Technology: Clean Diesel signs deal with China Diesel Engine Exhaust Co

Clean Diesel Technologies announces licensing agreement with largest Diesel Engine Exhaust Company in China

Milestone Agreement opens markets in China for emissions reduction technologies

Stamford, Conn. (BUSINESS WIRE) - Clean Diesel Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:CDTI; XETRA:CDIA; AIM:CDT), the cleantech emissions reduction company, today announces it has licensed its Wire Mesh Filter (WMF) technology to Headway Machinery Co., Ltd. (Zhucheng City, China), the largest commercial diesel engine exhaust company in China.

This agreement enables Headway to develop the WMF technology in order to provide particulate matter (PM) emission reduction solutions to China-based truck manufacturers. The objective for Headway is to bring China in line with the Euro IV PM emission standards for light and medium duty trucks. China adopted the Euro IV emissions standards on January 1, 2008. Clean Diesel, in return, will receive an upfront licensing fee and royalties on all WMF units sold in China.

"This deal provides Clean Diesel comprehensive access to the world's second largest automotive market," said Dr. Bernhard Steiner, President and CEO of Clean Diesel Technologies. "This agreement reinforces the value of our technologies as cost effective, robust emission control solutions for use worldwide.
We are very proud to be working with Headway Machinery."

Headway CEO, Mr Pei-hai Gao said, "Headway is the largest commercial diesel engine exhaust supplier in China.

Combining our market reach with technologies from Clean Diesel, a world leader in the development of emissions reduction technologies, will help provide a cleaner future for China. Our cooperation combines the respective strengths of both parties, which includes deep market penetration on the one hand and proven effective technology on the other."

Mr Gao added, "As the world pays more attention to environmental matters, and as China emphasises energy efficiency and pollution reduction, I am confident that our cooperation will have a long, enduring future. I see great success and a bright future for our two companies."About Headway Machinery Headway Machinery, established in 1985, is based in Zhucheng City of the Shangdong Province. The company is China's largest tier-one automotive diesel exhaust supplier with market reach throughout China. For more information, please visit www.headwaymachine.com.

About Clean Diesel Technologies

Clean Diesel Technologies (NASDAQ: CDTI) is a cleantech company providing sustainable solutions to reduce emissions, increase energy efficiency and lower the carbon intensity of on- and off-road engine applications. Clean Diesel's patented technologies and products allow manufacturers and operators to comply with increasingly strict regulatory emissions and air
quality standards, while also improving fuel economy and power.
The Company's solutions, which are in commercial use worldwide, significantly reduce emissions formed by the combustion of fossil fuels and biofuels, including particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons. Clean Diesel solutions also reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, a key greenhouse gas associated with global climate change.

Clean Diesel develops and manages intellectual property from original concept to full-scale commercial deployment. Its offerings include ARIS? Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR); the patented combination of SCR and Exhaust Gas Recirculation; hydrocarbon injection for emissions control applications; Platinum Plus? Fuel-Borne Catalyst (FBC); the Purifier? family of particulate filter systems; and its Wire Mesh Filter particulate filter technologies. The Company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. A wholly owned subsidiary, Clean Diesel International, LLC, is based in London, England. For more information, please visit www.cdti.com.

Certain statements in this news release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known or unknown risks, including those detailed in the Company's filings with the U.S.

Securities and Exchange Commission, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.

Clean Diesel Technologies, Inc.
Dan Skelton, +44 1883 629 090dskelton@cdti.com
or Crescendo Communications, LLC
(U.S. investor contact)
David K. Waldman
or Klea Theoharis, +1 212-671-1020 cdti@crescendo-ir.com
or Innovator Capital Limited
(Financial press inquiries)
Shaun BrownJade Summer +44 20 7297 6840 jade.summer@innovator-capital.com.
or Charles Stanley Securities
Nominated Advisors
Philip Davies, +44 20 7149 6457 philip.davies@csysecurities.com
or Matter Communications
(Technical press inquiries)
Jacqueline Volovich, +1 978-499-9250 x236Jackie@matternow.com

Business: Franklin Int`l launches Guangzhou operationFranklin Int`l launches Guangzhou operation

Franklin International Launches Guangzhou Operation to Better Serve China's Wood Assembly, Construction Markets

Columbus,Ohio (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Franklin International, a global leader in the manufacture of glues, adhesives and sealants, is launching a new operation in China -- Franklin (Guangzhou) Adhesives Company, Ltd. -- to be in closer proximity to the increasing number of customers in the wood assembly and construction markets in China and the Pacific Rim.

Franklin Guangzhou, a wholly owned foreign enterprise (WDFE), formally opens April 9 in a newly constructed plant in the prosperous Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development District, near Hong Kong in southeast China.

At the new plant, Franklin Guangzhou will produce many of its well-known emulsion-based adhesives developed for the wood assembly market, including furniture assembly and engineered building products. Ultimately, the company will expand production to include its renowned line of Titebond(R) adhesives for the residential and commercial construction industry.

Specifically, Franklin Guangzhou initially will produce a range of glues that meet every need within the furniture assembly plant, from bonding veneers and finger jointing to general assembly. The Guangzhou product line features formulas for use with all types of press equipment used in the furniture assembly industry (cold press, hot press, radio frequency press equipment). The formulas include several well-known Titebond brand industrial products as well as newer products such as Reactite EP 925 and Multibond EZ-1. Franklin Guangzhou will follow this with a broader range of adhesives for production of engineered wood and fiberglass composite products.

