Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Business: Flexsys seeks to expand crystex capacity in Asia-Pacific region

St. Louis (PRIME NEWSWIRE) - Solutia Inc. (NYSE:SOA) today announced that its Flexsys subsidiary is seeking to expand its Crystex(r) insoluble sulfur manufacturing capacity in the Asia-Pacific region and is currently evaluating sites to determine the most suitable location. Flexsys presently has seven plants worldwide that produce Crystex insoluble sulfur, including facilities in Kuantan, Malaysia, and Kashima, Japan.

"Flexsys is strengthening its commitment to the Asia-Pacific region. The Asian market, specifically China and India, continues to be an important and rapidly growing market for Flexsys," said Jim Voss, president of Flexsys and senior vice president of Solutia Inc. "Expanding in the Asia-Pacific region demonstrates our strong commitment to our customers to provide more localized service, support, and delivery of our products." He added, "We will continue to invest in capacity expansions and new technology to provide our customers with the innovative products that they have come to expect from Flexsys."

Global demand for tyres continues to rise around the world. It is estimated that by 2010, global annual tyre production will reach 1.7 billion, up from 1.4 billion in 2005. Asia has become an increasingly important center for tyre production based on strong local demand and as an exporter to other world areas. Most of that growth in Asia comes from China and India.

"We want to help our customers seize the enormous opportunity in this region," said Tim Wessel, vice president of Crystex and Antidegradants, Flexsys. "We are seeing increased demand for our Crystex HD (High Dispersion) grade of insoluble sulfur. In order to meet the long-term needs of our customers, we will be investing in additional capacity."

Crystex insoluble sulfur is the vulcanizing agent of choice for critical applications in the tyre industry, providing the highest level of quality and performance. In addition, Crystex HD insoluble sulfur offers tyre manufacturers improved productivity and safety in their manufacturing processes.

Flexsys products play an essential role in the manufacturing of tyres and other rubber products, such as belts, hoses, seals, and footwear. Flexsys is a global business with offices, manufacturing facilities and technology centers around the world. Flexsys has annual sales of over $650 million, about two-thirds of which take place outside the United States.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Flexsys and Crystex are registered trademarks of Solutia Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.

Forward Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements, which can be identified by the use of words such as "believes," "expects," "may," "will," "intends," "plans," "estimates," "estimated," or "anticipates," or other comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. These statements are based on management's current expectations and assumptions about the industries in which Solutia operates.

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results or achievements to be materially different from the future results or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those risk and uncertainties described in Solutia's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, including under "Cautionary Statement About Forward Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors", and Solutia's quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. These reports can be accessed through the "Investors" section of Solutia's website at www.solutia.com. Solutia disclaims any intent or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements in response to new information, unforeseen events, changed circumstances or any other occurrence.

Corporate Profile

Solutia is a market-leading performance materials and specialty chemicals company. The company focuses on providing solutions for a better life through a range of products, including: Saflex(r) interlayer for laminated glass; CPFilms(r) aftermarket window films sold under the LLumar(r) brand and others; high-performance nylon polymers and fibers sold under brands such as Vydyne(r) and Wear-Dated(r); and technical specialties including the Flexsys(r) family of chemicals for the rubber industry, Skydrol(r) aviation hydraulic fluid and Therminol(r) heat transfer fluid. Solutia's businesses are world leaders in each of their market segments. With its headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, the company operates globally with approximately 6,000 employees in more than 60 locations. More information is available at www.Solutia.com.

The Solutia Inc. logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2620
-0-
CONTACT: Solutia Inc.
Media:
Melissa Hammonds
(314) 674-5555
Customers:
Tim Wessel
(314) 674-1174
Investors:
Susannah Livingston
(314) 674-8914

Technology: TRAFFIC Down Under announces keynote speakers

ICANN President and Wotif.com Founder to keynote Australian domain name conference

Brisbane - Medianet International-AsiaNet/ - Fabulous.com, an ICANN accredited domain name registrar and monetization company, today announced that Dr. Paul Twomey, President and Chief Executive Officer of ICANN, and Graeme Wood, Founder and Executive Director of Wotif.com, will be keynote speakers at the premiere TRAFFIC Down Under event scheduled for November 18th20th, 2008 at the Sheraton Mirage Resort, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.

TRAFFIC Down Under is the first TRAFFIC conference to be held outside the US, targeting an international pool of attendees including domain owners, domain registrars, online advertisers, sponsors, investors, media, advertising executives, venture capitalists, financial analysts and industry experts.

Graeme Wood, revolutionized the Australian travel industry when he created the concept for, and co-founded, Wotif.com in 1999. From his simple and innovative idea, Graeme pioneered Wotif.com's development into a multi-national company that attracts more than 3.2 million visits, and processes over 200,000 accommodation bookings each month. In October 2007, Wood retired from his role as CEO and Managing Director of Wotif.com, but continues to play a key strategic role in the company as an Executive Director.

The lifelong entrepreneur, Wood, anticipates a dynamic meeting of the Internet minds, "The domain name industry, while still in its infancy, is without question, a booming and exciting business."

Dr. Paul Twomey, became Chief Executive Officer and President of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in March 2003. Paul's background lends a balance of public/private experience to leading ICANN including leadership positions in commercial enterprises, government, and in chairing ICANN's Government Advisory Committee.

"I'm delighted to have the opportunity to address the domain name community," said Dr. Twomey. "I have great respect and admiration for its' pioneering members; forever evolving the robust domain name market that exists today."

"We're very grateful to have both Paul and Graeme keynoting at TRAFFIC Down Under," said Dan Warner, Fabulous.com Chief Strategy Officer, commenting on the events speakers. "We look forward to showcasing both Australian Internet experts, and know our attendees will benefit greatly from hearing them speak."

For more information and registration, please visit the official TRAFFIC Down Under website,
www.TrafficDownUnder.com.

Note to Editor: Images, logos and interviews on request.
For further information please phone +61-7-3007-0000 or email PR@Fabulous.com
Further background- http://www.trafficdownunder.com/aboutus.htm
SOURCE: Fabulous.com

Business: Sims joint venture acquires Pacific Coast Recycling, LLC

Chicago & Sydney, Australia (BUSINESS WIRE) - Sims Group Limited announced today that SA Recycling - a joint venture between Sims Group and Adams Steel - has purchased Long Beach, California based Pacific Coast Recycling, LLC (PCR) from Mitsui & Co. Ltd. and its 100% subsidiary Mitsui & Co. (USA), Inc. The financial terms of the deal, including price, were not disclosed.

PCR operates seven facilities in California - including locations in the Port of Long Beach, San Diego, Fontana, and South Gate - processing both ferrous and nonferrous scrap metal with annual shipments of approximately 1 million metric tons.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This release may contain forward-looking statements, including statements about Sims Group Limited's financial condition, results of operations, earnings outlook and prospects. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as
"plan,""believe,""expect,""anticipate,""intend,""outlook,""estimate,""forecast,""project" and other similar words and expressions.These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties. Our ability to predict results or the actual effects of our plans and strategies is subject to inherent uncertainty. Factors that may cause actual results or earnings to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include those discussed and identified in filings we make with the Australian Securities Exchange and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risk factors described in the Registration Statement on Form F-4 we filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on 8 February 2008.Because these forward-looking statements are subject to assumptions and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements, which speak only as of the date of this release.All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning the matters addressed in this release and attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this release.

Except to the extent required by applicable law or regulation, we undertake no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.About Sims Group LimitedSims Group Limited, which recently merged with Metal Management Inc, (www.sims-group.com) is the world's largest listed metal recycler with over 200 operations globally. Sims' core business is metal recycling, with an emerging business in recycling solutions. Sims earns around 80 per cent of its revenue from international operations in the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, North America, New Zealand and Asia. Sims has over 6,000 employees, an annual turnover of A$8.5 billion and has its ordinary shares listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX: SGM) and its ADRs listed on the NYSE (NYSE: SMS).

Sims Group Limited
For further information contact in North America
Dan Dienst
Group Chief Executive
Tel: 212 750 7189 or
For further information contact in Australia
Jeremy Sutcliffe
Chairman, Europe and Australia
Executive Director
Tel: 02 9956 9100
or Stuart Nelson
Director, Corporate Services
Tel: 02 9956 9100

Business: Australia and New Zealand paints and coatings market

Dependent on Main End Use Sectors

Singapore (BUSINESS WIRE) - Frost & Sullivan's Chemicals and Materials Practice in Asia Pacific (http://www.chemicals.frost.com) will host an exclusive live briefing on the Australian and New Zealand Paints and Coatings Market, on June 10, 2007 at 11:00 hrs (GMT+ 08:00hrs) Singapore time.

The Australian and New Zealand paints and coatings markets have shown varying growth rates among different product segments largely due to the very different nature and dynamics at work in the end-user sectors for different coatings products.

The steady growth in architectural paints and the relatively rapid growth in the protective and powder coatings markets have been offset by stagnant to decreasing growth rates in the automotive and industrial wood coatings markets.

