Oculus Innovative Sciences receives Chinese SFDA regulatory approval

Oculus Innovative Sciences receives Chinese SFDA regulatory approval of Microcyn(R) Technology

Petaluma, California (BUSINESS WIRE) - Oculus Innovative Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:OCLS) today announced that the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) has approved Microcyn Technology for use in China.

The Chinese agency approved Microcyn Technology for treatment of various acute and chronic wounds including ulcers, cuts, contusions and burns. This approval allows Oculus' Chinese partner to market Microcyn Technology as a technology that provides a moist environment for wounds and accelerates wound healing through the reduction of microorganisms in wounds.

This approval follows the completion and submission of two randomized controlled Chinese clinical trials of Microcyn in December of 2007 - a burn wound study with 162 patients and a chronic wound treatment study with 35 patients. The Microcyn Technology will be marketed by Oculus' Chinese partner, China Bao Tai.

"The randomized trials in China followed by the SFDA approval provides Oculus with a significant business opportunity in terms of future sales while focusing our internal resources near-term on the U.S. clinical trials and new drug approval," said Hoji Alimi, founder and CEO of Oculus Innovative Sciences.

"The international business is a springboard that can provide Oculus with a stronger future financial model as our partners invest in clinical trials, sales, marketing and distribution of Microcyn Technology. With nearly 1.3 billion people, China represents a major healthcare market opportunity for Oculus and our partners."

Oculus Innovative Sciences entered into an agreement with China Bao Tai in 2007 for the distribution of Microcyn-based products in China. The partnership allows Oculus and the Microcyn Technology to gain a foothold in China through China Bao Tai's expertise in new product launches and its large, well connected distribution network.

In addition to wound care, China Bao Tai is evaluating the Microcyn Technology in several other indications.

"As the largest pharmaceutical group in China, we believe that the Chinese medical community will enthusiastically embrace an anti-infective technology that is proven both safe and effective in treating infection in chronic wounds and burns," said Yan Bing, president of Sinopharm, China Bao Tai's sub-distributor for hospitals and pharmacies.

"We read the SFDA's rapid approval as a signal that the marketplace is eager for an anti-infective that works as promised and doesn't appear to promote bacterial resistance as is the case for many of today's antibiotics. As well, it is the first anti-infective that we have evaluated which also has demonstrated powerful wound healing benefits."

Chinese Healthcare Market

According to Journal of the American Medical Association, as is the case in much of the rest of the world, the aged proportion of China's population is increasing. The population older than 65 years included 100.4 million persons, or 7.69 per cent of China's total population, in 2005 and is expected to increase at an annual rate of 3.28 per cent. With this increased aged population, total health care needs and expenditures will increase as well.

China's proportion of GDP allocated to health care, currently about 5.55 per cent, is likely to increase steadily to become closer to that of developed countries, most of which have comparable rates of 8 per cent to 11 per cent, up to nearly 16 per cent in the United States.

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms focusing on pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in China is staggering, rivaling that of the United States, Europe, and Japan combined.

According to a new Emerging Markets-China report entitled Type 2 Diabetes in China, the type 2 diabetes drug market in China will reach $1.3 billion in 2010. The report also finds that increasing economic power in China has led to growing numbers of patients with supplementary healthcare insurance and an improved ability to afford Western-branded drugs.

About China Bao Tai Investment Company

China Bao Tai Investment Co., Ltd. is a diversified investment company with a focus on health care, high-tech, new energy sources, and environmental protection. It is registered with the State Administration for Industry and Commerce of the People's Republic of China. China Bao Tai has extensive experience introducing new products and technologies into China and enjoys a productive working relationship with both local and central government agencies. They will utilize various sub-distributors for hospitals, independent pharmacies and retail pharmacies. In that effort, China Bao Tai has reached agreement with two key sub-distributors: Sinopharm for hospital and pharmacy distribution Sinopharm (www.sinopharm.com/en) is China's largest pharmaceutical group.

Incorporating research with production and service trade, the company has under its jurisdiction 10 wholly owned subsidiaries or shareholding companies. In 2004, its sales revenue from medicines and medical equipment totaled $2.3 billion US and its imports and exports volume reached $500 million US.

Lianhua Supermarkets for supermarket distribution

Lianhua Supermarket Holdings Co., Ltd. (www.lhok.com.cn) is a retail chain operator with retail outlets covering the entire Chinese nation, offering a full range of products through direct operations, franchises, mergers and acquisitions.
Lianhua Supermarket operates a total of 3,609 outlets spanning 21 provinces and municipalities across the nation.

About Oculus

Oculus Innovative Sciences is a biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and markets a family of products based upon the Microcyn Technology platform, which is intended to help prevent and treat infections in chronic and acute wounds. The Microcyn Technology platform is a biocompatible and shelf-stable solution containing active oxychlorine compounds.
The solutions derived from the Microcyn Technology platform have demonstrated, in a variety of research and investigational studies, the ability to treat a wide range of pathogens, including antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria (including MRSA and VRE), viruses, fungi and spores.

The technology has also demonstrated wound healing in chronic and acute wounds in clinical investigational studies.
It has been commercialized outside of the U.S. for the treatment of infected wounds.

Oculus' principal operations are in Petaluma, California, and it conducts operations in Europe, Latin America and Japan through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Oculus Innovative Sciences Netherlands B.V., Oculus Technologies of Mexico, S.A. de C.V. and Oculus Japan K.K. Oculus' website is www.oculusis.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
Except for historical information herein, some matters set forth in this press release are forward-looking within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements about our ability and our partners' ability to market the Microcyn? Technology in China and related markets. These forward-looking statements are identified by the use of words such as "will be,""allows,""to provide,""believe,""redefine,""to gain,""evaluating," and "is eager," among others.

Forward-looking statements in this press release are subject to certain risks and uncertainties inherent in the Company's business that could cause actual results to vary, including risks inherent in the development and commercialization of potential products, the risk that regulatory clinical and guideline developments may change, the risk that scientific data may not be sufficient to meet regulatory standards or receipt of required regulatory clearances or approvals, the risk that clinical results may not be replicated in actual patient settings, the risk that protection offered by our patents and patent applications may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented by our competitors, the risk that present trends will continue and that the available market for our products will not be as large as expected, the risk that our products will not be able to penetrate one or more targeted markets, the risk that revenues will not be sufficient to fund further development and clinical studies, the Company's future capital needs, and its ability to obtain additional funding and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including the quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 31, 2007.

Oculus Innovative Sciences disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
Oculus and Microcyn are trademarks or registered trademarks of Oculus Innovative Sciences, Inc. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.
Oculus Innovative Sciences, Inc.Director of Public and Investor RelationsDan McFadden, 425-753-2105 dmcfadden@oculusis.com
or The Ruth GroupInvestorsSara Ephraim, 646-536-7002 sephraim@theruthgroup.com
or MediaJason Rando, 646-536-7025 jrando@theruthgroup.com Janine McCargo, 646-536-7033 jmccargo@theruthgroup.com

Mahaan Proteins Ltd. receives the 2007 Frost & Sullivan

Mahaan Proteins Ltd. receives the 2007 Frost & Sullivan Market Penetration Leadership Award for Indian Protein Ingredients Market

Mumbai, India (BUSINESS WIRE) - The 2007 Frost & Sullivan Market Penetration Leadership Award in the Indian Protein Ingredient Market was conferred to Mahaan Proteins Limited at a recently held "2007 Frost & Sullivan India Chemicals Materials and Foods Awards Banquet"in Mumbai.

This award was in recognition of the outstanding work carried out by Mahaan towards introducing whey protein powders and concentrates in India, and gaining a significant market share in a traditionally dominated skimmed and whole milk powder industry.

According to Mamta Wadhwa, Director, Chemicals Materials and Foods Practice, Frost & Sullivan, South Asia and Middle East, "Mahaan, has led to a major breakthrough in the value-added dairy food segments in the Indian market with its complete range of whey powders and concentrates, with other companies following suit. Mahaan commands 80 per cent plus market share in the Indian whey protein market. The Group has also set up Manufacturing Facilities in a 100 per cent Excise Free Zone, meeting international standards for Contract Research and Manufacturing services (CRAMS) for the manufacturing of wide range of Nutraceuticals."

On receiving the award, Mr R Goyal, Director, Mahaan Proteins Limited, said, "We are honoured to have received this recognition from Frost & Sullivan acknowledging the success achieved by Mahaan in the Indian Protein Ingredients market.
This award is a great reiteration of the value that Mahaan brings to the market, through partnering with customers, creating innovative end-use applications, technological developments, new product applications and research studies."

The recipient of this award is evaluated on specific pre-defined criteria which include market share gain, increase in sales, and brand awareness efforts within the industry. This is accomplished through interviews with market participants, end-user studies, and extensive secondary research.

