Monday, July 14, 2008

Technology: Satellier launches broad design management services for Indian real estate

Delhi, India (BUSINESS WIRE) - Satellier Inc., the global leader in workshare solutions and pioneer in Building Information Modeling services (BIM) for the architecture, engineering, construction and building owner (AECO) industry, today announced a broad set of Indian-based design management services (DMS).

These first-of-kind services are available to domestic and international developers, contractors, and design consultants, and are designed to "fill-the-gap"

between international design practices and onshore construction and practice realities for large-scale real estate developments in India.

Satellier's India DMS services are available in four areas critical to project success: design coordination, design localization, design documentation, and BIM management that will eliminate design and construction errors, reduce time-to-market, and increase quality of the building product.

The Indian real estate market is experiencing a remarkable boom characterized by over 30 percent annual growth and forecasted to reach $90B by 2015. Primary contributors include recent GDP growth of over 9%, the entry of multinational companies into the country, global expansion of major domestic companies, increased spending power among the middle class, progressive government initiatives, wide acceptance of BPO outsourcing business models, and strong foreign investments.
The world's top design firms are planning next-generation office campuses, shopping malls, complete new townships and housing complexes, medical centers, and hospitality sites for construction throughout the country.

"Satellier is in a unique position to offer design management services for these aspiring new developments," said Michael Jansen, CEO of Satellier. "On the one hand, we have completed production of over 5000 international projects.
No one has more technical, production, or partnership experience on state-of-the-art developments worldwide; on the other hand, our team of over 450 architectural professionals hails from India, with onshore experience and connections in over 1000 domestic projects."

Jansen, a permanent resident of India and a member of the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA), with 14 years of AEC practice experience in India and extensive knowledge of the Indian real estate industry and its key influencers, concluded, "Our global know-how and local presence allows us to fill the gap with critical services and ensure the design-through-construction success of these emerging landmarks. We anticipate that India will be one of our strongest global markets in the coming 12 months."

The value and importance of filling the gap between international design practices and local construction realities was underscored in a recent report by Economic Research India.
Among the report's conclusions was, "A sound construction industry is crucial to the economic development and the growth of infrastructure? With the economy opening up and, consequently, its growing needs, the construction industry is required to keep pace with scientific and technological advances? To achieve vision 2020, every aspect of the construction industry should move with speed."

More on Design Coordination Services For developers, India DMS coordinates all of the work and information among the many and varied consultants and their disciplines, contractors, and local agencies in a large-scale project. These services ensure a well-managed design process across the project lifecycle, encompassing architecture, engineering, and services.
Specifically, India DMS coordinates designs, schedules, information, document management, and approvals.

More on Design Localization Services India DMS adjusts and optimizes large-scale design by global architectural firms for local requirements, including: codes, materials, cost issues, construction techniques and skillsets, sustainability and climatic considerations, and drawing requirements. These services preserve design intent through design development and construction documentation phases, and include management of all local approvals.

More on Design Documentation Services India DMS can produce all architectural design documentation for large-scale projects, including completed construction document sets and preparation of as-builts. Given Satellier's global leadership in workshare and production procedures, all drawings adhere to international standards of coordination, content, data structuring, uniformity and detailing; and international guidelines in nomenclature, annotations, and data presentation.
Documentation created by India DMS meets all local approval requirements. India DMS can also establish and enforce production standards and parameters for the entire team of project consultants.

More on BIM Management Services For large-scale projects, BIM represents immense opportunity for real estate developers and design firms to gain a significant competitive advantage.
India DMS leverages Satellier's leadership position in BIM practice by offering services that significantly enhance overall project efficiency and margin by achieving complete coordination among all designers, consultants and contractors.

BIM enables visualization, model enrichment, clash detection, construction simulation and sequencing, spec quantity/cost reporting, facility management, as well as extraction of drawings, quantities, schedules, through integration of all project data (graphical, numerical and textual) in a single digital model.

About Satellier Satellier Inc. is the worldwide leader of global workshare solutions and BIM services pioneer to AECO partners. Founded in 2000, the company has offices in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, London, New Delhi, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. Satellier's comprehensive workshare services add critical expertise and scale to partner organizations and projects.
Practice areas include BIM modeling, Architecture, Engineering, MEP, and India Design Management Services (DMS).

