2007'02.01.Thu
International Trade Commission Sets Date for Investigation of Analogic Tech for Infringement of Linear Technology Patents
May 23, 2006
MILPITAS, Calif., May 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Linear
Technology Corporation (Nasdaq: LLTC), a leading
manufacturer and supplier of patented high-performance
analog integrated circuits, announced today that the United
States International Trade Commission (ITC) has set the date
for completion of the investigation into whether Advanced
Analogic Technologies (AnalogicTech) is violating Section
337 of the U.S. Tariff Act. The ITC investigation stems
from a complaint filed with the ITC by Linear Technology on
February 17, 2006, asserting that AnalogicTech's power
management ICs infringe various claims of Linear's U.S.
Patent Nos. 6,411,531 and 6,580,258. The Administrative Law
Judge (ALJ) assigned to the investigation at the ITC has set
a target date of February 22, 2007 for the initial
determination concerning violation of section 337, and
ruled that the investigation must be completed by May 22,
2007.
If the ITC determines that AnalogicTech's power
management ICs infringe Linear Technology's patents and
that their products are imported into the United States,
the ITC may order such products to be completely excluded
from the U.S. market. The ITC can also impose civil
penalties of up to $100,000 (U.S.) per day in the event
that AnalogicTech does not comply with its orders.
The ITC is an independent, nonpartisan, quasi-judicial
federal agency that provides trade expertise to both the
legislative and executive branches of government,
determines the impact of imports on U.S. industries, and
directs actions against certain unfair trade practices,
such as patent, trademark and copyright infringement and
other illegal acts of importation into the United States.
About Linear Technology
Linear Technology Corporation, a manufacturer of high
performance linear integrated circuits, was founded in
1981, became a public company in 1986 and joined the
S&P 500 index of major public companies in 2000.
Linear Technology products include high performance
amplifiers, comparators, voltage references, monolithic
filters, linear regulators, DC-DC converters, battery
chargers, data converters, communications interface
circuits, RF signal conditioning circuits, and many other
analog functions. Applications for Linear Technology's
high performance circuits include telecommunications,
cellular telephones, networking products such as optical
switches, notebook and desktop computers, computer
peripherals, video/multimedia, industrial instrumentation,
security monitoring devices, high-end consumer products
such as digital cameras and MP3 players, complex medical
devices, automotive electronics, factory automation,
process control, and military and space systems. For more
information, visit www.linear.com.
This news release contains forward-looking information
within the meaning of federal securities regulations.
These forward-looking statements include future events in
the litigation announced. These forward-looking statements
involve risks and uncertainties, including those described
from time to time in Linear Technology's filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), that could cause
the actual results to differ materially from those
anticipated by these forward-looking statements. In
particular, litigation involves risks and uncertainties of
duration, cost, and outcome. Linear Technology assumes no
obligation to update this forward-looking information.
For more information, please contact:
John England, Jr.
General Counsel
Linear Technology Corporation
Email: jengland@linear.com
John Hamburger
Director of Marketing Communications
Linear Technology Corporation
Email: jhamburger@linear.com,
SOURCE Linear Technology Corporation
PR
2007'02.01.Thu
JDSU Photonic Power Certified for Use in Chinese Electric Power Market
May 23, 2006
All Fiber Optically-Powered Data Link Takes Current Measurement in High-Voltage Environments to a New Level
MILPITAS, Calif., May 23 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- JDSU
(Nasdaq: JDSU; TSX: JDU), the leading enabler of broadband
and optical innovation, today announced that its 16-bit
Optically Powered Data Link (OPDL-16) subsystem has
successfully passed government testing in China. Working in
conjunction with Zhuhai Cheng-Rui Electric Power Company
Ltd., JDSU incorporated the OPDL-16 as the power and data
delivery system to demonstrate the benefits of an
all-fiber, digitally-based electrical current measurement
system.
As new power transmission grid construction accelerates
rapidly in China to keep up with the industrial growth in
the country, many utility providers are selecting digital
rather than analog measurement techniques to monitor
delivered electrical current levels. Power companies are
finding that optically based digital systems are less
expensive to install and more environmentally friendly.
They eliminate the need for instrument transformers that
are generally filled with oil or SF-6 gas for insulation
purposes. Installation of these traditional types of
transformers is cumbersome and they run the risk of
explosion and leakage of harmful chemicals into the
surrounding environment.
"We expect rapid growth of optically-powered
current measurement systems in China's expanding electric
utility market," said Ms. Xiao-Li Xu, general manager
of Zhuhai Cheng-Rui Electric Company. "We believe
all-fiber digital measurement systems have now reached the
economical level and achieved the reliability required to
support the future development of Chinese and other Asian
electric power markets. We look forward to further
collaboration with JDSU to serve this expanding
market."
Photonic power enables current measurement and
protection in transmission and distribution grids operating
at 100 kV to 500 kV. The current transducer used for current
measurement is fully isolated from ground potential by
virtue of the non-conductive nature of the fiber-based
power and data delivery system. "Our OPDL-16 system is
simple to install, impervious to high voltage effects, and
requires little maintenance. Thousands of our photovoltaic
power converters have been providing reliable, continuous
power delivery on a 24 x 7 basis in electric power grids
worldwide for several years," said Dr. Jan-Gustav
Werthen, director of engineering of JDSU's Photonic Power
Business Unitl.
Most recently, JDSU's Photonic Power Business Unit
achieved a world record in the conversion efficiency of
laser light into electrical power. JDSU's three volt and
five volt gallium arsenide (GaAs) Photovoltaic Power
Converter (PPC) is now providing optical-to-electrical
conversion efficiency greater than 50 percent.
JDSU is exhibiting its all-fiber, digital OPDL-16
system at the IEEE PES Transmission and Distribution
Conference and Exposition in Dallas from May 22-24, 2006.
About JDSU
JDSU is committed to enabling broadband & optical
innovation in the communications, commercial and consumer
markets. JDSU is the leading provider of communications
test and measurement solutions and optical products for
telecommunications service providers, cable operators, and
network equipment manufacturers. Furthermore, JDSU is the
leading provider of innovative optical solutions for
medical/environmental instrumentation, semiconductor
processing, display, brand authentication, aerospace and
defense, and decorative applications. More information is
available at http://www.jdsu.com .
The statements contained in this press release that are
not purely historical are forward-looking statements within
the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933
and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934. Such
forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to,
any statement or implication that the products described in
this press release (i) will be successfully introduced or
marketed, (ii) will be qualified and purchased by our
customers, or (iii) will perform to any particular
specifications or performance or reliability standards.
Such forward-looking statements involve risks and
uncertainties that, if realized, could materially impair
the Company's results of operations, business, and
financial condition. These risks and uncertainties include,
but are not limited to, (a) the failure of the products (i)
to perform as expected without material defects, (ii) to be
manufactured at acceptable volumes, yields, and cost, (iii)
to be qualified and accepted by our customers, and (iv) to
successfully compete with products offered by our
competitors, and (b) factors discussed from time to time in
reports filed by the Company with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements
contained in this news release are made as of the date
hereof, and the Company does not assume any obligation to
update or qualify any of the statements made herein.
Source: JDS Uniphase Corporation.
