Business: Transportation application offers significant revenue opportunities

On the Fast Lane: transportation application offers significant revenue opportunities for RFID Technology

Singapore (BUSINESS WIRE) - After almost two decades of service in transport applications, radio frequency identification (RFID) has expanded its scope beyond transportation and security. A major reason for this diversification of roles is continued innovations, which have simplified its deployment.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (http://www.autoID.frost.com), Strategic Assessment of the Asia Pacific RFID Transportation Markets, reports that transportation may not be the largest market for RFID application, but it is certainly one of the most vibrant. RFID technology, with its benefits of reliability and robustness, could have sweeping impacts on travel and transportation industries in the Asia Pacific.

Having established RFID's use in various applications such as toll collection, ticketing, and other transport purposes, market participants are exploring untapped potential in immediate data management practices, as well as downstream dissemination, aggregation, and additional use.

There will be more windows of opportunities once governments show greater initiative to mandate its use. RFID will experience widespread demand and acceptance when standards are developed and strictly enforced.

"So far, most manufacturers have used RFID only to comply with corporate and federal tracking mandates because of high implementation costs," says Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst Parul Oswal. "That could be changing as tag prices continue to drop in the short to medium term."

Many companies are introducing low-cost tags that are likely to enhance the penetration rates of RFID in transportation. It will find many more takers when coupled with complementary technologies such as barcodes, global positioning systems (GPS), biometrics, and smart cards.

For instance, RFID with barcodes and GPS can track and trace a container or cargo in transit, within short and long ranges.
It can also be integrated with biometrics and smart cards for use in toll collection and ticketing.

RFID helps transport companies track assets (cars, trucks, trailers, and shipping containers) at high speeds of more than 100 kilometers per hour over long distances. RFID tag manufacturers will have to be aware that the tags and readers involved in transport applications have to endure harsh environmental conditions (high temperatures, cold, snow, ice, rain, dirt, and oil) through their lifespan. Tags in rail cars, those installed on vehicles' windshields, or the ones used for cargo tracking are most likely to face the brunt of these extreme conditions.

"Though the underlying assets tracked in transportation applications are few, they are generally of higher value than the items tracked in supply chain applications - several of which are designed to be one-time use tags to last a single journey," notes Oswal. "On the other hand, transportation RFID tags are required to offer years of continued, reliable use
with over 99 percent accuracy."

These advantages far outweigh certain privacy concerns regarding RFID tags usage, as it can reveal personally identifiable information, without the knowledge or consent of the individual.

If you are interested in a virtual brochure, which provides manufacturers, end users, and other industry participants with an overview of the Asia Pacific RFID transportation markets, then send an e-mail to Donna Jeremiah, Corporate Communications, at djeremiah@frost.com, with your full name, company name, title, telephone number, company e-mail address, company website, city, state and country. Upon receipt of the above information, an overview will be sent to you by e-mail.

Strategic Assessment of the Asia Pacific RFID Transportation Markets is part of the Automatic Identification & Security Growth Partnership Service program, which also includes research in the following markets: Biometrics, Smart cards, RFID, Security, etc. All research services included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends that have been evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants. Interviews with the press are available.

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

Strategic Assessment of the Asia Pacific RFID Transportation Markets P182 Frost & SullivanCorporate Communications - North
America David Escalante, 210-477-8427 fax: 210-348-1003 david.escalante@frost.com
or Corporate Communications - Southeast Asia Donna Jeremiah, +603 6304 5832 fax: +603 6201 7402 djeremiah@frost.com
or Corporate Communications - Europe Joanna Lewandowska, +48 22 390 41 46joanna.lewandowska@frost.com
or Corporate Communications - South Asia Ravinder Kaur, +91 44 42044760 fax: +91 44 24314264 ravinder.kaur@frost.com
or Corporate Communications - Middle East Nimisha Iyer, +91 22 4001 3404 fax: +91 22 2832 4713 niyer@frost.com
or Corporate Communications - Latin America Jose Maria Jantus, +54-11-4777-9951 fax: +54-11-4777-0071
jose.jantus@frost.com
or Corporate Communications - China Amelia Wong, +86 21 5407 5783, ext. 8669 cell: +86 13621724823 amelia.wong@frost.com
or Corporate Communications - Australia & New Zealand Sharmin Jassal, +61 2 8247 8900 fax: +61 2 9252 8066
sharmin.jassal@frost.com
or Corporate Communications - Africa Patrick Cairns, +27 18 468 2315 patrick.cairns@frost.com
http://www.frost.com

Business: Hindustan Zinc successfully completes 88 kt Debottlenecking Project

Mumbai, India (BUSINESS WIRE) - Hindustan Zinc Limited ("HZL") is pleased to announce that it has successfully completed its 88,000 tpa zinc debottlenecking project at the Chanderiya and Debari smelters two months ahead of schedule. The total metal production capacity is now 754,000 tpa. HZL has already enhanced its ore production capacity to 7.1 million tonnes per annum.

