Aleris Int`l, announces new leader of its European operations

Beachwood, Ohio, (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Aleris International, Inc. announced today that Roeland Baan will join Aleris as Executive Vice President and President, Aleris Europe, reporting to Steven J. Demetriou, Chairman and CEO, on April 7, 2008. In this role, Mr. Baan will be responsible for all business and operational activities in Aleris's European region as well as its European headquarters.

Mr. Baan has had an accomplished career with large, complex multinational corporations with a proven track record of delivering results. Beginning in 2004, he worked for Mittal where he most recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, Mittal Steel Europe and served on Arcelor Mittal's Management Committee. Mr. Baan had responsibility for operations in eight countries, including four integrated steel mills and four electric arc steel mills.

During this time he led the restructuring and integration of Mittal's Central and Eastern European mills. Prior to joining Mittal, Mr. Baan served as the Senior Vice President of SHV Gas BV, a member of SHV NV, a privately held international conglomerate with activities in retail, energy and venture capital activities. From 1998 to 2001 Mr. Baan served as Chief Executive Officer Thyssen Sonnenberg Recycling GMBH (TSR), a metals recycling company with 55 production sites in five countries.

"Roeland brings diverse career experiences involving a wide range of operations and challenges. He has a proven track record of delivering improved results and integrating multinational organizations and we believe will be able to make an immediate contribution to our European business," said Demetriou.

Mr. Baan graduated from Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands with a Masters in Economics.

Aleris International, Inc. is a global leader in aluminum rolled products and extrusions, aluminum recycling and specification alloy production. Headquartered in Beachwood, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, the Company operates 48 production facilities in North America, Europe, South America and Asia, and employs approximately 8,800 employees.

For more information about Aleris, please visit our Web site at www.aleris.com

SAFE HARBOR REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Forward-looking statements made in this news release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These include statements that contain words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "should" and similar expressions intended to connote future events and circumstances, and include statements regarding future actual and adjusted earnings; future improvements in margins, processing volumes and pricing; overall 2008 operating performance; anticipated effective tax rates; expected cost savings; success in integrating Aleris's recent acquisitions, including the acquisition of the downstream aluminum businesses of Corus Group plc; its future growth; the anticipated economic environment in 2008; future benefits from acquisitions and new products; expected benefits from changes in the industry landscape; and anticipated synergies resulting from other acquisitions. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results could differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties would include, without limitation, Aleris's levels of indebtedness and debt service obligations; its ability to effectively integrate the business and operations of its acquisitions; further slowdowns in automotive production and the building and construction industry in the U.S. and Europe; the financial condition of Aleris's customers and future bankruptcies and defaults by major customers; the availability at favorable cost of aluminum scrap and other metal supplies that Aleris processes; the ability of Aleris to enter into effective metals, natural gas and other commodity derivatives; continued increases in natural gas and other fuel costs of Aleris; a weakening in industrial demand resulting from a decline in U.S. or world economic conditions, including any decline caused by terrorist activities or other unanticipated events; future utilized capacity of Aleris's various facilities;; restrictions on and future levels and timing of capital expenditures; retention of Aleris's major customers; the timing and amounts of collections; currency exchange fluctuations; future write-downs or impairment charges which may be required because of the occurrence of some of the uncertainties listed above; and other risks listed in Aleris's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including but not limited to Aleris's annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007, particularly the section entitled "Risk Factors" contained therein.

SOURCE: Aleris International, Inc.
CONTACT: William Sedlacek of Aleris International, Inc.,
+1-216-910-3522
Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050504/CLW056LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk: photodesk@prnewswire.com
Web site: http://aleris.com

Acision market share breaks 60 pct barrier in North America

Three of the five largest North American mobile operators rely on Acision to meet growing demand for messaging

Singapore, (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - CTIA Wireless 2008 (LAS VEGAS) - Acision, the messaging and charging company of choice for over 300 network operators and service providers worldwide, announced today that over 60 per cent of all text messages sent in the US are now managed by Acision messaging solutions.