For more information, please contact:
Investors:
Jacquie Ross
Tel: +1-408-546-4445
Email: investor.relations@jdsu.com
Media:
Jim Monroe
Tel: +1-240-404-1922
Email: jim.monroe@jdsu.com
SOURCE JDSU
2007'02.01.Thu
AU Optronics Honored with Best Product and Outstanding Industry Contribution Awards at 2006 Gold Panel Display Awards Ceremony
May 23, 2006
HSIN CHU, Taiwan, May 23 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- AU
Optronics Corporation (AUO) (TAIEX: 2409; NYSE: AUO), today
received two major honors at the 2006 Gold Panel Display
Awards Ceremony in Taipei, Taiwan. The "Best Product
Award" and the "Outstanding Industry Contribution
Award" demonstrate AUO's significant achievements in
the flat panel technology industry. AUO's M190EG02, the
world's first 19" desktop monitor panel with 2ms
response time, took home the Best Product Award, while Max
Cheng, Chief Financial Officer of AUO, was honored with the
Outstanding Industry Contribution Award.
Late last year AUO launched the M190EG02, which is
recognized as the world's first 19" panel for desktop
monitor applications with 2ms response time (gray to gray),
160-degree wide viewing angle, and an 800:1 high contrast
ratio. These three state-of-the-art features of the
M190EG02 are expected to lead the trend of 19" desktop
monitors in the coming years and were what attracted the
award panelists' attention, resulting in the Best Product
Award. The M190EG02 is also the world's first panel that
applies overdrive technology on TN mode liquid crystal
display panels. The M190EG02 is a lead-free product that
conforms to ROHS and green product requirements,
demonstrating that AUO is committed to maintaining the
global environment when developing new products.
Max Cheng, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
of AUO, is the first winner of the Outstanding Industry
Contribution Award without a background in R&D. In
2002, Cheng was instrumental in leading AUO to successfully
list on the New York Stock Exchange. In 2006, Cheng was
named "The Best CFO" in Taiwan at the Finance
Asia Annual Best- Managed Company Awards for the third
consecutive year. Cheng was recognized by the panels
because of the key role he has played in terms of
cost-control and ensuring profits for investors in the
rapidly changing TFT-LCD industry while the company
continues to establish new manufacturing facilities. In
addition, Cheng was instrumental in leading AUO to become a
world-class corporation with a solid financial structure and
operating performance. Under Cheng's strategic financial
guidance, AUO's revenue has been growing strongly and
steadily in recent years. AUO's revenue in 2003 amounted to
more than NT$100 billion and in 2005 the company's revenue
topped the NT$200 billion mark.
Safe Harbour Notice
AU Optronics Corp. ("AUO" or the
"Company") (TAIEX: 2409; NYSE: AUO), the world's
third largest manufacturer of large-size TFT-LCD panels,
today announced its unaudited consolidated results of
operations for FY2005. Except for statements in respect of
historical matters, the statements contained in this
Release are "forward-looking statements" within
the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of
1933 and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of
1934. These forward-looking statements were based on our
management's expectations, projections and beliefs at the
time regarding matters including, among other things,
future revenues and costs, financial performance,
technology changes, capacity, utilization rates, yields,
process and geographical diversification, future expansion
plans and business strategy. Such forward looking
statements are subject to a number of known and unknown
risks and uncertainties that can cause actual results to
differ materially from those expressed or implied by such
statements, including risks related to the flat panel
display industry, the TFT-LCD market, acceptance and demand
for our products, technological and development risks,
competitive factors, and other risks described in the
section entitled "Risk Factors" in our Form F-3
filed with the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission on July 8th, 2005.
ABOUT AU OPTRONICS
AU Optronics Corp. ("AUO") is the world's
third largest manufacturer* of large-size thin film
transistor liquid crystal display panels
("TFT-LCD"), with approximately 14.2%* of global
market share and generated revenue of NT$217.4billion
(US$6.75 bn)* in 2005. TFT-LCD technology is currently the
most widely used flat panel display technology. Targeted
for 40"+ sized LCD TV panels, AUO's next generation
(7.5-Generation ) fabrication facility production is
scheduled for mass production in 4Q 2006. The Company
currently operates one 6th-generation, three
5th-generation, one 4th-generation, and three
3.5-generation TFT- LCD fabs, in addition to four module
assembly facilities and AUO Technology Center specializing
in new technology platform and new product development.
AUO is one of few top-tier TFT-LCD manufacturers capable of
offering a wide range of small- to large- size
(1.5"-46") TFT-LCD panels, which enables it to
offer a broad and diversified product portfolio.
*As shown on DisplaySearch Quarterly Large-Area TFT-LCD
Shipment Report dated Mar 1, 2006. This data is used as
reference only and AUO does not make any endorsement or
representation in connection therewith. 2005 year end
revenue converted by an exchange rate of NTD32.2039:USD1.
For more information, please contact:
Yawen Hsiao
Corporate Communications Dept.
AU Optronics Corp.
Tel: +886-3-500-8899 x3211
Fax: +886-3-577-2730
Email: yawenhsiao@auo.com
SOURCE AU Optronics Corp.
2007'02.01.Thu
MEDIA ADVISORY: The Secretary-General's Remarks to Students at Peking University
May 23, 2006
UNDP issued a statement regarding the importance of the
relationship between China and the United Nations as below:
"Dear young friends,
Da Jia Hao! I am delighted to be here. The engagement
of Chinese students in the relationship between China and
the United Nations is of tremendous importance and interest
to me as Secretary-General. It is a relationship that is
crucial to the future of the UN. As China's leaders of
tomorrow, you have a key role in shaping it.
What China does, and how China fares, will help
determine how the world as a whole meets the challenges of
the 21st century. And China's ongoing transformation, its
growing constructive global leadership, its dynamic
engagement with the United Nations, give us real cause for
optimism.
Your country has achieved a rate of economic growth
that is the envy of countries around the world. You have
made progress in reducing poverty -- progress on a scale
that is unprecedented in human history. Through trade and
investment, China is building bridges across the globe.
You are playing a pioneering role in cooperation with
other developing countries, whether through projects abroad
or through the generous provision of training here in China.
And you are at the forefront of many global health efforts,
as we saw when you hosted the international pledging
conference on avian and human influenza earlier this year.
China's performance will have an increasingly profound
effect on the ability of the world as a whole to reach the
Millennium Development Goals -- a set of simple, powerful,
people-centred objectives, based on fundamental human
needs, that every man and woman in the street, from Beijing
to Bamako, can easily understand and support.
China is already on its way to meeting most of the
Goals. I am heartened by the close synergy between them and
China's Xiaokang principles for balanced development, with
both visions based on the fundamental principle of
"putting people first".
Yet huge challenges remain. Somehow, the rural poor
must be enabled to share in China's amazing economic
growth. Urgent efforts are needed to fight the spread of
HIV/AIDS. And measures to protect the environment are
equally crucial.
Many of those are challenges in which you have a
crucial role to play. In particular, we cannot win the war
against AIDS without the leadership of you, the young
people of China.
But China's advancement is not limited to the field of
economic and social development. Your country is becoming
increasingly engaged in the work for multilateral solutions
in international peace and collective security.
