Green only way to go; ADEX `08 urges `Save the Sea, Be a Diver!`

Singapore, (ANTARA News/Xinhua-PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Reflecting the dive industry's trend towards more environmentally aware practices, Asia Dive Expo 2008 (ADEX) will this year turn its focus towards eco-friendly diving.

ADEX (18-20th April 2008 at Suntec Singapore) has always highlighted marine conservation through show activities but this year will see the effort stepping into higher gear with a unifying GREEN message.

'Eco-friendly diving' covers preservation of live coral reefs, maintaining sustainable fisheries, protecting endangered species, responsible wreck diving and dive-related eco-tourism. It encompasses general conservation practices such as keeping beaches clean and refuse free, or industrial conservation practices like creating less pollution-prone motor engines for dive vessels.

Partnering with a number of progressive conservation groups including OceanNEnvironment, Project Aware and Wyland Foundation, ADEX will present a unified platform for communicating conservation minded issues to the dive industry, divers, dive operators, resorts, NGOs, government bodies and the general public.

Said Herman Ho, Managing Director of ADEX organiser TMX Show Productions, "For the first time in our 14 year history, ADEX sounds a clarion call to action on the part of everyone involved in the industry before the oceans are irreparably damaged and the last pristine reefs and habitats are lost forever".

Headlining ADEX's roster of green-themed events is 'The EcoVillage @ ADEX 2008' -- a combination of exciting activities such as seminars, film fests, photography competitions, educational tours, ADEX dollar deals and ADEX merchandise -- designed to promote, accent, nurture and finance eco-friendly dive practices.

Proceeds from ADEX merchandise will be donated to The International Year of the Reef 2008.

'The EcoVillage @ ADEX' was created to instil environmental awareness as a way of life amongst adults and students. More than 3,000 school students will visit The EcoVillage.

ADEX enlarges its role as the regional dive industry's number one meeting place and marketplace. ADEX expects healthy growth, anticipating over 8,000 visitors, more than 150 exhibiting companies across 6,000 square metres of floor space.

Top international brand names Bauer Compressors, Beuchat, Coltri Sub, Cressi-Sub, L&W Compressors, Mares, Oceanic and Saekodive return to ADEX this year.

Visitors can also learn about new dive resorts in places like Guam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Thailand and The Philippines.

ADEX Information: http://www.asiadiveexpo.com
Photos (Credit AB Lee)
http://www.chaplinpr.com/adex/adexphoto1.jpg
http://www.chaplinpr.com/adex/adexphoto2.jpg
http://www.chaplinpr.com/adex/adexphoto3.jpg
Media Contact:
Danny Chaplin
Tel: +65-6256-5100
Email: danny.chaplin@chaplinpr.com
SOURCE: ADEX 2008

COPYRIGHT © 2008 - ANTARANEWS

Huge majority of Chinese public supports ban on tiger trade

Beijing (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - The Chinese public supports the ban on tiger trade and stands ready to pitch in to save wild tigers, according to the results of a new opinion poll released today.

The face-to-face survey of 1,880 people in Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Guilin, Harbin, Kunming and Shanghai was conducted by Horizon Key, one of Chinas pre-eminent public polling companies. Respondents, who statistically represent the entire adult populations of these cities, were asked questions about their use of tiger products, their preferences for products from wild versus farmed tigers and their attitudes toward conservation of wild tigers and Chinas 1993 tiger-trade ban.

Nearly 95 percent of respondents support Chinas tiger-trade ban. Among those, more than 77 percent felt that keeping the ban was important for Chinas image. Nearly 95 percent also said that they would take action to save wild tigers, including abstaining from the use of tiger products.

The results of this survey present the strikingly clear message that most Chinese people care so much about wild tigers that they are willing to change behaviors that threaten survival of tigers in the wild, said Judy Mills of Save The Tiger Fund, which commissioned the study. With this strong support from the Chinese people, wild tigers can survive and thrive.

However, the survey also reported nearly 50 percent of those polled had consumed what they thought were tiger products. Most used tiger products as medicines or health tonics and had done so since Chinas 1993 tiger-trade ban was put in place.

Among those consumers, nearly 66 percent of the medicine users said they prefer products from wild tigers. Among the tonic users, more than 74 percent preferred products from wild tigers. Among those who used tiger skins, nearly 55 percent preferred skins from wild tigers. In contrast, just under seven percent of both medicine and tonic users preferred products from farmed tigers. Among skin users, just over four percent favored products from farmed tigers.

At present, businessmen in China have bred some 5,000 tigers in hope that the 15-year trade ban will be lifted. These factory-farm owners are lobbying the government to lift the ban, clearing the way for them to make huge profits from the sale of tonic wine made with tiger bones. Meanwhile, tiger experts fear that reopening trade in tiger products from any source will cause a disastrous increase in poaching of the estimated 3,400−4,400 tigers remaining in the wild. For this reason, some say the fate of wild tigers rests with Chinas maintaining and enforcing its trade ban.

The preference for products from wild tigers documented by this survey confirm our fears that lifting Chinas ban will send the message to poachers that its open season on tigers, which would be disastrous for wild tigers, said Grace Gabriel of the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

The primary use of tiger products in traditional Chinese medicine is to remedy arthritic conditions. The traditional Chinese medicine community has won praise from conservationists for finding and embracing effective alternatives. Those petitioning Chinas government to lift the ban are businessmen who stand to make millions of dollars from selling tiger-bone wine.

The 171 countries that are members of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) decided in June that tigers should not be farmed for trade in their body parts and products.

CONTACTS:
Judy Mills in China - +1-202-674-4588 US mobile OR
+86-135-2150-3703
China mobile
Jeff He in China - +86-13-901205447 OR +86-10-64402960
Grace Gabriel in China - +1-508-496-4471 US mobile OR
+86-137-0129-9387
China mobile
SOURCE Campaign Against Tiger Trafficking

CONTACT: Judy Mills of
the Campaign Against Tiger Trafficking in China,

+1-202-674-4588 (US mobile),

+86-135-2150-3703 (China mobile);

Jeff He, +86-13-901205447,

+86-10-64402960,

or Grace Gabriel,

+1-508-496-4471 (US mobile),

+86-137-0129-9387 (China mobile),

both of the International Fund for Animal Welfare

COPYRIGHT © 2008 - ANTARANEWS

Micrel announces two new soft-start high side power switches

San Jose, California, (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Micrel Inc., (Nasdaq: MCRL), an industry leader in analog, high bandwidth communications and Ethernet IC solutions, today launched the MIC94064/5, a series of high-side load switches that extend Micrel's industry-leading MIC9406x family of high-side load switch products.

The MIC9406x family now covers a wide range of battery-powered consumer and industrial applications that require a variety of turn-on characteristics, including portable computers, cell phones, and personal media devices. The MIC94064/5 series is currently available in volume quantities, with pricing starting at $0.37, for 1K quantities.

"A natural extension of our highly successful MIC94060/1/2 3, the new MIC94064/5 devices offer our customers even more design flexibility than ever before," noted John Lee, director of mixed-signal and RF products, Micrel. "With the introduction of the MIC94064/5 series, our customers can now pick a device from the MIC9406x family with a turn-on time that is optimized for their specific applications."

The MIC94064/5 offer an output voltage turn-on time of 115 micron s, complementing the less than 1 micron turn-on time for the MIC94060/1 and 800 micron s turn-on time for the MIC94062 3. The MIC9406x feature a typical R(DSON) of 77mohm. The devices operate with inputs ranging from 1.7V to 5.5V. Each solution can be driven by a low 1.5V logic level, which is accomplished by incorporating a novel built-in level shift circuitry that allows low voltage logic to control higher voltage supplies.

Battery time is greatly extended in portable applications due to the low operating current of 2 micron A and a shutdown current of less than 1 micron A. The MIC94064/5 have a slew rate controlled turn-on time of 115 micron s (typical) that prevents in-rush current. In addition, the MIC94065 provides an active load discharge circuit that insures capacitive loads retain no charge when the main switch is in an OFF state. The MIC94064/5 series are available housed in the thin 4-pin 1.2mm x 1.6mm MLF(R) and Teeny(TM) SC-70-6 packages.

About Micrel, Inc.

Micrel Inc., is a leading global manufacturer of IC solutions for the worldwide analog, Ethernet and high bandwidth markets. The Company's products include advanced mixed-signal, analog and power semiconductors; high performance communication, clock management, Ethernet switch and physical layer transceiver ICs. Company customers include leading manufacturers of enterprise, consumer, industrial, mobile, telecommunications, automotive, and computer products.

Corporation headquarters and state-of-the-art wafer fabrication facilities are located in San Jose, CA, with regional sales and support offices and advanced technology design centers situated throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. In addition, the Company maintains an extensive network of distributors and reps worldwide. Web: http://www.micrel.com.

Note: MLF is a registered trademark of Amkor Technology.
Teeny is a trademark of Micrel Inc.