Acision solutions support messaging services for three of the five largest North American operators. Handling over half of all text messaging traffic in the world, Acision is the dominant global player in messaging and continues to strengthen its North America presence by helping both tier one and regional operators build out their messaging environments.

"Mobile messaging continues to grow dramatically and our customers have already handled 300 billion text messages through our systems worldwide since January this year," said Wayne Irwin, President, the Americas, Acision. "North America is home to one of the highest messaging growth rates in the world and Service Providers here want to have confidence that they are able to maintain a high quality of service, whilst we work with them to develop and implement new messaging features and capabilities. Acision will leverage our extensive experience with tier one Service Providers around the world to enable our North American customers - both large and small - to continue to thrive with mobile data services."

About Acision

Acision is the messaging and charging partner of choice for more than 300 network operators and service providers, supporting over one and a half billion customers worldwide. With over 50 percent of global text and multimedia messaging traffic generated through its platforms, Acision's mobile data services expertise includes text messaging, multimedia messaging, IP messaging, mobile internet, mobile advertising, IP voicemail and IP videomail. Acision's payment systems have processed more than US $100 billion, providing sophisticated real-time charging and removing the boundaries between prepaid and postpaid subscriptions. All of Acision's solutions are backed up by a robust, global service organization, offering 24 7 support provided through 24 local service centers and three state of the art global support centers. With global market experience, Acision has a detailed understanding of what it takes to bring innovative services to full mass market adoption.

Privately owned by an equity consortium led by Atlantic Bridge Ventures and Access Industries, Acision is a half billion dollar company, working with customers in 135 countries across six continents. More information is available at www.acision.com

Press contacts:
For Acision:
Kevin Walters
Marketing Executive, North America
Tel: +1 972 246 5404
Email: kevin.walters@acision.com
Todd Van Hoosear
Topaz Partners
Tel: + 1 781-404-2409
Email: acision@topazpartners.com

SOURCE: Acision
CONTACT: Kevin Walters,
Marketing Executive,
North America for Acision,
+1-972-246-5404,
kevin.walters@acision.com; or
Todd Van Hoosear of Topaz Partners,
+1-781-404-2409,
acision@topazpartners.com
Web Site: http://www.acision.com

COPYRIGHT © 2008 - ANTARANEWS

New wine from the new world

Perth - Medianet International-AsiaNet - West Aussie Wine (WAW) will be launching a new service on 31st March 2008. Offering exciting and new wines to the UK. West Aussie Wine will deliver premium wines from across Western Australia the customers front door. WA experts on wines and wineries, WAW is the only company that exclusively supplies WA wines direct to the UK market.

Showcasing smaller boutique style vineyards we offer the consumer the opportunity to experience premium wines produced by a number of prestigious WA wineries. WA accounts for only 4% of the total wine production in Australia; however this figure is dwarfed by the fact that 25% of Premium wine produced in Australia emanates from the vineyards of WA.

The combination of a warm maritime climate, cooled by the Indian Ocean, gravely loamy soil and good early rain ensures that WA continues to produce Premium quality wines.

Available for immediate delivery to your front door from our purpose-built storage facility in the South East we are able to able to deliver wines from the renowned Margaret River region as well as up and coming regions of Pemberton, Manjimp Swan Valley and Blackwood. These regions are renowned for being home to award winning labels including Leewin Estate, Cullens, Voyager and Fontys Pool. Family owned wineries producing less than 5000 cases per year form our major source of wines. Many of these are award winners and the WAW website provides detailed tasting notes as well as information on the Winery and Winemaker.

Ray Jordan, author of the definitive Ray Jordan Guide to Western Australian Wine, and celebrated WA wine authority has reviewed the majority of our cellar and has included his tasting notes on our site for your benefit.