In addition to the above methodology, there are specific criteria used to determine final competitor rankings within the industry. These include competitive pricing strategies, strong sales force strategy, ability to establish brand awareness through promotional activities and advertising, strategic alliances that expand customer base and finally product innovation which also includes developing new technologies.

The protein ingredients market globally has seen accelerated growth owing to its functionalities like emulsifying, water binding, viscosity enhancing, foaming properties apart from its usual nutritional profile.

The Indian Protein Ingredients Market is broadly classified into Soya protein, Whey protein and Wheat Gluten. Frost & Sullivan's comprehensive analysis indicates that the total market for Indian protein ingredients was valued at INR 279.2 million representing market volumes of 1650 MT in the year 2006. The soya protein market contributes 72.0 per cent of the total revenues generated, the whey protein market contributes 23.0 per cent and the wheat gluten market contributes only 5.0 per cent of the total revenues. The estimated growth rate was 5.6 per cent per annum in the year 2006.

The soya and whey proteins would witness good growth in nutritional and functional applications across various end use segments including pharma formulations, tube feeding formulas, infant formulas, functional beverages and fortified foodstuffs.

About Frost and Sullivan: Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Consulting Company, partners with clients to accelerate their growth. The company's Growth Partnership Services, Growth Consulting and Career Best Practices empower clients to create a growth focused culture that generates, evaluates and implements effective growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan employs over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from more than 30 offices on six continents. For more information about Frost & Sullivan's Growth Partnerships, visit http://www.frost.com.

About Mahaan

Mahaan Proteins Ltd. is the only composite dairy ingredient plant in India that manufactures edible casein, pharmaceutical and edible grade lactose, whey protein concentrate 70 per cent and pure ghee.

Mahaan Proteins Ltd. has been set up with foreign technical collaboration and has specialized in manufacturing dairy ingredients and is currently developing caseinates and functional WPCs.It has also added a brand new facility for spray drying specialized instantly soluble powders for its buyers engaged in the nutraceuctical industry.

http://www.mahaanfoods.com/mahaangroup.html

Frost & SullivanCorporate Communications - South AsiaRemi Chatterjee, +91 22 4001 3419 fax: +91 22 2832 4713 remi.chaterjee@frost.com or Corporate Communications - South Asia & Middle East Nimisha Iyer, +91 22 4001 3404 fax: +91 22 2832 4713 niyer@frost.com

NEC and Daon enables unparalleled speed of deployment for Japan

NEC and Daon enables unparalleled speed of deployment for Japan biometrics identification system project

Tokyo (BUSINESS WIRE) - In just 9 months, NEC Corporation and Daon have taken Japan's border control system from procurement to nationwide deployment, enabling the timely and effective launch of a multi-modal biometrically enabled border control system for the world's second largest economy.

The system went live in November, 2007 and was used to successfully process more than 10,000 travelers through Narita International Airport during the first morning of operation.

Japan is the second country after the United States to implement such a system, according to Japan's Immigration Bureau. The goals of the automated border control system include the prevention of terrorism, illegal immigration and other crimes at the border. Fingerprints and facial images are obtained from persons entering the country who are 16 years of age and older (except legally exempted person).

Responding to system requirements from Japan's Ministry of Justice (MOJ) prime contractor NEC, together with Daon deployed a highly scalable, flexible and secure COTS-based solution.
NEC's technical teams independently developed the client side applications required for the system, using the Daon client side SDKs.

Throughout a 12-month trial period, the NEC-Daon joint solution demonstrated the advantages of the flexible, vendor-neutral architecture which allows for a variety of biometric capture devices, new matching algorithms and seamless integration with third-party hardware and software.

NEC's biometrics technology provides maximum matching accuracy and speed, which have been validated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in a comprehensive range of tests. NEC's identity management solutions set the standard for fail-safe ID checks in the most critical conditions and are used worldwide.

Fully integrated with the NEC technology, Daon's identity management system provides the centralized and client biometric infrastructure for the border clearance and automated system, with DaonEngine serving as the platform and additional Daon software being used at over 500 immigration workstations at over 34 airports and seaports.

Based on the publication of the original tender by the MOJ in April 2007, the November go-live date clearly demonstrates the speed of delivery that can be achieved when deploying a centralized national biometrics infrastructure based on the NEC-Daon integration. This project is just one of the deployments considered when Frost & Sullivan recognized Daon last month with their 2008 Award for Product Line Strategy Leadership of the Year. This award acknowledges the ability of Daon to introduce a suite of products that responds to the perceived needs of end-users in the world biometrics market.
About NEC Corporation

NEC Corporation is one of the world's leading providers of Internet, broadband network and enterprise business solutions dedicated to meeting the specialized needs of its diverse and global base of customers. NEC delivers tailored solutions in the key fields of computer, networking and electron devices, by integrating its technical strengths in IT and networks, and by providing advanced semiconductor solutions through NEC Electronics Corporation. The NEC Group employs more than 150,000 people worldwide. For additional information, please visit the NEC home page at: http://www.nec.com

About Daon

Daon is a leading provider of identity assurance software products focused on meeting the needs of governments and commercial organizations worldwide. Daon supports customers and system integrators in building enterprise solutions requiring the highest level of security, performance, scalability, reliability and privacy. The DaonApplicationSuite provides a powerful tool for faster development of scalable, robust and secure identity registration and vetting solutions.

Daon's multi-modal authentication infrastructure, DaonEngine, integrates seamlessly with IT platforms and applications and manages the identity life-cycle of small and large populations. Daon's offices are located in Washington DC, Canberra, London and Dublin. For further information please visit www.daon.com.

Cheryl W. WaldrupDaonTel: 703-984-4040 (U.S.) cheryl.waldrup@daon.com

Chemical Week & SRI Consulting team up to go green

New York (BUSINESS WIRE) - In a ground-breaking initiative, Chemical Week (CW) and lead sponsor SRI Consulting (SRIC) today unveiled www.chemsustainability.com, a new web presence providing authoritative information on sustainability and greenhouse gas issues for the chemical industry.

It is the first purpose-built resource for chemical industry leaders informing them of the latest data, trends, market information, innovations, and business news relating to chemicals and the environment.

This new site combines news analysis expertise from Chemical Week, with the market and engineering perspectives of SRI Consulting, to provide a repository for hard-to-find data and commentary on environmental issues.

Alex Scott, Executive Editor/Web and Environment at Chemical Week says, "Awareness of environmental sustainability, now more than ever, is a key element to the success of any chemical business. Political and public pressure for greener products and production places the chemical industry at the heart of the sustainability debate. www.chemsustainability.com enables industry executives to keep abreast of the rapid changes associated with the present issues by providing clear news, market information, and best practice models when it comes to chemicals and the environment."

Mr Scott continued, "It is Chemical Week's responsibility as the most influential chemical media resource to provide concise coverage on sustainability to our worldwide audience of chemical executives."

The launch of the www.chemsustainability.com micro-site features news and information, Q&A with Dr. Geoff Leaver from environmental advisory body Envirowise, daily listing of carbon prices, and white papers and abstracts on biofuels & bio-materials, climate change, emissions trading, clean energy technologies, water and energy efficiency.
www.chemsustainability.com also features a series of articles on new innovations in green chemistry, adding new dimension to the existing www.chemweek.com site, which offers 24/7 news analysis for chemical industry executives.

Commenting on SRIC's sponsorship of the micro-site, Russell Heinen, Vice President at SRIC said, "The Process Economics Program (PEP) at SRI Consulting has been publishing reports on sustainability in the chemical and energy industries for over 10 years. During that time, we have developed unique perspectives on the fundamental issues involved in sustainability, and an unparalleled database on greenhouse gas emissions from chemical plants."

Mr Heinen continued, "Our PEP reports, now joined by our Safe & Sustainable Chemical Series reports and Greenhouse Gases Initiative hit the environmental issues head on, providing analysis of the underlying trends and helping businesses stay competitive for the long term in this period of changing information needs."

About Chemical Week

Chemical Week is the premier information source for the global chemical industry. Chemical Week produces executive conferences, seminars and roundtable events. Headquarters are located in New York, New York with offices in Rockville, Maryland and London, UK. Chemical Week is part of the Access Intelligence, LLC family of chemical business media products including Chemical Engineering magazine, and Harriman Chemsult Ltd. Additional information is available at www.chemweek.com.

About SRI Consulting (SRIC)

SRI Consulting is the world's leading business research service for the global chemical industry. Publishing for almost 60 years, SRI Consulting is the preeminent source for in-depth business and process analysis. SRI Consulting's headquarters are located in Menlo Park, California with offices in The Woodlands, Texas; Zurich, Switzerland; Tokyo, Japan; and Beijing, China. SRI Consulting is a division of Access Intelligence, LLC. Additional information is available at www.sriconsulting.com.