CONTACT:
Julieanne DiBene,
Marketing Communications for Micrel Inc.,
+1-408-474-1276, Julie.DiBene@Micrel.com
Web site: http://www.micrel.com
(MCRL)
SOURCE: Micrel Inc.

COPYRIGHT © 2008 - ANTARANEWS

Eurofighter Typhoon logs over 35,000 flying hours

Hallbergmoos, (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - The combined fleet of 135 in-service Eurofighter Typhoons and seven Flight Test aircraft has accumulated over 35,000 flying hours by the end of December 2007.

Since introduction into service in Spring 2004, the five customer Air Forces, including, since Summer 2007, Austria have achieved 30,650 flying hours. An amazing 50% of this amount was flown in 2007, demonstrating the tremendous growth of the in-service fleet.

The build up of flying hours in the Nations' Air Forces reflects the success of integrating the weapon system into their Armed Forces and, increasingly, highlights the importance of Eurofighter Typhoon for NATO air defence responsibilities. Following Italy and the United Kingdom, Germany has, from the beginning of 2008, commenced Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) operations with Eurofighter Typhoon at Neuburg. Spain is to follow soon.

With the six Development Aircraft retired following conclusion of their scheduled tasks, the test fleet of seven Instrumented Production Aircraft (IPA) and one Instrumented Series Production Aircraft (ISPA, BT005 of the Royal Air Force) are now the main assets to take the weapon system's capabilities to new frontiers. The latest addition, IPA7, is the first Tranche 2 Eurofighter Typhoon and will be flown alongside IPA6 in the test programme to achieve the clearances for Tranche 2 Type Acceptance and Further Enhancements. This means even more capabilities for Eurofighter Typhoon with more benefit to the customer. The test fleet has accumulated over 5,600 flying hours since Development began.

Eurofighter Typhoon is the world's most advanced new generation swing-role combat aircraft available on the market and has been ordered by six nations (Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, Austria and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia). With 707 aircraft under contract, it is Europe's largest military collaborative programme and delivers leading-edge technology, strengthening Europe's aerospace industry in the global competition. More than 100,000 jobs in 400 companies are secured by the programme. Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH manages the programme on behalf of its shareholders Alenia Finmeccanica, BAE Systems, EADS CASA and EADS Deutschland, Europe's foremost aerospace companies with a total turnover of EUR60.7 billion (2006).

Images

High Resolution images of the Eurofighter Typhoon can be downloaded from our web site. Hard Copy images are available on request.

http://www.eurofighter.com/medialibrary

For More Information contact:
Wolfdietrich Hoeveler,
Vice President Communications,
Eurofighter GmbH,
+49-811-801-555 (Office),
+49-172-832-9751(Mobile),
wolfdietrich.hoeveler@eurofighter.com
Phillip Lee
External Communications
Eurofighter GmbH
+49-811-801-587
phillip.lee@eurofighter.com
SOURCE Eurofighter GmbH

CONTACT: Wolfdietrich Hoeveler, Vice President Communications, office, +49-811-801-555, mobile, +49-172-832-9751, wolfdietrich.hoeveler@eurofighter.com;
Phillip Lee, External Communications, office, +49-811-801-587, phillip.lee@eurofighter.com

COPYRIGHT © 2008 - ANTARANEWS

Global Initiative to protect children from secondhand smoke

Geneva, (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - It's a staggering statistic: 700 million children - almost half of the world's youth - breathe air polluted by tobacco smoke.

People who smoke in confined spaces like the home or the car subject others to a dangerous mix of toxins including nicotine, carbon monoxide, and cyanide, even when the windows are open.

Second-hand smoke exposes children to chronic health risks:
-- Increases a baby's risk of dying suddenly from unexplained causes
-- Contributes to low birth weight in newborns and harms lung development
-- Causes bronchitis and pneumonia in young adults
-- Increases the risk of ear infections, asthma, coughing and wheezing among school-aged children

These health threats underscore the need for parents to protect the children from secondhand smoke. In the first global initiative of its kind, the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) and members around the world will lead an initiative to promote smoke-free environments for children. "I love my smoke-free childhood" launches on World Cancer Day, 4 February, with these messages for parents:
-- Avoid smoking at home or in a car
-- Caution children to stay away from secondhand smoke and places that allow smoking
-- Teach children there is no safe level of secondhand smoke
-- Do not smoke while pregnant or near someone who is pregnant
-- Use a smoke-free daycare center
-- If you are a smoker, ask your doctor what you can do to stop
-- Become a role model for your child - do not smoke

To back these messages, UICC is publishing a 40-page expert report, "Protecting our children against secondhand smoke".

"I love my smoke-free childhood" is the first focus within the World Cancer Campaign, a five-year cancer-prevention effort launched on World Cancer Day 2007. The Campaign offers parents simple steps to share with children to prevent cancer later in life. (www.worldcancercampaign.org)

"Forty percent of cancers are preventable through healthy habits. The first step toward prevention is education, starting with parents and children.

Every success story means fewer lives lost," says Isabel Mortara, UICC executive director. "Tobacco-related cancers lead the list of preventable deaths and hundreds of thousands of people who have never smoked die each year from diseases caused by secondhand smoke. That's why this initiative is so important."

In addition to targeting individuals, the UICC encourages decision makers to put cancer on the public agenda. A growing number of countries have passed 100% smoke-free legislation, banning smoking in all enclosed public places without exception. Ireland was the first country to do so in 2004 followed by the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Uruguay, Bermuda, Bhutan and Iran. Puerto Rico and several U.S. states and cities have also enacted such bans.

"Countries with 100% smoke-free laws should be commended for their legacy to healthier families. In these nations the percentage of children exposed to secondhand smoke has decreased over time," says Dr. Franco Cavalli, UICC president. "While this trend is encouraging, this approach alone will not protect children from secondhand smoke. That's why educating parents is so crucial."

On World Cancer Day, the UICC will launch a global competition to design a sign for a smoke free environment. The goal is to recognize a universally "smoke free" sign for homes and cars. Individuals and creative agencies may apply. The winning artwork will be announced on 5 May and awarded $5,000 US. For further details contact divino@uicc.org.

RESOURCES FOR REPORTERS:

The International Union Against Cancer: Founded in 1933, the UICC is the world's only truly global consortium of cancer-fighting organizations with 300 members in 90 countries spanning Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East. (www.uicc.org)

Protecting our children against secondhand smoke: This expert report, sets out the health consequences to children of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and makes detailed recommendations on protecting children in homes, cars, daycare, schools and other public places. Authors include Dr. Jonathan Samet, senior scientific editor of the 2004 and 2006 U.S. Surgeon General's reports on smoking and health. Copies available on request (communication@uicc.org)

The World Cancer Congress 2008: World Cancer Congress offers access to the world's leaders in cancer control. The next Congress will convene in Geneva, 27-31 August. The meeting offers new research on new topics as well as ongoing evidence-based solutions to cancer control. (www.uicc-congress.org)

GLOBALink:
The UICC's tobacco control network offers resources for reporters and provides an RSS feed with tobacco news from around the world. (www.globalink.org/news)

SOURCE: International Union Against Cancer
CONTACT: The Americas and Asia-Pacific,
Debra Anna Daugherty,
Washington, D.C.,
+1-202-558-3583,
or Mexico City,
+52-55-85-252806,
Daugherty@uicc.org,
or Europe, The Middle East, and Africa,
J.J. Divino,
Geneva,
+41-22-809-1878,
+41-79-811-7049 (mobile),
divino@uicc.org,
both of International Union Against Cancer
Web Site: http://www.uicc.org
http://www.worldcancercampaign.org
http://www.uicc-congress.org
http://www.globalink.org/news

COPYRIGHT © 2008 - ANTARANEWS

The Drive of Your Life: 2nd annual Great American Run

The Drive of Your Life: 2nd Annual Great American Run; Potential Cash Prize of One Million Dollars

Indianapolis, In. (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - The infamous Great American Run road rally is scheduled to set the USA ablaze when it departs Los Angeles, California on September 7, 2008. The event will conclude with a celebratory final night party in Los Angeles on September 12th.

This is a driving experience like no other in the world which provides the drivers and co-drivers with one hell of a ride, says event organizer, Tim Porter. The guaranteed starting cash prize has already been set at ($100,000.00) one hundred thousand USD and could rise to an incredible one million dollars contingent upon the number of entries.

The 2007 Great American Run was a huge success with over 140 cars of all makes and models participating. A television film crew documented the entire crazy event, with the DVD set for release soon. Timothy S. Durham, CEO of Indianapolis, Indiana based Obsidian Enterprises, Inc., was a 2007 competitor. Durham liked the event so much he bought into the Great American Run company and now works alongside Porter. Durham commented, The 2007 event was amazing and I enjoyed every octane filled moment. To witness over one hundred and forty cars travel across the States was exciting, challenging and always very entertaining. Im passionate about cars and humbled to participate in this type of event. You feel as though youre making a part of history.