Although Franklin International has been selling many of these products to customers in China for more than a decade, the ability to produce them locally enables the company to reduce shipping time and be more nimble in meeting customer needs. The launch of the China operation also reflects the company's deep commitment to the Chinese and Pan-Asian markets, said Franklin International chief operating officer Evan Williams.

Certainly, Franklin International planned the new 8,900-square-meter Franklin Guangzhou facility to handle long-term growth in China. The facility houses a two-story office and laboratory building as well as expansive production and warehousing areas. An expansive tank farm, multiple loading docks -- and the potential to double production capacity -- enable Franklin Guangzhou to meet current and future demands of the region's burgeoning furniture and construction markets.

The plant initially employs nine and operates under the guidance of general manager Jason Wang. Wang brings 14 years of experience in the chemical industry -- including nine years in operation management -- to Franklin Guangzhou.

"We at Franklin International are extremely excited over the opening of our Guangzhou operation and the opportunity to strengthen our ability to serve our customers in the region," said Williams. "Although Franklin is aggressively increasing its presence across the globe, Franklin Guangzhou actually is our only manufacturing facility outside our U.S. base. This is testament to the depth of our commitment to our Chinese customers and the Pacific Rim market in general as well as our broader commitment to ensuring that our customers around the world can get the same quality and performance from our products, regardless of manufacturing origin. Our limited number of facilities allows us to carefully control what passes as a Franklin product."

Franklin Guangzhou began production at the new plant in early April and plans to begin distributing product by May 1.

About Franklin International: Based in Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A., Franklin International was established in 1935 and today is among the largest privately held manufacturers of adhesives and sealants for commercial and industrial applications. Franklin integrates its core competency, emulsion polymerization, into a broad product offering, including glues, adhesives, hot melts, binders, films, sizing compounds and more. These products are distributed across six continents for use in construction, furniture manufacturing, millwork, paper converting, pressure-sensitive paper products and fiberglass reinforcement.

SOURCE: Franklin International
CONTACT: Jeanne Tranter for Franklin International,
+1-614-445-0888,
jtranter@trantercommunications.com, or
Abbe Raabe of Franklin International,
+1-614-445-1337,
abberaabe@franklininternational.com
Web site: http://franklininternational.com

COPYRIGHT © 2008

Business: momagri introduces a new vision for agriculture

Brussels (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Pierre Pagesse, Chairman of momagri, a Paris-based think tank, today announced the initial results of momagri's economic model to the European Parliament. Unlike models currently used in international negotiations, it is the only model that accounts for the specific character of agriculture.

Presented by Bertrand Munier, momagri Chief Economist, momagri's model demonstrates that free trade will not stabilize prices but will increase instability. Indeed, simulations based on the assumption of complete market free trade in 2008 show that large-scale crops and grains will see price volatility rise sharply, while cattle prices will collapse.

In addition, unregulated free trade, by increasing the participation of financial speculators, will further intensify price volatility. This was demonstrated by a new groundbreaking indicator that links the percentages of financial speculators to the increasing volatility of agricultural prices. Based on these simulations, one can no longer claim that increased free trade paired with a sustained demand would ensure that prices remain stable at profitable levels.

"To obtain a regular, linear increase in agricultural prices over the coming years -- as simulated by current models -- events would need to conspire in a way that defies probability laws. This utopian scenario assumes that there are no speculators, that farmers can fully anticipate the future and that climate conditions are ideal," noted Jacques Carles, momagri Executive Vice President. "The premises on which international negotiations, the CAP and the WTO are basing their decisions do not reflect reality, but rather an ideology that has been severely questioned by simulations using the momagri model."

Pierre Pagesse pointed out "that in simulating the impact of the Falconer proposal to the WTO, the model demonstrates that increasing price volatility was very close to the scenario of complete free trade. Consequently, a multilateral decision to reduce customs duties, national incentives and export subsidies would not benefit the poorest countries and would, in fact, have the opposite effect. Farmers cannot survive in a market that has become highly chaotic. Without an international agricultural policy, any dismantlement undertaken outside the framework of international cooperation could threaten food safety in our countries."

This is why for momagri a World Agriculture Organization must be established to ensure free markets through appropriate regulations at the international level.

http://www.momagri.org
SOURCE: momagri
CONTACT: Julie El Ghouzzi,
+33-1-43-06-42-70,
presse@momagri.org
Web site: http://www.momagri.org

COPYRIGHT © 2008

Health/Medical: Novagali Pharma announces the launch of Cationorm

- The Innovative Cationic Emulsion for the Treatment of Dry Eye Symptoms
- An optimal Solution for Patients
- The First Product Developed From its Pipeline to be Marketed

Evry (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Novagali Pharma, an ophthalmic specialty pharmaceutical company announces the commercial launch in France of its first product Cationorm(R). This cationic emulsion is an innovative approach to treat dry eye symptoms. It has been developed on the basis of Novagali Pharma patented technology platform Novasorb(R).