SRI Consulting (SRIC) is a trade name and a registered trademark of SRI International, used under license.

Chemical Week Alex Scott, Executive Editor | Web & Environment +44 1494 564316 ascott@chemweek.com

Priceline.com & Booking.com announce executive appointments

Amsterdam, Netherlands (BUSINESS WIRE) - Priceline.com (Nasdaq: PCLN) and its international business unit, Booking.com, announced today executive appointments within their European and Asian operations.

The companies announced that Adrian Currie, who has served as Chief Financial Officer of Booking.com, will relocate to New Zealand, where he will help develop priceline.com's business in the Asia Pacific region. In his new role, Mr Currie will continue to serve as Chairman of Agoda.com, the Asian hotel reservation service acquired by priceline.com in November 2007,
and will lead the expansion of Booking.com's operations in Australia and New Zealand.

"Adrian has been an integral part of our international leadership team that has successfully integrated and transformed priceline.com's complementary acquisitions of Active Hotels and Bookings into Europe's largest online hotel reservation service, available in over 60 countries and 18 languages," said priceline.com President and Chief Executive Officer Jeffery H. Boyd.

"Adrian's broad experience makes him an ideal candidate to help the Agoda management team with integration priorities and lead the expansion of Booking.com in Australia and New Zealand."

The companies also announced today that Erik Wienk has been named Chief Financial Officer of Booking.com. Mr Wienk comes to Booking.com from Maxxium Worldwide, a leading global distributor of premium spirits and wines, where he was Global Director, Financial Planning and Control.

Before Maxxium, he held financial positions with Gillette and Microsoft.

"Booking.com is pleased to have an executive of Erik's caliber join our organization," said Booking.com Chief Executive Officer Stef Norden. "Erik brings a wealth of experience in managing the growing international businesses of some of the most iconic global brands. We expect that his financial acumen and leadership skills will be additive to the increasing depth of our international management team."

About Priceline.com? Incorporated

Priceline.com Incorporated (Nasdaq: PCLN) provides online travel services in 23 languages in over 60 countries in Europe, North America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Priceline.com operates Booking.com, a leading international online hotel reservation service, priceline.com, a leading U.S. online travel service for value-conscious leisure travelers, and Agoda.com, an Asian online hotel reservation service.

Priceline.com believes that Booking.com is Europe's largest and fastest growing hotel reservation service, with a network of affiliated Web sites. Booking.com operates in over 60 countries in 18 languages and offers its customers access to over 41,000 participating hotels worldwide.

In the U.S., priceline.com gives customers more ways to save on their airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, vacation packages and cruises than any other Internet travel service. In addition to getting great published prices, leisure travelers can narrow their searches using priceline.com's TripFilter advanced search technology, create packages to save even more money, and take advantage of priceline.com's famous Name Your Own Price service, which can deliver the lowest prices available.

Priceline.com also operates the following travel websites: Travelweb.com, Lowestfare.com, RentalCars.com and BreezeNet.com.

Priceline.com also has a personal finance service that offers home mortgages, refinancing and home equity loans through an independent licensee. Priceline.com licenses its business model to independent licensees, including priceline mortgage and certain international licensees.

Priceline.comPress information:Brian Ek, 203-299-8167 brian.ek@priceline.com

CyberLink launches MediaShow 4, bringing digital memories to life

One software application to manage, enhance, and share digital photos and videos

Taipei, Taiwan (BUSINESS WIRE) - CyberLink Corp. (5203.TW), innovative solutions provider for the connected digital lifestyle, today released CyberLink MediaShow 4, combining photo and video management, enhancement, authoring, burning and sharing in one convenient application. The software ensures ease-of-use and fun for users while working on their precious photos and videos.

Key features: Easy, drag-and-drop media-management functionality Stunning 3D liquid user interface, providing a stylishly simple, and highly responsive work environment 1-click tools for enhancing videos and photos 3-click DVD authoring with instant preview and burning Cell-style slideshow creator, featuring beat detection technology that automatically syncs photo animations to selected background music Easy creation of themed-based movies Stylish and animated DVD menus Direct online publishing of photos and videos through Flickr and YouTube "The ubiquity of mainstream digital cameras and mobile phones is prompting users to take more videos and photos, and accumulate thousands of them on their PCs," said Alice H. Chang, CEO of CyberLink. "CyberLink MediaShow 4 is the ideal software to manage visual media libraries in a fun and easy way, allowing users to enhance their own videos and photos quickly, helping them to share their stories creatively, through slideshows, online posting and preserving their best memories onto DVDs."

MediaShow 4 features a stunning 3D "liquid" interface, for easy, fun and stylish navigation, with smooth transitions and quick responsiveness. Videos and photos can be enhanced with one-click editing tools, or efficiently fine tuned to match one's needs. Photo editing features include a split-screen window, conveniently showing "before and after" next to each other for easy comparison.

MediaShow 4 lets users create cool and stylish content such as impressive slideshows, including the new, stunning animated "cell" style, which features beat detection technology for automatically synchronizing the animation of photos according to a soundtrack's rhythm. Users can therefore create unique slideshows from a single set of photos, simply by changing their music selection.

3-click DVD authoring, and instant previewing, let users output their videos and slideshows in no time. One-click emailing and direct uploading to online sites Flickr and YouTube allow users to publish and share their content with friends, and the world.

http://www.cyberlink.com/multi/products/main_5_ENU.html
CyberLink Corp.
Renee Chen, +886-2-86671298 ext. 301
press@gocyberlink.com

ePals online community building cross-cultural collaborations

ePals online community building cross-cultural collaborations and language learning exchanges between Chinese students and their peers around the world ePals executives to demonstrate how Chinese students are collaborating through ePals learning community At Intel Developer Forum in Shanghai, April 2-3

Shanghai, China (BUSINESS WIRE) - With hundreds of classrooms in China now using the education applications of ePals, Inc., teachers and parents worldwide are accelerating the frequency of online collaborations with Chinese students for their K-12 students in regular course work and various independent learning activities. Active in China since 2000, ePals is the largest network of interconnected classrooms in the world, reaching more than 13 million educators and students in 200 countries and territories.

Ed Fish, President and Chief Executive Officer of ePals, said, "China's importance in 21st century world trade and the global economy, the approaching 2008 Olympic Summer Games in Beijing, and rising demand for literacy in Mandarin are key reasons why educators and parents in western industrialized economies in particular are voicing great interest in connecting with Chinese classrooms through ePals. We're hearing from parents, teachers and students around the world that they have a very strong desire to meet and learn from Chinese peers online."

Fish and Tim DiScipio, ePals' Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer, are attending the Intel Developer Forum this week in Shanghai. ePals, based in Herndon, Va., announced in February that it is one of several companies partnering with Intel on the Intel-powered classmate PC. The classmate PC is an affordable fully functional laptop designed to support collaborative learning environments for students in emerging markets.

"We are working with Intel and its partners to incorporate the global community and learning resources of ePals with Intel's classmate PC,"

DiScipio said. "We also are working with other companies that are supporting education on Intel-based machines, and look forward to collaborating with Intel-based OEMs to target the K-12 education market." ePals was the first company to introduce education applications on the classmate PC that are dedicated to creating a safe online environment. Among these applications are ePals' global community for learning, SchoolMail? and SchoolBlog?.

Demonstrations for Conference Participants, News Media At the Intel conference in the Shanghai International Convention Center, Fish and DiScipio will be demonstrating how elementary, high school and even college students in China use ePals to connect with and learn from students in other countries. The students' communication is often greatly enhanced through ePals' SchoolMail?, which uniquely provides an embedded, instant translation capability for email texts and now accommodates nine widely used languages. This high-quality translation feature encompasses a total of 72 different language pairs. Mandarin to English and English to Mandarin,and Spanish to Mandarin and Mandarin to Spanish are among these pairs.

As of March 28, ePals had catalogued and posted more than 2500 requests from teachers, parents and students for collaborations with schools or students in China. Here is one example from a mother in San Jose, California: "I am looking for an ePal for my daughter.

Anywhere in the world is fine as long as the ages are between 11-13. I am especially interested in ePals from China (my daughter is learning Chinese), the UK (she loves Harry Potter) and in Asia. Thank you!"

Also as of March 28, ePals had posted more than 550 requests from within China for collaborations with students in other countries. Here is one from a high school teacher in Qinhuangdao, a popular Yellow Sea resort city located 270 kilometers (167 miles) east of Beijing: "My students are sophomores majoring in English. Their first language is Chinese. They have studied English for 8 years, but have no chance to communicate with others. They are interested in exchanging culture with others. We are looking for any classes at the same English level around the world. We prefer to correspond by email and to write twice a month or once a week. We look forward to hearing from you!"Leading Online Community for Connecting Chinese Classrooms Around the World ePals quickly became the leading online community for connecting China's classrooms with other classrooms around the world after it was first introduced in China in 2000.