The 2008 Great American Run route will be kept strictly confidential by the event organizers, however based upon previous Runs its guaranteed to be challenging, exhausting and downright whacky. Porter has a long pedigree in establishing road rallies. He has successfully conducted six annual events in Europe and is now firmly established in the USA. Porter said, The 2008 Great American Run promises to be very exciting and filled with surprises along the way. We knew we had a success on our hands during the 2007 event and now having Durham on board is fantastic. He has an immense flair for business which will hugely compliment my attitude of achieving the impossible.

Route checkpoints will be staffed by gorgeous Checkpoint Chicks and an independent timing specialist company. These checkpoints are designed to avoid cheating and to log the daily performance of the vehicles. Each drivers objective is to achieve an average speed of 61 mph, which is no easy task. The event will also provide the entrants with wild parties, top notch dinners and luxury hotel accommodations. The final night is a black-tie gala dinner where the massive cash prize will be awarded to the winner. The Great American Run is not about what you drive, its about how you drive and your individual approach to life and the risks youre prepared to take.

If youre up for the challenge, want to meet some like-minded car aficionados, or just want to be thoroughly thrilled and entertained, this is the event for you. You might win yourself one million dollars! The Great American Run has got guts, glamour and a real go factor. If youre a raging bull, a dancing horse, or just want a gas of a time contact the organizers for more details. US toll free 1-800-619-8593, Tim Porter directly US 714-391-2486 or go to www.thegreatamericanrun.com. Sponsorship inquiries US toll free 1-866-890-2234
Official laser sensor sponsorship provided by Laser Protector USA Ltd. www.laserprotectorusa.com

SOURCE: Great American Run
CONTACT:
Tim Porter,
President of Great American Run,
+1-714-391-2486,
Maverick@thegreatamericanrun.com
Web site: http://www.thegreatamericanrun.com

COPYRIGHT © 2008 - ANTARANEWS

Solland Solar: natural gas revenues for clean energy

Heerlen, (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - The government should use the revenues from the sale of natural gas to speed up the changeover to clean, renewable forms of energy. In doing so it will choose even more explicitly in favour of reducing CO2 emissions.

The transition to sustainable energy will also make the Netherlands less dependent on politically unstable regions such as Russia and the Middle East, which are currently the key suppliers of oil and gas.

This was the assertion of Gosse Boxhoorn, CEO of Solland Solar, the Netherlands' largest producer of solar cells. Boxhoorn made this plea on Thursday during the opening of Solland Solar's new production hall in Heerlen. The new hall will enable Solland Solar to treble production, from 60 MWp/a to 170 MWp/a.

"By focusing more on clean forms of energy (solar, wind, water), the government is realising a more balanced energy policy," argued Gosse Boxhoorn. "The Netherlands currently has some EUR 170 billion worth of natural gas still untapped. That money should not be allowed to 'disappear' into general resources, but rather be used to intensify the efforts towards renewable energy. The government realises that an alternative is needed for oil and gas, but then concludes that coal is the answer. And we are not talking about one, but five coal-fired power stations at once. Given the CO2 emissions, this is not where we want to be heading."

High-performance solar cell

The high oil price, peaking at more than USD 100 a barrel at times, undoubtedly serves to promote solar energy as an increasingly plausible alternative. Moreover, Solland Solar manages to extract more and more energy from its cells and will start production of a high-performance cell, with an efficiency of some 16 percent, before the end of the year. This is an increase of one percent compared to existing cells; a significant improvement for this sector. The new cell will also help reduce the costs of producing solar panels.

Production expansion

The new production hall is a mere pit stop along the route for Solland Solar, which has seen dramatic growth since its establishment at the end of 2005. The solar cell manufacturer intends to increase production to 500 MWp/a in 2010. Another two production halls will be built to that end; the relevant subsidy has already been approved by the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Solland Solar had applied for a subsidy of EUR 125 million.

About Solland Solar

Solland Solar (www.sollandsolar.com), winner of the FD Gazellen Award 2007 and FEM Business Rising Star Award 2007, is a Dutch-German manufacturer of solar cells (photovoltaic cells). When production started at the end of 2005, Solland Solar had a capacity of 20 MWp/a. After the new production hall came into operation, the capacity was increased to 60 MWp/a, with a view to reaching 500 MWp/a in 2010. By then the number of employees will also have increased to some 1,000 (2008: 400). Since February 2007, Delta NV and subsidiary Sunergy BV of Middelburg have been majority shareholders in Solland Solar.

Note to the editors:

Gosse Boxhoorn will be available on location for interviews on Thursday, 24 January. For more information by phone, please contact Wendy Kleijnen (+31-06-46324304), who can also assist in arranging telephone interviews.

Members of the media are cordially invited to attend the opening of the new production hall on Thursday 24 January. The press conference will start at 10:00 a.m. CET to be followed by a guided tour at 11:00 a.m. CET

Venue: Solland Solar - Avantis Business and Science Park Bohr 10, 6422RL Heerlen

SOURCE: Solland Solar
CONTACT: Wendy Kleijnen of Solland Solar,
+31-06-46324304
Web site: http://www.sollandsolar.com

COPYRIGHT © 2008 - ANTARANEWS

Techstreet is primary distributor of ASC X9 financial industry stds

Thomson Scientific's Techstreet Selected as Primary Distributor of ASC X9 Financial Industry Standards

Philadelphia and London (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Thomson Scientific, part of The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC) and leading provider of information solutions to the worldwide research and business communities, has signed an agreement with the Accredited Standards Committee X9, Inc. - Financial Industry Standards (ASC X9) to make Thomson Scientific's Techstreet (www.techstreet.com) the primary distributor for ASC X9 publications in print and electronic format. ASC X9 publications can be ordered through the new online publications store at www.X9.org, operated by Techstreet.

Cynthia Fuller, Executive Director of ASC X9, said, "We chose Techstreet because they are an acknowledged leader in online delivery and customer service. Our members and customers will benefit from the self-serve features and functionality, new electronic download options, free tracking alert system and web-based enterprise subscriptions. Customers will also appreciate the enhanced customer service we are now able to offer because of our partnership with Thomson Scientific."

Members and customers who visit the ASC X9 online store can search and order ASC X9 publications and related codes and standards in print and downloadable PDF formats, sign up for free document alerts and learn about multi-user subscription services. As part of the agreement, Thomson Scientific also will support the marketing of ASC X9 publications.

ASC X9 American National Standards, Technical Reports and Draft Standards includes over 70 publications covering Card and Check standards; Security standards: Paperless Contract standards: and Securities Processing and Data and Information Security standards. ASC X9 also offers the Check 21 Collection, a group of standards that facilitate Check 21 requirements.

"By providing world-class customer service and applying our proven e- commerce methods to X9's operation, we are speeding the delivery of standards required for critical financial services," said David Brown, Executive Vice President, Corporate Markets, Thomson Scientific. "The new store gives financial professionals easier access and more control over how they retrieve the information they need."

Techstreet provides web-based technologies to support online delivery of industry codes and standards to technical professionals worldwide.

About ASC X9

The Accredited Standards Committee X9, Inc., is the only industry-wide forum that brings together bankers, securities professionals, manufacturers, regulators, associations, consultants and others in the financial services arena to address technical issues, find the best solutions, and codify them as nationally and internationally accepted standards. The American National Standards Institute officially accredited ASC X9 in 1984. In addition, ASC X9 is recognized as the official secretariat to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) committee TC68 on Banking and Financial Services.

About The Thomson Corporation

The Thomson Corporation (www.thomson.com) is a global leader in providing essential electronic workflow solutions to business and professional customers. With operational headquarters in Stamford, Conn., Thomson provides value-added information, software tools and applications to professionals in the fields of law, tax, accounting, financial services, scientific research and healthcare. The Corporation's common shares are listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC).

Thomson Scientific is a business of The Thomson Corporation.
Its information solutions assist professionals at every stage of research and development-from discovery to analysis to product development and distribution. Thomson Scientific information solutions can be found at scientific.thomson.com.

SOURCE: Thomson Scientific
CONTACT:
Kevin Bonsor,
Thomson Scientific,
+1-919-461-7428,
kevin.bonsor@thomson.com,
or Cindy Fuller,
ASC X9, Inc.,
+1-410-267-7707,
cindy.fuller@x9.org
Web site: http://www.scientific.thomson.com
http://www.techstreet.com

COPYRIGHT © 2008 - ANTARANEWS

2,500th client signs up to leading open source intelligence database

London (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - World-Check, the global industry pioneer and leading provider of highly-structured open source risk intelligence, is proud to announce that it recently celebrated its 2,500th client sign-up(1). On an annual basis 19 million names(2) are manually queried by our client base in 153 countries within World-Check Online, while many millions more are automatically screened against the World-Check Data-file.

Founded in late 2000, World-Check was originally created to address the Swiss financial industry's Know Your Customer (KYC) and risk-reduction requirements. Today, World-Check's database is relied upon by 47 of the world's 50 largest financial institutions and more than 200 regulatory and enforcement agencies across the globe, including 70% of the Egmont Group's Financial Intelligence Units. Clients also include businesses in the insurance, legal, gaming, aviation, real estate, consultancy, natural resources and accounting sectors, to name but a few.