Dry eye syndrome is the second cause of consultation in ophthalmology. It concerns over 100 million people in the world and 14% of the adults of more than 40 years. Due to a chronic lack of lubrication and moisture in the eye, its consequences range from irritation to ocular inflammation of the conjunctiva and corneal tissues of the eyes. People with dry eye have sandy-gritty irritation or burning in their eyes. In most severe cases, corneal lesions may lead to vision loss. Specific factors such as ageing populations, pollution, air conditioning, extended use of computers, contribute to an increase in the prevalence of the syndrome and in opportunities for the development of more efficient products.

Cationorm(R) brings a true innovation to the patients suffering from dry eye symptoms. The cationic emulsion reproduces the tear mechanisms of action to act on the different levels of the tear film. Cationorm(R) uniquely combines lubricating and hydrating properties, optimal spreading on the surface of the eye, replenishment of the tear film lipid layer and prevention of tear evaporation. The results of clinical study have clearly demonstrated Cationorm(R) advantages for patients: tolerance, long-lasting relief and optimal comfort.

These advantages are based on Novasorb(R), the proprietary cationic emulsion technology platform of Novagali Pharma.

Novasorb(R) is designed to improve topical administration of ophthalmic medicines. It is based on the electrostatic attraction that occurs between the droplets of a positively-charged emulsion and the negatively charged cells of the ocular surface, including cornea and conjunctiva.

The commercial launch of Cationorm(R) in Europe and in the United States by the end 2008, where the product complies with the OTC status, is a major event for the development of Novagali Pharma. "Cationorm(R) commercial launch is very special to us being our first marketed product coming out of our pipeline. It is the result of many years of work for the entire Novagali team and we are very proud of the innovation Cationorm(R) brings for the treatment of dry eye symptoms," said Jerome Martinez, CEO of Novagali Pharma.

Cationorm(R) is a medical device available in France since April 2008. The product is unpreserved and packaged in box of 30 sterile single vials.

About Novagali Pharma : http://www.novagali.com

Novagali Pharma is an ophthalmic pharmaceutical company based in the Genopole biocluster in Evry (France) that develops and commercializes innovative products. Thanks to its proprietary technology platforms Novasorb(R) and Eyeject(R), the company has developed a broad pipeline of 7 innovative products addressing main ocular conditions as well as orphan diseases. Most advanced products include Vekacia(R), an orphan product for treatment of vernal keratoconjunctivitis, Cyclokat(R), a product for the treatment of moderate-to-severe dry eye syndrome and Cortiject(R) for the treatment of diabetic retinopathies. Cationorm(R), indicated for dry eye symptoms is commercialized in France since April 2008. Founded in 2000, Novagali Pharma has 50 employees.

SOURCE: Novagali Pharma
CONTACT: Presse,
Novagali Pharma,
VP RH & Communication,
Genevieve Garrigos,
+33-6-65-54-60-19,
Ariane Pretre,
genevieve.garrigos@novagali.com;
Euro RSCG,
+33-6-81-37-72-48,
ariane.pretre@eurorscg.fr;
C&O Euro RSCG C&O,
Emilie Dhelens,
+33-1-58-47-95-62,
emilie.dhelens@eurorscg.fr
Web site: http://www.novagali.com

COPYRIGHT © 2008

Technology: RTS announces new alliance in Taiwan with SYSTEX Corporation

RTS Announces New Alliance in Taiwan with SYSTEX Corporation as Certified Distribution Partner

Chicago, Il. and Taipei, Taiwan (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - RTS Realtime Systems Group and SYSTEX Corporation (SYSTEX) today announced that they have entered into a distribution agreement to sell and support the entire portfolio of RTS' professional trading solutions to the Taiwanese market.

SYSTEX is a world-class information technology services and software services provider operating its businesses throughout Asia. The leading IT service provider in Taiwan, SYSTEX has several business units focusing on E-Business, Commercial Software, Data Management and Integration, Electronic Business Services and Financial Services.

"We are pleased to welcome SYSTEX as our Certified Partner," said John Dempsey, Vice President, Business Development at RTS, responsible for worldwide partnerships. "RTS has 15 years of experience providing customers with high-performance market connectivity and proven trading solutions. SYSTEX has a strong presence and large customer base in Taiwan and Mainland China.

Their industry knowledge and drive to provide local customers with state-of-the-art solutions were key to our decision to enter into a partnership."

"We look forward to bringing RTS' wide range of financial marketplace trading solutions and services to our strong and growing Taiwanese client base," said Tina Kuo, Vice President of SYSTEX. "There is growing demand in Taiwan for high performance, high-speed access to markets all over the world, and RTS and SYSTEX now can offer this capability to institutions and firms, as well as individual traders."

Steffen Gemuenden, Co-CEO and President of RTS, added: "The partnership with SYSTEX ensures that RTS can now further channel its product solutions to local and international Taiwanese players. Asia will clearly continue to be among the most important markets for financial services in the next decade. Partnering with SYSTEX gives us strong local representation in one of the most promising and prosperous markets, and it builds on our growing presence in Asia following the establishment last summer of our distribution partnership for the Japanese market."