As host of the six-party talks on the nuclear issue on
the Korean Peninsula, China has played a crucial role on
this pressing issue. China's ongoing leadership will be
essential to ensure that multilateral diplomatic efforts
result in a Peninsula free from nuclear weapons. We cannot
allow the current stalemate to continue. All parties will
need to redouble their efforts.
Dear friends,
Whatever path you choose to take when you leave this
campus, you will enter a world shaped by globalization.
What happens in one country affects another. Epidemics,
environmental degradation, nuclear proliferation and
terrorism challenge us all. Scientific breakthroughs,
information technology, economic integration, have the
potential to benefit us all.
The biggest challenge facing your generation is to
ensure that globalization becomes a force for good -- a
force that works not only for the privileged few, but for
all humankind.
As China plays an ever more active role on the world
stage, your impact on institutions with global reach and
global mandate will become more and more decisive.
Institutions that will establish and uphold international
norms and standards, while promoting the international rule
of law. Institutions like the United Nations.
One crucial set of norms to uphold is the protection of
human rights. I congratulate China on its recent election to
the new Human Rights Council. Now it is time for China and
other members of the Council to find ways to ensure the
protection of the human rights of all people in every
country in the world.
The UN family looks forward to an ever more engaged
partnership with China in the years to come. Here at home,
we are determined to help your great country realize the
tremendous promise it holds. And in the international
arena, we can provide an essential platform as China
continues to go global.
The range of issues that I have discussed with the
Chinese leadership on this visit shows the breadth of the
Chinese role in the world and the importance of China's
engagement with the UN. We discussed the fundamental
importance of multilateralism and the irreplaceable role of
the UN, as well as the need to deliver concrete reform
results on everything from the development agenda and the
Millennium Development Goals to peacebuilding,
strengthening human rights work, management reform, the
mandate review and counter-terrorism.
We also discussed China's support for Africa, for peace
operations, and the need for ongoing leadership on global
health challenges including HIV/AIDS, Avian Flu and
malaria. We spent a good deal of time discussing
non-proliferation and disarmament, including the importance
of the NPT regime and the specific situations on the Korean
Peninsula and in Iran. We also recognized the serious
developments in the greater Middle East, including the
situations in Israel and Palestine, Iran, Iraq and
Syria/Lebanon.
My discussions with President Hu Jintao and other
leaders reinforce my optimism about China's willingness to
work for the strengthening and cumulative consolidation of
constructive and cooperative ties within and beyond your
neighborhood. During my current visits to the region I have
observed that the ties that bind China, Japan and the
Republic of Korea are deep and multi-layered. The
interaction among businessmen, intellectuals, artists,
students and public personalities has risen dramatically in
recent years. People-to-people contacts are becoming a way
of life.
I am also encouraged by the desire of leaders in all
three countries to have better relations. Working together
on common challenges can help accelerate this process. On
this trip I have suggested that the three countries pool
their efforts together on issues of common concern. As a
start, this could include protecting the environment in
this part of the world. They could also combine their
efforts to advance a Green Revolution in Africa. All of
this could help pave the way for improved relations, and in
so doing help them to realize their immense individual and
collective potential.
I am also heartened by commitment of all three
countries to multilateral action, and by their desire for a
stronger and more effective United Nations.
On all the issues confronting us, we look forward to
working together with young people like you, who represent
the future of China. Your determination will be crucial as
you build on the achievements of your leaders. And China's
future is fundamental to the future of the world.
Now I look forward to hearing your questions. And I
hope you will question my answers. Xie Xie. Thank you very
much.
Beijing
May 23, 2006"
For more information, please contact:
Ms. Zhang Wei,
Communications Officer, UNDP China
Tel: +86-1391-007-3809
Mr. Roy Wadia,
Communications Officer, WHO China
Tel: +86-1361-117-4072
SOURCE United Nations Development Programme
2007'02.01.Thu
World Health Assembly Opens, Mourns Death of WHO Director-General
May 22, 2006
GENEVA, May 23 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The Fifty-ninth
World Health Assembly (WHA) opened yesterday in sombre mood
following the death early on Monday morning of the World
Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Dr LEE
Jong-wook. Dr Lee, who was 61 and had been in his post
since July 2003, died following a sudden illness.
Opening the formal proceedings of the Assembly, the
Minister of Health of Spain, Elena Salgado, said Dr Lee
"was an exceptional person and an exceptional
Director-General."
The Assembly observed a two-minute silence and was
suspended for 30 minutes following the announcement of Dr
Lee's death.
Excerpts from a speech prepared by the Director-General
were read out to the Assembly by Dr Bill Kean, Executive
Director of the Director-General's Office. In the speech,
Dr Lee set out his commitment to tackle difficult problems
and change expectations. "What matters in reform is
not words but action," he said. "I hope that the
actions of this Organization speak for themselves."
Speaking of the importance of resources -- both human
and financial -- in the fight to improve global health, he
stressed that "if a problem can be solved by money
alone, it is not really a difficult problem."
Dr Lee wrote that a key outcome of the "3 by
5" initiative he championed was the international
commitment to universal access.
"Universal access," he wrote, "means
that no one should die because they can't get drugs. It
means that no one will miss being tested, diagnosed and
treated because there aren't clinics. It means that HIV
positive mothers will not unwittingly give a death sentence
to their babies. Their parents will live to look after them
instead of making them AIDS orphans."
After the the Director-General's speech, the Assembly
was introduced to a passionate young HIV/AIDS activist from
Kenya, Johnson Mwakanze. Dr Lee wrote, "This is a voice
that must be heard. He speaks for the 40 million people
living with HIV, those living in the shadow of
stigma."
Johnson Mwakanze spoke of his experience through a
poem, "Underneath the Veil":
"This one thing has destroyed families,
This one thing has destroyed marriages,
This one thing has killed men.
It is not HIV
It is not AIDS
... It is stigmatisation.
I say STIGMATISATION."
Dr Lee's speech urged countries to redouble their
efforts in the fight to eradicate polio. "The world
has invested US$4 billion so far in polio
eradication," he wrote. "I appeal to you all to
continue your support -- both political and financial -
until the job is finished."
"Some have questioned whether polio eradication is
possible. Let there be no doubt. We can do it. And we
will."
He also wrote, "Clearly things are not going well
with malaria control ... We accept our responsibility for
this. Now is not the time for shyness. WHO will exercise
much greater leadership in malaria control."
For more information, please contact:
Christine McNab,
Communications officer,
Director-General's office
Tel: +41-79-254-6815
Email: mcnabc@who.int
Iain Simpson,
Communications officer,
Director-General's office
Tel: +41-79-475-5534
Email: simpsoni@who.int
SOURCE World Health Organization
2007'02.01.Thu
Take Yourself Around Britain With a BritRail Pass and Your Host Can Go Too for Half the Price
May 23, 2006
LONDON, May 23 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- ACP Rail
International's BritRail Guest Pass promotion which was
launched in February is proving to be a winner! This
great-value deal lets visitors to Britain tour the country
by train and take their British hosts along for the ride.
It is an unique opportunity for Britain-based friends and
relatives to experience the flexibility and convenience of
the world-renowned BritRail Pass -- an opportunity not
normally available to residents of Britain. Any in-bound
tourist to Britain who orders one of the qualifying
BritRail Passes before December 31st 2006 can be rewarded
with a 50% discount on a comparable full price, adult, 1st
class BritRail Guest Pass for their friends or relatives.