The company's portfolio of over 5000 projects in 50 countries spans a range of markets, including retail, healthcare, residential, office complexes, mixed-use facilities, hospitality, education, campuses, and more. Clients powered by workshare achieve the competitive advantages of lower cost of production, higher rates of innovation in core areas, fast scaling for access to new markets and opportunities, lower cost and risk in expansion, infusion of BIM into their business, and, ultimately, higher revenue and profits.

Visit the Satellier website www.satellier.com for more details.

Satellier Inc. Dana Wormer, +1 215-888-0960 dana.wormer@satellier.com

Business: NIIT and Pearson VUE to offer testing facilities in India

New Delhi, (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Pearson VUE, the electronic certification and licensure testing business of Pearson, and NIIT Ltd., the leading Global Talent Development Corporation, have agreed to expand their certification network in India, and extend a range of IT and non-IT tests for students and professionals, across the country.

NIIT, which offers IT training in various cutting-edge platforms and technologies in the individual and enterprise segment, will also offer testing for Pearson VUE's key IT clients. Through this relationship, NIIT students will benefit from the convenience of testing at the same place where they receive training, and Pearson VUE's candidates will benefit from additional testing locations and easy access to NIIT's prominently located centres.

According to Mr. G. Raghavan, President-Individual Learning Solutions, NIIT, "Our curriculum design competency, distributed education process management and ability to partner with world's leading technology companies make us the preferred choice of students and employers. NIIT's relationship with Pearson VUE will strengthen our IT testing services, and develop a large pool of certified professionals for the global
IT industry."

The alliance with Pearson VUE will enable NIIT to offer Cisco tests for students and professionals aspiring to build careers in the Infrastructure Management space. NIIT and Cisco recently agreed to offer training on the latter's authorized curriculum, and enable Cisco certification for students aspiring to build careers as networking professionals and system engineers.

"This relationship will foster development of a certified talent pool to meet the growing demand of the industry," said Sarvesh Shrivastava, Managing Director, Pearson VUE Asia Pacific. "We are committed to providing NIIT and its students with exceptional test delivery services through our advanced technology and superior customer service," added Mr. Shrivastava.

NIIT and Pearson VUE plan to set up testing facilities in Bangalore, Chennai, New Delhi, Hyderabad and Pune, in the first phase. The new facilities will offer Tests in the non-IT space as well.

About Pearson VUE

Pearson VUE (http://www.pearsonvue.com) is the global leader in electronic testing for regulatory and certification boards, providing a full suite of services from test development to test delivery to data management. Pearson VUE offers exams through the world's largest network of test centers in 162 countries, providing testing services for information technology, academic, government and professional clients. Pearson VUE acquired the former Promissor in 2006, thereby extending its leadership in the certification market. The company's innovative technology offers the highest levels of security and program control, while its commitment to service provides clients and individual test takers with an unmatched testing experience.

Pearson VUE is a business of Pearson (NYSE: PSO; LSE: PSON), the international media company, whose businesses include the Financial Times Group, Pearson Education and the Penguin Group.

About NIIT

NIIT, Asia's No. 1 IT trainer and leading Global Talent Development Corporation, offers learning and knowledge solutions to 5 million students across 34 countries.

Leading IT magazine Dataquest has conferred upon NIIT, the Top IT Training Company Award 2007. Rated among India's Superbrands (2003-05), NIIT's Individual Learning Business offerings include: Industry-endorsed programs for students seeking careers in IT: GNIIT, Integrated ANIIT for Engineers (IAE) and Advanced Technology Programs for IT professionals.

For working professionals, NIIT Imperia, Centre for Advanced Learning, offers Executive Management Education Programmes in association with Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) at Ahmedabad, Indore and Kolkata.

NIIT Institute of Finance Banking & Insurance (IFBI), formed by NIIT with equity participation from ICICI Bank, offers programs for individuals and corporates in Banking, Financial Services and Insurance.

NIIT Institute of Process Excellence., formed in joint venture with Genpact will address the increasing demand for skilled workers in the business & technology services industry by providing training programs in relevant areas.

NIIT offers turnkey IT integration program for schools. NIIT has provided computer-based learning to over 7700 government and private schools.

NIIT's Corporate Learning Solutions, offers integrated learning solutions (including strategic consulting, learning design, content development, delivery, technology, assessment and learning management) to Fortune 500 companies, Universities, Technology companies, Training corporations and Publishing houses.

