IN BRIEF (Page 17)

Laird axes 5,000 jobs

British electronics group Laird Plc yesterday announced the loss of 5,000 jobs, or nearly half its staff, as it predicted fourth-quarter revenues would be 25-30 percent below last year on a drop in demand.

The company, which makes electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding devices and antennae, said the jobs will have gone by the end of the final quarter from its manufacturing operations in North America and Asia.