Prices start from just US$106, AUD$137 and Yen11,500
for the first pass purchased and US$53, AUD$69 and Yen5750
for the British guest. Unbeatable products at unbeatable
prices!
This First Class travel promotion offers a selection of
options -- there is something for every itinerary --
including the network-wide BritRail Consecutive Pass and
BritRail FlexiPass, the BritRail England Passes or the
BritRail London Plus Pass for travel in England's
south-east. But travellers must buy before they fly --
BritRail Passes are not for sale in Britain. Travel must
be completed within the validity period of the Pass
selected and within 6 months of the date of issue.
Whatever the itinerary -- following the trail of the Da
Vinci Code, visiting historic towns and cities, catching up
with friends and relatives or enjoying superb and varied
scenery -- a 1st class BritRail Pass and Britain's rail
network with 2,500 stations and 19,000 trains a day make a
1st class combination for relaxing travel.
For more information about BritRail and BritRail Guest
Pass go to http://www.BritRail.com or visit your travel
agent.
BritRail Guest Pass - The Finest Holiday Gift For You
and Your British Host
Notes:
* BritRail Guest Pass is only valid for use by a
British resident, able to
produce proof of residency and accompanied on each
journey by an
overseas visitor with a matching BritRail Pass
product.
* The BritRail Guest Pass promotion cannot be combined
with BritRail
Senior, Family or Party discounts or any other
BritRail promotional
offer.
For more information, please contact:
Richard Haste,
Public Relations Manager (UK)
Tel/Fax: +44-0-1347-878-034
Email: richardhaste@acprail.com
SOURCE BritRail
2007'02.01.Thu
MEDIA ADVISORY: UN SECRETARY-GENERAL'S STATEMENT ON THE DEATH OF LEE JONG-WOOK, DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
May 22, 2006
UNDP issued a condolence statement today by Kofi Annan
for the death of Lee Jong-wook as below:
"I am shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the
sudden passing of Dr Lee Jong-Wook, Director-General of the
World Health Organization.
Dr Lee died as the World Health Assembly opened its
annual meeting in Geneva today.
It was just a few days ago that Dr Lee and I spoke by
telephone while I was visiting Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Our conversation touched upon WHO's long-running efforts to
tackle the global challenge of HIV/AIDS -- an area that he
was particularly committed to -- as well as the Roll Back
Malaria campaign.
Dr Lee took over the reins of WHO in the wake of the
SARS outbreak of 2003, and had been working energetically
to strengthen the organization further in its global public
health responsibilities. He was at the forefront of the
global fight to prevent an avian flu pandemic, and was a
champion as well in the battle against a host of other
public health threats from HIV/AIDS to tuberculosis.
Dr Lee gave more than 20 years of dedicated service to
the WHO. Not only was he a valuable leader to WHO staff
the world over, but a cherished colleague and friend to me
personally.
I extend my deepest condolences to Dr Lee's family, WHO
staff and to the entire UN family. This sudden loss of a
leader, colleague and friend is truly devastating.
Beijing
May 22, 2006"
For more information, please contact:
Roy Wadia, WHO
Tel: +86-10-6532-7189 x681
SOURCE United Nations Development Programme
2007'02.01.Thu
The Second Plant of TFTD Constructed to Provide Dies Products to Global TOYOTA Facilities
May 22, 2006
TIANJIN, China, May 22 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The
construction of the second plant of TOYOTA FAW (TIANJIN)
DIES CO., LTD (TFTD) was completed completed on May 22nd in
TEDA, signalling the rise of dies production in Tianjin to
world level.
TFTD is a joint venture established by TOYOTA and FAW
to produce large automotive stamping dies. Supported by a
total investment of USD50million, TFTD adopts the world
most advanced technology to design and produce dies and
creats a special model of dies production that is unique to
TFTD, i.e., the production technology of
"cloning". This has largely shortened the
revising time at the later stage of dies production, which
enables the realization of the revolution: production of
dies digitally in batches.
With its second plant constructed, TFTD is planning to
export dies abroad while targeting at global TOYOTA plants.
By the end of May 2006, TFTD will be able to double its
capacity. This means it can meet the needs of producing 6
kinds of automotive dies annually rather than the original
3 kinds of automotive dies. TFTD will, in compliance with
TOYOTA's design, technology and quality requirement,
produce the stamping dies for all kinds of automobiles.
The construction of TFTD's second plant not only plays
a key role for low cost production and short lead time, but
it also produces far reaching influence on the automotive
production and development of the automotive dies. TFTD
will try to initiate an economy operation model in Tianjin
that is characterized by environment protection and cyclic
use of resources, i.e., in the process from materials of
dies, to foundry, dies processing and stamping, TFTD will
fulfill complete and closed recycling of materials and
resources, thus realizing the pollution-free "Zero
Emission".
About Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area
(TEDA)
Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA)
was established in 1984 with the approval of the State
Council of the People's Republic of China. It is one of
the first state-class economic-technological development
areas in the country.
TEDA is located in the center of a larger area
bordering Bohai Sea and the east of the Asia-Europe Land
Bridge, thus serving as the gate to the two super cities of
Beijing and Tianjin, and the throat connecting the northeast
of China. By the end of 2005, 4,067 foreign companies have
landed in TEDA. Of the Fortune 500 companies, 57
multinational companies, from 10 countries and regions,
including such well-established multinational giants as
Motorola, Samsung and Toyota, invested in 123 enterprises
in TEDA. In 2000, "Fortune" listed TEDA as one
of the most highly recommended economic areas in China. In
2002 UNIDO listed TEDA as one of the most dynamic areas of
China together with Shenzhen, Suzhou, Wenzhou, Shanghai
Pudong and Xi'an High-tech Park.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.investteda.org .
SOURCE Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area
2007'02.01.Thu
New Evidence Validates Global Prevalence and Severity of Abdominal Cramping and Pain
May 22, 2006
-- Survey Shows 25% of World's Population Suffer From Common and Distressing Ailment That Can Be Effectively Treated -
-- Not for Distribution to USA Media
-- Not for Distribution to USA Media
INGELHEIM, Germany, May 22 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- New
data presented at the premier international
gastroenterology congress Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2006
today, show that the prevalence and severity of abdominal
cramping, pain and discomfort have been globally
underestimated. Insights from a global epidemiological
study into this area show that one in four people around
the world suffer from this troublesome, and sometimes
debilitating, ailment.(1) New evidence from the market
research also helps to define this ailment and the symptoms
associated with it, paving the way for effective and
specific treatment and lifestyle changes.
"These new results confirm abdominal cramping,
pain and discomfort is suffered by people all over the
world. We are now getting a clear country-by-country
indication of how common and distressing this ailment and
its symptoms are in the general population," stated Dr
Richard Locke of the Mayo Clinic.
Until now, the nature of the symptoms associated with
abdominal cramping have not been defined systematically,
creating a great deal of confusion and misunderstanding
among sufferers. In addition to prevalence, the study
results show how disruptive this ailment and the symptoms
associated with it can be for a sufferer. Two thirds of all
sufferers indicated they experience sudden abdominal attacks
that begin without warning.(1) On average, 34.5% of these
sufferers experience at least one fierce attack every
week.(1)
While abdominal cramping and pain is the central
symptom associated with these attacks, it is often
accompanied by additional digestive symptoms such as
constipation, diarrhea, bloating and flatulence.