World-Check's unique database includes profiles of known money launderers, fraudsters, Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), terrorists, narcotics traffickers, shell banks, sanctioned entities and many other categories of high risk individuals and entities. Positioned at the forefront of international risk research and intelligence, World-Check regularly profiles heightened risk individuals and businesses years before their names appear on official sanction lists, making the database the ultimate "early warning system" against regulatory and reputation risk. This reliability is testament to the company's ongoing investment in technology and its strategically placed international team of multilingual researchers.

"We are extremely excited about our exceptional growth in such a short period of time, and are committed to continuedinvestment in innovative solutions, research specialists and value-added services based on our client needs," said David Leppan, CEO and founder of World-Check. "World-Check has played a critical role as the industry leader in the AML, KYC and CTF fields, and our continued client and partner growth confirms that we lead the market. In addition our 97% annual client renewal rate for the past seven years confirms that our database is unparalleled in depth, reliability and coverage."

ABOUT WORLD-CHECK

World-Check provides its global open source intelligence database to more than 2500 institutions in 153 countries, including 47 of the world's 50 largest financial institutions, and 200+ enforcement and regulatory agencies in 90 countries.
The database is updated daily in real-time by World-Check's international research team, and is derived from hundreds of thousands of public sources. Coverage includes Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), money launderers, fraudsters, terrorists and sanctioned entities -- plus individuals and businesses from over a dozen other high-risk categories.

World-Check's database and tools find direct application in financial compliance, anti-money laundering (AML), Know-Your-Customer (KYC), PEP screening, enhanced due diligence (EDD), fraud prevention, government intelligence and other identity authentication, background screening and risk-prevention practices.
For more information about World-Check go to http://www.world-check.com

(1) This number reflects actual institutions and not their branch or subsidiary networks.
(2) World-Check, as certified by KPMG, is unaware of the actual names (search terms) clients search for within World-Check.

SOURCE: World-Check
CONTACT: Marion Willson,
World-Check,
+44-20-8099-7263,
mw2@world-check.com
Web site: http://www.world-check.com

COPYRIGHT © 2008 - ANTARANEWS

Direct Petroleum completes the Deventci-R1 well in Bulgaria

Denver, Col. (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Direct Petroleum Bulgaria, Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Direct Petroleum Exploration, Inc. ("DPE"), has completed drilling and logging of the Deventci-R1 well, its first exploratory well on the A-Lovech Block in northwest Bulgaria. Total depth is 5,888 meters (19,313 ft.) in the Lower Triassic Alexandrovo formation. The Deventci R1 is the deepest well drilled in Bulgaria in the last 30 years.

The well encountered gas saturated reservoirs in the Dolni Dabnik member of the Middle Triassic Doirentsi formation. Other potential reservoirs are in the Upper Triassic Rusinovdel and the Lower Jurassic Ozirovo formations.

Casing has been run to 5,876 meters (19,280 ft.) in preparation for extensive testing operations.

DPE is a privately held oil and gas exploration and production company based in Denver, Colorado. Formed in 2003, DPE has operations in Bulgaria, Morocco, United States and Russia.

SOURCE: Direct Petroleum Exploration, Inc.
CONTACT:
Direct Petroleum Exploration, Inc.,
+1-303-825-0775
Web site: http://www.directpetroleum.com

COPYRIGHT © 2008 - ANTARANEWS

BioSeek initiates collaboration with Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma

Burlingame, Calif. (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - BioSeek, Inc., a leader in applying integrated human biology systems for developing new therapeutics, announced today that it has entered into a collaboration agreement with Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co. (DSP), a global biopharmaceutical leader based in Japan. Under the collaboration, BioSeek will apply its BioMAP(R) Systems to support compound differentiation, lead development, and drug candidate selection activities for DSP's discovery programs in the fields of inflammation and metabolic diseases.

"We are excited to be working closely with DSP, a well respected and innovative global company, and look forward to supporting their discovery efforts," commented Michael C. Venuti, Ph.D., CEO of BioSeek. "This collaboration leverages our technology platform's power in addressing key decision points in the discovery process, making it extremely valuable to partners such as DSP."

"The BioMAP(R) platform represents a very compelling approach to applying human systems biology to pharmaceutical research and development," stated Dr. Yuichi Yokoyama, Executive Director at DSP. "BioMAP(R) Systems deliver otherwise difficult-to-obtain human biological information, which will help us prioritize leads and candidates."

CTC Laboratory Systems Corporation, a subsidiary of Itochu Techno- Solutions Corporation, assisted with the closing of this agreement.

BioMAP(R) Systems are a series of human primary cell-based assay systems designed to replicate the intricate cell and pathway interactions present in human disease biology. Depending on their mechanism of action, compounds induce specific patterns of changes in these systems (BioMAP profiles) that can be compared to a large number of reference profiles in BioSeek's database. BioMAP profiling provides early insight
into human pharmacological properties of compounds including in-depth characterization of biological drug function, on- and off-target activities, and biomarker identification.

About BioSeek

BioSeek is improving the success rate of pharmaceutical research and development by integrating human biology from the early stages of drug discovery onward. BioSeek is using BioMAP(R) Systems platform for the internal discovery and development of new drug candidates in the fields of inflammation, cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune diseases, and related indications. BioSeek is also leveraging BioMAP(R) Systems technology in collaborations to enhance the productivity of its pharmaceutical partners' pipelines.
For more information, go to www.bioseekinc.com.

About Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co.

Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co.'s Corporate Mission is to broadly contribute to society through value creation based on innovative research and development activities for the betterment of healthcare and fuller lives of people worldwide.
For more information, go to http://www.ds-pharma.co.jpenglish.

About CTC Laboratory Systems Corporation

CTC Laboratory Systems Corporation (Tokyo, Japan), a subsidiary of Itochu Techno-Solutions Corporation, is Japan's leading provider of total solutions from target ID/VD to clinical trials for pharmaceuticals, and a variety of solutions for the chemical and food processing industries, as well as for life sciences research institutions.
Additional information on CTCLS can be found at http://www.ctcls.co.jp.

BioSeek Contacts:
BioSeek, Inc.
Michael Venuti, Ph.D.
CEO
Tel: 650.552.0754
MacDougall Biomedical Communications
Jennifer Greenleaf
Tel: 781.235.3060

SOURCE: BioSeek, Inc.
CONTACT:
Michael Venuti, Ph.D., CEO of BioSeek, Inc.,
+1-650-552-0754;
or Jennifer Greenleaf of MacDougall Biomedical
Communications,
+1-781-235-3060
Web site: http://www.bioseekinc.com
http://www.ds-pharma.co.jp/english
http://www.ctcls.co.jp

COPYRIGHT © 2008 - ANTARANEWS

The most expensive book in the world costs 153 million EUR

- Indication: Picture downloadable for free under: http://www.presseportal.ch/de/pm/100014150

Zurich (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - The so far internationally unknown author Tomas Alexander Hartman has entered the hitherto most expensive book in the world into the register of German Books in Print (VLB).

According to that list, the book with the title "The Task" (ISBN: 978-3- 00-023396-8) has 13 pages and is listed at a price of 153 Million EUR.

However, there will only ever be a single copy of the by far most expensive book in the world.

The book will appear for the first time in public on the Book Expo America 2008 Fair in Los Angeles from 29th May to 1st June 2008 as well as on the Buch Wien Fair.

Hartmann, who sees himself as the greatest philosopher of all time, is certainly the most expensive one. The other day, the Times compared the prices of Hartmann and Harry Potter's Author Rowling and worked out that a single page of "The Task" will demand the staggering price of 9 million pounds.

Asked how he arrived at such a price, Hartmann said he needed more than thirty years to write the 13 pages of "The Task" and generally speaking the price of something is only then truly driven by supply and demand, if looked at without any enforcement.

In April Tomas Alexander Hartman will introduce his philosophical poems at the Linz international book fair (23th to 27th). However, although that edition limited to a thousand copies is comparatively cost-effective at 1530 EUR each, Hartman has already announced a possible cost increase. If Hartmann was to win a literary award, the book will go up to 1.53 Million EUR.

Tomas Alexander Hartmann
E-Mail: tah@tah.ch
Phone: +49-17-628-33-56-85

SOURCE: Xite GmbH
CONTACT:
Tomas Alexander Hartmann,
+49-17-628-33-56-85,
tah@tah.ch
Web site: http://www.presseportal.ch

COPYRIGHT © 2008 - ANTARANEWS

International Prize for Ian Buruma

Erasmus Prize 50 years

Amsterdam (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - In 2008 the Praemium Erasmianum Foundation celebrates it 50th anniversary. His Royal Highness Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands founded the Prize in 1958. The Prize is awarded annually to a person who, within the cultural traditions of Europe, has made an especially important contribution to culture, society or social science in Europe. The prize money is a sum of EUR 150.000.