Australian wines continue to grow in popularity with the UK consumer. As the market becomes more educated, about these wines, the buyers are looking for new and exciting wines. West Aussie Wine will provide this exhilaration and continually offer new wines previously unavailable for immediate delivery to the UK customer.

www.westaussiewine.co.uk
Contact: Peter Lynch peter@aussiewinedirect.co.uk +61 8 6263 9227
SOURCE: Aussie Wine Direct

Hitachi shifts Indian elevator and escalator marketing into full-scale operation

Tokyo (BUSINESS WIRE) - Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE:HIT)(TOKYO:6501) announced today that Hitachi Lift India Pvt. Ltd. ("Hitachi Lift India"), an elevator and escalator marketing and service company established in New Delhi in January this year, has moved into full-scale operation.

The rapid expansion of the Indian economy is fueling surging demand for buildings ranging from offices and hotels to private homes. The elevator market is growing in proportion. In 2006, demand for mid to high-end products alone, the category Hitachi targets, exceeded 15 thousand units per year, making India one of the world's most active markets. Market growth is expected to continue at a brisk pace of 10% or more annually in coming years.

Hitachi first entered the Indian elevator business through Hitachi India Pvt. Ltd. in October 2007. Its next major move came in January 2008 with the establishment of Hitachi Lift India as a Hitachi Group wholly-owned company to specialize in elevator and escalator marketing and services.

The initial focus was on building top-notch marketing and servicing capability, especially by recruiting experienced Indian experts. With that capability now in place, Hitachi Lift India has launched full-blown marketing activities in Delhi and Mumbai, India's two largest metropolitan areas. The company plans to increase the number and scale of its bases toward placing itself among the top three in mid to high-end models, which account for more than half of the Indian elevator market, by 2012.

In August 2006, Hitachi appointed a Chief Executive for Asia to take charge of formulating business strategy in Asia, as well as developing new businesses that exploit Hitachi Group synergy and bolstering partnership with key customers in the region. The importance the Hitachi Group attaches to growing its businesses in India is pointed up by the fact that the Chief Executive for Asia makes Delhi his home and primary base of operations. In other moves, Hitachi in April 2007 established the Hitachi Group India Strategy Council, which is chaired by the company's president, and in December the same year, set up an India Business Support Center in Delhi to assist Hitachi Group companies newly entering the Indian market, in addition to offering support to existing Group businesses in India, including those in the air-conditioning systems and construction machinery sectors. Hitachi's stance thus reflects an intense focus on accelerating expansion of Indian operations and creating a stronger presence in India for the Hitachi Group as a whole.

Kazuo Furukawa, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hitachi, Ltd., had this to say about Hitachi entering a new phase in its Indian elevator operations. "Hitachi has been involved in India for many years - ever since setting up a liaison office there in 1954. We have extensive experience in supplying infrastructure equipment in India, including power plants, electrical machinery, construction equipment, and air-conditioning systems. Hitachi prides itself on having played a major role in building India's national infrastructure. In April 2007, the Hitachi Group India Strategy Council was set up to coordinate an initiative to develop Indian markets and strengthen operations in India across the whole Hitachi Group. The newly established Hitachi Lift India is a company wholly owned by the Hitachi Group that I believe will be a strong driving force behind the development of Hitachi businesses in India."

Yusuke Takahashi, Managing Director of Hitachi Lift India, commented on his company's business with these words. "Hitachi Lift India is committed to going beyond just the supply of quality products to also offer the best in customer relations and after-sale services. The extensive elevator product technologies and maintenance/service know-how Hitachi has assembled over nearly 100 years, together with our team of well-experienced experts, will enable us to offer outstanding services in India. As Hitachi Lift India wants to make the biggest contribution possible to India and its people, it intends to take advantage of the high-growth Indian elevator market to vigorously expand and upgrade its businesses."

Overview of Hitachi Lift India
Company name: Hitachi Lift India Pvt. Ltd.
Location: Level 3, Elegance Mathura Road, Jasola New Delhi 110025 India
Managing Director: Yusuke Takahashi
Established: January 28, 2008
Capital: Rs430 million (about JPY1.1 billion)
Ownership: Hitachi Group (100%)
Main lines of business: Sales and services of elevator and escalator

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE:HIT)(TOKYO:6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 384,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2006 (ended March 31, 2007) consolidated revenues totaled 10,247 billion yen ($86.8 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services.
For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com.