"For years I have been trying to find a way to
explain the pain and discomfort I experience during a
stomach attack. They usually come on without any warning,
leaving me unable to concentrate on anything expect the
pain. These attacks are especially embarrassing when I am
at work in a meeting with colleagues as it literally stops
me from functioning," said Sarah Lockyer.
According to Dr Locke, "Sufferers do not like
talking about the troublesome symptoms that accompany
abdominal cramping, pain and discomfort. They often feel
like they are the only ones experiencing these symptoms, or
in some cases, that they have caused the attacks by eating
the wrong foods or taking on too much stress."
Dr Locke continued, "This ailment is characterised
as a functional gastrointestinal disorder, which means that
the abdomen appears to be normal but does not function
properly. The symptoms need to be proactively managed and
treated to improve the sufferer's quality of life."
Abdominal cramping, pain and discomfort can be
exacerbated by a variety of factors, including: stress,
eating and drinking habits, organic reasons such as food
intolerances, stimulating substances such as coffee, or
unhealthy lifestyle. While lifestyle changes can help a
sufferer manage the symptoms associated with this ailment,
on average 81.3% of sufferers take medication.(1) As
perceived by sufferers, medication shortens the duration of
episodes considerably.(1)
"The results of these studies show the onset and
severity of symptoms associated with this ailment are
similar for sufferers all over the world. Lifestyle
changes and treatments, such as antispasmodics, can help
alleviate symptoms and shorten the duration of abdominal
attacks," said Professor Eamonn Quigley of the
Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre at the National University
of Ireland.
Buscopan(R) is the leading global over the counter
antispasmodic brand that provides reliable relief from the
pain and discomfort due to abdominal cramps. The proven
Buscopan(R) formula gently relaxes the cramped muscles of
the digestive tract, and therefore relieves the spasms that
cause abdominal pain.
Boehringer Ingelheim Consumer Health Care
The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world's 20
leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in
Ingelheim, Germany, it operates globally with 143
affiliates in 47 countries and almost 37,500 employees.
Since it was founded in 1885, the family-owned company has
been committed to researching, developing, manufacturing
and marketing novel products of high therapeutic value for
human and veterinary medicine.
In 2005, Boehringer Ingelheim posted net sales of 9.5
billion euro while spending almost one fifth of net sales
in its largest business segment Prescription Medicines on
research and development.
The Consumer Health Care business is one of the core
businesses of the Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation and
strives to serve customers worldwide with top-quality
pharmaceuticals for self-medication and is widely known for
its products such as: Pharmaton(R), Dulcolax(R),
Bisolvon(R), Mucosolvan(R), Buscopan(R), Antistax(R) and
Mucoangin(R).
Boehringer Ingelheim Consumer Healthcare is ranked the
8th largest supplier of self-medication products.
For more information please visit
http://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com .
Notes to the editor
The epidemiology study was completed in two stages.
First a community survey was completed in over 9,000 people
in 9 countries. Then about 200 sufferers in eight countries
participated in more in-depth interviews. The second phase
was done in order to obtain insights into the nature of
abdominal complaints, the characteristics in abdominal
attacks and the role of drug therapy in dealing with these
symptoms.
References
(1) Tygat GNJ, Paulo LG, Mueller-Lissner S, et al. The
community
prevalence of abdominal pain and cramps: A
multi-national survey.
Digestive Disease Week. 2006 Poster
For more information, please contact:
Ute E Schmidt,
Corporate Division Communications,
Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH
Tel: +49-613-277-97296
Fax: +49-613-277-6601
Sara Singer,
Project Director,
Shire Health International
Tel: +44-20-7108-6521
Fax: +44-20-7108-6501
Email: sara.singer@shirehealthinternational.com
SOURCE Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH
2007'02.01.Thu
Xinhua China Forms Online Digital Media Company
May 22, 2006
Management restructuring to oversee new growth opportunities in digital publishing rights
BEIJING, May 22 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Xinhua China
Ltd. ("Xinhua China" or, the "Company")
(OTC Bulletin Board: XHUA), a US-based holding company,
which owns a majority interest in a Chinese company that
holds a national license to distribute books in China, is
pleased to announce that the Company has formed a wholly
owned subsidiary, Beijing Joannes Information Technology
Co., Ltd. ("Joannes"), to focus on the sale and
distribution of digital media content online.
This online merchandizing company -- branded
http://www.geezip.com -- is expected to launch October 1,
2006 and will sell e-books, e-audio and e-music.
Xinhua China's decision to invest in online digital
rights reflects the maturing of the Chinese Internet market
in recent years. According to a report by the A.C. Nielsen
Consulting Group in November 2005, 63 percent of Internet
users in China said they had shopped online, and 56 percent
of that group said they had bought reading material that
way. About 24 percent of online shoppers said they had
bought audio-visual products.
Xinhua China's CEO, Xianping Wang, said, "With
China rapidly becoming the most wired country in the world,
we are positioning ourselves to take advantage of the trend
for online content, particularly foreign content." Mr.
Wang added, "Internet usage in China by middle class
consumers is growing at an annualized rate of 60 percent.
There's no question China represents a great business
opportunity for online content and service
providers."
To assist in the launch and management of the Company's
digital media strategy, Mr. Peter Shandro, currently a
director of Xinhua China, will assume the role of VP
Business Strategy. Previously, from 1999 to 2003, Mr.
Shandro was a founder, CEO and director of XML Global
Technology, a publicly traded software company specializing
in data transformation and web-based transactional
solutions. He has extensive experience in guiding early
stage companies and business restructuring.
Additionally, the Company is pleased to announce that
Xinhua China's CFO Clement Wu will also become the
Secretary and Treasurer of the Company.
About Xinhua China
Xinhua China Ltd. is a US-based holding company with
publishing and distribution interests in China. Through its
subsidiary, Xinhua Publications Circulation &
Distribution Co., Ltd., the Company holds a national
license for distribution of books and other publications in
China.
INVESTOR CONTACT:
MR. ALEX HELMEL
1 800 884 3864 (EXT. 17)
http://www.xinhuachina.com.cn
Safe Harbor Statement
This news release may include forward-looking
statements within the meaning of section 27a of the UNITED
STATES SECURITIES ACT of 1933, as amended, and section 21e
of the UNITED STATES SECURITIES and EXCHANGE ACT of 1934,
as amended, with respect to achieving corporate objectives,
developing additional project interests, Xinhua China's
analysis of opportunities in the acquisition and
development of various project interests and certain other
matters. These statements are made under the "safe
harbor" provisions of the United States private
securities litigation reform act of 1995 and involve risks
and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to
differ materially from those in the forward-looking
statements contained herein.
For more information, please contact:
Alex Helmel,
Investor Relations,
Xinhua China Ltd.
Tel: +1-604-681-3864 or +1-800-884-3864
Email: info@xinhuachina.com.cn
Woody Wallace or Michael Arneth,
The Investor Relations Company
Tel: +1-312-245-2700
SOURCE Xinhua China Ltd.