About RTS Realtime Systems Group:

RTS is a leading solutions provider with nine offices and five distribution partners worldwide. Founded in 1992, RTS is a pioneer in the design and creation of high performance, functionally rich, multi-asset electronic trading software, with thousands of user connections to nearly 100 exchanges. www.rtsgroup.net

About SYSTEX:

Taiwan's two leading information technology (IT) players, SYSTEX and Sysware, were merged on January 1, 2007 to create the SYSTEX Corporation. With tremendous assets and financial strength, the new organization combines the most comprehensive product and service mix, successes and talents in the industry as it consolidates its lead in Taiwan by focusing on knowledge products, technology services and system integration. SYSTEX is also building a quality enterprise capable of competing with world-class IT service providers in China and India by developing businesses in eight Asia Pacific markets.

www.SYSTEX.com.tw
SOURCE: RTS Realtime Systems Group
CONTACT: Ellen G. Resnick of Crystal Clear Communications,
+1-773-929-9292,
+1-312-399-9295 cell,
eresnick@crystalclearPR.com
Web site: http://www.rtsgroup.net
http://www.SYSTEX.com.tw

COPYRIGHT © 2008

Technology: Elcoteq participates in the Next-Generation Mobile Technologies Seminar 2008

Hong Kong,(ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Elcoteq SE, a leading integrated electronics manufacturing services (EMS) company with original design manufacturing (ODM)capabilities in the communications technology field, will introduce its electronics manufacturing services and present as one of the keynote speakers at the Next-Generation Mobile Technologies Seminar, being held at the Embassy of Canada in Tokyo, Japan on April 17 and 18, 2008. Dr. Folkert Wierda, Director, Business Development, Personal Communications Business Area at Elcoteq, will describe ways to profit in the burgeoning communications market with a paper, "IEMS: From 'Quick Fix' to Best Total Cost of Ownership".

Using an EMS company that specializes in the communications technology market enables communications companies to have an asset-light corporation, increased flexibility, risk sharing,and it allows management to focus on products, brand, and sales. It increases the speed of doing business and time-to-market, reduces complexity, and provides the best total cost of ownership.

"There are so many new technologies, opportunities, and companies involved in the mobile communications industry,especially with mobile computing, that we are happy to add our expertise and experience as participants in the symposium," said Dr. Wierda. "Elcoteq has focused on communications technology for over 20 years. We are one of the three largest EMS mobile phone manufacturers in the world, with over 1 billion handset assemblies delivered. Elcoteq considers optimization of total cost of ownership to be a key factor for brand owners in ensuring their profit as the communications market moves forward. We are hoping that our participation in this symposium raises recognition of this issue."

The Next-Generation Mobile Technologies Seminar 2008 is co-hosted by Inter-Embassies Mobile Forum (IEMF), The Mobile Computing Promotion Consortium (MCPC), and the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo. The event will share the latest mobile technology, products, and information among professionals of the wireless industry in Japan and overseas, including business executives,decision-makers, buyers, engineers of mobile phone carriers,handset manufacturers, and systems integrators.

Log on to the Elcoteq blog at http://www.elcoteq-blog.com to learn about the latest features and key drivers in the EMS and communications technology industries.

About Elcoteq

Elcoteq SE is a leading electronics manufacturing services (EMS) company in the communications technology field. Elcoteq's global service offering covers the entire lifecycle of products, from product development to after-market services. By further combining mechanics expertise into its service offering, Elcoteq's vision is to be a leading integrated electronics manufacturing services (IEMS) company.

Elcoteq provides global end-to-end solutions consisting of product development services, supply chain management, NPI,manufacturing, and after-market services for the whole lifecycle of its customers' products. These products include Personal Communications products such as mobile phones and their parts, Home Communications products such as set-top boxes and electronics for flat screen TVs as well as Communications Networks products such as base-stations, tower-top amplifiers,and microwave systems.

Elcoteq operates in 15 countries on four continents and employs some 24,000 people. The Group's consolidated net sales for 2007 totaled 4.0 billion euros. Elcoteq SE is listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange. For more information visit the Elcoteq website at http://www.elcoteq.com .

For more details of the event originally in Japanese, please visit the official website of Inter-Embassies Mobile Forum (IEMF), http://iemf.jp/Event/index.html .

For More Information contact:
Elcoteq SE:
Carsten Barth
Director, Marketing and Communications
Tel:
+41-41-728-0313
Mobile: +41-79-618-0313
Fax:
+41-41-728-0394
Email: carsten.barth@elcoteq.com
Agency:
Andrea Roberts
AR Marketing Inc
Tel:
+1-858-451-8666
Email: andrea@armarketinginc.com
SOURCE Elcoteq SE

COPYRIGHT © 2008

Business: RAK Petroleum announces new board appointment

Dubai (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - RAK Petroleum announced today the appointment of Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani to its Board of Directors and to a newly formed position as Chairman of the Executive Committee and Managing Director, effective immediately.

Mr. Mossavar-Rahmani is an experienced oil industry executive and currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Foxtrot International, LDC, a Franco-American oil and gas company active in West Africa and as CEO of Mondoil Enterprises, LLC, an energy holding company, in the United States. He was founder and first chief executive of Houston-based Apache International, Inc.

"We are pleased to welcome Bijan to RAK Petroleum and look forward to working together to take the company to the next level as a significant and successful regional oil and gas exploration and production player," said Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, Chairman of RAK Petroleum's Board of Directors. Mr. Al Ghurair is also Director and CEO of Mashreq PSC and Speaker of the House of the 14th Legislative Chapter of the Federal National Council in the United Arab Emirates.