The successful completion of the debottlenecking projects, together with HZL's recently announced brownfield smelter projects, will increase total production capacities of zinc and lead to 1,065,000 tonnes per annum and make HZL the world's largest zinc-lead producer by 2010, with fully integrated mining and captive power generation.

Construction of the 80?MW captive power plant at Zawar is also progressing on schedule and is expected to be commissioned by mid-2008.

About Hindustan Zinc

HZL is India's only integrated producer of zinc and lead and among the world's leading integrated producers. Its metal production capacity is nearly 670,000 tpa with its smelter operations situated in Chanderiya, Debari and Visakhapatnam. HZL has zinc-lead mines in Dariba, Rampura Agucha, Sindesar Khurd and Zawar. The company is a subsidiary of the NYSE listed, Sterlite Industries (India) Limited (NYSE:SLT) and London listed FTSE 100 diversified metals and mining major, Vedanta Resources plc.

Disclaimer
This press release contains "forward-looking statements"? that is, statements related to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "expects,""anticipates,""intends,""plans,""believes,""seeks,""should" or "will."

Forward looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. For us, uncertainties arise from the behaviour of financial and metals markets including the London Metal Exchange, fluctuations in interest and or exchange rates and metal prices; from future integration of acquired businesses; and from numerous other matters of national, regional and global scale, including those of a political, economic, business, competitive or regulatory nature. These uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different that those expressed in our forward-looking statements. HZL does not undertake to update its forward-looking statements.

for Hindustan Zinc Limited
Sumanth Cidambi, +91 22 6646 1531 Associate Director - Investor Relations
sumanth.cidambi@vedanta.co.in
or
Sheetal Khanduja, +91 22 6646 1427 Manager - Investor Relations
sheetal.khanduja@vedanta.co.in

Health/Medical: Imaging Results From the ADAGIO-LIPIDS Reveal That Effects of Rimonabant on Cardiometabolic Risk Pro

- Include Loss of Visceral Fat and Mobilization of Liver Fat

QUEBEC CITY, April 29 (ANTARA/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) --

At a late breaking presentation made on April 29th during the Annual meeting of the European Atherosclerosis Society held in Istanbul, the investigators of ADAGIO-LIPIDS presented the key findings of a one year trial aiming at further studying the effects of rimonabant on several features of HDL and on a comprehensive set of cardiometabolic markers. Furthermore, an imaging substudy using computed tomography was conducted to test, for the first time, the hypothesis that rimonabant could induce a loss of visceral fat and liver fat.

"We know that the most prevalent form of the metabolic syndrome is associated with abdominal obesity, particularly with an excess of visceral fat as well as with accumulation of fat at undesired sites such as the liver, the heart, the muscle and the pancreas, a phenomenon referred to as ectopic fat deposition," mentioned Dr Jean-Pierre Despres from the Hopital Laval Research Center, Universite Laval, Quebec, CANADA, who is the principal investigator of ADAGIO-LIPIDS. "Although we had evidence from the phase III studies conducted with rimonabant that antagonism of the endocannabinoid system could induce a reduction in waist circumference (a crude marker of abdominal fat) and improve several features of the metabolic syndrome, no study had ever quantified the effect of this drug on visceral adiposity and liver fat," he added.

