News In Brief

Airbus pulled far ahead of US rival Boeing in new-plane orders at the annual Le Bourget Air Show near Paris, announcing a deal for 111 aircraft worth $8.7 billion from American leasing specialist ILFC. The latter is a division of New York-based insurer American International Group. A Boeing spokesman dismissed the European aerospace company's practice of timing the release of order announcements for such shows as "fluff." Analysts expect Boeing to announce only a small amount of new business at Le Bourget.

In layoff news:

* In its third such announcement since late March, Solectron Corp. said it will cut almost 12,600 more positions, reducing its international workforce by an overall 26 percent. Milpitas, Calif.-based Solectron, the world's largest contract-electronics manufacturer, lost $186 million in the first quarter.

* Knight Ridder, the US's second-largest newspaper chain, said it will cut another 1,700 jobs on top of the 400 announced earlier this year. The company publishes such dailies as The Miami Herald, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and the San Jose Mercury News.

* The New York Times Co. will attempt to save at least $35 million this year via an 8 percent to 9 percent reduction in its workforce, or about 1,200 jobs, it said in a statement. The multimedia company also owns The Boston Globe and 15 other newspapers, eight TV stations, and two radio stations.

(c) Copyright 2001. The Christian Science Monitor