RAK Petroleum is active in exploration for oil and gas currently in the Sultanate of Oman and also in Ras Al Khaimah.
The company produces gas from a small offshore field in Oman and will commence production from a second, larger field later this year. The vast majority of the company's issued share capital is held in the United Arab Emirates and in Saudi Arabia.

In addition to his industry positions, Mr. Mossavar-Rahmani is active in public and international affairs and serves as a member of Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government's Visiting Committee and also of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art Visiting Committee on Islamic Art.
He has published more than ten books and dozens of articles on global energy markets and was decorated a Commandeur de l'Ordre National de la Cote d'Ivoire for services to the energy sector of that country.

RAK Petroleum also announced that Peter Sadler, who held the interim position of CEO since April 2007, has stepped down. Mr.Sadler was formerly CEO of London AIM-listed Indago Petroleum; RAK Petroleum acquired Indago's Oman exploration and production assets a year ago and the process of integration of those assets into its new owner's portfolio has now been completed.

For more information contact:
Samantha Bartel
Samantha.bartel@buchananme.com
Mob: +971 50 656 8851
SOURCE: RAK Petroleum
CONTACT: Samantha Bartel,
for RAK Petroleum,
+971-50-656-8851,
Samantha.bartel@buchananme.com

COPYRIGHT © 2008

Technology: Telenor Pakistan selects Acision to support dramatic growth

Messaging, charging and usage monitoring to help improve customer experience

Singapore (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Acision, the messaging and charging company of choice for over 300 network operators and service providers, announced today that Telenor Pakistan has selected Acision to provide its high performance Next Generation Short Message Service Centre (SMSC), Pre-delivery Service Agent (PSA), a gateway for message charging, and Business Tools platform. As Telenor Pakistan continues to aggressively expand its market share in the region, these new solutions will help to quickly implement new services, understand customer usage patterns and ensure sufficient capacity for expansion in the future.

Telenor Pakistan's decision to expand with Acision's highly scalable solutions will allow the operator to trial new messaging services and key features with customers before commercially launching them to the market, providing the highest quality experience for its subscriber base. As a result of strong and sustained development in the region's mobile market, Telenor Pakistan, the country's fastest growing operator, is competing for new subscribers from a rapidly increasing customer base.

Acision's Pre-delivery Agent will help Telenor Pakistan to benefit from a simplified message charging architecture, which reduces the complexity and cost of launching new service plans across both pre- and post-paid subscriber bases. In addition to managing performance and efficiency, Telenor Pakistan will use Acision's Business Tools to analyse subscriber usage patterns and obtain operational intelligence. This allows Telenor Pakistan to understand what their customers want and offer them value-added services through targeted marketing campaigns, thereby enhancing subscriber satisfaction while at the same time ensuring future revenue growth.

Chief Technical Officer Telenor Pakistan, Peter Anthony Dindial, commented: "In what is an exciting, fast moving market, we must be ready to meet growing subscriber numbers and offer them the reliable and robust services that they demand. Telenor and Acision have a relationship that spans the globe across all Telenor entities. Our decision to work with Acision in Pakistan is based on their ability to deliver comprehensive solutions in terms of value add for our end subscribers, helping Telenor Pakistan to benefit from Acision's expertise as a leader in the global mobile market."

Boudewijn Pesch, Managing Director for Acision in Asia Pacific, added: "For an operator to harness a strong subscriber base, it is paramount that services offered can cope with the growing demand of future subscribers. Telenor Pakistan has recognised that Acision delivers robust, scalable market-leading solutions in Messaging and Charging, coupled with the experience and support capability to assist Telenor Pakistan with its future long-term growth."

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Telenor Pakistan

Telenor ASA is an international provider of high quality telecommunications, data and media communication services. It ranks as world's 7th largest mobile operator with a total of 143 million subscribers in its mobile operations. Telenor Pakistan is 100% owned by Telenor ASA and adds on to its operations in Asia together with Thailand, Malaysia and Bangladesh.

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% 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 organisation, offering 24/7 support provided through twenty four local service centres and three state of the art global support centres. 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
Radha K. Raman
Director, Marketing, Asia Pacific
Acision
Tel: +65-65051021
Email: radha.raman@acision.com
David Ross Tomlin / Bettina Winters
Hotwire PR
Tel: +44-(0)-207-608-2500
Email: acision@hotwirepr.com
SOURCE: Acision
Contact: Radha K. Raman,
Director,
Marketing,
Asia Pacific of Acision,
+65-65051021,
radha.raman@acision.com; or
David Ross Tomlin - Bettina Winters of Hotwire PR,
+44-(0)-207-608-2500,
acision@hotwirepr.com
Web site: http://www.acision.com

COPYRIGHT © 2008

Business: Malaysian Investor Group says some locals thwart PNG FDI drive

Malaysian Investor Group says some locals thwarting PNG Governments drive to attract more FDI

Kuala Lumpur - Bernama-AsiaNet/ - A Malaysian investor group claims that some unscrupulous businessmen in Papua New Guinea (PNG) are thwarting their government's efforts to attract more foreign direct investment (FDI) to the country.

A senior manager of one such investor group said genuine foreign investors were desirous of investing money into local properties with a view to develop businesses which in turn provide job opportunities to locals and generate taxes for the government.

"The government of Papua New Guinea (PNG) must take the lead and assure foreign investors that they are welcome to do business in the country," he said.