2007'02.01.Thu
AnalogicTech Announces New Step-up DC/DC Converter for Ultraportable Systems Powered by Single, Dual AA Cells
May 22, 2006
Device Combines High Efficiency, True Load Disconnect, Small Footprint
SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 22 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ --
Advanced Analogic Technologies Incorporated (AnalogicTech)
(Nasdaq: AATI), a developer of power management
semiconductors for mobile consumer electronic devices,
today announced the AAT1265, a new low-voltage step-up
converter for ultraportable applications. Designed for
systems running from single- or dual-cell Alkaline, NiMH,
or NiCd batteries, the AAT1265 extends AnalogicTech's
rapidly growing boost converter line by combining high
efficiency and True Load Disconnect in an extremely small
footprint.
(Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050829/SFTU089LOGO )
"Ultraportable systems running from single or dual
alkaline, NiMH, or NiCd cells need to boost voltage while
conforming to strict requirements for battery life and
system size," said Bill Weiss, Product Line Director
for AnalogicTech. "The AAT1265 maintains high
efficiency over the entire output current range, requires
no external compensation, and provides True Load Disconnect
-- all in a tiny 2.0x2.1mm SC70JW package. This device
delivers an ideal balance of high efficiency, essential
features, and small total solution size."
The synchronous fixed frequency step-up converter
supplies 100mA to a 3.3V load from a single AA cell and
250mA from dual AA cells. The AAT1265 delivers efficiency
up to 93 percent and maintains high efficiency over the
entire load range. A 2MHz switching frequency helps
minimize solution footprint by enabling the use of
extremely small inductors and capacitors.
True Load Disconnect
Leakage current is a common concern with boost
converters. Typically these devices present a conduction
path from the input to the output via the body diode of the
P-channel MOSFET when the system is not active. To eliminate
such power loss, designers often use a load switch and
control circuitry to disconnect the load from the
converter. AnalogicTech's AAT1265 solves this problem with
the True Load Disconnect feature which disconnects the body
diode from the output. This feature extends battery life and
simplifies the system design by eliminating an external load
switch and control circuitry.
The AAT1265 also adds a variety of safety features to
preserve the integrity of the device including
short-circuit and over-current protection, inrush current
limit, and soft start.
Price and Availability
Specified over the -40 degrees C to +85 degrees C
temperature range, the AAT1265 is available in a Pb-free,
compact 2.0x2.1mm SC70JW-8 package. The device sells for
$0.81 in 1000-piece quantities.
About AnalogicTech
Advanced Analogic Technologies Incorporated
(AnalogicTech) is a supplier of Total Power Management(TM)
semiconductor solutions for mobile consumer electronic
devices, such as wireless handsets, notebook and tablet
computers, smartphones, digital cameras, wireless LAN, and
personal media players. The company focuses its design and
marketing efforts on the application-specific power
management needs of consumer, communications, and computing
applications in these rapidly evolving devices. AnalogicTech
also develops and licenses device, process, package, and
application-related technology. AnalogicTech is
headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in
South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai, Shenzhen,
Beijing, Japan, Sweden, UK, and France, as well as a
worldwide network of sales representatives and
distributors. The company is listed on the NASDAQ exchange
under the ticker symbol AATI. For more information, please
visit the AnalogicTech website: http://www.analogictech.com
. (AnalogicTech - G)
For more information, please contact:
Bill Weiss
AnalogicTech
Tel: +1-408-737-4600
Email: bweiss@analogictech.com
Matthew Quint
Quint Public Relations
Tel: +1-650-599-9450
Email: quint@quintpr.com
SOURCE Advanced Analogic Technologies Incorporated
2007'02.01.Thu
European Commission Approves Merger of Axalto-Gemplus
May 22, 2006
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands and LUXEMBOURG, May 22
/Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Axalto Holding N.V. (Euronext:
NL0000400653 - AXL) and Gemplus International S.A.
(Euronext: LU0121706294 - GEM and Nasdaq: GEMP) announce
today that the European Commission has cleared the proposed
Axalto and Gemplus combination under the EU merger
regulation, with specific undertakings. This step
constitutes satisfaction of an important condition
precedent to the proposed combination of the companies
anticipated to occur upon the parties' satisfying the
remaining conditions under their contractual agreements.
Axalto and Gemplus have committed to maintain their
current business practices of patent licensing and making
available to card competitors the interoperability
information for Over The Air (OTA) SIM card
administration.
Olivier Piou, Chief Executive Officer of Axalto,
comments: "We are extremely pleased to see that the
very comprehensive investigation conducted by the European
authorities has led the Commission to approve the merger,
and to conclude that the Axalto-Gemplus transaction would
not harm the competitive environment. We are all really
eager to start operating as the new company, Gemalto, as
soon as the remaining conditions and practical matters per
the contract have been satisfied."
Alex Mandl, Chief Executive Officer of Gemplus, adds:
"The conditions to this clearance are consistent with
longstanding industry practices and will benefit the
continuing growth of our industry. We look forward to the
bright future of Gemalto as a new leader in digital
security."
The shareholders and Boards of Directors of both
companies have already approved the transaction. The US
antitrust authorities have not raised objections to the
transaction.
The European Commission clearance constitutes
satisfaction of the final antitrust condition for the
contribution of Texas Pacific Group and the Quandt family
entities shareholdings in Gemplus to Axalto. As previously
announced, this contribution in kind will be followed by a
voluntary offer by Axalto to all remaining Gemplus
shareholders at the same exchange ratio, subject to
regulatory approvals.
Important information
Investors and security holders are strongly advised to
read, when they become available, the prospectus/offer to
exchange and related exchange offer materials regarding the
business combination transaction referenced in this press
release, as well as any amendments and supplements to those
documents because they will contain important information.
When available, the prospectus/offer to exchange and the
other documents may also be obtained from Axalto Investor
Relations. If required, the prospectus/offer to exchange
will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
by Axalto. To the extent the prospectus/offer to exchange
is filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
("SEC"), security holders may obtain a free copy
of the prospectus/offer to exchange (when available) and
other related documents filed by Axalto at the Commission's
website at http://www.sec.gov . Investors and security
holders who are US persons or who are located in the United
States should also read any solicitation/recommendation
statement of Gemplus on Schedule 14D-9 when and if filed by
Gemplus with the SEC because it will contain important
information. The solicitation/recommendation statement and
other public filings made from time to time by Gemplus with
the SEC are available without charge from the SEC's website
at http://www.sec.gov . This document, if issued, will
also be available for inspection and copying at the public
reference room maintained by the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E.,
Washington, D.C. 20549, United States. For further
information about the public reference room, call the SEC
at +1 800 732 0330. In France, holders of Gemplus
securities are requested, with respect to the offer, to
refer, when filed by Axalto, to the prospectus (note
d'information) that will be available on the website of the
AMF ( http://www.amf-france.org ). This communication does
not constitute an offer to purchase or exchange or the
solicitation of an offer to sell or exchange any securities
of Axalto or an offer to sell or exchange or the
solicitation of an offer to buy or exchange any securities
of Gemplus, nor shall there be any sale or exchange of
securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer,
solicitation, sale or exchange would be unlawful prior to
the registration or qualification form the laws of such
jurisdiction. Accordingly, persons who come into
possession of this document should inform themselves of and
observe these restrictions. The solicitation of offers to
buy any Gemplus ordinary shares (including Gemplus shares
represented by Gemplus American Depositary Shares) in the
United States will only be made pursuant to a
prospectus/offer to exchange and related offer materials
that Axalto expects to send to holders of Gemplus
securities, in accordance with or pursuant to an exemption
from the U.S. securities laws. Unless otherwise
determined by Axalto, it is not intended that any offer
will be made, directly or indirectly, in or into Australia,
Canada or Japan and in such circumstances it will not be
capable of acceptance in or from Australia, Canada or
Japan. Accordingly, copies of this announcement are not
being, and must not be, mailed or otherwise distributed or
sent in or into Australia, Canada or Japan. Custodians,
nominees and trustees should observe these restrictions and
should not send or distribute this announcement in or into
Australia, Canada or Japan.