Yaodong Chen, an English teacher at Guangxi Polytechnic College in Liuzhou, a city in central-southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, first began using ePals for web-based language learning in 2002 and since then has worked with more than 700 students.

"ePals is introducing Chinese students to authentic English," Chen said. "It will revolutionize the teaching and learning of English as a foreign language in the Chinese context." Chen's students exchange emails with students in the U.S., U.K., New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Japan, Russia, Ukraine, France, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, The Netherlands and many other countries in Asia, Africa and Europe.

In addition to multilingual activities and matching classrooms locally and internationally for collaborative learning, ePals fosters critical thinking, reading comprehension, writing skills as well as 21st century skills such as digital literacy and cultural understanding. It includes a wide range of curricula, ranging from self-organizing to highly structured.

The collaboration with Intel is part of ePals' ongoing initiative to accelerate the growth of its global community for learning. Last September, ePals made its award-winning connectivity tools and curricula available at no cost to educators and school systems. This shift from subscription to free access has rapidly accelerated the growth of the ePals community. ePals safely connects more than 350,000 teachers and their classrooms from 200 countries and territories around the world, and is adding more than 2,000 new classrooms each month.

High-quality digital content from National Geographic was threaded throughout ePals.com earlier this year. Initial topics in the National Geographic content include maps and geography, habits, global warming, natural disasters, people and culture, great leaders, water and weather.

ePals also has been embraced by the New Partnership for Africa's Development Council to provide African students and educators with the opportunity to connect with classrooms worldwide through the ePals' Global Community.

The ePals demonstrations will be ongoing during the conference. They can be viewed at the ePals exhibit booth from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 2-3 in the Shanghai International Convention Center. The booth is located at Booth BU30 in the IT CPG area of Level 1 in the Mandarin Hall. Members of the news media are invited to view the demonstrations to see how real Chinese students are learning with students from other countries through the ePals education applications. Fish and DiScipio also are available for interviews during the conference. (To arrange an interview, please call (+86) 13917140427 and ask to speak with Ed Fish. For a back-up contact, please call Amy Gross at (001) 718-813-8053.) For more information about ePals and its products, please visit www.ePals.com or the corporate site www.ePalscorp.com.

More information about the Intel classmate PC initiative can be found at www.classmatepc.com

About ePals, Inc.

Founded in 1996 and merged with In2Books in 2006, ePals offers K-12 students and teachers around the world a safe environment for building and exchanging knowledge based on protected connectivity tools, evidence-based curricula and authentic, collaborative learning experiences. The ePals Global Learning Community? (www.ePals.com) is the largest online community of K-12 learners, reaching more than 13 million educators and students across 200 countries and territories.
The company's mission is to support meaningful learning through collaborative online experiences that empower and inspire.

Primary in Shanghai, April 1-3:Ed Fish, (+86) 13917140427 Exhibitor Booth BU30, IT/CPG Area, Level 1, Mandarin HallShanghai International Convention CenterorAlternate for China-based and international media:Amy Gross, (001) 718-813-8053 Agross@rlmnet.com or U.S.-based media:Rebecca Kilduff, 703-885-3400 RKilduff@corp.epals.com

IEEE Standards Association sponsoring free seminar in Tokyo

One-day seminar to address issues related to global standards

Piscataway, New Jersey (BUSINESS WIRE) - The IEEE Standards Association Corporate Advisory Group will host a free one-day seminar, "Global Standards, Local Benefits: The IEEE Standards Association," 14 May 2008 at SONY corporate headquarters in Tokyo, Japan.

This ground-breaking seminar will address the issues faced by today's policy makers and industry leaders, emphasizing how local entities can participate in and make use of global standards and best practices.

Leaders from industry, government and standards bodies will be there to provide interactive presentations and case studies.

The seminar will cover topics such as the IEEE-SA and global standards; the IEEE-SA Corporate Program; the Corporate Program's Intellectual Property Rights policy; and the entity standards process.

In addition, Japanese government ministries responsible for standardization will also make presentations.

Technical topics slated to be addressed include battery standards, design automation, broadband over power lines, cognitive radio, carrier Ethernet, IEEE 802.16?/WiMax, and IEEE 802.20? Mobile Broadband Wireless.

The full agenda is available online: http://standards.ieee.org/corpforum/japan/agenda.html

Online registration ends 5-May-2008.

For more information, or to register for this free event, please visit: http://standards.ieee.org/corpforum/japanindex.html

The IEEE-SA Corporate Program fosters the development of industry-relevant global standards through an equitable and timely process. The IEEE-SA Corporate Advisory Group serves as an advisory body to the IEEE-SA corporate members and to IEEE-SA Board of Governors. For more information on the IEEE-SA Corporate Program, call +1 732-562-5342 or email corp-stds@ieee.org.

About the IEEE Standards Association

The IEEE Standards Association, a globally recognized standards-setting body, develops consensus standards through an open process that brings diverse parts of industry together. These standards set specifications and procedures based on current scientific and technological consensus.

The IEEE-SA has a portfolio of over 870 active standards and more than 400 standards under development. For information on IEEE-SA see: http://standards.ieee.org/.

About the IEEE

The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.) is the world's largest technical professional society.
Through its more than 370,000 members in 160 countries, the organization is a leading authority on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics.

Dedicated to the advancement of technology, the IEEE publishes 30 per cent of the world's literature in the electrical and electronics engineering and computer science fields, and has developed nearly 900 active industry standards.

The organization also sponsors or co-sponsors over 450 international technical conferences each year. Additional information about the IEEE can be found at http://www.ieee.org.

IEEE-SA Marketing Director Karen McCabe, +1 732-562-3824 k.mccabe@ieee.org

LiMo Foundation(TM) Completes LiMo Platform(TM) Release 1

Foundation On-schedule with delivery of world's first globally competitive, Linux-based software platform for mobile devices and freely available APIs

London & Tokyo (BUSINESS WIRE) - LiMo Foundation, a global consortium of mobile leaders delivering an open handset platform for the whole mobile industry, announced today the on-schedule availability of LiMo Platform Release 1.
The LiMo Platform is the world's first globally competitive, Linux-based software platform for mobile devices.

"With Release 1 of the LiMo Platform now completed, LiMo Foundation has established a scalable and sustainable mobile device platform that will spur rapid innovation and contributions from all LiMo members," said Morgan Gillis, executive director of LiMo Foundation. "This is an extremely exciting time to be a part of the LiMo Foundation ? in slightly more than one year, we have rolled out our deliverables on schedule, our membership has continued to grow strongly with broad engagement from across the mobile communications industry, and leading handset providers have already released a range of devices using LiMo technology."

The LiMo Platform, leveraging standards and open-source projects, is a modular, plug-in, hardware-independent architecture built around an open operating system, with a secure run-time environment for support of downloaded applications. All of the enabling technology within Release 1, created by the foundation's Founder members, has now been commercially deployed and proven within multiple handsets enjoyed by consumers today, as well as in several reference and pilot devices that will be on the market later this year. This represents hundreds of millions of dollars of technology investment to date.

Release 2 of the LiMo Platform is now being specified and developed within a collaborative process involving a range of LiMo members and is planned to be completed in a late 2008 timeframe.

Kiyohito Nagata of NTT DoCoMo, chairman of LiMo Foundation added, "With developers able to cost-effectively leverage LiMo's global reach and market-tested expertise in rolling out their innovations, the mobile Internet experiences of consumers everywhere stand to be transformed."

Third-party developers can use LiMo's application programming interface (API) specifications?available now at www.limofoundation.org to build new applications that deliver next-generation consumer experiences across a tremendous, stable base of globally deployed mobile devices.

Middleware components for the LiMo Platform can be implemented in either C or C++ programming languages. Software Development Kits for Native, Webkit and Java operating environments will be released from the second half of 2008, further empowering mobile application developers.

Launched in January 2007, LiMo Foundation is open to all vendors and service providers in the mobile communications marketplace, including device manufacturers, operators, chipset manufacturers, independent software vendors, integrators and third-party developers.

About LiMo Foundation

LiMo Foundation is a dedicated consortium of mobile industry leaders working together within an open and transparent governance model, with shared leadership and shared decision making, to deliver an open and globally consistent handset software platform based upon Mobile Linux for use by the whole mobile industry. A full description of LiMo, including its vision, goals, charter, guiding principals, bylaws, and membership information, can be found at www.limofoundation.org.