Initiatives like having dialogues and ensuring that all branches of the executive and corresponding government bodies were briefed on the need to have practical and legal safeguards and protection for genuine foreign investors from being unnecessarily dragged to court by unscrupulous local PNG businessmen would help, he said.

He said his investor group bought a piece of land from a tender some years ago and even went to register the property in its name with the PNG Land Board.

"Much to our horror, what we found was that the land we paid for has now been forfeited by the authorities there," he said

The company now finds itself embroiled in a protracted lawsuit in its efforts to have its legal rights recognized.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Kitson Foong
Corporate Advisor
Tel : 00-603-7710 2010 ext. 103
H/P : 00-6012-210 6797
Ms. Christine Tan
Legal Manager
Tel : 00-603-7710 2010 ext. 186
H/P : 00-6012-659 1946
SOURCE: Palm Gold

Technology: Addintools eases interface differences between MS Office 2003 & 2007

Haikou, (ANTARA News/Xinhua-PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Addintools announced today the release of Classic Menu for Office 2007 v3.91, a new update for the popular suite of tools that enables users to introduce the interface of MS Office 2003 into MS Office 2007.

This new update allows users to utilize the menu buttons and layout of Office 2003, while still enjoying the benefits of Office 2007.

With the release of Microsoft Office 2007 many 2003 users encountered problems learning to use the new interface. With Classic Menu for Office 2007, however, this problem is solved. Once installed, the application brings back the familiar Office 2003 menus for Word, Excel, Outlook, Access and PowerPoint 2007.

The application is also extremely easy to deploy within a complete organization or enterprise, essentially increasing labor productivity as it becomes unnecessary for the employees to waste working hours getting accustomed to the new Office 2007 environment.

Furthermore, Classic Menu for Office 2007 is ideal for international organizations as it supports all the languages of Microsoft Office 2007, including English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Dutch, Chinese, and many others.

All aforementioned abilities along with its easy installation and removal, small size (only 3.5 Mb), prompt command execution and quick startup, make Classic Menu for Office 2007 irreplaceable for those who, owing to particular circumstances, do not have an opportunity to change their habits and re-adapt to the new interface of Microsoft Office 2007.

Availability

Classic Menu for Office 2007 runs under Windows 2003, XP and Vista. The product is available immediately through the Addintools online store. Licensed users are entitled to free minor updates and priority technical support for 24 months.

More information is available from http://www.addintools.comenglish/menuoffice .

About Addintools

Founded in 2003, Addintools has highly qualified professionals with rich expertise who are constantly uplifting the high quality standards of the company. Addintools' goal is to bring convenience and comfort to routine work with various applications. To learn more about Addintools, visit http:/www.addintools.com .

For more information, please contact: Lin Jie Addintools Public Relations Officer
Email: support@addintools.com
Postal address: Addintools, B207, Nanxi, No.9, Yanzaoyiheng Road, Haikou City, Hainan Province, 570125, P.R. China

Press Contact: Tel: +86-898-6676-8619 (Chinese Support)
SOURCE Addintools

COPYRIGHT © 2008

Financial/Bank: Banco Itau Holding Financeira: additional information on OEGM

Sao Paulo, (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Corporate Governance is done with enduring structures that create value for the shareholder through the adoption of principles such as equity, timeliness, accountability, transparency and corporate social responsibility, notes Banco Itau Holding Financeira S.A.

To strengthen our accountability and transparency, we are making additional information available on the Investor Relations website to supplement the Convening Notice to an Ordinary and Extraordinary General Meeting this coming April 23, which includes:
-- Matters up for deliberation,
-- Explanation of materials,
-- Proposal of the Board of Directors
-- Power of attorney template
-- CV's of members of the Board of Directors and the Board of Oversight
-- Comparative presentation of alterations in the By-laws, and
-- Comparative presentation of alterations in the Plan for Granting Stock Options

This information will allow our shareholders to adopt a position ahead of time regarding the issues to be taken up at the General Meeting, which will qualitatively enrich the debate on the matters up for deliberation.

This material is intended, therefore, to expand the dialogue with our thousands of shareholders, extending the practices of Corporate Governance adopted by Itau Holding.

Alfredo Egydio Setubal Investor Relations Officer Banco Itau Holding Financeira S.A. investor.relations@itau.com.br At the website http://www.itauir.com access the information through the banner located at the top of the home page.

SOURCE Banco Itau Holding Financeira S.A.
CONTACT: Alfredo Egydio Setubal, Investor Relations Officer,
Banco Itau Holding Financeira S.A.,
investor.relations@itau.com.br

COPYRIGHT © 2008

Business: Business in Asia Today - April 09, 2008

JFE TO FOLLOW NIPPON STEEL INTO BRAZIL FOR LOCAL PRODUCTION
Tokyo (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - JFE Steel Corp. intends to spend 500-600 billion yen (US$4.9 billion-US$5.9 billion) to build a steelworks in Brazil on the heels of a similar move recently announced by archrival Nippon Steel Corp. (TSE:5401). The JFE Holdings Inc. (TSE:5411) unit said Tuesday that it will begin a feasibility study on constructing blast furnaces in Brazil via a joint venture.
With the cost of importing resources rising, production in the iron-ore-rich country is expected to cut costs.

