to give any non-humans out there the chance to "consider the planet from a fresh perspective" . . . and then most likely demolish it to make way for a new hyperspace bypass.