For more information, please contact:
Axalto:
Corporate Media Relations
Emmanuelle SABY
Tel: +33(0)-6-09-10-76-10
Email: esaby@axalto.com
TBWA \ CORPORATE
Emlyn KORENGOLD
Tel: +33(0)-1-49-09-66-51
Mobile: +33(0)-6-08-21-93-74
Email: emlyn.korengold@tbwa-corporate.com
Investor Relations
Stephane BISSEUIL
Tel: +33(0)-1-55-01-50-97
Mobile: +33(0)-6-86-08-64-13
Email: sbisseuil@axalto.com
Gemplus:
Senior Vice-President, Corporate Communications
Remi CALVET
Tel: +33(0)-06-22-72-81-58
Email: remi.calvet@gemplus.com
Edelman Paris
Frederic BOULLARD
Tel: +33(0)-1-56-69-73-95
Email: frederic.boullard@edelman.com
SOURCE Gemplus International S.A.
2007'02.01.Thu
A New U.S. Airline to Fly from New York to Russia
May 22, 2006
NEW YORK, May 22 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Baltia Air
Lines, a new U.S. airline, based at the JFK Airport in New
York at Terminal 4, is getting ready to start nonstop
service to St. Petersburg, Russia with a Boeing 747.
Currently, the only other US airline operating to Russia is
Delta Air Lines which flies nonstop to Moscow.
Baltia Air Lines is a publicly traded company listed on
the Nasdaq Bulletin Board under the symbol BLTA. In
addition, Baltia is listed on Xetra and Frankfurt exchanges
under the symbol B3A. Baltia will provide First, Business
and Coach passenger services. It will also provide express
cargo services under Baltia name, as well as carry
containers for major overnight shippers.
After starting the JFK -- St. Petersburg service,
Baltia Air Lines plans to develop its initial route
network, flying nonstop from JFK to Riga, Kiev and Minsk.
Baltia Air Lines' goal is to become the leading airline to
provide full-service passenger, cargo and mail
transportation between the major US cities and the capital
cities of Eastern Europe.
Baltia Air Lines wants to go well above and beyond the
so called "normal service" manifested by recent
service cutbacks on large airlines. Baltia's goal is to
become the leading airline in the world for offering
services that no other airline is presenting, including
delicious meals prepared by top chefs from leading and soon
to be discovered outstanding restaurants in both New York
and St. Petersburg. This unique service will make traveling
with Baltia a very pleasurable and comfortable experience.
Current traffic between JFK and St. Petersburg is
carried by European airlines with one or two connecting
flights, because only US and Russian airlines can operate
nonstop between the two nations. Analysts expect that new
US airlines like Baltia, Jet Blue, South West and others
will do well and lead the American airline industry in the
years to come.
For more information, please contact:
Igor Dmitrowsky
President, Baltia Air Lines, Inc.
Tel: +1-718-275-5205
Cell: +1-347-538-1717
SOURCE Baltia Air Lines
2007'02.01.Thu
Two Thirds of Family Doctors Believe COPD will be the Leading Cause of Death in 2020
May 22, 2006
-- Management of Exacerbations `Crucial' to Reduce COPD Mortality
-- For Accredited International Healthcare Journalists Only
-- For Accredited International Healthcare Journalists Only
SAN DIEGO, May 22 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Survey results
from the `Time to Live' report, presented today at the
American Thoracic Society International Congress, show over
two thirds of primary care physicians (66%) fear COPD will
be the leading cause of death in 2020 despite almost all
(98%) believing that there are effective treatments
available for this condition(1).
COPD is a major cause of death worldwide, and,
according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), is
currently the fourth most common cause of death after
cancer, ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular
disease(2). Of these diseases, only COPD shows increasing
rates of mortality -- the WHO estimate COPD will become the
third most common cause of death by 2020. However, today's
results suggest the WHO may have underestimated the extent
to which COPD prevalence will increase, according to
European physicians at the front line of COPD management.
The survey elements of the `Time to Live' report,
comprising structured telephone interviews of primary care
physicians in five European countries (Germany, France, UK,
Italy and Spain), shows 73% consider reduced
hospitalisations are crucial for the well being of COPD
patients -- a statistic reinforced by previous studies
showing between 22% - 43% of COPD patients hospitalised due
to an exacerbation will die within one year(3,4,5,6).
Around 90% of the general practitioners questioned
believe prevention of exacerbations should be a prominent
consideration in choosing a patient's COPD therapy, with a
similar number believing reduced exacerbations are
essential to improve patients' health-related quality of
life -- ultimately in reducing the risk of COPD prevalence
rates exceeding WHO predictions over the next 14 years.
68% believe that inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) should
be considered at an early stage in therapy. Half of those
questioned suggest patients be prescribed either an ICS or
a combination therapy such as ICS and long-acting beta 2
agonist (LABA) to minimise the likelihood and impact of
exacerbations.
"These results provide further evidence of the
crucial impact of preventing and managing COPD
exacerbations and the subsequent impact this has on
patients' health-related quality of life," explained
`Time to Live' author Dr John Haughney, a General
Practitioner in Scotland and Chairman of the UK General
Practice Airways Group. "The survey also highlights
the need for effective treatments such as ICS / LABA
combinations, which have been proven to reduce patient
exacerbations, important factors in reducing the risk of
hospitalisations and subsequent mortality associated with
COPD," he continued.
For further information about the `Time to Live'
report, or to request an interview with a member of the
`Time to Live' study team, please do not hesitate to
contact:
The Time to Live survey was supported by an
unrestricted educational grant from AstraZeneca.