This briefing will provide an overview of the ANZ paints and coatings market with an analysis of the industry - examining market sizing, challenges and primary areas of growth. Highlights of the briefing include a discussion on key trends in the major end use sectors, as well as product trends in various product segments. We will also provide an update of related and upcoming research and provide an opportunity for a question and answer session with the analyst.

This briefing will benefit paints and coatings manufacturers by discussing upcoming trends, market consumption estimates and the competition in different product segments.

Sarah Wang, Industry Analyst for the Chemicals, Materials and Food division of Frost & Sullivan, Asia Pacific says that, "While the protective coatings market has been experiencing higher than average growth rates - due to increasing investment in infrastructure projects in the ANZ region - the relocation of manufacturing industries including wood furniture and automotive manufacturing to regions outside ANZ have lowered consumption of a number of coating segments such as automotive OEM coatings, industrial wood coatings and other coatings."

She adds that, "This is why, moving forward, the well being and performance of the industry is heavily dependant on the health and vigor of the main end use sectors."

Join us as Sarah Wang shares her insights on ANZ's paints and coatings scene. Those interested in registering for the interactive live briefing should send an email to Corporate Communications - Donna Jeremiah at djeremiah@frost.com with the following information: full name, company name, title, telephone number, e-mail address, city, state and country. The registration details will be emailed to you upon receipt of the above information.

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, partners with clients to accelerate their growth. The company's TEAM Research, Growth Consulting and Growth Team Membership 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.

Frost & SullivanCorporate Communications - Asia Pacific Donna Jeremiah, +603 6204 5832 djeremiah@frost.com

Business: Futurestep opens global recruiting research center in Shanghai

Houston, Texas, (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Futurestep, a Korn/Ferry Company (NYSE: KFY), today announced the opening of its newest research center in Shanghai, China.

For Futurestep's global and Asia Pacific RPO clients, the center will provide crucial services, including research, name generation, sourcing and screening, market mapping, competitive intelligence, and in-time outsourced recruitment administration.

The opening will provide an important resource for addressing the tremendous growth in demand in China and across Asia for Futurestep's Strategic RPO services, as well as its complete portfolio of Talent Acquisition solutions. While Futurestep has talent acquisition research and support resources around the world, the opening of the Shanghai facility also represents a new branding approach for the company's research centers.

"The global research center concept is a key part of our strategy for competing in the global RPO market," said Futurestep CEO Robert McNabb. "By providing strategic sourcing support, it enables our RPO teams to expand their level of service to meet market demands. It is a cost-effective solution that provides a broader reach into passive and active candidate pools, resulting in improved quality and client satisfaction."

The Shanghai Global Research Center represents Futurestep's commitment to growing its presence as a truly global provider of Strategic RPO services. In addition to its current lineup of global locations and support resources on four continents, Futurestep plans to expand its reach with multiple new global research centers opening in key markets over the next two years.

To learn more about Futurestep, Strategic RPO, and its complete array of Strategic Talent Acquisition services, visit futurestep.com

About Korn/Ferry International

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

About Futurestep

Futurestep, a Korn/Ferry Company, is the industry leader in strategic talent acquisition, offering fully customized, flexible solutions to help organizations meet specific workforce needs. Our full-spectrum portfolio of services includes: Strategic Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), Project-Based Recruitment, Mid-Level Recruitment, Interim Professionals and Consulting Services. With locations on four continents and a record of success in securing top talent around the world, Futurestep provides the experience and global reach to identify, attract and retain the people who drive business success. To learn more, visit futurestep.com

SOURCE: Futurestep
CONTACT: Kelly Cartwright of Futurestep,
+1-877-639-6262,
kelly.cartwright@futurestep.com
Web site: http://www.futurestep.com
http://www.kornferry.com
(KFY)

Technology: Teknovus presents solutions for China's fiber networks

Beijing (BUSINESS WIRE) - Teknovus, the leading provider of Gigabit Ethernet Optical Network (G-EPON) chips for the deployment of triple-play services in broadband access networks, is demonstrating integrated optical monitoring and management solutions for efficient operation of EPON-based fiber networks in China. Teknovus is adding optical monitoring and management capabilities to all products, supporting China's rapidly expanding FTTx networks.

Teknovus' China Country Manager Mark Jiang and Rick Li, Senior Director of Technology and Strategic Development will be demonstrating and presenting optical monitoring and management for EPON (Ethernet Passive Optical Network) at the upcoming Optinet Conference on May 28 and 29th in Beijing. Teknovus enables carriers and cable operators to proactively monitor optical performance and perform fault analysis remotely. This network-wide diagnostic capability is increasingly important to global carriers as their EPON deployments approach or exceed one million subscribers. With more than nine million EPON-based FTTx subscribers worldwide, Teknovus provides the complete optical monitoring and management solution, enabling service providers to further reduce network-related OPEX and ensuring superior network security.

"Using commercially-available Teknovus chips, we will show results from our optical transceiver fault and ODN (Optical Distribution Network) fault monitoring and diagnosis, along with a detailed demonstration of their integration into existing and expanding FTTx networks," stated Mr Rick Li, Senior Director of Technology and Strategic Development for Teknovus. "We enable service providers to incrementally adopt remote monitoring, taking advantage of Teknovus' superb architecture at both the OLT (Optical Line Terminal ? Central Office) and ONU (Optical Network Unit ? Customer Premises). Our embedded software supports the streamlining of provisioning, management and maintenance."

The addition of advanced optical monitoring capability further contributes to the strong feature set Teknovus is developing for high-growth carriers in Asia. Just six months ago, Teknovus co-hosted a seminar with China's Ministry of Information Industries (MII) for senior representatives from China Telecom, China Netcom, China Unicom, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) and China Railway Telecom, including their headquarters and key provincial branches. Major equipment vendors also participated, including Huawei, ZTE, Fiberhome, UT Starcom, Nokia-Siemens, and Alcatel. Teknovus presented its Turbo-EPONTM and test results for the 1:64 (1 OLT to 64 ONUs) solution with adherence to QoS (Quality of Service) parameters and SLAs (Service Level Agreements) under fully-loaded real traffic scenarios to 64 end-users.

Please visit http://www.eefocus.com/webcast/show.php?id=406 for replays of the presentations.

"We can now ensure low CAPEX and OPEX for our end customers," stated Chris Moezzi, VP of Product Marketing for Teknovus. "Our deployments in China are serving as reference sites for many other countries. We are continuing to demonstrate our strengths in high-split ratios, traffic and network management and now in optical monitoring and management to China's FTTx experts."About Teknovus Teknovus is the leading developer and supplier of access chips and embedded software for the FTTx market. Teknovus products are deployed by more than 35 service providers around the world, enabling the delivery of advanced triple-play services, including IPTV, via optical fiber networks. Teknovus products support the full FTTx network, covering the Central Office (OLT) and the Customer Premises (ONU). Teknovus is headquartered in Silicon Valley, California with sales and support centers in Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen.?To learn more about Teknovus, visit www.teknovus.com.

Teknovus and Turbo-EPON are trademarks of Teknovus.Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

Teknovus Julie Kunstler, 650-862-7046 julie.kunstler@teknovus.com

Technology: SSH Communications Security Announces Availability of SSH Tectia Server 6.0 for IBM z/OS

Enhanced SSHG3(TM)Architecture Delivers Improved Scalability and Performance; Provides Automatic FTP to SFTP Conversion for Securing File Transfers and Data-In-Transit Quickly and Easily in Multi-Platform Enterprise Computing Environments

Helsinki, Finland and Wellesley, Mass. - SSH Communications Security Corp. (OMX:SSH1V), a world-leading provider of enterprise security solutions and end-to-end communications security, and the original developer of the Secure Shell protocol, today announced the general availability of SSH Tectia® Server 6.0 for IBM z/OS.

SSH Tectia Server for IBM z/OS is an advanced, cost-effective secure file transfer solution for IBM mainframe environments. Offering state-of-the-art encryption and authentication technologies, it allows enterprises to quickly and easily secure file transfers and other data-in-transit across, and between, z/OS, Windows, UNIX, and Linux environments, with no changes to JCL jobs or scripts and no modifications to the existing infrastructure or applications.

The new version saves IT teams time and money by delivering automatic FTP (File Transfer Protocol) to SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) conversion. This provides a secure, drop-in replacement for FTP, and also supports transparent FTP tunneling without requiring changes to existing FTP JCL jobs and applications. It also features an enhanced SSHG3(TM) client architecture to deliver improved scalability and performance for SSH Tectia's Advanced Tunneling capabilities.

The SSH Tectia Server 6.0 for IBM z/OS improves file transfer reliability by providing new checkpoint/restart capabilities that automatically detect and resend all or a portion of a file in the event of a transfer interrupt, without requiring that the entire file be resent.

SSH Tectia Server for IBM z/OS 6.0 also adds support for new file transfer commands and parameters, including SITE/LOCSITE, ASCII/BINARY with configurable ASCII/EBCDIC conversion, CONDDISP, and SUNIQUE.