Hitachi, Ltd.
Takeshi Kawakami (Japan), +81-3-5208-9325 takeshi.kawakami.mk@hitachi.com
or Hitachi America, Ltd.
Dash Hisanaga (U.S.), +1-914-333-2987 tadashi.hisanaga@hal.hitachi.com
or Hitachi Europe Ltd.
Masanao Sato (Europe), +44-1628-585379 masanao.sato@hitachi-eu.com
or Hitachi (China) Ltd.
Nobuya Abematsu (China), +86-10-6539-9139 nabematsu@hitachi.cn
or Hitachi Asia Ltd.
Keisuke Sugano (Singapore), +65-6231-2225 ksugano@has.hitachi.com.sg

Lummus Technology Heat exchangers selected by Essar Oil

The Woodlands, Texas (BUSINESS WIRE) - Lummus Technology, a CB&I company (NYSE:CBI), has announced that Essar Oil Limited (EOL) has purchased 50 HELIXCHANGER heat exchangers, which are based on Lummus proprietary technology, to be utilized in the expansion of crude and vacuum units and the delayed coking unit at Essar's refinery in Jamnagar, Gujarat in India. The heat exchangers will be fabricated and supplied by a licensee of Lummus Technology. Essar Oil is expanding its refinery capacity from 21,000 barrels per day to 680,000 barrels per day in the next three years.

The HELIXCHANGER heat exchanger has increasingly become a preferred choice by end-users globally due to technology that helps reduce total costs during the life cycle of the project. HELIXCHANGER heat exchangers are used in plant upgrades to achieve higher capacity and longer run-lengths, as well as in new installations to reduce surface area, resulting in cost savings.

About CB&I

CB&I combines proven process technology from its Lummus Technology business, with global capabilities in engineering, procurement and construction to deliver comprehensive solutions to customers in the energy and natural resource industries.
With more than 70 proprietary licensed technologies and 1,500 patents and patent applications, CB&I is uniquely positioned to take projects from conceptual design, through technology licensing, engineering and construction, and final commissioning. Drawing upon the global expertise and local knowledge of approximately 17,000 employees in more than 80 locations, CB&I safely and reliably executes projects worldwide. For more information visit www.CBI.com.

CB&I
Media: Jan Sieving, +1 832 513 1111
or Analysts: Marty Spake, +1 832 513 1245

Renowned Islamic Finance Partner joins Fulbright

New York (BUSINESS WIRE) - A renowned Islamic Finance lawyer has joined Fulbright?& Jaworski?L.L.P. and will head the global firm's Islamic Finance Practice. Michael J.T. McMillen, an accomplished practitioner and frequent lecturer and writer, is considered a trail blazer when it comes to Shari'ah compliant transactions.

"Michael brings a vast knowledge of Islamic financing that is highly compatible with our existing finance and projects practices and the current work we are doing in the Middle East," said Steven B. Pfeiffer, the Chair of Fulbright's Executive Committee. "We have expanded our global projects practice in order to offer our clients the most comprehensive project finance counseling possible. Michael's experience in Islamic finance will greatly benefit our clients."

Since its development in the 1970s, Islamic finance has seen immense growth. McMillen's Islamic finance work includes real estate, project finance and private equity projects, as well as Islamic bonds and asset securitizations (sukuk), investment funds, bankruptcy funds, index-tracking funds, derivatives and new product development. He joins Fulbright as a partner and will work primarily from Fulbright's New York and Middle East locations in Riyadh and Dubai, as well as spending time in the London office.

"Financings originating in the Middle East and Islamic Asia are growing in number and dollar amount, fueled in part by the great amounts of liquidity in those regions, and in part by the rapidly growing popularity of embracing Islamic values," said John Lonsberg, who heads Fulbright's Middle East Practice Group. "Both the U.S. and London markets are seeing material growth in these financings."

McMillen has focused on Islamic finance for years and teaches a course on the topic at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He is the current Chair of the Islamic Law Forum, a division of the International Law Section of the American Bar Association. He lived and practiced in Saudi Arabia for four years, spent several years in London and has served as counsel in the structuring and implementation of Islamic finance products and structures to various Middle Eastern, European and U.S. financial institutions.