Element K delivers learning solutions for customers and partners through a tailored combination of catalog learning products, technology, and services. The offerings include: vLab(R): hands-on labs, instructor-led courseware, comprehensive e-reference libraries, technical journals, and KnowledgeHub(TM): hosted learning management platform.

NIIT together with Element K is now the first and the best choice for comprehensive learning solutions, worldwide.

SOURCE Pearson VUE
CONTACT: Divya Laul of Pearson VUE,
+91-120-4001677,
+91-9958091636,
divya.laul@pearson.com;
or
Prateek Chatterjee,
+91 9910201085,
+124 4293041,
prateek.chatterjee@niit.com,
or
Shivanjali Singh,
+91 9811991107,
+124 4293044,
shivanjali.singh@niit.com,
or
Amanpreet Singh,
Brodeur India,
+91 9811990205,
+124 26142292,
asingh@brodeurindia.com,
all of NIIT
Web site: http://www.pearsoned.com
http://www.niit.com

Business in Asia Today - July 14, 2008

SOUTH KOREA'S DC CHEMICAL WINS $US890MLN POLYSILICON DEAL
Seoul (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - The DC Chemical Co. Ltd., (KSE:010060), a South Korean chemicals producer, said Monday that it had secured a 892-billion-won (US$890 million) contract with its affiliate to supply polysilicon.
The latest order from the Nexolon Co. Ltd. called on DC Chemical to supply polysilicon, a solar-power component, from January 2009 to December 2015, DC Chemical said in a filing to the Korea Exchange.
Polysilicon is an essential solar power component in producing solar cells used for panels to convert sunlight into electricity.
The deal follows DC Chemical's supply contracts worth US$1.5 billion last week with two major Taiwanese companies.

INDIA'S BHEL GETS US$512.1 MLN ORDER TO SET UP POWER UNIT
New Delhi (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) (BSE: 500103) on Friday said it had won a Rs 21.75 billion (US$512.1 million) contract to set up a 600 MW thermal power generating unit in Tamil Nadu.
The EPC contract had been placed on BHEL by Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) to set up the unit at North Chennai Thermal Power Station, a company press release said here.
This is the second order secured by BHEL for the new rating unit of 600 MW designed to sub-critical parameters.
For the contract, the boiler and its auxiliaries will be manufactured by BHEL at its Tiruchirapalli and Ranipet works in Tamil Nadu, while the steam turbine and generator would be manufactured at its Haridwar plant.

INSURER BUPA SET TO ENTER INDIAN HEALTH INSURANCE SECTOR
Sydney (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Insurer Bupa plans to enter the Indian health insurance market though a joint venture after taking a 26 per cent stake in Max India Ltd.
The two companies announced the creation of a joint venture called Max Bupa Health Insurance Ltd which, subject to regulatory approval, will offer a suite of products to both consumer and business customers, Bupa said.
The initial share capital of the joint venture would be around $A24 million ($US23.23 million), Bupa said.
Bupa Asia-Pacific managing director Dean Holden said: "India is an important health insurance market where there is great potential for growth among a young population able to access the care and service that Max India and Bupa can deliver with the proposed joint venture."

ELECTRICITY OF VIETNAM GRANTED LICENCE TO EQUITISE SUBSIDIARIES
Hanoi (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has officially granted a business licence to the Electricity of Vietnam's Financial Joint Stock Company (EVNFC) in a move to aid the mobilisation and capital management of the electricity industry.
EVNFC will rank second among 14 financial companies managed by the SBV, with a charter capital of 2.5 trillion VND (US$157.5 million).
Aside from effectively mobilising and managing investment capital sources, the financial joint stock company is also expected to speed up the equitisation of Electricity of Vietnam's (EVN) subsidiaries.

BRUNEI FIRM TO BUILD US$4.3BLN TOURISM COMPLEX IN VIETNAM
Hanoi (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Vietnam's central Phu Yen province has licensed the New City Properties Development Co. Ltd. of Brunei to build a high-grade tourism complex to the tune of US$4.3 billion.
The project will feature luxury resorts, 4,300 five-star and 8,900 four-star hotel rooms, 160 high-grade villas, a 36-hole golf course and many other service facilities.
Covering 565 hectares in Tuy Hoa city, the project is scheduled for completion in 2017.