"SSH continues to lead the way by delivering powerful IT security solutions to meet the growing challenges facing mainframe IT managers," said Arto Vainio, CEO of SSH Communications Security, Corp. "With today's increasingly complex and interconnected enterprise IT computing environments, mainframe IT managers require a robust, flexible and easy to administer security solution. SSH Tectia Server 6.0 for IBM z/OS includes a number of usability and performance improvements that, when coupled with robust encryption, makes it the ideal product for securing even the most sensitive mainframe file transfers across the enterprise."

SSH Tectia Server for IBM z/OS supports key mainframe features, including native support for Multiple Virtual Storage (MVS) and Unix System Services (USS) file systems, System Management Facility (SMF) logging, automatic character set conversion, strong authentication with support for RACF, ACF2 and TSS through standard SAF calls, X.509v3 certificate support, as well as fast data streaming technology. SSH Tectia Server for IBM z/OS provides strong encryption and authentication using industry-standard cryptographic algorithms, and integrates with IBM's FIPS-certified cryptographic hardware facilities for optimized encryption performance.

Pricing and Availability

SSH Tectia Server 6.0 for IBM z/OS is available immediately. Product pricing and further details can be obtained by contacting SSH regional sales offices or by visiting www.ssh.com.

About SSH Tectia

SSH Tectia is the leading end-to-end communications security solution for the enterprise. The SSH Tectia solution is based on the SSH Secure Shell and SSH's other industry-leading technologies used by millions worldwide. SSH Tectia enables secure file transfer, secure system administration and secure application connectivity with centralized management throughout internal and external networks. SSH Tectia products provide transparent, strong encryption and authentication, and are available for all key enterprise platforms including Windows, Unix, Linux, and mainframes to easily integrate into heterogeneous network environments.

About SSH Communications Security

SSH Communications Security is a world-leading provider of enterprise security solutions and end-to-end communications security, and the original developer of the Secure Shell protocol. The company's SSH Tectia solution addresses the most critical needs of large enterprises, financial institutions and government agencies. With SSH Tectia, organizations can cost-effectively secure their system administration, file transfers and application connectivity against both internal and external security risks. As the original developer of the Secure Shell protocol and other key network security technologies, SSH has since 1995 developed end-to-end communications security solutions specifically for the enterprise. Currently more than 100 of Global Fortune 500 companies are using SSH security solutions. SSH shares are quoted on the Helsinki Exchanges Main List. For more information, please visit www.ssh.com.

SSH Corp. Contact:
George Adams
SSH Corp.
+1 781 247 2100
firstname.lastname@ssh.com

Americas Regional Contact:
Byron Rashed
SSH Inc.
+1 949 643 0733
firstname.lastname@ssh.com

Asia Pacific Regional Contact:
Shiho Hashimoto
SSH Corp.
+358 20 500 7470
firstname.lastname@ssh.com

Europe Regional Contact:
Bo Sorensen
SSH Corp.
+358 20 500 7404
firstname.lastname@ssh.com

Americas Agency Contact:
Cheryl Taylor
Walt & Company
+1 408 369 7200 x 2981
ssh@walt.com

Investor Relations Contact:
Mika Peuranen
SSH Corp.
+358 20 500 7419
firstname.lastname@ssh.com

© 2008 SSH Communications Security Corp. All rights reserved. ssh® and Tectia® are registered trademarks of SSH Communications Security Corp in the United States and in certain other jurisdictions. The SSH and Tectia logos are trademarks of SSH Communications Security Corp and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. All other names and marks are the property of their respective owners.

Business: Expands its representative offices in China, Indonesia

Pittsburgh, PA. (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Tube City IMS, LLC, a provider of products and services to steel mills and foundries throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Mexico, South America and Asia, today announced that its Tube City Division has opened its first trading offices in Singapore, and Gent, Belgium, and has expanded its representative trading offices in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Beijing, China.

J. David Aronson, Executive Vice President -- Outsource Purchasing, Tube City Division, Tube City IMS, said all four offices are in prime locations from which the Company can grow its markets in the Asia-Pacific region and Europe.

"We are excited to be able to serve our customers in these important markets," Mr. Aronson said. "All four regions' economies are growing, and each location offers opportunities to expand our outsource purchasing and business initiatives."

Hideyuki "Nishi" Nishizawa, who has been instrumental in orchestrating the Company's international trading growth in the Asia-Pacific region, has been promoted to Managing Director of Asia. He will be relocating from the United States, and will be responsible for developing, managing and expanding the Company's Asian trading operations from the newly-opened Singapore trading office.

Luke Fang and Abby Yao have joined the Company's growing Beijing representative office as Traders under the leadership of Steven Liu, Chief Representative.

Fajar Nafies has joined the expanding Jakarta representative office as a Trader under the leadership of Iman Surachman, Chief Representative.

Alain Eeckman has joined the Company as Managing Director of Europe and will be responsible for developing, managing and expanding the Company's European trading operations from the newly-opened Belgium trading office. Mr. Eeckman has more than 15 years of experience in logistics and steel trading. Prior to joining the Company, he worked at Trade Arbed/Considar and ArcelorMittal.

"We are delighted to welcome our new traders to the team," Mr. Aronson said. "Hideyuki, Alain, Iman, Steven, Fajar, Luke and Abby collectively provide a wealth of experience and knowledge in the international marketplace. Their leadership and existing relationships with leading worldwide steel producers will help facilitate the Company's expansion into these important regions."

Tube City IMS, LLC is a leading provider of outsourced steel services, including raw materials procurement, scrap management, raw materials optimization, slag processing, metal recovery and surface conditioning services to integrated steel mills, mini-mills and foundries. Tube City IMS has operations at 69 plants throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Mexico, South America and Asia. The Company is headquartered in Glassport, PA.

SOURCE: Tube City IMS, LLC
CONTACT: Jim Leonard of Tube City IMS, LLC,

+1-412-267-5226
Web site: http://www.tubecityims.com

Business: Elekta: Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion gets regulatory approval

Stockholm, Sweden (BUSINESS WIRE) - Regulatory News: The Japanese Ministry for Health, Labor and Welfare, MHLW, has given approval for Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion, the world-leading clinical solution for non-invasive radiosurgical treatments of tumors, vascular malformations and other brain disorders.

Elekta, the international medical technology group and developer of Gamma Knife surgery, will now be able to deliver and install this advanced technology at new and existing customer sites in Japan.

Gamma Knife surgery has become the world's most widely used radiosurgery treatment due to its extraordinary accuracy, reduction of excess radiation dose to the body, extensive history and clinical documentation. Unlike other systems, invoking compromises in order to be able to treat the whole body, Leksell Gamma Knife is specifically designed to optimize treatment to the head and neck area - a fact appreciated by neurosurgeons and patients alike.

Launched by Elekta in 2006 and now in clinical use in over 30 locations around the world, Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion combines the proven precision of the revolutionary Leksell Gamma Knife, with a dramatic increase in clinical reach to treat a wider range of targets faster and more efficiently than ever before.

The system's unique geometric and dosimetric design robotically administers thousands of beams of low-intensity radiation that converge to deliver a single, therapeutic dose of radiation with pin-point accuracy to the most difficult targets; while integrated treatment planning and delivery streamlines the radiosurgery process to treat even multiple brain lesions in a single automated procedure.

Over 50 centers in Japan are currently offering Gamma Knife surgery to patients with benign or malignant brain tumors, vascular malformations and certain functional brain disorders.
Several of these have already expressed interest in upgrading their facility to Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion. At the recent International Leksell Gamma Knife Society Meeting on May 18-22, in Quebec, Canada, a large number of Japanese neurosurgeons and other clinicians attended and was presented with clinical data from the current users of Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion.

About Elekta

Elekta is an international medical technology group, providing oncologists, radiation therapists, neurosurgeons and many other medical specialists with state of the art tools to fight serious disease.

Elekta provides advanced clinical solutions, comprehensive management and information systems as well as services for improved cancer care and management of brain disorders.

Elekta's systems and solutions are used in over 5,000 hospitals around the world. Clinical and information management solutions include, among others, Leksell Gamma Knife? for non-invasive treatment of brain disorders, Elekta Axesse and Elekta Synergy for stereotactic and image guided radiation therapy and radiosurgery as well as the MOSAIQ suite of software for image-enabled EMR and efficient management of clinical and patient data.

With over 2,500 employees globally, the corporate headquarter is located in Stockholm, Sweden and the company is listed on the Nordic Exchange under the ticker EKTAb. More information about Elekta can be found at www.elekta.com.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://newsroom.cision.com ElektaPeter Ejemyr, +46 733 611 000 (mobile) Group VP Corporate Communicationspeter.ejemyr@elekta.com

Technology: Energenics agrees Enercat fuel nanocatalyst distribution

Energenics agrees Enercat fuel nanocatalyst distribution with Eastern European leader in nanotechnology

Singapore (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Energenics Pte Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Energenics Holdings Pte Ltd, announced today it has recently agreed to appoint Nanotrade sro as an exclusive Eastern European distributor for its Enercat fuel borne catalyst product.