He has also been extensively involved with Shari'ah scholars and supervisory boards in the development and issuance of approvals for Islamic finance products, structures and transactions across the globe. McMillen helped create numerous Islamic finance products that are the "first" of their kind in the world, including in respect of U.S. and European acquisition and construction financings, short sales and options trading structures, and index-tracking products.

"Fulbright offers strong finance, tax and real estate capabilities and is committed to its global platform and presence in the Middle East, Europe, Asia and the United States," McMillen said. "At Fulbright, I have found a collegial, cooperative and harmonious culture and a long-termcommitment to the Middle East, Asia and Islamic finance. As I began to examine the platform the firm has in the Middle East and the number of long-term practitioners in the region, Fulbright quickly emerged as the right place for me, and as the firm with the right global platform from which I could offer clients the most comprehensive legal counsel in emerging markets throughout the world."

Fulbright's lawyers are at the forefront of global project trends in both established and emerging markets.

"We are able to assist our clients in assessing and managing the many variables that can affect the outcome of a project, including the political, social, legal and other risks that are inherent in complex, large-scale projects and cross-border transactions," said Gregg W. Harris, the head of Fulbright's Structured and Project Finance Group. "Additionally, our lawyers are well-versed in the developing technologies and industry trends that shape the development and execution of a
project."

Fulbright advises clients on the development, construction, finance, operation, acquisition and disposition of infrastructure projects around the world. Fulbright represents multilateral lenders, commercial banks, developers, sponsors, investors, insurers and others on multiple types of projects in various sectors throughout the Middle East and across the globe.

"We have advised borrowers on routine Islamic finance matters for a number of years," said William Bush, the head of Fulbright's New York office. "Michael brings the knowledge and ability to assist our clients with larger, more complicated Islamic finance transactions. His added depth is needed, and we are pleased he sees Fulbright as a firm that offers the strong global platform in which this practice can thrive."Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.

Founded in 1919, Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. is a leading full-service international law firm, with nearly 1,000 lawyers in 16 locations in Austin, Beijing, Dallas, Denver, Dubai, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Munich, New York, Riyadh, San Antonio, St. Louis and Washington, D.C. Fulbright provides a full range of legal services to clients worldwide.

The 2007 BTI survey of FORTUNE 1000 general counsel chose Fulbright as "The BTI Client Service 30" A-Team and Corporate Board Member magazine named Fulbright among the top 20 corporate law firms in the U.S. in their survey of board members of public companies.

For more information, please visit: www.fulbright.com.
Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.
Media Relations Manager
Pam Easton, 713-651-8480 peaston@fulbright.com

Edgar, Dunn & Co expands into ASEAN region with new Singapore office

Sydney, (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Edgar, Dunn & Company (EDC) a leading independent global financial services and payments consultancy, announced today the opening of its Singapore office to serve clients throughout the ASEAN region.

Coinciding with EDC's 30th year anniversary, the establishment of the Singapore office further enhances the global reach and "borderless consulting" approach of the firm. EDC provides deep expertise in payments and financial services through its offices in Atlanta, Frankfurt, London, San Francisco, Singapore and Sydney.

"The payments market in Asia is entering a new phase of growth and transformation, driven by numerous factors including rapid economic development, new payment products and technologies, increasing regulatory involvement, changes in consumer behavior and cross border business opportunities", said Lance Blockley, newly appointed CEO and Managing Director of Edgar, Dunn & Company. "Our Singapore presence will enable EDC to be more responsive to these market challenges and opportunities for our clients with maximum impact".