HCM CITY LICENSES $US120MLN RESIDENTIAL COMPLEX
HCM City (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Ho Chi Minh City on July 11 granted a licence for a $US120 million residential complex to be called Horizon Place.
Horizon Place will be built on 8,400 sq.m in the southern commercial hub's precinct 4. It will include two apartment buildings, an office building and a trade centre.
Construction is scheduled to start in the fourth quarter of this year and be completed in 2012. The complex is to be built by the Aseana BDC Company, a joint venture between Aseana Properties of Malaysia and the Binh Duong Joint Stock Company.

NEW ENGINE PLANT TO LIFT SUPPLY TO NISSAN TRUCK VENTURE IN CHINA
Guangzhou, China (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - The Nissan Motor Co. (TSE:7201) and Chinese partner Dongfeng Motor Corp. plan to build an engine factory in central China to supply their expanding commercial vehicle operations.
Japanese automaker Nissan expects that strong demand for light commercial vehicles will propel it toward its higher Chinese sales target.
The new plant will cost more than 1.5 billion yuan (US$219.49 million), or about 24 billion yen, and be situated near Zhengzhou Nissan Automobile Co., a Henan Province joint venture between the two automakers.
Production is to begin next March. The plant will be operated as a joint venture to be formed this October with initial capitalization of 720 million yuan, or roughly 11 billion yen (US$103.46 million).

WESTPAC BUYS 40PCT STAKE IN WESTPAC BANK OF TONGA
Sydney (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Australia's Westpac Banking Corp (ASX:WBC) has bought a 40 per cent stake held by the Government of Tonga in the Westpac Bank of Tonga for an undisclosed sum.
The move gives Westpac outright ownership of the Tongan operation, after the government decided to offload its interest as part of a divestment program.
"The acquisition aligns with Westpac's growth strategy in the Pacific and its commitment to the region," the bank said.

INDIA'S CATMOSS TO INVEST US$94.2MLN IN ROLLING OUT 500 STORES
New Delhi (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Kidswear chain Catmoss Retail Friday said it would invest Rs4 billion (US$94.2 million) in the next five
years to expand its outlets to 500 stores in India by 2010-11.
It is also planning to foray into overseas markets, including Australia and the Middle East. "We have just crossed the 100 stores mark across the country and are adding another 100 odd in various Tier II and III cities this year.
We also plan to set up 20-25 stores in Australia and the Middle East," Catmoss Retail Chairman Ashwani Chawla said. In Australia and the Middle East, the new Catmoss stores will come up in Sydney, Melbourne, Dubai and Abu Dhabi among other cities, he added.

AL HABTOOR LEIGHTON GROUP WINS ABU DHABI PROJECT
Sydney (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - The Al Habtoor Leighton Group (ASX:LEI) has won a AED2.25 billion ($A632.9 million) project in Abu Dhabi.
The Al Bustan complex comprises five 17-storey towers above a five-level carpark that includes a hotel, ofice tower, serviced apartments and retail and food outlets.
Leighton holds a 45 per cent stake in the joint venture.
Leighton said work on the project would commence immediately, with construction expected to be completed by October 2010. Today's announcement follows the recent win by the JV of the AED740 million ($A208.1 million) Olgana and Hilliana Towers project for Abyaar in Dubai.

Source:
Business in Asia Today - July 14, 2008
published by Asia Pulse

Business: Audun Røneid is Norske Skog's new CFO

Audun Røneid (51) comes from the position as CFO in Davie Yards Inc. in Canada.

"I am happy that Audun Røneid will become the CFO of Norske Skog. He has solid experience from both development and restructuring of international industry, and will strengthen Norske Skog's corporate management team," says CEO Christian Rynning-Tønnesen.

Røneid has a MIB from the Norwegian School of Management (BI). From 1994 to 1998 he was senior vice president of Kværner Ships Equipment, and he was the CFO of Aker Yards from 1998 to 1999. From 1999 to 2002, Røneid held the position of senior vice president finance of Kværner Oil & Gas Field Development. He then worked as CFO of Jotun before taking over as CFO of Davie Yards from 2007.

When Røneid will take up the position will be agreed later.

Oxenøen, 14 July 2008
Norske Skog
Corporate affairs

For further information:

Vice president corporate affairs Tom Bratlie
Telephone: +47 905 21 904

This press release was brought to you by Hugin Online, distributor of electronic press releases for companies listed on selected European stock exchanges. Address:

To alter your subscription profile or to unsubscribe, please go to: http://www.huginonline.com/email

The Hugin Team

Business: eMeter hires Brenton McPherson to lead Asia Pacific business

San Mateo, Calif., (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - eMeter, a global leader in clean energy technology, has announced that Brenton McPherson has joined eMeter as Regional Director - Asia Pacific. Based in Sydney, Australia, Mr. McPherson will be responsible for growth in the Asia and Australia/New Zealand regions for eMeter.