Nanotrade have previously been the distributor for Oxonica's Envirox product since 2004 and were distributing in Czech Republic, Poland, Slovenia & Hungary. The Envirox additive tested and sold by Nanotrade from 2004 to 2007 was manufactured using technology licensed to Oxonica by Neuftec Ltd. Neuftec terminated its license with Oxonica in February 2007.

The Enercat product currently sold by Energenics utilizes the Neuftec Intellectual Property, co-developed by Ronen Hazarika.

Ronen Hazarika, Energenics Managing Director said: "This important distribution agreement allows us to partner up with one of Eastern Europe's premier nanomaterial marketeers. Nanotrade's knowledge of the market is first class and they acknowledge the importance of working with the original technology developers.

"Through our partnership with our global strategic partners, we have been able to improve the efficiency of the product significantly compared to the version originally sold during 2002-2007 and we have expanded our own patent envelope accordingly. Furthermore, I am pleased that we have been able to expand our European distributor footprint with distributors who have many years of experience of our technology, albeit under a different brand name."

Ladislav Torcik, CEO of Nanotrade, commented: "I'm delighted to sign up an exclusive agreement with Energenics and continuing to develop the market for the nanocatalyst technology.

"The Energenics range of products was also an attractive proposition for us and we look forward to offering a cost effective, full one-stop energy saving solution to our customers."

Enercat is a patented formulation of nanoparticulate Cerium Oxide. The technology was originally licensed to Oxonica from 2001-2007. The license was terminated and Energenics has recently started utilizing the technology.

Enercat reduces fuel efficiency from 4.7 - 11 per cent and also reduces HC emissions by up to 21 per cent, CO by up to 30 per cent, PM by up to 20 per cent & NOx up to 8 per cent About Energenics Energenics Pte Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Energenics Holdings Pte Ltd., is a leading supplier of alternative energy solutions and technologies.

Based in Singapore, Energenics identifies, invests, sources, validates and commercializes energy technologies that provide customers with energy and emission reductions at zero or minimal capital cost compared to existing technologies.
Energenics has a strong customer base comprised of transportation groups, mining companies and port and marine operators throughout the Asia Pacific region and is expanding it's operations globally.

For additional information, please visit http://www.energenics.org.

About Nanotrade sro

Nanotrade sro is a progressive Czech company, aiming to discover and commercialise new materials, products & technologies that are designed and manufactured utilizing nanotechnology. Nanotrade, works closely with partners and research institutes in the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Germany, UK, USA, Singapore & Australia.

Nanotrade also conduct consultancy & market research including project preparation, application, implementation, manufacturing strategy and specialist advisory services in the Middle and Eastern Europe areas. For additional information, please visit http://www.nanotrade.cz.

SOURCE: Energenics

Health/Medical: Alnylam & Takeda form strategic worldwide platform alliance

Alnylam and Takeda form strategic worldwide platform alliance in RNAi therapeutics
- Alnylam Selects Takeda as its Sole Asian Strategic Partner and Obtains Options for 50-50 Development and Commercialization of Takeda RNAi Therapeutic Programs in U.S. Market
- Takeda Gains Access and Enablement to Alnylam's Leading RNAi Therapeutics Technology and Intellectual Property in Fields of Oncology and Metabolic Disease
- Alliance Includes $150 Million in Upfront and Near-Term Technology Transfer Payments, and Additional Future Research & Development and Commercial Milestones

Cambridge, Mass. & Osaka, Japan (BUSINESS WIRE) - Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:ALNY) and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TOKYO:4502) today announced that they have formed a strategic platform alliance in RNAi therapeutics in the fields of oncology and metabolic disease with the option to expand to additional therapeutic areas. This landmark alliance is the first major RNAi therapeutics partnership between a Japanese pharmaceutical company and a U.S. biotechnology company, representing a new frontier in the advancement of RNAi therapeutics to patients on a global basis.

RNAi is an entirely new approach for the discovery of breakthrough medicines that utilizes a natural mechanism found within the body to inhibit expression of certain genes.
Harnessing the activity of RNAi creates a direct opportunity to develop specific and potent new medicines for the treatment of a broad range of diseases, including those that are difficult to treat with today's drug approaches. The discovery of RNAi was awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize and the advancement of RNAi is recognized as one of the most important advances in biomedical sciences in decades.

"We are very pleased and honored to have a strategic platform partnership with Takeda, one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies. As the first RNAi technology partnership with a pharmaceutical company located in Asia, this new alliance expands the advancement of RNAi therapeutics to patients on a global basis," said John Maraganore, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Alnylam.

"Across multiple dimensions, this new partnership is a major event in Alnylam's efforts to build a leading biopharmaceutical company. A particularly important element in this new platform alliance is Alnylam's opportunity to co-develop and co-commercialize Takeda RNAi therapeutic products with Takeda in the U.S. market."

"We are excited to work with Alnylam, as the leading worldwide company in the field of RNAi therapeutics with a strong commitment to scientific excellence and an unparalleled intellectual property position," said Yasuchika Hasegawa, President of Takeda. "We believe this alliance will accelerate our initiatives to establish the foundation for RNAi drug discovery supported by Alnylam's platform technologies and know-how. We expect that our product portfolio will be enhanced by the addition of RNAi therapeutics to our current small molecule and anti-body research platforms."

This collaboration provides Takeda with broad, worldwide, non-exclusive access to and enablement with Alnylam's RNAi therapeutics platform technology and intellectual property in the fields of oncology and metabolic disease, with the right to expand the number of therapeutic fields in the future. The agreement also includes the transfer of platform technology from Alnylam to Takeda, a collaboration and cross-license of delivery technologies between the two companies, and a drug discovery collaboration on certain RNAi therapeutic targets, subject to certain Alnylam third party obligations.

Takeda becomes Alnylam's strategic partner for RNAi therapeutics over a five-year period and the only Asian company to obtain a right of first negotiation to develop and commercialize Alnylam RNAi therapeutic development programs for the Asian market, excluding Alnylam's ALN-RSV01 program. In addition, Alnylam obtains opt-in options to co-develop and co-commercialize Takeda RNAi therapeutic programs in the U.S. market on a 50-50 basis.

The partnership includes $100 million in upfront payments and $50 million in near-term technology transfer payments for a non-exclusive license in two therapeutic fields and is valued at potentially over $1 billion in future research and development and commercial milestones, upon successful commercialization of multiple products. At Takeda's option, the scope of the partnership can be expanded to include additional fields with a $50 million per field expansion payment.

Alnylam is also eligible to receive research and development funding related to the drug discovery collaboration. In addition, Alnylam is eligible to receive up to $171 million in development and commercial milestone payments and significant royalties per product. Alnylam plans to update financial guidance when it announces its second quarter 2008 financial results.

About RNA Interference (RNAi)

RNAi (RNA interference) is a revolution in biology, representing a breakthrough in understanding how genes are turned on and off in cells, and a completely new approach to drug discovery and development. Its discovery has been heralded as "a major scientific breakthrough that happens once every decade or so," and represents one of the most promising and rapidly advancing frontiers in biology and drug discovery today which was awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine.

RNAi is a natural process of gene silencing that occurs in organisms ranging from plants to mammals. By harnessing the natural biological process of RNAi occurring in our cells, the creation of a major new class of medicines, known as RNAi therapeutics, is on the horizon. RNAi therapeutics target the cause of diseases by potently silencing specific messenger RNAs (mRNAs), thereby preventing disease-causing proteins from being made. RNAi therapeutics have the potential to treat disease and help patients in a fundamentally new way.

About Alnylam Pharmaceuticals

Alnylam is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics based on RNA interference, or RNAi. The company is applying its therapeutic expertise in RNAi to address significant medical needs, many of which cannot effectively be addressed with small molecules or antibodies, the current major classes of drugs. Alnylam is leading the translation of RNAi as a new class of innovative medicines with peer-reviewed research efforts published in the world's top scientific journals including Nature, Nature Medicine, and Cell. The company is leveraging these capabilities to build a broad pipeline of RNAi therapeutics; its most advanced program is in Phase II human clinical trials for the treatment of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection.

In addition, the company is developing RNAi therapeutics for the treatment of a wide range of disease areas, including hypercholesterolemia, liver cancers, and Huntington's disease.

The company's leadership position in fundamental patents, technology, and know-how relating to RNAi has enabled it to form major alliances with leading companies including Medtronic, Novartis, Biogen Idec, Roche, and Takeda.

To reflect its outlook for key scientific, clinical, and business initiatives, Alnylam has established "RNAi 2010" which includes the company's plan to significantly expand the scope of delivery solutions for RNAi therapeutics, have four or more programs in clinical development, and to form four or more new major business collaborations, all by the end of 2010. Alnylam is a joint owner of Regulus Therapeutics LLC, a joint venture focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of microRNA therapeutics. Founded in 2002, Alnylam maintains headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.alnylam.com.