ADAGIO-LIPIDS was a study conducted in 799 patients with abdominal obesity and with the high triglyceride - low HDL-cholesterol dyslipidemia. Patients were randomized to moderate caloric restriction (600 kcal/day) with either a placebo or rimonabant (20mg/day). First, results confirmed the consistent effects of rimonabant on several markers of cardiometabolic risk. For instance, HDL-cholesterol was increased by 7.4% with rimonabant compared to placebo (p<0.0001) p="0.02),">About Hopital Laval
Founded in 1918, Hopital Laval is the heart and lung institute of Universite Laval. It provides the population of Central and Eastern Quebec with subspecialized care and services in cardiology, pneumology, and the surgical management of obesity. The Hospital's expertise includes ambulatory and hospital care, teaching, research, and the evaluation of health technologies. The Hospital also provides general and specialized acute care in accordance with its patients' clinical needs and its subspecialized areas of expertise. In addition, the Hospital's location allows it to offer medical and surgical care to the boroughs of Sainte-Foy/Sillery. The Hospital also has an in-house research center that is renowned worldwide and supported by Fonds de recherche en sante du Quebec (Quebec Health Research Council). The main goal of the Laval Hospital Research Center is to slow the obesity epidemic and the progression of cardiovascular and pulmonary disease through research and prevention. The Laval Hospital Research Center has focused its development around this vision and aims to become the leading North American research center in cardiology, pneumology, and obesity. In order to achieve this goal, the Center has undertaken a three-phase development plan, two phases of which are currently underway. This expansion of existing facilities will create some 200 jobs.

The Hopital Laval Research Center is one of the 38 affiliated research centers of Universite Laval. Located in Quebec City, Universite Laval was the first francophone university created in North America. Its 17 faculties offer comprehensive undergraduate and graduate programs to 38,000 students including 10,000 students.

SOURCE Hopital Laval

CONTACT: Jean-Pierre Despres, Ph. D., Hopital Laval, institut
universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie, Phone: +1-418-656-4863,
Fax: +1-418-656-4610, jean-pierre.despres@crhl.ulaval.ca

Web site: http://www.HopitalLaval.qc.ca

COPYRIGHT © 2008

Business in Asia Today - April 30, 2008

NIPPON YUSEN TO BUILD GIANT DISTRIBUTION BASE IN NORTHERN INDIA
Tokyo (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Japan's Nippon Yusen KK (TSE:9101) will locate a large-scale distribution center in India's northern state of Rajasthan in the Neemrana industrial area, hoping to have it ready by 2010 to warehouse and supply electronic components and chemicals to Japanese manufacturers setting up in the region.
This Indian center, Nippon Yusen's fifth, is part of a larger strategy to expand land-based operations in new economies to reduce the impact of fluctuations in mainline shipping operations. With five distribution centers in operation, Nippon Yusen is aiming for sales of 12 billion yen in India in fiscal 2010, which would be a 10-fold increase from fiscal 2007.

MALAYSIA'S BERJAYA LAND TO BUILD US$2.6 BLN JV COMPLEX IN S KOREA
Kuala Lumpur (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Malaysia's Berjaya Land Berhad (KLSE:4219) is teaming up with Jeju Free International City Development Center (JDC) to develop a resort-type residential and commercial complex in Jeju in South Korea at a cost of US$2.6 billion.
Berjaya Land's wholly-owned unit Berjaya Leisure (Cayman) Limited signed the joint venture agreement with JDC on 29 April 2008.
Under the agreement, Berjaya Jeju Resort Limited will assume the role of master developer for the development of a parcel of land measuring about 74.37 hectares located at Yerae-dong, Seogwipo-si, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, Berjaya Land said in a statement to Bursa Malaysia on April 29.

AUSTRALIA'S MACARTHUR COAL SIGNS SUPPLY CONTRACT WITH HYUNDAI
Sydney (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Australia's Macarthur Coal Ltd (ASX:MCC) has signed a long term contract with Hyundai Steel Company Ltd (KSE:004020) of South Korea to supply coal from its Coppabella coal mine operations.
Under the deal, Macarthur will supply low volatile pulverised coal injection (LV PCI) material from 2009 to Hyundai to use in its new blast furnace.
"This agreement with Hyundai Steel is a strengthening of the relationship and extends future cooperation between the companies," Macarthur Coal chief executive Nicole Hollows said.

INDONESIA'S ASTRA OTOPARTS CHALKS UP 244% RISE IN NET PROFIT
Jakarta (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - The net profit of Indonesian auto component maker PT Astra Otoparts (JSX:AUTO) shot up 244.2 per cent to Rp152 billion (US$16.8 million) in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year. The subsidiary of PT Astra International (JSX:ASII), the country's largest automotive company, posted only Rp61 billion in net profit in the first three months of last year.
Company president Eduardus Paulus attributed the surge in profit to strong growth in sales of automotive products in the country.

BUDERIM GINGER LTD REPORTS DWINDLING AUSTRALIAN SUPPLY
Brisbane (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - One of the world's largest ginger producers Buderim Ginger Ltd says Australian supply of the versatile root is falling, forcing the company to look into other products.
Buderim maintained its forecast for significant profit growth in 2008, but indicated the company's core business was changing.
Chairman John Ruscoe told shareholders at the company's annual general meeting in Brisbane today its traditional ginger products were giving way to new product lines.
The Queensland-based company, which has been making ginger for almost 70 years, now relies on ginger for less than 40 per cent of its revenue.