Mr. McPherson brings over 20 years of sales, services and executive management experience in the information technology industry in the North American, Europe, and Asia Pacific regions. He has a successful track record in software and services sales to corporate, government and multinational organizations. Most recently, he held several senior roles at utilities software company SPL WorldGroup, last serving as Senior Vice President & Managing Director, Asia Pacific.

"With several nations rapidly using more electricity, gas and water to help grow their economies, the Asia-Pacific region represents one of our greatest opportunities for growth," said Cree Edwards, Chairman and CEO of eMeter. "Brenton's reputation precedes him. His utilities industry software and IT expertise, coupled with his proven track record selling in these critical markets, make him a natural fit for the eMeter team."

eMeter provides the EnergyIP(TM) software that enables utilities to realize the full benefits of their Smart Grid and Advanced Metering initiatives including theft detection and demand response programs. EnergyIP's virtual channel functionality allows utilities to quantify and identify theft in their system. Demand response programs have been shown to enable utility customers to conserve up to 20 percent of their electricity use.

"I'm excited to join the eMeter team based here in Sydney supporting clients in Australia and New Zealand," said McPherson. "eMeter offers the most powerful, comprehensive and flexible meter data management technology platform in the marketplace. I'm pleased to be able to help utilities in the Asia Pacific region leverage this advanced technology."

About eMeter Corporation

With 23 million meters under contract, eMeter Corporation of San Mateo, California, provides software that enables electric, gas and water utilities to realize the full benefits of their Advanced Metering and Smart Grid initiatives. EnergyIP(TM), eMeter's premier enterprise software platform, offers a full suite of Meter Data Management functionality, an Integration Platform for linking a variety of AMI (advanced metering infrastructure) systems to multiple utility information systems and Business Process Management Tools specializing in AMI implementation, operations and maintenance. eMeter's experienced professional services team is available to plan, install and configure the EnergyIP software, as well as provide strategic consulting services related to meter data management, advanced metering and demand response. eMeter recently announced a strategic partnership for global distribution with Siemens Corporation.

For more information, please visit http:/ www.emeter.com.

Contact Information:
John Shim
eMeter Corporation
+1-650-227-7770
john.shim@emeter.com

SOURCE eMeter Corporation
CONTACT: John Shim of eMeter Corporation,
+1-650-227-7770,
john.shim@emeter.com
Web site: http://www.emeter.com

Technology: Wi-Fi Alliance(R) announces Wi-Fi World Conference at Wireless China

Special conference track will provide in-depth look at emerging Wi-Fi(R) applications and testing of next-generation products

Austin, Texas (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Wi-Fi Alliance, the worldwide certification body for wireless LAN technology, has announced that it will sponsor a special Wi-Fi focused sub-conference within the Wireless China Industry Summit event, September 17 - 18 in Beijing.

Wi-Fi World will feature breakout sessions on Wi-Fi in the digital home, the role of Wi-Fi in handsets, and the continued roadmap of innovation in the technology. A technical training on testing of Wi-Fi products, including non-traditional products such as consumer electronics and phones, is also planned. Confirmed speakers for the event include representatives from Dell, Microsoft, Intel and Broadcom, as well as Wi-Fi Alliance executives.

"China is an exciting market for Wi-Fi products and services, and a central part of our strategy," said Kelly Davis-Felner, marketing director of the Wi-Fi Alliance.
"Developing a program for Wireless China gives Wi-Fi Alliance and our member companies an important opportunity to reach out to device manufacturers and end users alike."

Wi-Fi is seeing tremendous momentum worldwide, and especially in China. In addition to the Wi-Fi World event, Wi-Fi Alliance will host its fourth-quarter global member meeting in Shanghai in October. This event complements a year of member outreach events and media activities on the part of the organization. With CECT-Chinacomm's 2008 rollout of the phase one of wireless Beijing in conjunction with the Olympics, Wi-Fi technology has been afforded new prominence.

"Wi-Fi technology is clearly poised to experience strong growth in China over the next few years," said Kevin Li, telecom research director at In-Stat China. "While about 20 percent of internet households use Wi-Fi today, 67 percent of internet households plan to install networks soon plan to use Wi-Fi."