About Takeda

Founded in 1781 and located in Osaka, Japan, Takeda is a research-based global company with its main focus on pharmaceuticals. As the largest pharmaceutical company in Japan and one of the global leaders of the industry, Takeda is committed to striving toward better health for individuals and progress in medicine by developing superior pharmaceutical
products.

Additional information about Takeda is available through its corporate website, www.takeda.com.

Alnylam Forward-Looking Statements
Various statements in this release concerning Alnylam's future expectations, plans and prospects, constitute forward-looking statements for the purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including risks related to: Alnylam's approach to discover and develop novel drugs, which is unproven and may never lead to marketable products; obtaining, maintaining and protecting intellectual property; Alnylam's ability to enforce its patents against infringers and to defend its patent portfolio against challenges from third parties; Alnylam's ability to obtain additional funding to support its business activities;

Alnylam's ability to realize future milestones and royalties as well as co-development and co-commercialization opportunities; Alnylam's dependence on third parties for development, manufacture, marketing, sales and distribution of products; obtaining regulatory approval for products; competition from others using technology similar to Alnylam's and others developing products for similar uses; Alnylam's dependence on collaborators; and Alnylam's short operating
history; as well as those risks more fully discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of its most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In addition, any forward-looking statements represent Alnylam's views only as of today and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date. Alnylam does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

Takeda Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the Company's plans, outlook, strategies and results for the future. All forward-looking statements are based on judgments derived from the information available to the Company at this time.

Certain risks and uncertainties could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from any projections presented in this press release. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the economic circumstances surrounding the Company's business; competitive pressure; relative laws and regulations; product development programs; and changes in exchange rates.

We assume no obligation to update or reverse any forward-looking statements or other information contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Cynthia Clayton, 617-551-8207 (Investors)
or Yates Public Relations Adriana Jenkins, 617-551-8252 (Media)
or Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited Seizo Masuda, +81-3-3278-2037

Business: Flexsys seeks to expand crystex capacity in Asia-Pacific region

St. Louis (PRIME NEWSWIRE) - Solutia Inc. (NYSE:SOA) today announced that its Flexsys subsidiary is seeking to expand its Crystex(r) insoluble sulfur manufacturing capacity in the Asia-Pacific region and is currently evaluating sites to determine the most suitable location. Flexsys presently has seven plants worldwide that produce Crystex insoluble sulfur, including facilities in Kuantan, Malaysia, and Kashima, Japan.

"Flexsys is strengthening its commitment to the Asia-Pacific region. The Asian market, specifically China and India, continues to be an important and rapidly growing market for Flexsys," said Jim Voss, president of Flexsys and senior vice president of Solutia Inc. "Expanding in the Asia-Pacific region demonstrates our strong commitment to our customers to provide more localized service, support, and delivery of our products." He added, "We will continue to invest in capacity expansions and new technology to provide our customers with the innovative products that they have come to expect from Flexsys."

Global demand for tyres continues to rise around the world. It is estimated that by 2010, global annual tyre production will reach 1.7 billion, up from 1.4 billion in 2005. Asia has become an increasingly important center for tyre production based on strong local demand and as an exporter to other world areas. Most of that growth in Asia comes from China and India.

"We want to help our customers seize the enormous opportunity in this region," said Tim Wessel, vice president of Crystex and Antidegradants, Flexsys. "We are seeing increased demand for our Crystex HD (High Dispersion) grade of insoluble sulfur. In order to meet the long-term needs of our customers, we will be investing in additional capacity."

Crystex insoluble sulfur is the vulcanizing agent of choice for critical applications in the tyre industry, providing the highest level of quality and performance. In addition, Crystex HD insoluble sulfur offers tyre manufacturers improved productivity and safety in their manufacturing processes.

Flexsys products play an essential role in the manufacturing of tyres and other rubber products, such as belts, hoses, seals, and footwear. Flexsys is a global business with offices, manufacturing facilities and technology centers around the world. Flexsys has annual sales of over $650 million, about two-thirds of which take place outside the United States.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Flexsys and Crystex are registered trademarks of Solutia Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.

Forward Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements, which can be identified by the use of words such as "believes," "expects," "may," "will," "intends," "plans," "estimates," "estimated," or "anticipates," or other comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. These statements are based on management's current expectations and assumptions about the industries in which Solutia operates.
Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results or achievements to be materially different from the future results or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those risk and uncertainties described in Solutia's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, including under "Cautionary Statement About Forward Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors", and Solutia's quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. These reports can be accessed through the "Investors" section of Solutia's website at www.solutia.com. Solutia disclaims any intent or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements in response to new information, unforeseen events, changed circumstances or any other occurrence.

Corporate Profile

Solutia is a market-leading performance materials and specialty chemicals company. The company focuses on providing solutions for a better life through a range of products, including: Saflex(r) interlayer for laminated glass; CPFilms(r) aftermarket window films sold under the LLumar(r) brand and others; high-performance nylon polymers and fibers sold under brands such as Vydyne(r) and Wear-Dated(r); and technical specialties including the Flexsys(r) family of chemicals for the rubber industry, Skydrol(r) aviation hydraulic fluid and Therminol(r) heat transfer fluid. Solutia's businesses are world leaders in each of their market segments. With its headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, the company operates globally with approximately 6,000 employees in more than 60 locations. More information is available at www.Solutia.com.

The Solutia Inc. logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2620
-0-
CONTACT: Solutia Inc.
Media:
Melissa Hammonds
(314) 674-5555
Customers:
Tim Wessel
(314) 674-1174
Investors:
Susannah Livingston
(314) 674-8914

Business in Asia Today - May 28, 2008

HK'S SUN HUNG KAI PROPERTIES OUSTS CHAIRMAN IN FAMILY FEUD
Hong Kong (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Hong Kong's largest residential developer Sun Hung Kai Properties voted its chairman and chief executive Walter Kwok out of office on Tuesday in the latest episode of a legal feud involving members of the Kwok family.
The company, founded and controlled by the Kwok family, announced in a statement with immediate effect that Walter Kwok will cease being chairman and chief executive officer, and serve instead as a non-executive director.
Kwong Siu-hing, Kwok's 79-year-old mother, will serve as company chairwoman until the annual meeting of shareholders, which is expected in December.
His younger brothers, Thomas and Raymond, will take over his duties as chief executive. Walter Kwok, 57, had been running SHK Properties together with his brothers since their father Kwok Tak-seng died in 1990.

VODAFONE BOSS TOPS-UP INDIA INVESTMENT WITH FURTHER US$396 MLN
London (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - What could be seen as a parting gift to the country of his origin, UK telecom giant Vodafone's outgoing CEO Arun Sarin on Tuesday announced an additional investment of 200 million pounds (US$396.02 million) for its India business.
Vodafone had announced an investment of one billion pounds last year when it entered India after buying out the Hong Kong-based Hutchison Telecom International's controlling stake to drive growth.
Sarin said Vodafone is striving for 100 million customers from the current 44 million and for that they are in dire needs of more spectrum. He is also hopeful that 3G services would be rolled out in India in the next 12 months.

YAZAKI TO CONSOLIDATE PROCUREMENT VIA NEW SINGAPOREAN UNIT
Tokyo (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Major Japanese autoparts manufacturer Yazaki Corp. has formed a new company in Singapore to centrally purchase materials to be used at the firm's factories around the world.
By reorganizing its procurement system, Yazaki seeks to cut costs to address the rising prices of raw materials.
The new company will be staffed by about two dozen personnel and will engage in price negotiations with suppliers of steel, synthetic resin and other materials, expecting to obtain bulk discounts.
In addition, it will pick suppliers close to each Yazaki plant to reduce shipping costs and time.

MALAYSIA'S IREKA SWINGS TO YR PROFIT ON GAINS FROM SALE OF UNITS
Kuala Lumpur (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Ireka Corporation Berhad (KLSE:8834) has recorded pre-tax profit of RM157.765 million (US$49.3 million) for the twelve months ended 31 March 2008, a sharp improvement from a loss of RM33.206 million in the previous year due to gains on disposal of two subsidiaries.
The company, which focuses on housing development and construction projects, said it booked RM206 million profit from the sale of Ireka Land and ICSD Ventures to Aseana Properties Limited (ASPL) on 15 May 2007.
Excluding the two disposed subsidiaries, the group achieved revenue of RM330.610 million, representing a 78 per cent jump from the previous year.

INDONESIA'S SAMPOERNA REPORTS 11.9% RISE IN SALES TO $900 MLN
Jakarta (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - One of Indonesia's largest cigarette makers, PT HM Sampoerna, reported Rp8.13 trillion (US$900 million) in sales in the first quarter of this year or an increase of 11.9 per cent from the same period last year. The subsidiary of the U.S. based Philip Morris International Inc said it sold 17.7 billion cigarettes in the first three months of this year or an increase of 5.8 per cent from the sale period in the previous year.
Company president Martin G. King said with the sales the company had a 28 per cent share of the Indonesian market.