LiMo Foundation
Laurie Bowser-Sever, +1-919-469-7102
M:+1-919-272-5984
lbs@interprosepr.com

Business in Asia Today - April 01, 2008

MALAYSIA AIRLINES TO BUY 55 BOEING PLANES FOR US$4.2 BLN
Subang (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Malaysia Airlines (MAS) (KLSE:3786) is buying up to 55 Boeing 737-800 aircraft for US$4.2 billion as the national flag carrier steps up its narrowbody fleet acquisition to fly to new destinations.
The national carrier made a firm order for 35 planes and took out options for another 20. "Under our Business Transformation Plan, we are embarking on our network expansion to transform into the World's Five Star Value Carrier," managing director/chief executive officer, Dato' Sri Idris Jala said in a statement on Monday.
The new aircraft will be used mainly for flights in the Asean region, including in Malaysia, and the fast-growing economies of China and India.

CHINA EXPORTS RAILWAY COACHES WORTH US$568 MLN TO MIDDLE EAST
Beijing (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - China Northern Locomotive Rolling Stock Industry (Group) Corporation (CNR) has signed a contract to export 455 metro cars and 160 double-deck coaches valued at 360 million euros (US$568 million) to the Middle East.
This is China's largest export order for railway coaches, which will be executed in addition to a technology transfer agreement.
The vehicles will be manufactured by the CNR Changchun Railway Vehicle Co., Ltd. Founded in 2000, CNR is China's largest passenger car manufacturer.

VINACHEM TO BUILD US$694 MLN FERTILISER PLANT IN NINH BINH
NINH BINH (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - The Vietnam National Chemical Corporation (Vinachem) plans to begin construction of a coal-fuelled nitrogenous fertiliser plant in the northern province of Ninh Binh in April.
The plant will produce 560,000 tonnes of fertiliser a year after it begins operations in 2011, according to Vinachem director general Do Duy Phi.
The plant will cost about US$694 million, of which about US$250 million will be borrowed from China and the remainder raised from local sources and Vinachem.

INDONESIA'S PT TIMAH REPORTS 755 PCT INCREASE IN NET PROFIT
JAKARTA (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Indonesian tin mining company PT Timah reported a 755.36 per cent increase in net profit to Rp1.78 trillion (US$194 million) last year from Rp208.1 billion in the previous year.
The net profit per share of the world's largest tin mining company also shot up 760.87 per cent to Rp3,546 on metal price hikes in the world market.
Last year tin price peaked at US$17,300 per ton with the lowest at US$10,175. Corporate Secretary Abrun Abubakar said the 38 per cent rise in Indonesian sales to 58,927 tons and a market share of 18 per cent have made the company a price setter in the international market.

AUSTRALIAN ENGINEERING FIRM WORLEYPARSONS BUYS US CO INTEC
Sydney (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Australia's biggest engineering company, WorleyParsons Ltd (ASX:WOR) bought US-based deepwater oil and gas engineering specialist INTEC for US$108.5 million ($A118.49 million) to take advantage of the growth in offshore energy exploration.
WorleyParsons acquired the Houston-headquartered INTEC from privately-owned Heerema Group.
WorleyParsons said global expenditure on offshore oil and gas was expected to grow to about $US250 billion per year by 2010, and the sector would continue to grow as operators pushed into deeper waters in search of energy deposits.

S KOREA'S KYUNGBANG TO BUILD TEXTILE MATERIAL PLANT IN VIETNAM
Binh Duong (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - South Korea's Kyungbang Corporation will build a plant in southern Binh Duong province to produce thread and textile material.
The corporation on March 31 signed a contract with province-based Becamex Industrial and Development Company to rent 50ha in Bau Bang Industrial Zone to build the US$160 million plant.
The project will be carried out in four phases with the first phase requiring an investment capital of US$40 million. Construction of the plant will start in 2008 and is scheduled for completion in 2009.

INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS GROUP TO OPEN 20 HOTELS IN INDIA
New Delhi (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - UK-based InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) on Monday said it plans to open 20 hotels in India with over 5,000 rooms under its different brands, including the InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn, as a part of its strategy to strengthen presence in the country.
The world's largest hotel group is developing 14 new-look Holiday Inn hotels with more than 3,700 rooms, which are scheduled to open over the next three years in 11 cities nationwide.
In a statement, IHG Asia Pacific Chief Executive Peter Gowers said India is an important market for IHG as both domestic and international traffic is increasing and new travel segments are opening up.
He said that in the Indian hotel business, the greatest opportunity for growth is in the mid-scale segment, in which Holiday Inn has a leading position.

SOUTH KOREAN BUILDERS' OVERSEAS ORDERS JUMP IN Q1
Seoul (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - South Korean builders' overseas orders grew more than 50 per cent in the first quarter of this year thanks to increased demand from the Middle East and Asian markets, a government report showed today.
According to the report by the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs, local builders gained overseas orders amounting to $14.03 billion in the three-month period, up 53 per cent from the same period a year earlier.
The sharp growth stemmed mostly from a solid increase in orders from the Middle East and Asian countries, the report noted. South Korean builders won a combined $6.63 billion worth of orders from the Middle East, marking an increase of 28 per cent from a year earlier.

AUSTRALIA'S CENTRAL BANK LEAVES RATES UNCHANGED AT 7.25 PCT
Sydney (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has left official interest rates on hold following its monthly board meeting.
The RBA announced today that the cash rate would stay unchanged at 7.25 per cent, in a decision widely expected by economists.
In a statement accompanying the bank's decision, RBA governor Glenn Stevens said there was "tentative evidence that growth in domestic demand is moderating".
"Business and consumer sentiment have softened in the early part of 2008, and credit demand has slowed somewhat," he said.

PHILIPPINE NATIONAL BANK BOOKS 83 PCT JUMP IN YR NET INCOME
Manila (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Philippine National Bank's (PNB) (PSE:PNB) audited net income jumped 83 per cent to P1.5 billion (US$35.9 million) in 2007 due to the 10 per cent increase in net interest income.
In a statement, PNB said its performance last year is the best in 10 years and was achieved even after the country had a low interest rate regime last year.
Total consolidated resources amounted to P239.7 billion while underlying profitability went up to P4.8 billion "without provisions for impairment and credit losses."
Lending to the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as well as the government accounts grew 23.6 per cent and 12.4 per cent, respectively, it said.

Source:
Business in Asia Today - APRIL 01, 2008
published by Asia Pulse

COPYRIGHT © 2008

BeyondTrust Partners with Kaon to expand distribution in NZ, Aus

BeyondTrust Partners with Kaon Technologies to expand distribution capabilities in Australia and New Zealand markets least privilege management leader extends global reach through partnership with leading network security solution provider

Portsmouth, N.H. (BUSINESS WIRE) - BeyondTrust Corporation, the first provider of Least Privilege Management solutions, today announced a distribution agreement with Kaon Technologies Ltd, one of New Zealand's leading network security solution providers. Under the terms of the agreement, Kaon will serve as a value-added distributor, providing sales and support for BeyondTrust's award-winning Least Privilege Management solutions to enterprises throughout Australia and New Zealand.

"Kaon's success as a security solution provider can be directly attributed to our ability to identify and provide the best security products available to address client needs," said Tony Krzyzewski, CEO of Kaon Technologies.
"BeyondTrust's Privilege Manager and Application Rights Auditor solutions will enable our customers to effectively eliminate administrator rights for their enterprise Windows deployments, a problem that has posed significant challenges to IT, audit and compliance departments for some time. Simply put, BeyondTrust's products make Least Privilege work for enterprises."

Least Privilege strengthens security by limiting users to the permissions they need to do their jobs. BeyondTrust's flagship Privilege Manager software was the first product to enable Least Privilege in Windows environments by allowing organizations to eliminate administrator rights and assign elevated privileges only to authorized applications when they are required. Privilege Manager has quickly become the most widely used product for Least Privilege Management, protecting hundreds of companies against malware, data theft and malicious use.

"Kaon holds a leadership position in Australia and New Zealand and has strong, well-established relationships with leading enterprises in the financial, healthcare, government and other industries," said Joe L'Italien, vice president of global sales for BeyondTrust. "We look forward to working together to help organizations implement the security best practice of Least Privilege to eliminate admin rights across the enterprise and satisfy security and compliance initiatives."

About Kaon

Technologies Kaon Technologies is a leading Information Security company representing best of breed security manufacturers in the New Zealand, Australia and Pacific Islands region. Established in 1993, Kaon Technologies is acknowledged as a pioneer in the Information Security marketplace and backs its products with extensive skills in this area. The company also provides a range of consulting services including network design, technical security evaluations and remote management facilities. For more information about Kaon Technologies, visit http://www.kaon.co.nz.