"What's more, there is keen interest in the next generation of Wi-Fi applications and devices. About half of Chinese Wi-Fi hotspot users have adopted Wi-Fi-enabled handset and 58 percent of cellular users in China want Wi-Fi on their next handset," Li added.

"Wi-Fi is an important technology for China. Chinese consumers are increasingly embracing the benefits of Wi-Fi technology as Wi-Fi-enabled handsets and other electronics become even more prevalent," Davis-Felner said. "At the same time, Chinese companies are leveraging Wi-Fi in their business strategies to address the domestic and worldwide markets alike."

Details and registration for the Wireless China Industry Summit are posted at http://www.wirelesschina-summit.com/. For a list of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products, free white papers, and other information, visit http://www.wi-fi.org.

About the Wi-Fi Alliance

The Wi-Fi Alliance is a global, non-profit industry association of more than 300 member companies devoted to promoting the growth of wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs). With the aim of enhancing the user experience for wireless portable, mobile, and home entertainment devices, the Wi-Fi Alliance's testing and certification programs help ensure the interoperability of WLAN products based on the IEEE 802.11 specification. Since the introduction of the Wi-Fi Alliance's certification program in March 2000, more than 4,500 products have been designated as Wi-Fi CERTIFIED(TM), encouraging the expanded use of Wi-Fi products and services across the consumer and enterprise markets.

Wi-Fi(R), Wi-Fi Alliance(R), WMM(R), the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED logo, the Wi-Fi logo, and the Wi-Fi ZONE logo are registered trademarks of the Wi-Fi Alliance; Wi-Fi CERTIFIED(TM), Wi-Fi Protected Setup(TM), Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)(TM), Wi-Fi Multimedia(TM), and the Wi-Fi Alliance logo are trademarks of the Wi-Fi Alliance.

SOURCE: Wi-Fi Alliance
CONTACT: Michael Diamond of Edelman, +1-650-762-2959,
michael.diamond@edelman.com, for Wi-Fi Alliance/
WEB
SITE: http://www.wi-fi.org

Business: Hideo Ishii to Head Pacnet Japan

Tokyo (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Pacnet has appointed Hideo Ishii as Chief Executive Officer in Japan with responsibility for the growth and expansion of
Pacnet's Japan operations.

Since joining Asia Global Crossing in 2000 as director of IP Engineering, Mr. Ishii has been leading the development and deployment of company's IP and MPLS networks with continued enhancements as the company transitioned to Asia Netcom and later Pacnet. Mr. Ishii's passion and knowledge in the telecommunications industry has enabled him to build one of the regio's leading MPLS-based infrastructure which has received numerous industry accolades over the years.

"With his technical expertise and business acumen, I am confident that Mr. Ishii will be able to build on Pacnet Japan's successes and further grow its business," said Bill Barney, Pacnet's Chief Executive Officer.

"As a respected industry leader with deep knowledge of the local market, Mr. Ishii's appointment will certainly add to the strength of our leadership team," said Tomoo Okada, Chairman of Pacnet Japan.

Mr. Ishii is a recognized telecommunications industry leader in Japan. In addition to serving as co-chair of the Asia-Pacific Network Operators forum (APOPS) under the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC), he is also a founder of the Japan Network Operator's Group (JANOG). Mr. Ishii also serves on the MPLS technical committee of MPLS JapanTechnical conference in Japan.

About Pacnet

Pacnet is the region's largest independent telecommunications service provider, formed from the operational merger of Asia Netcom and Pacific Internet. Pacnet owns and operates EAC-C2C, Asia's longest submarine cable infrastructure at 36,800 km, with a design capacity of 10.24 Tbps. With a comprehensive portfolio of city-to-city connectivity, data communications and IP-based solutions and services, Pacnet is able to deliver solutions for carriers and large enterprises, as well as small/medium businesses. The company is headquartered in Hong Kong and Singapore with offices in all key markets in Asia and North America. For more information, please visit: http://www.pacnet.com .