QANTAS CUTS CAPACITY DUE TO RISING FUEL PRICES
Sydney (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Qantas has been forced to cut its flight capacity due to rising fuel prices, and warns that its full bill will increase by more than $A2 billion ($US1.92 billion) next financial year.
The airline said the decision to cut capacity by five per cent is equivalent to grounding six aircraft.
"The fact is that fuel prices are something we have no control over, so we have to look harder at areas where we do have control," chief executive Geoff Dixon said.
Qantas will now retire one B737 aircraft, ground two B767s and one Jetstar A320. It will cancel the delivery of one Jetstar A321 plane. Flying patterns of other aircraft will be adjusted, which includes reducing the use of the B747-400 fleet.

QUAKE TO HURT CHINA'S PROPERTY MARKET
Beijing (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - The May 12 earthquake could cripple Sichuan province's property market in the short term by dampening consumers' will to buy and reducing investment-oriented purchases, industry experts said.
BrilliantStone, a Beijing-headquartered real estate research and advisory firm, said the "psychological shadow" hanging over the economic losses in Sichuan and Chongqing could diminish enthusiasm for purchasing property in the area.
Yang Hongxu, deputy director of Shanghai-based E-house Real Estate Research Institution, said the quake would also largely reduce investment-oriented purchases in quake-affected areas, putting greater pressure on property prices in the region.
But Bohai Securities analyst Zhou Hu said the quake's impact on Sichuan's property market would be limited.

THAI CHAMBER, TRADE CHAIR WARNS OF SINKING INVESTMENT PROSPECTS
Bangkok (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Investor confidence and subsequent foreign investment in Thailand could be eroded if the current political turmoil continues and the ongoing rally demanding that the coalition government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej scrap its plan to rewrite the constitution descends into violence, a senior Thai executive said Tuesday.
Pramon Suthiwong, chairman of both the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Trade of Thailand, said investment confidence would not be greatly impacted if the demonstration demanding the government to halt its plan to rewrite the charter ends soon without bloodshed.
Now foreign investors are worried about political strife in Thailand and have delayed committing a considerable amount of investment in this country, Mr Pramon said.

INDIA'S TATA COMMUNICATIONS INKS PACT WITH ETISALAT OF UAE
New Delhi (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Telecom service provider Tata Communications (BSE:500483) on Tuesday said it has inked an agreement with UAE-based telco Emirates Telecommunications Corp (Etisalat) to provide enterprise network services in the Gulf country.
Under the agreement, both companies would work together to deliver "secure, scalable and flexible" ethernet and other connectivity solutions, they said in a joint statement.
Through Etisalat's network, Tata communications would enhance its coverage in the strategic location of UAE, the statement added.

AUSTRALIA'S SHEEP PRODUCTION LOWEST IN 80 YEARS: ABS
Canberra (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Sheep numbers in Australia have dropped to their lowest level in more than 80 years because of the drought.
Sheep and lamb numbers were at 85.7 million head in the 2006-07 financial year, the lowest since 1924, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported. Wheat production fell by more than 50 per cent to 10.8 million tonnes, following near record levels the previous year, while barley yields were down by 55 per cent to 4.3 million tonnes.
Cotton production also dropped by half, to 282,000 tonnes, from the smallest crop recorded in 20 years and the smallest planted area since 1987.
Rice production reported agriculture's worst yield, dropping 84 per cent to just 163,000 tonnes. Lack of water, caused by the long-running drought, was a major reason for the decline.

Source:
Business in Asia Today - MAY 28, 2008
published by Asia Pulse

COPYRIGHT © 2008

Business: Thomson Reuters, Chinese Academy jointly Honour China's R & D

China is ranked second in the world by number of scientific papers published in 2007 according to citation analysis based on data from the Scientific business

Beijing (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - China's scientific papers and their authors were recognized today with the first 'Thomson Reuters Research Fronts Award 2008' jointly presented by the Scientific business of Thomson Reuters and the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) Research Front Analysis Center. This accolade is awarded to prominent scientific papers and their corresponding authors in recognition of their outstanding pioneering research and influential contribution to international research and development (R&D). The event was attended by over 150 of the winners' industry peers from leading research institutions, universities and libraries.

The award is significant to China's science community as it accords global recognition to their collaborative research work undertaken across all disciplines and institutions and highlights their contribution to groundbreaking research that has made China one of the world's leading countries for the influence of its scientific papers.

According to the citation analysis based on data from Scientific's ISI Web of Science, China is ranked second in the world by number of scientific papers published in 2007. ISI Web of Science(R) provides seamless access to current and retrospective multidisciplinary information including the Science Citation Index Expanded, Social Sciences Citation Index and Arts & Humanities Citation Index from nearly 10,000 of the most prestigious, high impact research journals in the world.

The Awards event held at Hotel Nikko New Century Beijing Century Hall is part of a series of Asia Pacific Research Days hosted by the Scientific business of Thomson Reuters to recognize research excellence in countries and regions, demonstrating they are leading the world through innovation in their respective fields. Similar events have taken place most recently in Australia and previously in South Korea, Japan and India.

According to Scientific's latest World IP Today Report in Global Patent Activity 2007, China has almost doubled its volume of patents from 2003-2007 and will become a strong rival to Japan and the United States in years to come. Academia represents a key source of innovation in many countries. China has the largest proportion of academic innovation. This is strong evidence of the Chinese Government's drive to strengthen its academic institutions.

Said Keith MacGregor, Executive Vice President of Academic and Government Strategic Business Unit, Scientific business of Thomson Reuters, "We have always maintained a very strong commitment to providing the global scientific community with intelligent and accurate information, and setting the global standards for discovery and research assessment tools. Our methodology has helped China's scientists and researchers identify the fields where they are taking the global lead and making a significant contribution."

Professor Jin Bihui, Head of CAS Research Front Analysis Center and a renowned bibliometrics expert in China, commented, "The main significance of today's Research Fronts Award in recognition of Chinese research lies in the fact that it will appraise the quality and standard of papers on the international science front and the papers' academic influence. The 24 research papers recognised today will highlight the importance of research results. Presently, Chinese science is at a critical transition stage, where the emphasis is shifting from quantity expansion to quality improvement. This is the inevitable path of scientific progress that China needs to take in order to develop the capability and clout to make a greater contribution to the global science front."

Said Dr. David Liu, Senior Director and Head of China Regional Business Unit for the Scientific business of Thomson Reuters, "We are pleased to partner CAS Front Analysis Center and leading 'Science Focus' publication, both of whom are well respected authorities in national science circles, to present the first China Research Day and Research Front Awards 2008 in recognition of China's important contribution to the international research community. We look forward to developing our relationships further with our partners and China's top institutions. Our congratulations to each of the winners for making a difference to the world of research today."

For complete methodology, visit scientific.thomsonreuters.com/press/

About Thomson Reuters

Thomson Reuters is the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, scientific, healthcare and media markets. With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs more than 50,000 people in 93 countries. For more information, visit www.thomsonreuters.com

SOURCE: Thomson Reuters
CONTACT:
Pamela Lim
Manager, PR & Communications, Scientific
of Thomson Reuters
+65-6411-6737
pamela.lim@thomsonreuters.com
Web site:
http://www.thomsonreuters.com
http://www.scientific.thomson.com

Technology: IDT launches new feature - rich teleconferencing service

Cost effective service targets both large & small businesses

Singapore (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - IDT Asia, the regional operation of IDT Telecom, today announced the launch of IDT Connect Asia, an easy to use, feature-rich global teleconferencing service for businesses of all sizes in Singapore. This premium quality, highly affordable, teleconferencing service is specially tailored for the Asian market. IDT Telecom is a subsidiary of IDT Corporation (NYSE: IDT, IDT.C), a multinational holding company with operations that span various industries.

A large number of Singapore's companies need to communicate and collaborate with people in other places, whether it's suppliers, customers or their own remotely located staff. Many larger companies use conferencing on a regular basis to bring these people together on one call, but for others, and particularly for smaller companies, conferencing is often thought of as being too expensive and too complex.

The new IDT Connect Asia service leverages IDT's strength in technology and global calling to bring high quality conferencing within the range of every company. It allows companies quickly and effortlessly to establish teleconferences on their own, immediately and on demand. IDT Connect Asia also utilizes the same convenient online account management framework that many companies have come to appreciate and rely on since IDT launched its IDT1595 International Calling Service in 2007. All conference calls are consolidated into the company's IDT1595 monthly statement for easy cost-management, and individual conference calls can be assigned with accounting codes when they are established so that the cost can be allocated to individual projects. Plus, with its global reach, IDT currently provides dialling access points into the service from 36 countries around the world, with more countries rapidly signing on, allowing efficient and effective global conferences. New customers of IDT can choose this service as an option when becoming a subscriber or use the service on a standalone basis and existing customers can easily add IDT Connect Asia to their service simply by calling their IDT account manager.