Nigel McCook, a Manager with Edgar, Dunn & Company, will lead the Singapore office, located at 36-42, UOB Plaza 1, 80 Raffles Place, Singapore 048624 Ph: +65 6248 4520. Queries can be made to Nigel McCook, nigel.mccook@edgardunn.com or Michael Walters, michael.walters@edgardunn.com

About Edgar, Dunn & Company

Edgar, Dunn & Company (EDC) is an independent global financial services and payments consultancy. Founded in 1978, the firm is widely regarded as a trusted advisor in the payments industry providing a full range of strategy consulting services, expertise and market insight. Global capabilities include in-depth industry and consumer benchmarking, strategy, risk management, marketing, profitability improvement, operations, and new products and technologies. With offices in Atlanta, Frankfurt, London, San Francisco, Singapore and Sydney, EDC serves clients in over 30 countries on six continents. More information can be found at http://www.edgardunn.com

SOURCE Edgar, Dunn & Company
CONTACT: David Dee of Edgar, Dunn & Company,
+61-2-9279 2442,
David.Dee@edgardunn.com; or
Dianne Douglas, +1-415-584-4906,
dianne@douglaspr.com, for Edgar, Dunn & Company
Web site: http://www.edgardunn.com

COPYRIGHT © 2008

Kraton Polymers announces Asia Pacific HSBC price increase

Houston (BUSINESS WIRE) - Kraton Polymers continues to experience unprecedented cost increases derived from raw materials, energy and packaging costs.

As a result of these aggressive cost drivers, effective May 1, 2008, or as contracts permit, we are announcing a general price increase of 220 USD/MT, in Asia Pacific for our HSBC product portfolio, which is defined as our SEBS and SEPS based polymers and compounds.

We appreciate our customers' continued business and understanding as Kraton continues to manage these difficult economic challenges. We continue to strive to be the innovation leader, providing polymer solutions and value-added services that enable our customers to differentiate and succeed in their markets.

About Kraton

Kraton is a leading global engineered polymer company and, we believe, the world's largest producer of styrenic block copolymers (SBCs), a family of products whose chemistry was pioneered by us over forty years ago. SBCs are highly-engineered thermoplastic elastomers, which enhance the performance of numerous products by delivering a variety of attributes, including greater flexibility, resilience, strength, durability and processability. Kraton polymers are used in a wide range of applications including adhesives, coatings, consumer and personal care products, sealants, lubricants, medical, packaging, automotive, paving, roofing, and footwear products. Kraton has the leading position in nearly all of its core markets and is the only producer of SBCs with global manufacturing capability. Its production facilities are located in the United States, Germany, France, The Netherlands, Brazil, and Japan.

Kraton, the Kraton logo and design, and "Giving Innovators their Edge" tagline are trademarks of Kraton Polymers LLC.

Forward Looking StatementsThis press release includes "forward-looking statements" which are statements other than statements of historical fact and are often characterized by the use of words such as "believes," "expects," "estimates,""projects," "may," "will," "intends," "plans" or "anticipates," or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. All forward-looking statements in this press release are made based on management's current expectations and estimates, which involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements.Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We assume no obligation to update such information.

Kraton Polymers LLC
Media: Richard Ott, 281-504-4720

Howard Zhang joins Davis Polk as firm expands Beijing office

Beijing (BUSINESS WIRE) - Davis Polk & Wardwell today announced that Howard Zhang will join the firm on April 7, 2008 as a partner in the Beijing office. Mr Zhang will advise clients on cross-border securities, mergers and acquisitions and strategic investment transactions. He joins the firm from O'Melveny & Myers, where he was Managing Partner of their Beijing office and a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions Practice.

Mr Zhang, a former diplomat with the Chinese government, is internationally recognized for his expertise in venture capital and private equity transactions. He has extensive experience working with leading private equity firms, venture capital funds, investment banks and multinational corporations. He is routinely listed as a leading lawyer in directories, including Chambers and Legal 500.

According to Chambers Global 2008, clients and peers refer to Mr Zhang as the "guru of private equity."

Davis Polk's Beijing office opened in February 2007 to expand the presence and reach of the firm's broad and highly successful practice there. The firm was lead counsel for the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) on its $21.6 billion dual-listed initial public offering, the largest IPO in history.