About BeyondTrust BeyondTrust Corporation, a pioneer in Least Privilege Management, enables enterprises to move beyond the need to trust users with excess privileges or administrator passwords. BeyondTrust Privilege Manager was the first product to enable the security best practice of Least Privilege in Windows environments by allowing administrators to assign end-users permissions for required or selected applications.
Least Privilege strengthens security by limiting users to the permissions they need to do their jobs. Hundreds of organizations worldwide in industries such as financial, healthcare, government and military rely on BeyondTrust Privilege Manager to secure their enterprises. For more information, visit www.beyondtrust.com.

Schwartz CommunicationsDave Bowker or John McElhenny, 781-684-0770 BeyondTrust@schwartz-pr.com

Skins compression technology valuable to travelers

Study Reveals Skins(TM) Improves Circulation While Decreasing Leg Pain

Boulder, Colorado, (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Elite athletes travel -- a lot. And when competitive professionals arrive at their destination, they're on the field within hours.

In professional sports, there's no time for jet-lag recovery, no time to rehydrate, and refocus; no time for aches, pain and swelling -- that's why NBA, MLS and NFL world-champions wear Skins(TM) in-flight. Wearing Skins(TM) ensures athletes are ready to perform at optimal levels immediately upon landing.

It's not just athletes required to execute flawlessly post-flight; business travelers experience these same pressures. Rising early, catching a flight and immediately conducting meetings is common-place for the business traveler. Just as Skins(TM) helps athletes perform, wearing Skins(TM) assists business travelers in feeling alert, focused and ready to negotiate post-flight.

Thanks to a recent independent study, what top-athletes know and business travelers need to know has been confirmed and published in the Australian Medical Journal; Skins(TM) improves circulation in-flight while significantly decreasing leg pain and increasing energy and alertness -- allowing for fast post-flight recovery. The study was performed on twenty-two Qantas pilots and twenty-five passengers, all of whom spent more than five hours in the aircraft.

Researcher Melissa Hagan looked specifically at the effects of flying on ankle swelling. Also investigated and documented were participant ratings on leg pain and discomfort, energy levels, alertness, ability to concentrate and post-flight sleep. Results found include a decrease in ankle swelling of approximately 20 mm, along with improvement in:
-- leg pain - by 60 per cent
-- leg discomfort - by 50 per cent
-- leg swelling - by 45 per cent
-- energy level - by 18 per cent
-- alertness level - by 13 per cent
-- concentration ability - by 12 per cent

"Athletes consistently purchase and wear Skins(TM) while traveling, remarking how much better they feel post-flight because of it," explains Patricia Babka, General Manager for Skins(TM) USA. "With their statements being confirmed by commercial airline pilots and published in a world-respected medical journal, business travelers and the general traveling-public will also now realize the tremendous benefit of wearing Skins(TM) in-flight," Babka continues.

Farrol Kahn of Aviation Health, a non-profit organization committed to promoting the health and well-being of air travel passengers worldwide, believes Skins(TM) provides great assistance to airline passengers. "Jetlag is a perennial problem for air travelers and the latest solution can be found in Skins(TM) travel & recovery," remarks Kahn.

For the complete study as published in the January 21, 2008 Australian Medical Journal, visit http://www.mja.com.au/public issues/188_02_210108/hag10558_fm.html

About Skins(TM) USA

Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, Skins(TM) USA oversees distribution in the Americas, including Canada, Mexico, Central America and South America.

Skins(TM), the global leader for engineered, gradient compression garments, is worn by professional athletes and active consumers worldwide. Skins(TM) is the official supplier of compression and therapeutic wear to 49 elite sporting teams and individuals covering more than 15 leading international sports.

Skins(TM) body-molded, engineered, gradient compression garments with BioAcceleration Technology(TM) combine sports and medical science, patented designs and the best in smart fabric technology. Delivering accelerated blood flow, Skins(TM) are independently proven through scientific testing and laboratory results to enhance power, endurance and muscle recovery. To find a retailer or learn more about Skins(TM), visit us at http://www.skins.net.

SOURCE: Skins USA
CONTACT: Jim Mills of J.F. Mills|Worldwide, +1-303-639-6186,
jfmills@jfmillsworldwide.com, for Skins USA;
or Jon Graff of Skins USA, +1-303-532-4517,
jon.graff@skins.net,
or Christian Scheffold of Skins G-A-S-I, +49 177 69 14 001,
christian.scheffold@skins.net,
or David Ling of Skins UK, +44 0 1543 420 550,
david.ling@skins.net,
or Joe Goukon of Skins Japan, +81 04 7183 2380,
joecat@customproduce.com
Web site: http://www.skins.net

COPYRIGHT © 2008 - ANTARANEWS

Thomson Scientific begins expansion of Web of Science

Philadelphia and London, (ANTARA News/PRNewswire - AsiaNet) - Thomson Scientific, a leading provider of information solutions to the worldwide research and business communities, today announced that 162 regional social science journals have been added to Web of Science.

The newly identified collection contains journals that typically target a regional rather than international audience by approaching subjects from a local perspective or focusing on particular topics of regional interest.

For more than two years, Thomson Scientific has reviewed thousands of regional journals in all areas of science, social science and arts and humanities. Although selection criteria for a regional journal are fundamentally the same as for an international journal, the importance of the regional journal is measured in terms of the specificity of its content rather than in its citation impact. The recently added regional Social Science journals include 49 titles from the Asia-Pacific region and 91 from the European Union.

"As the global distribution of Web of Science expands into virtually every region on earth, the importance of regional scholarship to our emerging regional user community also grows," said Jim Testa, senior director, editorial development and publisher relations at Thomson Scientific. "We hope to be instrumental in expanding the audience for these journals and bringing attention to their scholarship."

Throughout 2008, Thomson Scientific will expand the current collection of journals to include a more diverse coverage of regional literature. All journals added to the Web of Science will go through a rigorous selection process. Regional journals, specifically, must be publishing on time, have English-language bibliographic information (title, abstract, keywords), and cited references must be in the Roman alphabet.

"The quality of each of these newly added journals is on the level the world has come to expect from the Web of Science," said Testa.

For more information, please visit http://scientific.thomson.com/products/wos/.

About Thomson Scientific

Thomson Scientific is a provider of information solutions that assist professionals at every stage of research and development-from discovery to analysis to product development and distribution. Thomson Scientific is part of The Thomson Corporation (www.thomson.com), 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.

Thomson Scientific information solutions can be found at scientific.thomson.com.

SOURCE: Thomson Scientific
CONTACT: Sue Besaw of Thomson Scientific, +1-215-823-1840,
susan.besaw@thomson.com
Web site: http://www.scientific.thomson.com

COPYRIGHT © 2008 - ANTARANEWS

Landmark trial ONTARGET proves telmisartan is protective

From ONTARGET(R) it May be Concluded That Telmisartan can Prevent Every 5th Serious Cardiovascular Event - Results of 25,620 Patient Study ONTARGET(R) (ONgoing Telmisartan Alone and in Combination With Ramipril Global Endpoint Trial) Presented Today at the 57th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology(1)

Ingelheim, (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - The results of the landmark ONTARGET(R) Trial have proven that telmisartan, brand name MICARDIS(R), a modern angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB), is as protective as the current gold standard, ramipril, in reducing the risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and hospitalisation for congestive heart failure in a broad cross-section of high-risk cardiovascular patients and with better tolerability.(1)

These cardiovascular events occurred in 16.66 per cent of patients receiving telmisartan versus 16.46 per cent of patients receiving ramipril.(1) The relative risk (ratio of the probability of the event occurring in the telmisartan group versus the ramipril group) was 1.01, with a 95 per cent CI of 0.94 -1.09.

To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http:// www.prnewswire.com/mnr/boehringeringelheim/32495

In 2000, the HOPE trial showed that the cardiovascular risk for patients treated with ramipril is reduced by approximately 20 per cent compared with placebo.(2) This meant that every fifth serious cardiovascular event in a high risk group of patients was prevented.

A similar effect can now be attributed to telmisartan. The 25,620 high-risk patients in the ONTARGET(R) trial were already receiving standard care such as statins to lower cholesterol, antiplatelet therapy, betablockers and other antihypertensives.(3) Telmisartan was also shown to be significantly better tolerated than ramipril, a widely used angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE), with respect to typical ACE-inhibitor side-effects.(1)

Although patients with an ACE-inhibitor intolerance had been excluded from the trial, 360 patients in the ramipril treatment arm stopped their treatment because they experienced cough versus only 93 patients in the telmisartan arm.

25 patients stopped their treatment in the ramipril arm because of angioneurotic edema, versus only 10 in the telmisartan arm.(1) The ONTARGET(R) data also show that telmisartan is associated wit a higher treatment compliance.(1) Besides efficacy, tolerability and compliance are also important factors to consider as they are crucial for effective long-term treatment for the prevention of serious cardiovascular events.