TAIWAN MANUFACTURERS UPBEAT OVER FUTURE
Taipei (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Buoyed by a 17.6 per cent jump in export value in the first quarter and recovering corporate profitability, Taiwan's manufacturers are regaining confidence in the future, an economic research unit said Tuesday.
In the Taiwan Institute for Economic Research's monthly business climate survey, the climate index for the manufacturing sector soared by 18.46 points to 120.42 in March, its largest jump since 1978.
The rise indicates that the country's continuing strong export performance has helped local producers regain confidence as international markets recover from the financial distress caused by the U.S. banking crisis.

CITIBANK KOREA AIMS TO SET UP HOLDING FIRM NEXT YEAR
Seoul (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Citibank Korea Inc., the South Korean unit of the U.S.-based Citigroup, said Wednesday it aims to set up a financial holding company in 2009 to help create synergy and boost its growth.
"Citibank plans to turn it and its affiliates into a financial holding company next year, which would create synergy among its subsidiaries," Ha Yung-ku, CEO of Citibank, told a press conference.
"The bank plans to apply to set up a holding firm in September and complete necessary steps by the end of this year," Ha said.
Citibank's plan comes as South Korea, beginning last November, started permitting foreign financial companies to establish holding companies here in line with a revised law.

EYEING TRUCK SALES, ISUZU RAISES STAKE IN INDONESIAN VENTURE
Tokyo (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Isuzu Motors Ltd. (TSE:7202) said Monday that it will increase its stake in an Indonesian venture to just shy of 45 per cent in a deal that will give the Japanese truck maker control of the firm's commercial-vehicle sales network.
Isuzu already owns 39.88 per cent of truck manufacturer and retailer PT Pantja Motor.
It will buy an additional 5.06 per cent interest from major Indonesian automaker PT Astra International Tbk (JSX:ASII), which holds a 50 per cent stake in Pantja, giving the two firms equal shareholdings.

WHIRLPOOL, HISENSE SET UP CHINA JOINT VENTURE
Qingdao (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Whirlpool, the world's leading home appliance maker, and Chinese conglomerate Hisense (SSE:600060) have formed a joint venture for global consumers.
The 50-50 joint venture will invest about 900 million yuan (US$129 million) to produce high-end washing machines and refrigerators under the Hisense and Whirlpool brands, they announced in statement on Monday.
The two companies will cooperate on capital management, research, manufacturing, procurement and global marketing.

KYRGYZSTAN GOVT FAST-TRACKS ENERGY SELL-OFF DESPITE DISSENT
Bishkek (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Legislative changes allowing the Kyrgyz government to privatise the potentially lucrative energy sector without consulting parliament have raised concerns that it wants to speed ahead with sales with little accountability or transparency.
On April 18, parliament passed three bills relating to energy privatisation in the course of a single day.
The key law signs away parliament's right to be consulted before privatisation programmes are approved.

Source:
Business in Asia Today - APRIL 30, 2008
published by Asia Pulse

COPYRIGHT © 2008

Software: ESRI Vietnam opened in Hanoi to better serve country

Redlands, Calif. (BUSINESS WIRE) - Geographic information system (GIS) industry leader ESRI announces the opening of ESRI Vietnam in association with ESRI Thailand.

According to Wichai Saenghirunwattana, managing director of the new office, "The opening of ESRI Vietnam allows us to better serve our users in this area and is an acknowledgment of the growth and maturity of the GIS market. ESRI software has been sold in the region for a number of years, and the addition of ESRI Vietnam will provide better support for both end users and partners."

Saenghirunwattana says the company hopes to expand the education market in the country and plans to increase GIS training through joint initiatives with local schools and universities.

Currently, the largest user of ESRI software in Vietnam is the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE). The ministry has 76 offices throughout the country and has completed a number of significant projects. One project was the implementation of the Vietnamese spatial data infrastructure (SDI ), which provides an integrated national database for natural resources and the environment. It includes a Web-based mapping service that provides users with accurate information on national parks, conservation zones, mangrove forests, and wetland areas. The service also provides information on land use, particularly in economic zones, and seabed topography at 1:1,000,000 and 1:25,000 scales. For additional information, visit http://eng.ciren.vn/.