SHARES IN AUSTRALIA'S BHP SURGE ON CHINESE SHARE RAID RUMOURS
Melbourne (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Shares in Australia's BHP Billiton Ltd (ASX:BHP) have surged more than four per cent amid speculation that Chinese state-owned Chinalco is preparing to take a stake in the world's biggest miner.
Chinalco hit the headlines in February when the chinese aluminium giant teamed up with US-based Alcoa Inc to take a nine per cent stake in takeover target Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX:RIO).
The share raid stoked speculation that it was prompted by Beijing to block BHP Billiton's US$156 billion (A$167.74 billion) takeover of the company, due to concerns about competition and pricing.

INDONESIA'S KALBE FARMA REPORTS 15.37% JUMP IN SALES IN 2007
Jakarta (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - PT Kalbe Farma (JSX: KLBF) was the leader among 10 pharmaceutical companies listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange in terms of income last year.
Kalbe Farma reported an income of Rp7 trillion (US$777 million) last year, up 15.37 per cent from Rp6.07 trillion in the previous year with net profit rising to Rp705.69 billion from Rp676.58 billion, Corporate Secretary Vidjungtius said.
This year the company hopes to chalk up an increase of 14 per cent-15 per cent in sales, Vijungtius said.

MEKONG HOUSING BANK POSTS 60 PCT GROWTH IN 2007
Hanoi (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - The Mekong Housing Bank achieved an annual growth of 60 per cent in 2007 and exceeded the target of VND18.6 trillion (US$1.16 billion), which was set by Vietnam's Government to reach until 2010, said Huynh Nam Dung, chairman of the bank.
The total loans until the end of 2007 reached VND57.63 trillion (US$3.6 billion).
The bank's total assets were now estimated at VND30 trillion (US$1.87 billion), up from VND300 billion when its founding was approved by the Ministry of Finance 10 years ago.

M'BISHI CHEM, OTHERS TO LAUNCH CHINESE POLYCARBONATE OPS
Tokyo (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. said Tuesday that it will team up with China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. and others in China to produce high-function resins and their basic materials.
The Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corp. (TSE:4188) unit and the partners will invest around US$300 million, or around 30.6 billion yen, to build in Beijing a polycarbonate plant that would begin operating as early as spring 2010.
The project will mark Mitsubishi Chemical's first polycarbonate production in China. It plans to set up a joint venture in charge of plant management and sales as early as this year.

S KOREA'S LG DISPLAY COMPLETES 2ND ASSEMBLY PLANT IN CHINA
Seoul (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - LG Display Co. (KSE:034220), the world's second-largest maker of liquid crystal display panels, said Wednesday it has completed building its second assembly plant in China to grab a bigger slice of the world's fastest-growing flat panel television market.
LG Display plans to nearly double the annual production capacity of the new plant in China's southern city of Guangzhou to 20 million LCD modules for televisions and monitors by 2010, up from the current 11 million units.
The Chinese market for LCD televisions is likely to jump to some 30 million units by 2011, LG Display said.

INDIA'S GOVT APPROVES 20 FDI PROPOSALS WORTH US$490 MLN
New Delhi (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - India's government has cleared 20 foreign direct investment proposals that will bring in Rs 1,962.05 crore (US$490.7 million), including Rs 924 crore by UTV Software Communications.
The proposals, approved by Finance Minister P Chidambaram on the recommendation of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), also included the offer from cement manufacturer Lafarge India for merger of Lafarge India Holding Pvt Ltd with Lafarge India Pvt Ltd, according to the Finance Ministry.
The Lafarge's proposal was cleared as per the order of Bombay High Court, a Finance Ministry statement said.

AUSTRALIA'S MACQUARIE SELLS MELBOURNE PROPERTY FOR US$76.8 MLN
Sydney (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Australia's Macquarie Office Trust (ASX:MOF) has sold its property at 505 Little Collins Street in Melbourne for A$83 million (US$76.8 million).
The move brings the total value of property sales by Macquarie Office this financial year to A$340 million. The company said the transaction included a A$40.4 million or 96 per cent gain above costs including all historical capital expenditure. Macquarie Office chief executive, Adrian Taylor said the sale proceeds would be used to reduce debt and gearing.

CEBU PACIFIC OPENS DIRECT FLIGHTS FROM CEBU TO BANGKOK AND MACAU
Cebu City (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Cebu Pacific Air (CEB) has opened two direct flights from Cebu to Bangkok in Thailand and Mactan over the weekend, strengthening Cebus position as an international gateway.
Romulo Orense, CEB corporate communications manager, said the new routes will make it easier for tourists to reach the two destinations. Orense said the new flights will also increase the number of tourists coming to Cebu especially Bangkok, which is a destination for European tourists.
The Macau route will also serve the overseas Filipino workers market, he said.

NEW ZEALAND-CHINA FTA HIGHLY PRAISED FOR ITS TRADE BENEFITS
Auckland (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - It was the deal that won high praise among New Zealand exporters, and barely concealed envy from their Australian counterparts.
The New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed this week on April 7 marks the first time a developed country has struck a broad trade agreement with the world's fastest growing economy.
And by most accounts the Kiwis did pretty well for themselves. Although some import duties will only be removed gradually by China during the next 11 years, by 2019 about 96 per cent of New Zealand's exports to China will be tariff free.
Dairy, meat and manufacturing sectors in New Zealand have hailed the deal.