Telmisartan is now the only angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) to have proven cardio & vascular protective benefits beyond blood pressure reduction in this high-risk population.(1) Until now, only the ACE-inhibitor ramipril had shown these protective effects.(2)

ONTARGET(R) also studied the value of combining telmisartan with ramipril, to answer a key question for the clinical community - does combining an ACE inhibitor and an ARB, i.e. the dual renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockade, offer even better protection compared to single blockade? The results announced today indicate that there is no additional protective benefit achieved for the overall patient population, if ramipril and telmisartan are combined.

Implications of the ONTARGET(R) Trial

"The ONTARGET(R) Trial shows that telmisartan is a well-tolerated treatment in high-risk cardiovascular patients that is as effective as ramipril in preventing heart attacks, stroke, hospitalisations for heart failure and deaths," said Professor Salim Yusuf, lead investigator of the ONTARGET(R) Trial Programme and Director of the Population Health Research Institute at McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada. "The ONTARGET results have important implications for the management of patients with cardiovascular diseases. We now have a new treatment option for high-risk patients which is effective and better tolerated."

Largest ARB outcome trial ever ONTARGET(R) is a randomised, double-blind clinical trial, which evaluated 25,620 high-risk cardiovascular patients with normal or controlled blood pressure over an observation period of up to 6 years.

"We are proud to have started ONTARGET(R), the largest outcome cardiovascular trial ever undertaken with an ARB. It included high-risk cardiovascular patients with a history of coronary heart disease, stroke, transient ischaemic attack, peripheral vascular disease or diabetes with target organ damage. The trial has an extremely robust data base that will enable the medical community to answer questions where no scientific proof was available before. With 99.8 per cent of patients followed over these years, this is one of the best managed landmark trials ever."

"We owe this excellent management of the trial to the investigators in over 700 centres across 40 countries led by Professor Salim Yusuf and his team at McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada," said Dr Andreas Barner, Member of the Board of Managing Directors of Boehringer Ingelheim, responsible for Research, Development and Medicine.

Benefits related to exceptional properties and structure of telmisartan Further evidence of the exceptional properties of telmisartan has already been seen in previous trials.

In 2007, the AMADEO trial showed that telmisartan achieved significantly greater reduction in proteinuria compared with the ARB losartan beyond blood pressure reduction effects, demonstrating the potential for renal protection with telmisartan in diabetic patients.(4) In addition, in 2006 the PRISMA trials in hypertensive patients demonstrated that telmisartan achieved more powerful blood pressure reductions compared with the ACE-inhibitor ramipril.(5,6)

"The benefits of telmisartan seen in ONTARGET(R) and previous trials may be attributed to the specific pharmacological properties and mode of action of telmisartan, including long half-life, large volume of distribution, high cell penetration and a selective AT1 blockade. ONTARGET(R) now provides the evidence that the properties of telmisartan translate into relevant clinical outcomes," commented Professor Michael Bohm, Director of the Department of Cardiology, Universitatsklinik des Saarlandes, Homburg, Germany and National Coordinator of the ONTARGET(R) Trial in Germany.

Addressing the world's largest healthcare burden Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide, causing over 17.5 million deaths per year.(7) 7.6 million people die from a heart attack and 5.7 million die from a stroke every year.(7) Global deaths from CVD are predicted to reach approximately 25 million by 2020.(8) CVD is also currently a leading cause of disability, and is predicted to be the largest cause of disability worldwide by 2020.(8) A major stroke is viewed by more than half of those at risk as being worse than death.(9)

Please be advised This release is from the Corporate Headquarters of Boehringer Ingelheim and is intended for all international markets. This being the case, please be aware that there may be some differences between countries regarding specific medical information including licensed uses. Please take account of this when referring to the material, and always check the statement you may plan against the jurisdiction in your country, because this may differ from country to country.

Related links: http://www.news-ontarget.com
http://www.ontarget-telmisartan.com
http://www.micardis.com

To view the Notes to Editors and References for this release please go to the Notes to Editors section in: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/boehringeringelheim/32495

SOURCE: Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH
CONTACT: Corporate Division Communications, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH,
55216 Ingelheim/Germany, Phone:
+49-6132-77-97296, 77-8271,
or Fax: +49-6132-72-6601,
or E-mail: press@boehringer-ingelheim.com
Web site: http://www.news-ontarget.com
http://www.ontarget-telmisartan.com
http://www.micardis.com

COPYRIGHT © 2008 - ANTARANEWS

Two major games from NetDragon to be launched in Taiwan

Hong Kong, (ANTARA News/Xinhua-PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - One of the leading game developers and operators in the PRC, NetDragon Websoft Inc. ("NetDragon" or the "Company", with its subsidiary collectively the "Group"; stock code: 8288.HK) has announced that traditional Chinese versions of its two main original online games, "Eudemons Online" and "Zero Online," will be officially launched shortly in Taiwan.

The Group has granted licensing rights to UserJoy Technology Co., Ltd. to operate a traditional Chinese version of "Eudemons Online" in Taiwan, and the game is expected to be launched there this summer. "Eudemons Online" is an online game which took NetDragon two years to research and develop, and is set in a vast mythological world. At present, there are over 570,000 players of the game in the PRC. In 2007, revenue from this game reached RMB448 million. This game has been customized in English and Spanish versions, which have been launched in both European and American markets.

At the same time, licensing rights were granted to Wayi International Digital for the operation of "Zero Online" in Taiwan. This online game was independently researched and developed by NetDragon, and is the first online game in the PRC themed around a "robot universe." Official open testing in the PRC was carried out on 13 June 2007. Also in 2007, the game was launched in the Hong Kong market in a traditional Chinese version via agents Gameone Interactive Co., Inc. The English version of this game is currently undergoing testing. In 2007, total revenue contributed by "Zero Online" amounted to RMB58.75 million.

Mr. Liu Dejian, Chairman and Executive Director of NetDragon, commented, "As a pioneer in developing online games for overseas markets, the Group has successfully entered markets in which six different languages are spoken, including English, French and Spanish. Now that we have located an agent in the Taiwan market, we expect to expand our sales in Chinese-speaking regions across Asia."

Background information about NetDragon Websoft Inc.

NetDragon Websoft Inc. is one of the leading online game developers and operators in the PRC. The Group's portfolio consists of a range of MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games) that cater to various types of players and gaming preferences. The Group has successfully developed and marketed many popular online games in various styles. Its current offerings include the games "Eudemons Online," "Conquer Online," "Zero Online," "Tou Ming Zhuang Online," "Era of Faith," and "Monster & Me." The games are available in six languages, including English, French and Spanish. The Group also has three games in the pipeline, namely "Heroes of Might and Magic Online," "Way of the Five," and "Tian Yuan." NetDragon was listed on the GEM board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong on 2 November 2007 (Stock Code:8288.HK).

Issued by Porda International (Finance) PR Group for and on behalf of NetDragon Websoft Inc.

Contact:
NetDragon Websoft Inc.
Ms. Angelina Li (Investor Relations Officer)
Tel: +852-2850-8755 / 6303-1722
Fax: +852-2850-7066
Email: angelinali@nd.com.hk
SOURCE NetDragon Websoft Inc.

COPYRIGHT © 2008

Landmark Trial ONTARGET(R) Proves Telmisartan is as Protective as Ramipril

- And Better Tolerated in a Broad High-Risk Cardiovascular Population

Ingelheim (ANTARA/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) -
- From ONTARGET(R) it May be Concluded That Telmisartan can Prevent Every 5th Serious Cardiovascular Event - Results of 25,620 Patient Study ONTARGET(R) (ONgoing Telmisartan Alone and in Combination With Ramipril Global Endpoint Trial) Presented Today at the 57th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology(1)

The results of the landmark ONTARGET(R) Trial have proven that telmisartan, brand name MICARDIS(R), a modern angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB), is as protective as the current gold standard, ramipril, in reducing the risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and hospitalisation for congestive heart failure in a broad cross-section of high-risk cardiovascular patients and with better tolerability.(1) These cardiovascular events occurred in 16.66% of patients receiving telmisartan versus 16.46% of patients receiving ramipril.(1) The relative risk (ratio of the probability of the event occurring in the telmisartan group versus the ramipril group) was 1.01, with a 95% CI of 0.94 -1.09.

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In 2000, the HOPE trial showed that the cardiovascular risk for patients treated with ramipril is reduced by approximately 20% compared with placebo.(2) This meant that every fifth serious cardiovascular event in a high risk group of patients was prevented. A similar effect can now be attributed to telmisartan. The 25,620 high-risk patients in the ONTARGET(R) trial were already receiving standard care such as statins to lower cholesterol, antiplatelet therapy, betablockers and other antihypertensives.(3)

Telmisartan was also shown to be significantly better tolerated than ramipril, a widely used angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE), with respect to typical ACE-inhibitor side-effects.(1) Although patients with an ACE-inhibitor intolerance had been excluded from the trial, 360 patients in the ramipril treatment arm stopped their treatment because they experienced cough versus only 93 patients in the telmisartan arm.