The Board of the Praemium Erasmianum Foundation (Amsterdam) has awarded the Erasmus Prize 2008 to the Dutch/British journalist, author and political commentator Ian Buruma.

The official award ceremony of the prestigious Erasmus Prize will take place on 7 November in Rotterdam. The theme of the Prize in this jubilee year is 'The New Cosmopolitan'.

Ian Buruma (1951) a new cosmopolitan.
After studying Chinese in Leiden and Japanese film in Tokyo, he became cultural editor of The Far Eastern Economic Review and foreign editor of The Spectator; since 2003 he is Henry R. Luce Professor of Democracy, Human Rights and Journalism at Bard College, New York. He was chairman of the Humanities Centre of the Central European University in Budapest, fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg in Berlin and the Woodrow Wilson Centre in Washington. He is member of the scientific advisory council of the Einstein Forum in Potsdam and member of the board of Human Rights in China in New York. Ian Buruma has written about Japan, China, Asia and their often problematic
relationships with the West. He is one of the leading international essayists on East-West relations. Ian Buruma is a regular contributor to the New York Review of Books. His book Murder in Amsterdam on the murder of Theo van Gogh was awarded the 2006 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for the Best Current Interest Book. In 2004 Ian Buruma received an honorary doctorate from the University of Groningen. In 2008 he is holding the Cleveringa-chair at the University of Leiden and will be professorial fellow at the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) in Leiden.

The Erasmus Prize derives its name and inspiration from the Dutch humanist scholar, Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536). Renowned theologian and teacher, Erasmus was a true world citizen; his view of life was universal: knowledge must prevail over ignorance, order over chaos and humaneness is of greater value than any dogma. Erasmus defended the integrity of the intellect and pleaded for moderation and tolerance. Praise of Folly is one of his best known works.

'The New Cosmopolitan' is a citizen of a new world, in which boundaries of all sorts are easily transcended; where people of diverse cultures work together readily and economic and cultural exchange is intrinsic. The new world citizen likes to picture a world without hindrances, but is forced to confront societal realities, where identity is frequently defined by traditional differences such as nationality, culture, religion or ethnic origins. With this thematic the Praemium Erasmianum Foundation raises the issue of the tension that exists between a cosmopolitan attitude and the responsibility for one's own social environment.

Previous laureates of the Erasmus Prize include Charlie Chaplin (1965), Henry Moore (1968), Claude Levi-Strauss (1973), Vaclav Havel (1986), Bernard Haitink (1991), Jacques Delors (1997), Hans van Manen (2000) and Alan Davidson (2003).
http://www.erasmusprijs.org

For more biographical information and an extensive survey of publications by Ian Buruma please refer to http://www.ianburuma.com

SOURCE: Stichting Praemium Erasmianum
CONTACT: Prof. Dr. Max Sparreboom,
Praemium Erasmianum Foundation,
Jan van Goyenkade 5, 1075 HN Amsterdam,
+31-20-6752753,
spe@erasmusprijs.org
Web site: http://www.erasmusprijs.org
http://www.ianburuma.com

COPYRIGHT © 2008 - ANTARANEWS

Universal VAT Services acquired by Currencies Direct

Atlanta (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Acquisition creates first integrated international "Recovery Service" for the financial industry.

Universal VAT Services (UVS), a global provider of foreign tax reclaim services for corporations and academic institutions, today announced that Currencies Direct Limited, the leading payment technology solutions company, has acquired UVS for an undisclosed sum. Under the terms of the agreement, Currencies Direct will have a 70% stake in the US company. Raj Shah will remain as President of UVS and continue to oversee day-to-day operations. The agreement was approved by the Currencies Direct Board of Directors.

"With this acquisition, Currencies Direct will become one of the most comprehensive currency and international trade facilitators in the industry, with a scalable, global reach that is unmatched," said Mayank B. Patel, chairman and CEO of Azibo Group, the parent company of Currencies Direct.

Yogesh Shetty, Group Managing Director and President of Currencies Direct Americas, said "This acquisition fits perfectly with our market entry strategy for the Americas. The two companies offerings and business models are complementary and strengthen the services they currently provide their clients". The customer base includes world recognized consumer product manufacturers, retail chains, colleges, universities and individuals who conduct transactions where foreign currency is exchanged and/or a VAT refund can be claimed. "This union creates a unique financial service for companies that conduct business internationally. Such an offering has never before been available in this single solution format."

"What matters most to our clients around the world, especially the large corporations and academic institutions, is that when conducting business abroad leaving tax money unclaimed is never an option." said Raj Shah, president and founder of UVS. "This consolidation expands the tax recovery service we provide by allowing us to convert recovered tax into our clients chosen currency at the best possible rate, all in house"

It was also announced that UVS will be embarking upon an agency and franchise network for corporate recovery services across America, Europe and the Far East in 2008.

About Universal VAT Services

Universal VAT Services is a leading provider of VAT recovery services for companies and academic institutions around the world. They are headquartered in Atlanta, GA with office locations in several countries. Their innovative team comprises of financial experts whose primary goal is to seamlessly navigate the various VAT laws of countries around the world, to provide effortless solutions and consistent results to all of their clients.
For more information visit: http://www.universalvatservices.com

About Currencies Direct

Currencies Direct is one of Europe's first independent foreign exchange specialists who recognized the need in the market for an expert secondary Foreign Exchange provider to traditional banks. Its innovative approach is based on dealing directly with the currency markets and matching buyers with sellers thus eliminating intermediaries and giving it a competitive edge in pricing foreign exchange. Currencies Direct's head office and global trading centre is based in the City of London. It has offices across 5 continents, with a 1500 strong franchise network of business partners and affiliates.

For UVS:
Judi Durand, Universal VAT Services, Tel +1 (703) 725 6017
e-mail: judidurand@universalvatservices.com
For Currencies Direct:
Thomas Flisher, Octopus Communications Tel. +44 (0) 8453 700
655
e-mail: cd@octopuscomms.net
SOURCE: Currencies Direct and Universal VAT Services
CONTACT:
Judi Durand for Universal VAT Services,
+1-703-725-6017,
judidurand@universalvatservices.com;
or Thomas Flisher of Octopus Communications,
+44 (0) 8453 700 655,
cd@octopuscomms.net
Web site: http://www.universalvatservices.com

COPYRIGHT © 2008 - ANTARANEWS

Masdar Announces Major Progress on Future Energy Strategy

Investments and Developments Made Across Solar, Hydrogen, Carbon Reduction, Green Design, Higher Education

Abu Dhabi (ANTARA/Xinhua-PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Masdar, Abu Dhabi's $15 billion future energy initiative, has made significant steps forward in its ambition to make Abu Dhabi the global centre for future energy.

As a long-term strategic and financial initiative, Masdar aims to create an entirely new economic sector in Abu Dhabi turning it into an exporter of technology. Since its inception in April 2006, Masdar has been working to bring this initiative to life and many of the building blocks are now in place.

The highlights of this period include:

-- The Masdar Clean Technology Fund ( www.masdarctf.com ), an investment fund dedicated to advancing renewable energy and sustainable technologies, has concluded its first year of operations with one of the strongest and most successful deal flows in the investment community. The $250 million dollar fund has already deployed most of its capital, one year ahead of schedule.

The fund has invested in many expansion stage companies focused on the development and commercialisation of promising technologies in renewable energy like solar, energy efficiency, water reuse and desalination -- all technologies with relevance for Abu Dhabi, the UAE and the Middle East and North Africa region.

-- Masdar provides market-driven incentives for carbon management, by monetising greenhouse gas emission reductions in compliance with the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) framework of the Kyoto Protocol. Masdar is leveraging the CDM to promote sustainable growth in the region offering companies in developing economies the opportunity to receive tradable "carbon credits" against project-based emissions reduction. Masdar provides an end-to-end solution for project developers under the CDM, including investment, technical assistance, project management and carbon finance.

-- Masdar is currently developing a portfolio of CDM projects with major asset owners in the UAE and the Middle East -- including Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA) and Dubai Aluminum (DUBAL).

-- Masdar also advances sustainable infrastructure projects, leading to sizeable carbon emission reductions, with a particular focus on CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS). In March 2007, Masdar announced a strategic initiative aiming to develop an Abu Dhabi-based national CCS network for enhanced oil recovery. This initiative started with a comprehensive feasibility study conducted in the second half of 2007, to assess the economics and evaluate options for CO2 capture from industrial and power generation facilities in Abu Dhabi and delivery to oil reservoirs. The study will recommend the first carbon capture project planned for kick-off in 2008 as well as the road map to develop the national network.

-- Masdar has recently signed an agreement with BP and Rio Tinto to conduct a feasibility study on the front-end engineering design of an industrial-scale hydrogen-fired power generation project with carbon capture and storage. The project will be the largest of its kind in the world, and will provide 500MW of clean power.