"Our goal in introducing IDT Connect Asia is to show that high-quality conferencing can be easy to use and a cost-effective tool not just for large multi-nationals but also affordable and effective for small and medium-sized businesses in the region," said Chip Barton, Managing Director of IDT Asia. "Previously this type of service was too expensive and complex for smaller companies, despite the fact that many of them would benefit from being able to bring groups of people together in one discussion. We are very excited to launch IDT Connect Asia because it helps two groups of customers: large multi-nationals who are already familiar with teleconferencing who want a feature-rich service yet still save money over alternative offers and smaller companies who can now finally afford to experience the benefits of teleconferencing with an easy to use service."

One of the first companies to test and sign up for IDT Connect Asia was the Hong Kong office of Advantage Partners, a private equity firm founded in 1992. The firm provides services to private equity funds that focus on investing in acquisitions, buy-outs, buy-ins and other private equity opportunities in Japan. "In our business, effective communications and quick decision-making is key. We regularly need to communicate with multiple internal and external parties in different countries around the world, sometimes at a moment's notice. With the new IDT Connect Asia we don't have to worry about scheduling in advance. We can bring up a call whenever we need it, and people can dial in through access points from all over the world, and we know that the cost isn't going to break the bank," said Emmett Thomas, Partner at Advantage Partners in Hong Kong.

About IDT Asia

IDT Asia is the regional division of IDT Telecom and was formed in 2003. The regional headquarters is in Hong Kong, with branch offices throughout the Asia Pacific region. IDT Asia concentrates its expertise in two main product areas: etail telecommunications services and wholesale carrier services.

About IDT Corporation

IDT Corporation is an innovative and opportunity seeking multinational holding company with operations that span various industries. Through its Telecom subsidiary, IDT provides telecommunications services worldwide to the retail and wholesale markets. IDT Energy operates an Energy Services Company (ESCO) in New York State. IDT subsidiary American Shale Oil Corporation (AMSO) manages IDT's oil shale ventures. IDT's Capital division incubates newer businesses, and the Company's Spectrum subsidiary holds its spectrum license assets. IDT Telecom provides retail and wholesale telecommunications services and products, including pre-paid and rechargeable calling cards, consumer local, long distance, and wireless phone services, and wholesale carrier services. Under the Net2Phone brand name, the Company also provides a range of voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) communications services.
IDT Capital's operations include receivables portfolio management and collection, ethnic food distribution, brochure distribution, Internet Mobile Group, Net2Phone Ventures and other initiatives. IDT Corporation's Class B Common Stock and Common Stock trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbols IDT and IDT.C, respectively.

For further information for the media, please contact:
Paul Christensen
Tel:
+852-2626-7909
Email: pchristensen@idtasia.net
For sales enquiries, please contact:
IDT Business Sales
Tel:
+65-6236-2380
Email: business_sales@idt1595.net
SOURCE IDT Asia

Business: Thomson Reuters unveils direct feed to Singapore Exchange

Singapore, (ANTARA News/Xinhua-PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Thomson Reuters (NYSE: TRI; TSX: TRI; LSE: TRIL; Nasdaq: TRIN), the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals, today announced the Singapore Exchange (SGX) has joined its global portfolio of ultra-low latency direct exchange interfaces.

The Reuters Data feed Direct (RDFD) for equities listed on SGX will be available in July. The RDFD will enable firms to gain competitive advantage through program trading strategies that can consume data and execute trades more quickly.

The RDFD, the company's flagship direct exchange integration platform data feed was recently awarded the industrys premier performance nomination for best low latency product 2008. The award is presented annually by Inside Market Data to provide recognition of excellence within market data, reference data and enterprise data management.

By using the strategic Thomson Reuters Application Programming Interfaces and unified market data symbology, SGX clients can build proprietary trading applications that can gauge the level of activity for individual stocks through real-time analysis of the number of shares available at each buy and sell price levels. This will lead to more insightful trading decisions.

SGX disseminates equities market data via a dedicated vendor feed called the Securities Book. The SGX Securities Book provides comprehensive real-time tick by tick market data for all SGX-listed stocks, including prices, indices and volumes up to 50 levels. It connects to the SGX trading engine in order to provide the best available liquidity through comprehensive market depth data to market participants.

Mr Lai Kok Leong, SGX Vice President & Head, Data Services, said: "SGX is pleased to work with Thomson Reuters to provide this low latency information solution. This is part of our commitment to meeting the needs of customers who are looking for a managed service to do algorithmic trading in SGX stocks."

Peter Reilly, Head of Real-time Enterprise Information, Thomson Reuters Asia said: "By bringing the first fully managed ultra-low latency direct feed for SGX-listed equities to the market, Thomson Reuters is re-enforcing the increasingly important role Singapore has to play in the Asia and global algorithmic trading space, across both the sell-side and increasingly the buy-side."

Reilly added: "We are seeing more and more requirements from hedge funds for high performance light touch solutions in this space in order to fully leverage latency as a competitive advantage. Managed service direct feed offerings are resonating very well with our small to medium sized emerging high-frequency hedge fund customers, as well as the sell-side through hedge fund hotel strategies".

Thomson Reuters provides our clients with a complete suite of comprehensive capabilities -- from algorithmic trading tools, such as tick history, tick capture and time-stamped news, to proximity hosting to allow our customers to be first to market.

Contacts Liam Hwee Tay Head of Corporate Communications, Asia
Tel: +65-6870-3028 Email: Liam.tay@thomsonreuters.com
Victoria Brough Head of Corporate Communications, EMEA
Tel: +44-207-542-8763 Email:
victoria.brough@thomsonreuters.com
SOURCE: Thomson Reuters

Business: Thomson Reuters launches expanded journal coverage

The Scientific Business of Thomson Reuters launches expanded journal coverage in Web of Science by adding 700 regional journals Selected journals provide insight to scientific issues that are unique to certain global regions

Philadelphia (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - The Scientific business of Thomson Reuters today announced that 700 new regional journals have been added to Web of Science. The newly identified collection contains journals that typically target a regional rather than international audience by approaching subjects from a local perspective or focusing on particular topics of regional interest.

For more than two years, Thomson Reuters has reviewed thousands of regional journals in all areas of science, social science and arts and humanities. Although selection criteria for a regional journal are fundamentally the same as for an international journal, the importance of the regional journal is measured in terms of the specificity of its content rather than in its citation impact.

"Web of Science is regarded as the premier choice in the industry because we focus on the quality of the journals we select -- not quantity of journals indexed," said Jim Testa, senior director, editorial development and publisher relations at Thomson Reuters.

"By expanding the scope of the regional journal selection process, coverage of material that previously was only available on a limited basis through a few international journals is now accessible in far greater depth to the entire Web of Science community. The addition of these first 700 journals will provide meaningful insight to scientific issues that are unique to particular regions throughout the world."

All journals added to the Web of Science go through a rigorous selection process. To meet stringent criteria for selection, regional journals must be published on time, have English-language bibliographic information (title, abstract, keywords), and cited references must be in the Roman alphabet. The added journals cover the subject areas of Arts and Humanities, Agriculture Biology & Environmental Sciences,
Engineering, Computing & Technology, Life Sciences, Physics, Chemistry, and Earth Sciences, and Social and Behavioral Science.

For more information, please visit http://scientific.thomsonreuters.com.

For a list of the journals by region and subject area, contact Sue Besaw at susan.besaw@thomsonreuters.com.

About Thomson Reuters

Thomson Reuters is the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, scientific, healthcare and media markets, powered by the world's most trusted news organization. With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs more than 50,000 people in 93 countries. For more information, go to thomsonreuters.com.

SOURCE: Thomson Reuters
CONTACT: Sue Besaw Manager, PR & Communications, Scientific+1-215-823-1840 susan.besaw@thomsonreuters.com
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AP Archive http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Web site: http://www.scientific.thomson.com
http://thomsonreuters.com

Technology: OmniVision turns digital imaging world upside down

Backside Illumination Technology Improves Image Quality, Enables Design Shrinks Down to 0.9 Micron Pixels

Sunnyvale, California, (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - OmniVision Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: OVTI), the world's largest supplier of CMOS image sensors, today launched its OmniBSI(TM) architecture, a novel sensor design that adopts a radically different approach to traditional CMOS image sensor technology.

Using backside illumination (BSI), OmniBSI enables OmniVision to continue offering improved image quality while extending its pixel roadmap down to 0.9 micron pixels, which is the key to continued miniaturization of digital imaging technology.

OmniVision developed OmniBSI architecture with the support of its long-time foundry and process technology partner, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (TSMC).

BSI methodology involves turning the CameraChip(TM) sensor upside down so that it collects light through what was previously the backside of the sensor, the silicon substrate.