25 patients stopped their treatment in the ramipril arm because of angioneurotic edema, versus only 10 in the telmisartan arm.(1)

The ONTARGET(R) data also show that telmisartan is associated with a higher treatment compliance.(1) Besides efficacy, tolerability and compliance are also important factors to consider as they are crucial for effective long-term treatment for the prevention of serious cardiovascular events.

Telmisartan is now the only angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) to have proven cardio & vascular protective benefits beyond blood pressure reduction in this high-risk population.(1) Until now, only the ACE-inhibitor ramipril had shown these protective effects.(2)

ONTARGET(R) also studied the value of combining telmisartan with ramipril, to answer a key question for the clinical community - does combining an ACE inhibitor and an ARB, i.e. the dual renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockade, offer even better protection compared to single blockade? The results announced today indicate that there is no additional protective benefit achieved for the overall patient population, if ramipril and telmisartan are combined.

Implications of the ONTARGET(R) Trial
"The ONTARGET(R) Trial shows that telmisartan is a well-tolerated treatment in high-risk cardiovascular patients that is as effective as ramipril in preventing heart attacks, stroke, hospitalisations for heart failure and deaths," said Professor Salim Yusuf, lead investigator of the ONTARGET(R) Trial Programme and Director of the Population Health Research Institute at McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada. "The ONTARGET results have important implications for the management of patients with cardiovascular diseases. We now have a new treatment option for high-risk patients which is effective and better tolerated."

Largest ARB outcome trial ever
ONTARGET(R) is a randomised, double-blind clinical trial, which evaluated 25,620 high-risk cardiovascular patients with normal or controlled blood pressure over an observation period of up to 6 years.

"We are proud to have started ONTARGET(R), the largest outcome cardiovascular trial ever undertaken with an ARB. It included high-risk cardiovascular patients with a history of coronary heart disease, stroke, transient ischaemic attack, peripheral vascular disease or diabetes with target organ damage. The trial has an extremely robust data base that will enable the medical community to answer questions where no scientific proof was available before. With 99.8% of patients followed over these years, this is one of the best managed landmark trials ever. We owe this excellent management of the trial to the investigators in over 700 centres across 40 countries led by Professor Salim Yusuf and his team at McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada," said Dr Andreas Barner, Member of the Board of Managing Directors of Boehringer Ingelheim, responsible for Research, Development and Medicine.

Benefits related to exceptional properties and structure of telmisartan
Further evidence of the exceptional properties of telmisartan has already been seen in previous trials. In 2007, the AMADEO trial showed that telmisartan achieved significantly greater reduction in proteinuria compared with the ARB losartan beyond blood pressure reduction effects, demonstrating the potential for renal protection with telmisartan in diabetic patients.(4) In addition, in 2006 the PRISMA trials in hypertensive patients demonstrated that telmisartan achieved more powerful blood pressure reductions compared with the ACE-inhibitor ramipril.(5,6)

"The benefits of telmisartan seen in ONTARGET(R) and previous trials may be attributed to the specific pharmacological properties and mode of action of telmisartan, including long half-life, large volume of distribution, high cell penetration and a selective AT1 blockade. ONTARGET(R) now provides the evidence that the properties of telmisartan translate into relevant clinical outcomes," commented Professor Michael Bohm, Director of the Department of Cardiology, Universitatsklinik des Saarlandes, Homburg, Germany and National Coordinator of the ONTARGET(R) Trial in Germany.

Addressing the world's largest healthcare burden
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide, causing over 17.5 million deaths per year.(7) 7.6 million people die from a heart attack and 5.7 million die from a stroke every year.(7) Global deaths from CVD are predicted to reach approximately 25 million by 2020.(8) CVD is also currently a leading cause of disability, and is predicted to be the largest cause of disability worldwide by 2020.(8) A major stroke is viewed by more than half of those at risk as being worse than death.(9)

Please be advised
This release is from the Corporate Headquarters of Boehringer Ingelheim and is intended for all international markets. This being the case, please be aware that there may be some differences between countries regarding specific medical information including licensed uses. Please take account of this when referring to the material, and always check the statement you may plan against the jurisdiction in your country, because this may differ from country to country.

Related links:
http://www.news-ontarget.com
http://www.ontarget-telmisartan.com
http://www.micardis.com

To view the Notes to Editors and References for this release please go to the Notes to Editors section in: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/boehringeringelheim/32495

SOURCE: Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH

CONTACT: Corporate Division Communications,
Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH,
55216 Ingelheim/Germany,
Phone: +49-6132-77-97296, 77-8271, or
Fax: +49-6132-72-6601, or
E-mail: press@boehringer-ingelheim.com

Web site: http://www.news-ontarget.com
http://www.ontarget-telmisartan.com
http://www.micardis.com

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Covanta Energy names new President of Covanta Asia Pacific

Covanta Energy names Allard M. Nooy President Covanta Asia Pacific

Shanghai (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Covanta Holding Corporation (NYSE: CVA), a world leader in the development and operation of large scale Energy-from-Waste and renewable energy projects, today announced the appointment of Allard M. Nooy to the position of President Covanta Asia Pacific for its principal subsidiary, Covanta Energy Corporation. Mr. Nooy's appointment is effective immediately.

Mr. Nooy has extensive experience working with municipal governments to develop infrastructure projects throughout Asia.
He was previously Regional Director of Infrastructure Development for Leighton Asia Limited, where he has managed Leighton's business in the People's Republic of China as well as infrastructure development and investment activities throughout Asia since 2004. Prior to his appointment with Leighton, Mr. Nooy was Thames Water International's Regional Director of Greater China where he initiated and led numerous transactions in China and Hong Kong. Before joining Thames Water, Mr. Nooy was the General Manager of the international EPC group Vermeer - Ballast Nedam's Southeast Asian operations, based in Vietnam. Mr. Nooy will be based in Shanghai.

"We are very pleased to welcome Allard to the Covanta team. His experience and successful track record of developing, acquiring and managing infrastructure projects in China and throughout Asia make him uniquely qualified to lead the implementation of our Asian growth strategy," said Anthony Orlando, Covanta's Chief Executive Officer. "We have a strong team in Asia and under Allard's leadership I am confident we'll continue our successful operation and capitalize on the many opportunities to expand our Energy-from-Waste business in China and elsewhere in the region."

About Covanta

Covanta is an internationally recognized owner and operator of Energy-from-Waste and renewable energy projects. Covanta's Energy-from-Waste facilities convert municipal solid waste into renewable energy for numerous communities, in the United States, Europe, and Asia. As a premier operator of large-scale Energy-from-Waste facilities, Covanta is proud to offer an environmentally sound solution to communities' solid waste disposal needs. With close to 40 facilities worldwide, Covanta uses municipal solid waste as a fuel to generate clean, renewable energy. Covanta's modern Energy-from-Waste facilities safely and securely turn 15 million tons of waste into over 8 million megawatt hours of clean renewable electricity each year and create 10 billion pounds of steam that are sold to a variety of industries. For more information, visit www.covantaholding.com

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking" statements as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act"), Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act"), the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "PSLRA") or in releases made by the Securities and Exchange Commission, all as may be amended from time to time. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Covanta and its subsidiaries, or industry results, to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Statements that are not historical fact are orward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by, among other things, the use of forward-looking language, such as the words "plan," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "project," "may," "will," "would," "could," "should," "seeks," or "scheduled to," "proposed," or other similar words, or the negative of these terms or other variations of these terms or comparable language, or by discussion of strategy or intentions. These cautionary statements are being made pursuant to the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and the PSLRA with the intention of obtaining the benefits of the "safe harbor" provisions of such laws. Covanta cautions investors that any forward-looking statements made by Covanta are not guarantees or indicative of future performance. Important assumptions and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those forward-looking statements with respect to Covanta, include, but are not limited to, those factors, risks and uncertainties that are described in Item 1A of its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, and in subsequent securities filings by Covanta.

Although Covanta believes that its plans, intentions and expectations reflected in or suggested by such forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results could differ materially from a projection or assumption in any forward-looking statements. Covanta's future financial condition and results of operations, as well as any forward-looking statements, are subject to change and inherent risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made only as of the date hereof and Covanta does not have or undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, subsequent events or otherwise, unless otherwise required by law.

SOURCE: Covanta Holding Corporation
CONTACT: Bradford Helgeson,
Vice President & Treasurer,
+1-973-882-4193, or
Vera Carley,
Media Relations Manager,
+1-973-882-2439,
both of Covanta Holding Corporation
Web site: http://www.covantaholding.com

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