-- Masdar's progress in solar technology has been developing and will soon release an invitation to build, own and operate a 100 MW Concentrating Solar Power ("CSP") plant in Madinat Zayad, Abu Dhabi -- the first of many CSP plants in Abu Dhabi and the UAE, which will feed power to existing grids. The plant will use parabolic trough technology and is expected to be operational by the end of 2010.

-- Over the past two months a major photovoltaic panel field test has been underway, which aims to evaluate the performance and efficiency of different PV models within the Abu Dhabi environment. This is the first test of its kind in the world and is located at the future site of Masdar City, with the energy created by the panels already feeding back into Abu Dhabi's grid.

-- The faculty for the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) is now formed and is already conducting research in 12 different areas. The faculty will support the drive to create the next generation of energy leaders here in Abu Dhabi and around the world. In partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), MIST is the world's first graduate level institution focused on alternative energy and sustainability, ensuring a ready supply of highly skilled graduates to meet the growing demand within the clean technology and sustainable energy sectors.

-- The Masdar Research Network is mobilising and has signed up many of the world's leading institutions in the sustainable energy industry including Columbia University, USA; Imperial College of London, UK; RWTH Aachen University, Germany; University of Waterloo, Canada; Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan; The German Aerospace Center (DLR); Ciemat: Energy Research Center, Spain. The MRN is already working with Tokyo Institute of Technology in the research of beam down solar technologies, with the first facility of this type being planned for Masdar City.

-- The Abu Dhabi government through Masdar this week announced the establishment of the Zayed Future Energy Prize, which awards of over $US2 million annually to honour individuals and organizations for their excellence and innovation in the innovation, development and implementation of sustainable energy solutions.

-- The Zayed Future Energy Prize will be awarded to three individuals or organisations that have made significant contributions in the global response to the future of energy. The award is named after the United Arab Emirates founding father and conservationist His Highness the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and will be chaired by R.K. Pachuari, Chairman of the Nobel Prize winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Looking forward, Masdar will continue to look for opportunities to invest in and develop technologies across solar, wind, hydrogen, carbon reduction, green design and higher education.

In February 2008, Masdar will break ground of the world's first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city. The city, growing eventually to 1,500 businesses and 50,000 residents, when completed in 2016, it will be home to international business and top minds in the field of sustainable and alternative energy.

Electricity will be generated by photovoltaic panels, while cooling will be provided via concentrated solar power. Water will be provided through a solar-powered desalination plant. Landscaping within the city and crops grown outside the walled city will be irrigated with grey water and treated waste water produced by the city's water treatment plant.

Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar said, "Masdar has a simple promise -- to be the world's centre for future energy solutions. It is not about discussion. It is about action.

"I am very pleased with the progress Masdar has made over the past 21 months. We are making bold but strategic investments; applying scale and capital to drive down the cost of renewable energy, accelerating innovation, sponsoring research and building human capital.

"Our promise is as multi-faceted as the problem, which is why we have deployed a basket of solutions to develop and deliver sustainable solutions to meet the world's future energy needs."

More about Masdar

In April 2006, Abu Dhabi launched Masdar, a multi-faceted, multi-billion dollar investment in renewable and alternative energy and clean technology. Masdar is helping to explore, develop and commercialize such future energy sources, including solar and hydrogen power. In 2008, Masdar will break ground for Masdar City, the world's first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city, which will eventually be home to 1,500 businesses and 50,000 residents.

For more information about Masdar please visit http://www.masdaruae.com or email: mediamasdar@edelman.com.

More about the World Future Energy Summit

From January 21-23, 2008, Masdar is hosting the inaugural World Future Energy Summit (WFES), bringing together the world's leading innovators, educators, scientists, venture capitalists and experts in the field of alternative and renewable energies. The summit will be the largest meeting of the "future energy" movement and the premier event for world leaders to preview new solutions and technologies and seek partners. The summit will be a carbon-neutral certified event.

For more information about WFES, please contact Lindsey Bredin at +971-50-379-0348 or l.bredin@turretme.com or please visit http://www.wfes08.com
.

CONTACT:

Dayce Sjaflan

Tel: +62-21-781-2436
Email: dayce.sjaflan@indopacedelman.com

SOURCE: Masdar

COPYRIGHT © 2008 - ANTARANEWS

Microsoft to create new opportunity for everyone via education

Berlin, (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Microsoft Corp. today announced a renewed commitment over the next five years to Partners in Learning, a program that provides the education community with resources and training to help students reach their full potential.

Through Partners in Learning, Microsoft is leveraging the transformative power of software to create innovative educational experiences that remove limitations, create opportunities, and bring students and teachers closer. Since its launch in 2003, Partners in Learning has touched the lives of more than 90 million students, teachers and education policymakers in 101 countries. In the next five years, Microsoft is aiming to triple the impact of Partners in Learning's three core programs: Innovative Teachers, Innovative Students and Innovative Schools. Partners in Learning is a key education initiative under Microsoft Unlimited Potential, the company's commitment to creating sustained social and economic opportunity for everyone.

"Microsoft has always believed that education is the cornerstone of opportunity, and that investing in education is the best way to help young people achieve their potential," said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft. "Partners in Learning is one of the ways Microsoft works with governments and schools around the world to help teachers use technology in the classroom to make learning exciting and relevant for the 21st century."

"Actively integrating technology into the classroom takes more than just PCs; it requires the cooperation and input of those with expertise, vision and strong experience in all aspects of the educational process," said Cristian-Mihai Adomnitei, minister of education, research and youth in Romania. "Microsoft's continued partnership and guidance through Partners in Learning has been instrumental in the success of our programs to achieve better education through IT and in forming talents for a competitive economy."

The real impact that Partners in Learning has already had in transforming education is best shown by the stories of the individuals and communities affected by the program. One example can be found at the Arino Primary School, located in a village in Aragon, Spain, with a population of just 900 people. Head teacher Jose Antonio Blesa wanted to raise educational standards and motivate students by giving them access to online research and interactive learning tools. In partnership with Microsoft, he was able to provide his pupils with portable Tablet PCs linked to a wireless network. Now, final-year students use the PCs in most of their classes, transforming lessons into exciting interactive experiences and letting students learn at their own pace. The project's success encouraged the Ministry of Education in Aragon to provide an additional 14,000 Tablet PCs to its schools over the following three years; and six other regional governments in Spain have started to introduce similar programs in their local schools.

"The main goals of the Aragon government regarding this collaboration project with Microsoft are to foster the use of IT tools within the region, to provide advanced training to the 'teachers of the future' and to develop an online education network," said Eva Almunia, minister of education in Aragon. "In this respect, Aragon has become a reference across Europe in the application of information technologies to the education process."

Other Partners in Learning efforts have successfully scaled local programs to have nationwide impact. A 2005 report found that 34 percent of Hungarian students had no technology skills. Using a wide range of programs, from support for intensive teacher training to the development of 101 Ideas for Innovative Teachers, a booklet offering simple tips for technology-based lessons in 10 subjects, the percentage of students without technology skills was dramatically reduced to less than 8 percent by 2007.

An important element of Partners in Learning is connecting the global teaching community, allowing educators to share their ideas with their peers around the world. This is brought to life through the Innovative Teachers program, which includes one of the world's largest online collaboration portals for educators, and a series of worldwide conferences that bring them together to share ideas and reward exceptional teaching practices. One participant, Sweden's Brigitta (Bitte) Kajler, created a collaborative lesson on biodiversity that connected students in Sweden with children in Madagascar. The project gave students a deeper understanding of the environment as they learned important cultural lessons and technology skills, providing an opportunity for them to learn from and interact with their peers in another part of the world.

In addition, the Innovative Students program provides affordable, reliable software to qualifying governments purchasing Windows-based PCs for primary and secondary students' personal use at home. Finally, through the Innovative Schools program, Microsoft works with governments, educators and partners to deliver expert guidance in holistic school reform, plus a road map for technology integration to help schools meet their education objectives.

Today's announcement represents a new, five-year, $235.5 million (U.S.) investment, and will bring the company's total 10-year commitment in Partners in Learning to nearly $500 million. Ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to learn is an enormous challenge that requires participation by both the public and private sectors. Microsoft is deeply committed to collaborating with education partners around the world to provide relevant, high-quality learning experiences, and enable students and teachers to achieve their fullest potential.

Additional information, including a video sharing the story of Jose Antonio Blesa and the Arino Primary School, will be posted at http://www.microsoft.com/unlimitedpotential.

About Unlimited Potential

Microsoft, through its Unlimited Potential vision, is committed to making technology more affordable, relevant and accessible for the 5 billion people around the world who do not yet enjoy its benefits. The company aims to do so by helping to transform education and foster a culture of innovation, and through these means enable better jobs and opportunities. By working with governments, intergovernmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations and industry partners, Microsoft hopes to reach its first major milestone -- to reach the next 1 billion people who are not yet realizing the benefits of technology -- by 2015.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

SOURCE: Microsoft Corp.

NOTE TO EDITORS: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft's corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed.

