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

Ulster Bank director resigns

Ulster Bank chief operating officer and board director Senan Murphy is leaving to pursue other business opportunities.

Mr Murphy joined the bank as finance director in 2008 after working as chief financial officer of energy company Airtricity for five years. He had led the sale of the business to UK company Scottish and Southern Energy.

He was appointed chief operating officer of Ulster Bank with responsibility for finance, risk, marketing, communications and corporate services in 2009.

Mr Murphy will stay with the bank until it releases its 2010 results on February 24th, coinciding with the annual figures of its UK parent company, Royal Bank of Scotland.

The process to appoint Mr Murphy’s successor is under way.

Microsoft Windows sales fall short

Sales of Microsoft’s Windows software fell short of outsized expectations, rekindling fears the spread of mobile gadgets will erode its main PC-focused business.

Microsoft surprised Wall Street with a better-than-expected profit. Shares stayed flat, however, as investors expressed concern over the weakness of overall computer sales. Microsoft reported overall fiscal second-quarter profit of $6.63 billion (€4.87 billion), or 77 cents per share.

Amazon founder cuts stake to 19.5%

Amazon.com founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos trimmed his stake in the world’s biggest online retailer on New Year’s Eve, a regulatory filing showed, a day after the company reported quarterly results.

Mr Bezos’s stake fell to 19.5 per cent as of December 31st, 2010, from 21.2 per cent. Thursday’s results showed profit margins were sliding, worrying investors. Shares fell about 8 per cent to $169 before markets opened. – (Reuters)