Davis Polk also advised ICBC on a $3.78 billion investment by Goldman Sachs, Allianz Group and American Express. Other Chinese matters handled by Davis Polk include the IPOs of Air China, China Merchants Bank, China Construction Bank, Sinopec, China Unicom and Baidu.com, the proposed $18.5 billion acquisition of Unocal by China National Offshore Oil Corporation, sovereign debt offerings by the People's Republic of China, the formation of China International Capital Corporation, and numerous other equity and high-yield debt offerings, and mergers and acquisitions and private equity transactions involving companies in China.

"This move to expand our Beijing office is a result of the highly successful practice we've built in China," said John R. Ettinger, Managing Partner of Davis Polk. "Howard Zhang adds an unsurpassed understanding of the regulatory environment and business practices in China. He is a welcome addition to our partnership and I know he will be integral to continued success for the firm and our clients."

"Davis Polk has a long history as a leading firm on global transactions involving China," said Howard Zhang. "I look forward to building on the firm's exceptional success and helping to further establish its presence in the Chinese marketplace."

"Our Beijing office already has represented issuers and underwriters in many important and frequently ground-breaking offerings, as well as a number of large M&A transactions," said Show-Mao Chen, Davis Polk partner and head of the office in Beijing. "Howard's arrival is a key step in building on these assignments. In particular, Howard significantly bolsters our M&A and private equity capabilities in China, and will be a natural fit and excellent addition to our preeminent global M&A
practice."

Mr Zhang holds a JD from Boston University, where he was a recipient of the American Jurisprudence Award, and a BA from Shanghai International Studies University.

Active in China for more than a century, Davis Polk has been involved in a number of the largest-ever Chinese cross-border transactions. The firm has been active throughout Asia since the early 1900 s and was one of the first Wall Street law firms to open offices in Tokyo and Hong Kong. The firm's China practice now consists of over 25 lawyers in the region.

About Davis Polk & Wardwell.

Davis Polk & Wardwell is a global law firm based in New York City. For nearly 160 years, its lawyers have advised industry-leading companies and global financial institutions on their most challenging legal and business matters. Davis Polk ranks among the world's preeminent law firms across the entire range of its practice, which spans such areas as capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, credit, litigation, private equity, tax, investment management, insolvency and restructuring, executive compensation, intellectual property and real estate. The firm has approximately 700 lawyers in offices in New York, Menlo Park, CA, Washington, DC, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Madrid, Hong Kong, Beijing and Tokyo. For more information, go to: http://www.davispolk.com.

Davis Polk & Wardwell
Harald Stavenas, 1-212-450-6039 harald.stavenas@davispolk.com
or Weber Shandwick
Grace Li, (86) 10 8580 2022 (ext.118)gli@webershandwick.com

iQor opens second call center in India

New York & Delhi, India (BUSINESS WIRE) - iQor, Inc. (formerly IRMC), a premier provider of call center services, continues its global expansion with the opening of its second call center in India. With its new Center of Excellence in Delhi, iQor plans to employ more than 1,000 people by the end of 2008, nearly doubling its operations in India.

"India is well-established in the call center industry and we are pleased to have increased our footprint so quickly and dramatically over the last 18 months," said Vikas Kapoor, President and CEO, iQor, Inc.

Call center agents in India have the opportunity to work with one of the largest and fastest-growing global call center companies in the industry. As part of its ongoing commitment to employee retention, iQor rewards performance with no limits on income potential. iQor will provide employees with air-conditioned, home-to-home transportation to and from work.

"We have the best rate of employee retention in the industry, especially in our India operations," said Rakesh Kumar, COO, Global Retention Operations. "The simple reason is that we don't offer just a job, but a career with opportunities to grow ? financially, in responsibility and in title ? within the company. We also offer our employees the unique opportunity to work in other iQor offices anywhere around the world.""Expanding in India is only the start," continued Kapoor. "Our business is growing and we plan a second wave of global expansion of talent this year. We will create more jobs in the Philippines, India, North America and other locations. Our people may physically sit in one location -- whether it's Ohio or Delhi -- but they are truly global workers, providing service to people 24/7, wherever they may reside."

iQor has expanded its operations by 100% since 2006. This year, the company's major global growth spurt will include expansion in the Philippines, Canada, India and the United States.