Bill Shepherd, senior strategic business development manager of ESRI Asia, comments, "The addition of ESRI Vietnam is an important part of our strategy to provide optimum support throughout the entire region."

About ESRI Vietnam

ESRI Vietnam was opened to support partners and subdistributors of ESRI software and related products in Vietnam, one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia. Vietnamese government agencies and private companies have been using ESRI's software for more than a decade. Visit www.esrivn.com.

About ESRI

Founded in 1969, ESRI (www.esri.com) is the world leader in the GIS software industry. ESRI offers innovative solutions that help users create, manage, analyze, and display information to make timely decisions and solve problems they encounter every day. ESRI's comprehensive product line ranges from desktop GIS to GIS for the enterprise.

ESRI
Jim Baumann, 909-793-2853 ext. 1-1807 press@esri.com

Business: Boyden global executive search elects new int'l directors

Boyden global executive search elects new international directors from Taiwan and Russia
- New Asia/Pacific head William Farrell in Taipei and Julia Nikitina in St. Petersburg invigorate firm's leadership in key emerging markets

New York (BUSINESS WIRE) - Boyden, a global leader in executive search with more than 70 offices in over 40 countries, today announced the results of its Board of Directors elections as part of the firm's annual meeting inDubai, UAE.

Elected as the firm's new Asia/Pacific Regional Managing Director and to a new board term was William Farrell, Managing Director of Boyden Taiwan. Elected to a first board term was Julia Nikitina, Managing Partner of Boyden Russia.

"Bill and Julia represent the invaluable experience, knowledge and leadership that have brought Boyden success in the firm's fast growing markets of Asia/Pacific and Eastern Europe," said Chris Clarke, President and CEO of Boyden World Corporation.

Trina Gordon, Chairman of Boyden World Corporation and Managing Director Boyden Chicago; John Ellis, Managing Partner of Boyden London; David Gallagher, Managing Director, Boyden Saratoga; Dr. Gerhard Raisig, Managing Partner of Boyden Germany; and Robert Travis, a Managing Director of Boyden Calgary; and Mr Clarke will continue to serve on Boyden's board.

William Farrell, New Asia/Pacific Regional Director and Board Member: Mr Farrell, having served the firm for more than a decade, is responsible for the overall management of the Taiwan operations and he is a leader in Boyden's financial services practice in Greater China. He previously served on Boyden's board from 2005-2007. Mr Farrell brings top experience in CEO, CFO, CIO and placements including CEO Hong Kong-US Life Insurance Company; Head of Wealth Management Hong Kong European Bank; CIO China European Bank asset division; and Greater China Head Quality European Bank.

In recent years, he has held key leadership positions with the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei. Prior to entering the executive search industry, Mr Farrell served as AMCHAM Taipei's first Director of Membership Services. He holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota and has completed the Boyden Advanced Management Program at Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management. A fluent Mandarin speaker, Mr Farrell has resided in Taiwan since 1987.

Julia Nikitina, New Europe/Middle East/Africa Regional Director and Board Member: Ms. Nikitina joined Boyden as the Managing Partner of the St. Petersburg office in 1998 and she has managed Boyden's Russia operations since 2006. Ms. Nikitina has played an instrumental role in strengthening Boyden's brand and building its client development in the rapidly emerging Russian market as well as other developing economies.

She possesses extensive experience in executive search focused on Finance and Banking, Industrial, Consumer Goods and IT & Telecom with market-leading regional and multinational organizations starting or expanding operations in Russia.

Prior to joining Boyden, in 1993, Ms. Nikitina founded Laum Consulting, one of the first Russian recruiting companies. In addition, she sits on the Executive Committee of the St. Petersburg American Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Nikitina is a regular speaker at seminars for foreign investors on the topics of management, labor and organization development and her articles are often published in leading Russian business media. Ms. Nikitina holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees from St. Petersburg University and has completed extensive training at the Moscow Methodology Association.

In additional corporate news, earlier this month, Boyden's website www.boyden.com was bestowed as an Official Honoree at The Webby Awards. Hailed as the "Oscars of the Internet" by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, Interactive Advertising, Online Film & Video, and Mobile Websites.

About Boyden World Corporation

Boyden is a global leader in the executive search industry with more than 70 offices in over 40 countries. Founded in 1946, Boyden specializes in high level executive search, Interim Management and Human Capital consulting across a broad spectrum of industries. For further information, visit the firm's website at www.boyden.com.

Margolis & Company for Boyden World CorporationDan Margolis, +1 310-395-3955 dan@margoliscompany.com