For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft's Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr .mspx

CONTACT: Rapid Response Team, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide for Microsoft,
+1-503-443-7070,
rrt@waggeneredstrom.com, for Microsoft Corp.
Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822MSFTLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk photodesk@prnewswire.com
Web site: http://www.microsoft.com
(MSFT)

COPYRIGHT © 2008 - ANTARANEWS

Japan`s University of Tsukuba selects Appro Xtreme-X Supercomputers

Milpitas, Calif., (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Appro (http://www.appro.com), a leading provider of high-performance enterprise computing systems, announces today it has been awarded a contract for a 95TF Appro Xtreme-X(TM) Supercomputer for the Center for Computational Sciences at the University of Tsukuba, to be located in the center of Tsukuba Science City. The region is well known for its large concentration of advanced research institutions in various areas of science and technology. The Tsukuba award is a major breakthrough for Appro's supercomputers into the Japanese HPC market.

The University chooses Appro's Xtreme-X3 Supercomputer for its matchless Quad-Rail system interconnect, which provides the lowest-latency and the highest bandwidth performance to meet both capacity and capability computing requirements for Tsukuba's computational scientific research programs. The Appro Xtreme-X3 Supercomputer will be shipped and installed by Appro at the University by the end of May 2008.

Appro will partner with Cray Technical Services and Sumisho Computer Systems (SCS), a major IT trading company in Japan, to deliver the system and service to the Center for Computational Sciences at the University of Tsukuba. As the prime contractor, SCS combined both Appro HPC solutions while Cray TechnicalServices supplied local service and support, providing technical expertise for the installation and operation of the supercomputer. This agreement was based on a common goal of helping customers reduce complexity in deploying, managing and servicing their commodity High Performance Computing solutions, while lowering their total cost of ownership.

"Cray Technical Services has a distinguished history of successfully delivering large-scale HPC solutions to our government and commercial customers," said Mamoru Nakano, president of Cray Japan. "The University of Tsukuba is dedicated to elevating the international competitiveness of Japanese universities and is quickly becoming a world-class, internationally competitive institute of higher education. We welcome this opportunity to work with Appro to provide local support and service for this significant HPC Solution in Japan."

The Appro Xtreme-X3 will be used principally to provide needed computational support for scientific research and computer science programs covering a wide range of research and education areas, including artificial intelligence, massively parallel computing, and other leading-edge science and technology. The Department promotes researchers capable of analyzing and solving various problems in computer systems and specific research fields, including Information Mathematics and Modeling, Intelligent Software, Software System, Computer Architecture and Media Engineering.

"Appro has stepped into the HPC market limelight by winning contracts for large-scale systems at the U.S. Department of Energy's tri-labs and now at the University of Tsukuba, one of Japan's leading academic research institutions," said Steve Conway, IDC research vice president for HPC. "IDC projects that clusters will continue to be the main growth engines for the HPC market, driving server revenue from $10 billion dollar in 2006 to more than $15 billion in 2011."

The Xtreme-X3 supercomputer consists of a total of 674 quad-socket, Quad-Core AMD Opteron(TM) processor-based compute nodes with 2,696 processors and a total of 10,784 processing cores. As configured, the computer has 95TF of computing capability, but can scale to up to 120TF and still be provisioned and managed as a single unified supercomputing system. The system provides 21.5TB of high performance local memory with a usable aggregate bandwidth of more than 20Terrabytes/s. Each node has a peak capability of almost 150Gigaflops and can support up to 256GB of high bandwidth ECC memory. The Xtreme-X3 provides 16-way SMP nodes enabling the system to host extremely large shared memory problems with outstanding performance. For capability computing, it features a matchless four-rail interconnect fabric configured with four double data rate ConnectX low latency infiniband Fabric host channel adapters from Mellanox technologies. Each Host Channel Adapter is connected to a separate PCI-Express interface to maximize performance while the Infiniband technology balances the high bandwidth and the large number of threads supported by the compute nodes. The interconnect fabric with each connection is capable of operating at a peak rate of 2GB/s in each direction. The measured usable unidirectional node to node performance is greater than 6GB/s.

In addition, the system comes pre-configured with the Appro Cluster Management System that supports multi-channel MPI operation with shared received queues where a single MPI program can send on 1, 2 or 4 channels and receive on any channel. It is designed to manage large numbers of independent physical computers connected together by high speed networks, allowing them to function as a single computing system. This system is configured with 44 management nodes and support nodes to run the Appro Cluster Engine (ACE) software, while supporting a large parallel file storage system from Data Direct Networks.

The Appro Xtreme-X3 will be managed by ACE software providing a complete, remote lights-out management system for the entire system to include the interconnect networks, servers, clusters, resource management and scheduling. It also supports diskless operation with standard Linux distributions and fast boot operations independent of the system size. ACE also supports network load balancing and failover, delivering a total management capability for maximum performance and non-stop operation.

"The Appro Xtreme-X3 Supercomputer ideally matches the University of Tsukuba's requirements for a high-performance and high availability solution," said Daniel Kim, CEO of Appro. "With outstanding performance provided by a unique Quad-Rail system interconnect to provide the lowest-latency and the best high bandwidth system performance, the Appro Xtreme-X3 meets both capacity and capability computing requirements for production systems. This represents a significant development in Appro's continued growth in large-scale cluster deployments with price/performance leadership."

"Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors offer outstanding scalability, especially in four socket systems. They also deliver the memory performance that is critical to HPC applications, based on the benefits of AMD's revolutionary Direct Connect Architecture, integrated memory controller and HyperTransport(TM) technology," said Patrick Patla, Director of Product Management, Server/Workstation Division, AMD (NYSE: AMD) "The Direct Connect Architecture combined with our new 128-bit floating point unit, in concert with the flexibility and scalability of Appro's system design, will help the University of Tsukuba continue to produce world-class results in science and computational research."

About Appro

Appro is a leading developer of innovative workstations, density-managed servers, clusters and supercomputers. Appro is uniquely positioned to support High-Performance Computing markets focusing on medium to large-scale deployments where lowest total cost of ownership is a primary consideration. Appro accelerates technical applications and business results unlocking the value of IT through outstanding price performance, balanced architecture open standards and engineering expertise. Appro headquarters is in Milpitas, CA, with an R&D/manufacturing center in Asia and a sales and service office in Houston, TX. To learn more go to http:/ www.appro.com

About Cray Inc.

As a global leader in supercomputing, Cray provides highly advanced supercomputers and world-class services and support to government, industry and academia. Cray technology enables scientists and engineers to achieve remarkable breakthroughs by accelerating performance, improving efficiency and extending the capabilities of their most demanding applications. Cray's Adaptive Supercomputing vision will result in innovative next-generation products that integrate diverse processing technologies into a unified architecture, allowing customers to surpass today's limitations and meeting the market's continued demand for realized performance. Go to http://www.cray.com for more information.

About Sumisho Computer Systems Corporation (SCS)

Sumisho Computer Systems Corporation (SCS), founded in 1969, offers a wide range of system integration services to companies not only in Japan but worldwide. SCS aims to be in the first tier in the IT services industry, focusing on three strategic business domains: the industry-specific application business, which utilizes expert knowledge in each industry to customize system architecture to client needs; the ERP solutions business, which includes proprietary packaged software; and the platform solution business, which concentrates on IT architecture services for the creation of IT systems.

More information can be found at http://www.scs.co.jp/english index.html

About University of Tsukuba and Center for Computational Sciences

The University of Tsukuba takes an active role in promoting efforts to improve both advanced education and academic research in Japan. In addition, the University supports highly specialized professionals and students with global perspective and advanced technical skills in research fields to include Information Mathematics and Modeling, Intelligent Software, Software System, Computer Architecture, and Media Engineering. The Center for Computational Sciences is a dedicated research center for a wide variety of computational sciences under collaboration with computer science researchers. The center will operate this Supercomputer for a variety of cutting-edge computational sciences to include Computational Particle Physics, Computational Astrophysics, Computational Material Science, Computational Biology, Computational Chemistry and Geo Science as well as more general applications for cluster and grid computing. To learn more go to http://www.ccs.tsukuba.ac.jp

Cray is a registered trademark of Cray Inc. AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, AMD Opteron and combinations thereof, are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. HyperTransport is a licensed trademark of the HyperTransport Technology Consortium.

SOURCE: Appro International, Inc.
CONTACT: Maria McLaughlin of Appro International, Inc.,
+1-408-888-6661,
mmclaughlin@appro.com
Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010301/SFTH064LOGO-a
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com/
Web site: http://www.appro.com
http://www.cray.com
http://www.scs.co.jp/english/index.html
http://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/english /
(AMD)

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Korn/Ferry Int`l names new head of financial services market

Los Angeles, (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Korn/Ferry International (NYSE: KFY), a premier global provider of talent management solutions, today announced that Mike Franzino has been named Global Markets Managing Director (GMMD), Financial Markets, effective immediately.