Source:
Business in Asia Today - APRIL 09, 2008
published by Asia Pulse

COPYRIGHT © 2008

Business: ProLogis announces first transaction in India

- Enters into Joint Venture Partnership with K Raheja Corp, a Leading Indian Real Estate Developer - - Announces Appointment of Abhijit Malkani to Head of Indian Operations -

Denver, (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - ProLogis (NYSE: PLD), the world's largest owner, manager and developer of distribution facilities, announced today that it has entered the market in India through a 50/50 development joint venture agreement with K Raheja Corp, one of the largest real estate developers in India.

"We are very pleased to announce our new joint venture agreement with K Raheja Corp," said Jeff Schwartz, chairman and chief executive officer of ProLogis. "Over the last few years, ProLogis has achieved tremendous success in Asia following the establishment of operations in Japan, China and South Korea. Launching development in India, one of Asia's most vibrant growth markets, is a logical next step and one that we believe will create real value for our shareholders and provide reliable access to new warehouse space for our global customers."

Under the terms of the agreement, the joint venture will acquire land, develop properties and manage the assets and will initially focus on securing development opportunities in the cities of Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Pune -- which are among the fastest growing locations for distribution operations in India. The JV already has acquired 27 acres of land in Loni near Pune and is in advanced stages of land acquisition in other key markets, including 140 acres in Bengaluru; 120 acres in Chennai; 99 acres in Kolkata; 70 acres in Mumbai; and an additional 33 acres in Pune. Overall, the JV expects to develop approximately 7.5 million square feet over the next three years and about 25 million square feet over the next five years. The JV plans to invest approximately $575 million (2,300 crores rupees) over the next three years.

"We have seen demand for modern warehouse space in India rise steadily over the past several years, owing to strong growth in manufacturing, widespread infrastructure improvements and greater interest among companies to outsource logistics requirements. By partnering with K Raheja Corp, we expect to build our business more quickly, benefiting from enhanced access to developable land as well as an expanded customer base. We look forward to working with K Raheja Corp, and to establishing this new venture as the leading provider of high-quality distribution facilities in India," said Schwartz.

K Raheja Corp is a private, family-owned company founded in 1956. The company has over 6000 employees and develops a variety of real estate products, including office, retail, hotel and residential. It is one of the largest real estate developers in India, building more than six million square feet annually, with a total of over 2,200 projects developed and completed. Clients include multi-national corporations such as IBM, Morgan Stanley, HSBC, Nokia, Accenture, Oracle, and Citigroup.

"The majority of the existing distribution space in India is functionally obsolete, and we believe this new partnership will be successful in meeting the growing demand for high quality logistics facilities here," said Chairman of the K Raheja Corp Group, Mr. C.L. Raheja. "We're extremely pleased to be working closely with ProLogis, whose financial strength and industry-leading development expertise will be enormously beneficial as we move forward."

Also today, ProLogis announced the appointment of Abhijit Malkani to head of operations for ProLogis in India. Mr. Malkani is the former regional director of Indian and Middle East operations for NAI Global, a premier network of independent commercial real estate firms and one of the largest commercial real estate service providers worldwide.

"I am very pleased to be joining ProLogis to support the company's business operations in India," said Malkani. "The rapid growth of the country's middle class has led to a surge in residential and retail development and consequently, increased demand for modern, efficient facilities for domestic distribution. By working closely with K Raheja Corp, a leading developer with a deep understanding of the Indian property markets, and leveraging ProLogis industrial development expertise, we will be able to capitalize on this emerging need for high quality space."

Mr. Malkani brings more than ten years of experience in domestic and international real estate to the position. While at NAI, he helped establish the NAI operations in India and led the acquisition and investment process for several multinational companies entering the Indian market.

About ProLogis

ProLogis is the world's largest owner, manager and developer of distribution facilities, with operations in 118 markets across North America, Europe and Asia. The company has $36.3 billion of assets owned, managed and under development, comprising 510.2 million square feet (47.4 million square meters) in 2,773 properties as of December 31, 2007. ProLogis' customers include manufacturers, retailers, transportation companies, third-party logistics providers and other enterprises with large-scale distribution needs. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, ProLogis employs more than 1,500 people worldwide.

For additional information about the company, go to http://www.prologis.com.

About K Raheja Corp

K Raheja Corp, the foremost and most preferred real estate developer in India has been constantly changing the face of land development since 1956. Fuelled with a vision to be one of India's leading organizations, they are driven by a passion to create -- not just structures but a whole new way of living. Over the decades, the company has achieved various milestones under the leadership of Mr. C.L. Raheja, ably assisted by his sons Ravi and Neel. The Group has grown from being one of India's leading real estate developers in to a well-diversified corporate house that has established leadership in the retail and hospitality segments, aside from its core business of realty.

Please do visit http://www.krahejacorp.com for more information.

SOURCE ProLogis
CONTACT: Media, Krista Shepard of ProLogis,
+1-303-567-5907,
kshepard@prologis.com;
or Suzanne Dawson of Linden Alschuler & Kaplan, Inc.,
+1-212-329-1420,
sdawson@lakpr.com,
for ProLogis; or Investors,
Melissa Marsden of ProLogis,
+1-303-567-5622,
mmarsden@prologis.com
Web site: http://www.prologis.com
http://www.krahejacorp.com
(PLD)

COPYRIGHT © 2008