The expansion is part of iQor's commitment to its global corporate vision of excellence, including a $50 million technology investment strategy that has resulted in a higher customer satisfaction rate. Delhi is one of 20 iQor locations worldwide -- from Phoenix to the Philippines and Canada to India -- that encompasses the first and largest all-digital, Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) deployments in the call center industry.

About iQor

iQor provides call center services to some of the best-known companies in the world from 20 Centers of Excellence in five countries and four continents. iQor's 8,000 employees work with state-of-the-art technology that affords maximum flexibility to iQor customers to tap the best skills of a global workforce. It serves clients in a range of industries including financial services, telecommunications and government. Its services include customer care, customer retention and revenue recovery.

iQor, Inc.
Global Public Relations:Jennifer Harvey, 1-646-375-6188 jennifer.harvey@iqor.com
or Delhi Public Relations:Sanjay Soni, 981-180-3762 Sanjay.soni@iqor.com

Business: Convergys Relationship Management Solution wins BillingChina Award

Cincinnati & Shanghai, China (BUSINESS WIRE) - Convergys Corporation (NYSE: CVG), a global leader in relationship management, announced today it has received the 2007 Annual Best Billing Product Award from BillingChina, the telecom media in the B/OSS industry in China.

Convergys won the award for its Infinys[R] Series 3 Solution, a highly scalable, end-to-end customer-centric customer care and business support system that supports existing and emerging services across multiple vertical markets. It delivers products and services to market quickly and easily. It serves as a flexible and feature-rich software application that defines new services via configuration without customization. As part of a relationship management strategy, Convergys' billing solutions are designed to drive more value from the relationships its clients have with their customers and employees.

"The purpose of the 2007 B/OSS & IT Industry Excellent Awards is to recognize companies, both Chinese operators and vendors, and people in the B/OSS area who made special contribution to the success of the industry," said Steve Qiao, Managing Director of BillingChina.

"In order to succeed in competitive markets, Chinese operators must deliver products to market quickly and reduce costs," said Iain Hackett, Convergys Vice President, Asia Pacific Region. "Convergys' award winning solution delivers on this mandate by bridging the divide between pre- and post-paid, voice, video, data, and content enabling management of subscriber transactions on a single platform."

With its award-winning software and its broad portfolio of professional and consulting services, Convergys leads the communications industry in the deployment of real-time convergent billing -- including the Quadruple Play of video, voice, data, and wireless -- for cable, wireless, satellite, and wireline service providers around the world.

About BillingChina

BillingChina provides the International Billing & OSS community and their Chinese counterparts with the most comprehensive information on the current development of the Telecommunication Industry. While serving the Billing and OSS market as a "platform of exchange," we are committed to leading the market by offering customers timely, vital resources, and superior services designed to enhance their efforts of competing in this important market.

Based in Beijing, BillingChina has gained a reputation for providing quality products and excellent service to the Chinese and International Telecom community.

BillingChina provides 360 degree information services and promotion services, including B/OSS magazine, www.billingchina.com website, billing e-newsletter, conferences & events, trainings, reports and other customized services.

About Convergys

Convergys Corporation (NYSE: CVG) is a global leader in relationship management. We provide solutions that drive more value from the relationships our clients have with their customers and employees.

Convergys turns these everyday interactions into a source of profit and strategic advantage for our clients.

For 25 years, our unique combination of domain expertise, operational excellence, and innovative technologies has delivered process improvement and actionable business insight to clients that now span more than 70 countries and 35 languages.

Convergys is a member of the S&P 500 and has been voted a Fortune Most Admired Company for seven consecutive years. We have approximately 75,000 employees in 84 customer contact centers and other facilities in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, and our global headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more information, visit www.convergys.com.

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(Convergys, Infinys, and the Convergys logo are registered trademarks of Convergys Corporation.) Convergys Corporation

Susan McKay at +65 6248 5198 or susan.mckay@convergys.com
John Pratt at +1 513 723 3333 or john.pratt@convergys.com