This approach differs from conventional front side illumination (FSI) image sensors, where the amount of light reaching the photo-sensitive area is limited, in part, by the multiple metal and dielectric layers required to enable the sensor to convert photons into electrons. The FSI approach can block or deflect light from reaching the pixel, ultimately reducing the fill factor and causing additional problems, such as cross talk, between pixels. BSI reverses the arrangement of layers so that the metal and dielectric layers reside below the sensor array, providing the most direct path for light to travel into the pixel. This novel approach optimizes light absorption, enabling OmniVision to build a 1.4 micron BSI pixel that surpasses all the performance metrics of 1.4 micron, and even most 1.75 micron, FSI pixels.

OmniBSI architecture delivers a number of performance improvements over FSI, including increased sensitivity per unit area, improved quantum efficiency and reduced cross talk and photo response non-uniformity, which all lead to significant improvements in image quality. Since light directly strikes the silicon, the fill factor of the image sensor is significantly improved so as to deliver best-in-class low-light sensitivity. A much higher chief ray angle enables shorter lens heights which in turn allows for thinner camera modules, which are ideal for use in the next generation of ultra-thin mobile phones.

Finally, BSI technology affords a much larger aperture size, which allows for lower f stops facilitating the development of better performing camera modules with superior camera performance.

"Moving FSI pixel architectures down to 1.4 micron and below, under current design rules, poses some real challenges because metal lines and transistors are driving the aperture of the pixel close to the wavelength of light, its physical limit," said Howard Rhodes, Vice President of Process Engineering at OmniVision.

"To overcome this with traditional FSI pixel technology would require a migration to 65 nm copper process technologies, which would significantly increase the complexity and cost of manufacturing.

Because it allows for more than three layers of metal, BSI achieves significant manufacturing benefits without moving to smaller process nodes.

This means routing can be simplified and die sizes can be smaller than in FSI sensors, without the need to move to smaller process nodes with all their associated complexities and additional costs."

"Although backside illumination concepts have been studied for over 20 years, up until now nobody has been able to successfully develop the process for commercial, high volume CMOS sensor manufacturing," said Dr. Ken Chen, Senior Director, Mainstream Technology Marketing, TSMC. "Combining OmniVision's imaging expertise with TSMC's experience in process development, we have delivered a truly advanced technology that defines the future of digital imaging."

"BSI allows OmniVision to further extend its competitive edge in digital imaging technology, while continuing the use of our production-proven, 0.11 micron process technology. This provides major cost and performance advantages for OmniVision and, ultimately, our customers," concluded Rhodes.

OmniVision is currently demonstrating an 8 MegaPixel, OmniBSI CameraChip sensor, and expects to start sampling first products before the end of June.

About OmniVision(R)

OmniVision Technologies designs and markets high-performance semiconductor image sensors. Its CamerChip(TM) products using OmniPixel(R), OmniPixel2(TM), OmniPixel3(TM), OmniPixel3-HS(TM) and OmniBSI(TM) technologies are highly integrated single-chip CMOS image sensors for mass-market consumer and commercial applications such as mobile phones, digital still cameras, security and surveillance systems, interactive video games, laptops and PCs and automotive and medical imaging systems.

Additional information is available at http://www.ovt.com.

Safe-Harbor Language
Certain statements in this press release, including statements regarding the performance achievements and capabilities of BSI, the advantages that BSI provides to OmniVision and its customers, the effect of BSI on future digital imaging and the timing of the release of BSI products, are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties.

These risks and uncertainties, which could cause the forward-looking statements and OmniVision's results to differ materially, include, without limitation: potential errors, design flaws or other problems with BSI; risks associated with developing future architecture and products incorporating BSI; the rapid changes in technical requirements for camera phone products; competitive risks; as well as other risks detailed from time to time in OmniVision's Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports, including, but not limited to, OmniVision's most recent annual report filed on Form 10-K.

OmniVision expressly disclaims any obligation to update information contained in any forward-looking statement whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

OmniVision(R), the OmniVision logo and OmniPixel(R) are registered trademarks of OmniVision Technologies, Inc. CameraChip(TM), OmniPixel2(TM) , OmniPixel3(TM), OmniPixel3-HS(TM) and OmniBSI(TM) are trademarks of OmniVision Technologies, Inc.

SOURCE: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
CONTACT: Media - Martijn Pierik of Impress Public Relations, Inc.
+1-602-366-5599
martijn@impress-pr.com
or investors - Steven Horwitz
+1-408-542-3263
or company - Scott Foster
+1-408-542-3077
sfoster@ovt.com
both of OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
Web site: http://www.ovt.com

Business: RISI confirms dates and locations for fall 2008 conferences

Boston, (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - RISI today announced plans for their 2008 fall conferences in North America and Latin America. This year, RISI will be organizing three key events in the fall: the RISI North American Forest Products Conference, the RISI Latin American Pulp and Paper Outlook Conference and the International Containerboard Conference.

The 23rd annual North American Forest Products Conference will take place September 14 - 16, 2008 at the Seaport Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Every year, the North American conference attracts nearly three hundred attendees. Delegates include representatives from the largest forest products companies in the world, as well as major end users, financial analysts and suppliers. This year's conference will explore the topic "Recovery Ahead: Can Green be Gold?" and will feature regional and global industry forecasts presented by RISI economists and engineers, guest speakers from leading organizations, plus a CEO panel discussion on timely industry topics.

The 3rd Latin American Pulp and Paper Outlook Conference will be held October 8 - 10, 2008, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This year's event will focus on "Globalization and Consolidation in the Latin American Pulp and Paper Industry" and will include presentations from industry leaders and RISI experts. Rhiannon James-van Beuningen, Senior Vice President, Media Products at RISI commented, "Following the huge success of our Latin American event last year, we are moving to a hotel with larger conference facilities to accommodate the additional attendees that we expect to see at our 2008 event. Last year we welcomed over 300 delegates to the conference and we hope to exceed that number this year."

The final RISI event of the year will be the International Containerboard Conference to be held on November 12 - 14, 2008 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The program will feature a host of leading industry executives from around the world and for the first time will also include a special session on the boxboard market. Held every two years, this international event attracts around 250 people from the packaging sector, including producers, converters, consumer goods companies and financial analysts.

Conference programs and registration details are available on the event websites:
http://www.risiinfo.com/na_conf
http://www.risiinfo.com/la_conf
http://www.risiinfo.com/icc

For information on sponsoring these events, please email advertising@risiinfo.com.

About RISI

RISI is the leading information provider for the global forest products industry. The company works with clients in the pulp and paper, wood products, timber, tissue, nonwovens, printing and publishing industries to help them make better decisions.

Headquartered in Boston (Bedford), Massachusetts, RISI operates offices in Brussels, Belgium; Atlanta, Georgia; San Francisco, California; Portland, Oregon; Shanghai, China; Singapore; Sao Paulo, Brazil and Charlottesville, Virginia.

More information can be found at www.risiinfo.com.

Contact:
Jennifer Rahall
RISI
4 Alfred Circle
Bedford, MA 01730 USA
Tel: +1.781.734.8949
jrahall@risiinfo.com

SOURCE: RISI
CONTACT: Jennifer Rahall of RISI,
+1-781-734-8949, jrahall@risiinfo.com
Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080521 NEW122LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
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Web site: http://www.risiinfo.com

Business: Aleris Int`l announces new leader of Aleris Americas

Beachwood, Ohio, (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Aleris International, Inc. announced today that Galdino Claro will join Aleris as Executive Vice President and CEO, Aleris Americas, reporting to Steven J. Demetriou, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, on June 3, 2008. In this role, Mr. Claro will be responsible for all Aleris business operations in the Americas.

Throughout his career in the metals industry, Mr. Claro, 49 has held key operational, marketing and product development roles with broad global responsibilities. Since September 2007, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Heico Metal Processing Group, a $2 billion conglomerate with operations in the United States, Canada and Europe.

Previously, Mr. Claro spent more than 20 years with Alcoa Inc., ultimately serving as Vice President, Operations of Alcoa Global Packaging. In that capacity he oversaw the operations of 86 manufacturing facilities and eight research-and-development centers in the United States, Latin America and Europe. As President of Alcoa China & Korea Holding Company from 2002 to 2005, Mr. Claro led significant strategic growth in the region and was responsible for eight joint ventures and wholly owned operations, including aluminum smelting, refining, rolling and hard alloys extrusions. Prior to that, he served as President of Alcoa Europe Extrusions; Managing Director of Alcoa Northern European Extrusions; Managing Director of Alcoa Latin America's Cargo-Van Business Unit; and Marketing and Product Development Director of Alcoa Latin America's Semi-Fabricated Products Division among other positions.

"With his broad-based experience in successfully managing global operations, Galdino has demonstrated an ability to improve business performance, foster long-term profitable growth and unite operations under a common vision," said Demetriou. "We look forward to the benefit of his leadership at Aleris Americas."

Mr. Claro is an Expert in Quality from the International Labour Office (I.L.O.), Nichi-Chiba, Japan, and holds a Mechanical Engineering undergraduate degree from the University of Taubate, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

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 47 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 http://www.aleris.com

SOURCE Aleris International, Inc.
CONTACT: William Sedlacek of Aleris International, Inc.,
+1-216-910-3522
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Web site: http://www.aleris.com