Based in New York, Mr. Franzino will lead the Global Financial Services business through its network of 80 offices worldwide with the clear goal of becoming the industry's leading provider. Rob Grandy, who held the GMMD position, will relocate to Hong Kong to head up the Firm's Financial Services and Board Consulting business in Asia Pacific.

He will assume responsibilities for the Regional Market Leader role previously held by David Hui, who will remain with the firm and help transition the role to Rob over the next three months.

Mr. Franzino joined Korn/Ferry in 2007 from Heidrick & Struggles, where he served as Chairman, Global Markets. He has more than 20 years of experience in executive recruitment and has successfully completed senior-level search assignments for a wide range of clients in financial services. At his previous firm, Mr. Franzino was responsible for leading the Global Financial Services Practice, as well as overseeing all of the industry and functional practices.

"We are truly fortunate to have these talented leaders at the firm," said Chief Executive Officer Gary Burnison. "Mike's deep industry expertise and expansive global network provides us a tremendous opportunity to build on the already extraordinary growth we have seen in our Financial Market. We are delighted to have Mike in this role."

Mr. Franzino is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he received a bachelor's of science degree in civil engineering. After graduation, Mr. Franzino served five years as an Infantry Officer with the United States Army, First Infantry Division.

About Korn/Ferry International

Korn/Ferry International, with more than 80 offices in 39 countries, is a premier global provider of talent management solutions. Based in Los Angeles, the firm delivers an array of solutions that help clients to identify, deploy, develop, retain and reward their talent. For more information on the Korn/Ferry International family of companies, visit http://www.kornferry.com.

SOURCE: Korn/Ferry International
CONTACT: Anneli Ballard of Korn-Ferry International,
+1-212-984-9350,
anneli.ballard@kornferry.com
Web site: http://www.kornferry.com

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Norkom software to boost Swedbank`s defences vs money laundering

Sydney, (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Leading Northern European bank, Swedbank, is to strengthen its defences against financial crime and enhance its compliance with anti-money laundering regulation by choosing market-leading software from Norkom Technologies.

The bank will be able to use Norkom's software across its group operations in all the markets where the bank is present to increase its protection against financial crime and to ensure effective compliance with national and international regulations including the 3rd EU Money Laundering Directive.

The software will monitor Swedbank's transactions across all customers and accounts to detect, investigate, manage and report suspected money laundering attempts.

In addition to improving detection of suspicious activity using sophisticated analytics, the software's step by step investigation workflows and comprehensive alert and case management capabilities will deliver greater efficiency to the investigation process, significantly reducing costs and improving productivity.

Commenting on the agreement, Katarina Brome, head of operational risk and compliance at Swedbank said: "We have chosen to implement Norkom as an integral part of Swedbank's strategy to combat money laundering and ensuring long-term regulatory compliance. The Norkom solution will be a key ingredient to accurately detect and efficiently investigate money laundering activities.

"Norkom has a strong international track record, a well-proven AML solution combined with competent and highly committed people. The flexibility of the solution to be extended into other areas of financial crime is also an important factor for Swedbank," she added.

Norkom's chief commercial officer, Liam Griffin, commented: "As well as meeting the bank's current anti-money laundering requirements, in the future Swedbank will be able to benefit from the flexibility of our technology platform and its ability to address other types of financial crime across the enterprise. This provides Swedbank with the security of knowing that it can cost effectively evolve its use of the Norkom platform as its business needs change and grow."

The contract with Swedbank builds on Norkom Technologies' expanding blue chip client base, which includes leading financial services organizations such as HSBC, Credit Agricole, DnB NOR, Fortis, Rabobank, Standard Chartered Bank, Washington Mutual and Western Union.

Norkom's award-winning software has been described as 'outclassing its competitors' by the analyst group, Celent, and as an 'effective enterprise wide financial crime management solution' by Gartner. Norkom was also recognized as 'The Best Technology Solution' in Complinet's 2007 compliance awards, the number one for AML and fraud in the OpRisk & Compliance magazine's software rankings survey and 'Best AML Product' in the Banking Technology Awards.

About Norkom Technologies

Norkom is a market-leading provider of innovative financial crime and compliance solutions to the global financial services industry.

We enable organisations to take intelligent action, control their defences and evolve their strategies against financial crime. By combining our unique financial crime and compliance technology platform with our deep domain expertise and extensive client experience, we offer a comprehensive set of solutions which can be scaled and customized to meet clients' current and future needs -- from anti-money laundering and customer due diligence to enterprise investigation of all types of fraud.

Used by clients in over 100 countries, including HSBC, Credit Agricole, Fortis, Rabobank, Standard Chartered Bank, Washington Mutual and Western Union, Norkom is proven to reduce financial losses, protect reputation, improve operational efficiencies and lower the total cost of ownership. Norkom has operations across North America, Asia Pacific and Europe.

To find out more visit www.norkom.com
SOURCE: Norkom Technologies
CONTACT: Hilary Duffy,
Marketing Manager,
Norkom Technologies,
Tel: +353-85-121-9414,
hilary.duffy@norkom.com
Web site: http://www.norkom.com

COPYRIGHT © 2008 - ANTARANEWS

Raritan wins IDG`s InfoWorld Technology of the Year Award

Somerset, N.J. (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Raritan's Dominion(R) KX II has won IDG's InfoWorld 2008 Technology of the Year award for best KVM switch.

InfoWorld's 2008 Technology of the Year Awards recognize the top technologies and products that made the greatest impact during the past year. Selected by InfoWorld Test Center editors and reviewers, the annual awards recognize "the most capable, most polished, most groundbreaking, and most valuable products on the IT landscape." Winners are drawn from all of the products tested during the past year, with the final selections made by InfoWorld's Test Center staff.

Winners were announced on the InfoWorld site: http://www.infoworld.com/slideshow/2008/01146-2008_technology-7.html

The Dominion KX II helps companies manage data centers by providing IT administrators easy and secure access and control to servers from anywhere -- helping to reduce downtime and increase productivity.

In announcing the award winners, InfoWorld said, "The Raritan Dominion KX II is light-years ahead of its predecessor, the Dominion KX. The interface is clean and easy to navigate, and the presentation is identical whether you're on the local console or connected remotely. Multiple simultaneous sessions are su pported, and so is virtual media when used with the right interface module. All in all, this equals a big thumbs-up for the Dominion KX II."

"We are honored that the Dominion KX II has been named Technology of the Year by such a well-respected publication,"said Henry Hsu, Director of Enterprise Products at Raritan.

"Used in thousands of data centers around the globe, the Dominion KX continues to prove itself as a best-in-class KVM switch. Valuable feedback from our customers and channel partners has helped make this product a winner."

"InfoWorld tests upwards of 200 IT products every year, and we see many, many good ones," said Doug Dineley, InfoWorld's Test Center Executive Editor. "Our Technology of the Year award winners represent not only the cream of the crop, but the best products in the most important product categories."

According to IDG's announcement, InfoWorld's 2008 Technology of the Year Award winners in the Hardware category include: "DELL (Best Blade Server System), HP (Best Blade System for Small Sites), SUN (Best Storage Server), STRATUS (Best Fault-Tolerant Server), APC (Best Row Cooling Solution), RARITAN (Best KVM), APPLE (Best Notebook Computer), NOKIA (Best Mobile Handset for the Enterprise), HTC (Best Notebook Substitute)."

The complete InfoWorld Test Lab review on the Dominion KX II -- entitled "Raritan changes the KVM game" -- can be found at http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/05/22/21TCraritan_1.html
More information on the Dominion KX II is available at http://www.raritan.com/kvm/

About InfoWorld Media Group (InfoWorld.com)

InfoWorld Media Group helps IT Decision Makers choose the right technology, within the context of a cohesive strategy for business impact at their organizations. InfoWorld identifies and promotes emerging technology segments that add unique value for the organizations that implement them, as well as the vendors that provide those solutions. Using an integrated communications approach including online, events, research, and a continued investment in an independent Test Center, InfoWorld analysts and editors provide hands-on analysis and evaluation, as well as expert commentary on issues surrounding emerging technologies and products. Visit InfoWorld at http://www.infoworld.com.

About Raritan (Raritan.com)

Founded in 1985, Raritan is a leading provider of IT management solutions that help customers improve data center and branch office operations. By managing and monitoring servers and the energy they consume -- with secure remote management technologies -- Raritan's solutions help companies drive efficiency and productivity in more than 50,000 locations around the world. Raritan also serves the OEM market by developing advanced, hardware-based, remote-management components based on KVM-over-IP and IPMI technologies. Raritan, based in Somerset, N.J., has 38 offices worldwide, and its products are distributed in 76 countries.
For more information, please visit Raritan.com.

All marks are the property of their respective owners.
SOURCE: Raritan
CONTACT:
The Harbor Group for Raritan,
+1-978-526-1601,
PR@theHarborGroup.com
Web site: http://www.raritan.com
http://www.infoworld.com

COPYRIGHT © 2008 - ANTARANEWS