For more information, please contact:
Roland Lim Pacnet
Tel:
+852-2121-2975
Email: roland.lim@pacnet.com
Yoshimi Nakata
Pacnet
Tel:
+81-3-6408-3676
Email: yoshimi.nakata@pacnet.com
SOURCE Pacnet

Business: Statement by Daniel H. Mudd, President and CEO of Fannie Mae

Washington (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Fannie Mae (NYSE: FNM) appreciates today's announcements and the expressions of support for the GSEs as shareholder-owned companies that play a critical role in the U.S. housing finance system. We are grateful for the leadership of Secretary Paulson and Chairman Bernanke. We look forward to working with Treasury, OFHEO and Congress on swift passage of the new legislative proposals, as well as the important initiatives underway to assist homeowners and help restore stability to the housing market. We continue to hold more than adequate capital reserves and maintain access to liquidity from the capital markets. Given the market turmoil, having options to access provisional sources of liquidity if needed will help to strengthen overall confidence in the market. We will continue to do our part to provide liquidity, stability and affordability to the housing market now and in the future.

This statement contains forward-looking statements, which are statements about matters that are not historical facts.
Although Fannie Mae believes that the expectations set forth in these statements are reasonably based, the company's future operations and its actual performance may differ materially from what is indicated in the forward-looking statements in this statement. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these statements include the company's results of operations for the remainder of 2008; changes in accounting principles or practices, including changes in the rules governing qualified special purpose entities; recording a valuation allowance for its deferred tax asset; continued impairments of its assets; changes in investor confidence in the company; the effect of proposed and pending legislation.
Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these statements are detailed in Fannie Mae's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the first quarter of 2008 and its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, including in each case the "Risk Factors" section, as well as the company's reports on Form 8-K. These periodic and current reports, as well as all other forms that Fannie Mae has filed with the SEC, can also be obtained on the company's web site at www.fanniemae.com/ir/sec/.

SOURCE: Fannie Mae
CONTACT: Brian Faith,
+1-202-752-6720,
for Fannie Mae
Web site: http://www.fanniemae.com
http://www.fanniemae.com/ir/sec

Business: AuthenTec opens new office Tokyo

AuthenTec opens new office, expands technical team in Japan new sales and application center enables authenTec to address growing demand for fingerprint sensors

Melbourne, Fla. and Tokyo - AuthenTec (NASDAQ:AUTH), the world's leading provider of fingerprint sensors and solutions, announced that it is expanding operations in Asia with the opening of a new sales office and application center in Tokyo, Japan.

The new office and application staff expansion in Tokyo will enhance AuthenTec's customer support and allow the Company to respond to the growing demand for fingerprint sensors.

AuthenTec has had a sales office and technical center in Japan since 2005, and its fingerprint sensor sales in Japan have nearly doubled from 2004 to 2007.

Japan has been a key region supporting the rapid deployment of fingerprint sensor-enabled cell phones, PCs and other consumer electronics.

More than 20 million PCs use an AuthenTec fingerprint sensor for convenient security and the Company is a sensor supplier to the majority of PC manufacturers in Japan.

Moreover, nearly nine million cell phones in Japan include an AuthenTec sensor to support m-commerce, online banking and for securing the device in the event of loss or theft.

"Our new office and application support center in Tokyo will give AuthenTec better access to customers and enhanced resources to address the growing opportunity for our portfolio of products in Japan," said Kengo Kobayashi, the President of AuthenTec K.K.

"With an expanded technical staff and a new location in the business center of Tokyo, AuthenTec looks forward to offering enhanced support to the world's leading OEMs operating and based in Japan including Casio-Hitachi Mobile, Fujitsu, JRC, Kyocera, Lenovo, Mitsubishi, NEC, Panasonic, Sanyo, Sharp, Sony and Toshiba."

AuthenTec will offer fingerprint sensor sales, field applications engineering and technical support through its new Tokyo location at the following address: White Akasaka Bldg. 5F 5-4-13 Akasaka Minato-ku Tokyo 107-0052

Phone: 03-5114-5688
FAX: 03-5114-5689

About AuthenTec

With more than 30 million sensors sold worldwide, AuthenTec is a world leader in providing fingerprint authentication sensors and solutions to the high-volume PC, wireless device, and access control markets.

AuthenTec's award-winning sensors take full advantage of The Power of Touch by utilizing the Company's patented TruePrint technology to deliver the most convenient, reliable and cost-effective means available for enabling touch-powered features that extend beyond user authentication.

The Company's customers include: Acer, ASUSTeK, Fujitsu, HP, Hitachi, HTC, Lenovo, LG Electronics, Samsung, and Toshiba, among others.

AuthenTec Brent Dietz, 321-308-1320 brent.dietz@authentec.com or Patrick Yu, + 852 2530-2577 Fleishman-Hillard Hong
Kongpatrick.yu@fleishman.com