AstraZeneca are the manufacturers of Symbicort(R), a
combination of the inhaled corticosteroid budesonide and
rapid- and long-acting beta-agonist formoterol, which is
indicated for the treatment of COPD and asthma
References:
1. Primary Care Physicians' Perception and Practice in
Management of COPD
Patients (results from the Time to Live report),
scheduled for
presentation at ATS, May 21, 2006
2. http://www.who.int/respiratory/copd/en/
3. Eriksen N, et al. Ugeskr Laeger 2003;165:3499-3502
4. Groenewegen KH, et al. Chest 2003;124:459-467
5. Almagro P, et al. Chest 2002;121:1441-1448
6. Connors AF, et al. Am J Respir Crit Care Med
1996;154:959-967
For more information, please contact:
Anette Orheim
AstraZeneca
Tel: +46-46-33-80-87
Mobile: +46-709-13-19-52
Jim Baxter
Cohn & Wolfe
Tel: +44-207-331-5371
Mobile: +44-790-060-5652
SOURCE AstraZeneca Plc
2007'02.01.Thu
Jaluna, Netbricks and Texas Instruments Join to Demonstrate IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) Functionality on TI's Carrier Infrastructure Platform
May 19, 2006
-- Netbricks' IMS Platform Will Feature Jaluna's Linux Environment and TI's Digital Signal Processing at VON Europe, Stockholm, May 15-18
STOCKHOLM, May 19 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Taking a significant step toward realizing an all-IP communications infrastructure, Jaluna, Netbricks and Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) [NYSE:TXN] today announced the first demonstration of a IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) solution applicable in the area of the next generation networks, moving forward to a fixed and mobile converged network environment. On display at both the Netbricks [#236] and TI [#C801] booths, the demo will feature Netbricks' SIP-BRICKS Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and DIAMETER-BRICKS Diameter Protocol (Authorization Authentication - Accounting) running on TI's carrier infrastructure optimized digital signal processors in Jaluna's Linux environment. For more information, please visit http://www.ti.com/sc06101 . An all-IP based infrastructure will enable both wireless and wireline service providers to deliver more products and services with one-third less equipment and in half the time. Equipment manufacturers will realize an effective, evolutionary path to developing systems capable of delivering multimedia/3G services, within an IP multimedia services (IMS) environment, while streamlining investment in research and development. Additionally, consumers will benefit from greater flexibility and access to more sophisticated services available to them, such as mobile video conferencing and video content streaming. Netbricks is a leading company supplying telecommunication protocols technology to all major telecom equipment manufacturers and integrators. Proposing a complete product portfolio covering circuit and packet telecommunication technologies, Netbricks is partnering with major telecom and data companies to accelerate transition to the "All IP" future telecom model including the most recently standardized IMS and TISPAN architectures."We are excited to demonstrate efficient IMS control protocols functionality on TI's DSP," said Didier Raffenoux, president of Netbricks. "We believe that this will enable the control functionality to also run on that platform which is already present in the media domains of IMS and to provide a cost efficient solution to deploy IMS networks and equipment." Jaluna is the global leader in virtual infrastructure software for connected devices. Jaluna OSware, Linux Edition for TI's TMS320C6000(TM) DSP is designed for products, such as multimedia IP devices and telecom equipment that require capabilities and features of Linux, in association with TI's DSP/BIOS operating system and applications. Customers using Jaluna OSware, Linux Edition quickly create new software solutions that enable the introduction of Linux at a minimal cost. Jaluna OSware also guarantees that the same proven software can be used on more and more powerful processor boards in the future, in particular those based on multi-core chips. "Our virtualization technology on TI's DSP enables a fast and easy implementation of Netbricks software," said Mark Milligan, vice president of marketing and business development of Jaluna. "Jaluna OSware, Linux Edition on TI's carrier infrastructure platform can be the basis for a new set of applications migrating to DSP." TI's carrier infrastructure platform offers higher solution density and significant flexibility to handle both control and processing functionality. The DSP based system on a chip solution offers video and wireless codecs, setting the stage for IMS that offers unmatched quality of services and unique offerings, like digital video from generation to delivery and digital quality voice and fixed-mobile convergence (FMC). "We believe that the high performance and inherent flexibility in a DSP is a perfect fit for driving the evolution of an all-IP carrier infrastructure," said Josef Alt, European business development manager with Texas Instruments' Communications Infrastructure Group. "By running higher-level protocol stacks and network layers in an IMS environment, we believe that we are redefining what a digital signal processor can do. TI's DSPs offer a greater breadth and depth of support for voice, data and video processing than other general purpose processors." About Jaluna Inc. Jaluna Inc. is the global leader in Real-time Virtualization(TM) technology for connected devices. The company's virtualization software platform, Jaluna OSware(TM), allows customers to streamline their device software architecture by combining differing operating system application environments in a single device. As a result, the world's largest semiconductor companies, manufacturers and carriers are gaining greater flexibility and control of their products and services while leveraging legacy investments, integrating industry standards and incorporating new technologies. With more than 20 years of experience developing and deploying system software for network infrastructure, multimedia IP devices and mobile phones, Jaluna is paving the way for the development of next generation connected devices and networks. Jaluna Inc. is headquartered in San Jose, Calif. with research and development facilities in France, and operations worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.jaluna.com or call 408.954.7350, or +33 1 39 44 74 00. About Netbricks Headquartered in Orsay, France with facilities and representatives in Israel, Japan and USA , Netbricks develops and markets portable source code software implementing telecommunication protocols in compliance with major international and industry standards. In business since 1989, Netbricks has a client list of more than 400 leading telecom and data equipment manufacturers worldwide. Thanks to its widely deployed field proven software portfolio that covers circuit/TDM as well as packet/IP technology, Netbricks has clearly become a leading technology enabler to migrate towards NGN and IMS architectures. About Texas Instruments Texas Instruments Incorporated provides innovative DSP and analog technologies to meet our customers' real world signal processing requirements. In addition to Semiconductor, the company includes the Educational & Productivity Solutions business. TI is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and has manufacturing, design or sales operations in more than 25 countries. Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TXN. More information is located on the World Wide Web at http://www.ti.com . Trademarks The TMS320C6000 is a trademark of Texas Instruments. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For more information, please contact: Didier Irlande Jaluna Tel: +33-1-39-44-74-15 Email: Didier.Irlande@Jaluna.COM Alain Champenois Netbricks Tel: +33-1-69-33-12-50 Email: alain.champenois@netbricks.net Marcia Barnett Texas Instruments Tel: +1-214-480-2050 Email: mpickett@ti.com SOURCE Texas Instruments Incorporated
2007'02.01.Thu
C O R R E C T I O N -- United Nations Development Programme/
May 19, 2006
In the news release, "UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, To Visit China From 19 To 23 May 2006 ", issued earlier today by United Nations Development Programme over XinhuaPR Newswire, the second paragraph, first sentence should read "During his stay" rather than "During his four-day stay", also, the third paragraph should read "China is the third stop on the Secretary-General's current five-nation Asian tour. He has already visited South Korea and Japan. After China, Kofi Annan will travel to Viet Nam and Thailand." rather than "China is the third stop on the Secretary-General's current four-nation Asian tour. He has already visited South Korea and Japan. After China, Kofi Annan will travel to Viet Nam.", as originally issued inadvertently SOURCE United Nations Development Programme
2007'02.01.Thu
UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, To Visit China From 19 To 23 May 2006
May 19, 2006
BEIJING, May 19 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The
Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, is
making an official visit to China from Friday 19 to Tuesday
23 May 2006. On this occasion, he will meet with President
Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao£¬State Councillor Tang
Jiaxuan and other senior officials in Beijing.
During his four-day stay, Kofi Annan is also scheduled
to address a gathering at Beijing University and visit the
Olympic National Stadium in the Chinese capital.
China is the third stop on the Secretary-General's
current four-nation Asian tour. He has already visited
South Korea and Japan. After China, Kofi Annan will travel
to Viet Nam.
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Roy Wadia, communications officer,
WHO in China
Mobile: +86-136-1117-4072
Email: WadiaR@chn.wpro.who.int
Ms. Zhang Wei, communications officer,
UNDP in China
Mobile: +86-139-1007-3809
Email: wei.zhang@undp.org
SOURCE United Nations Development Programme
2007'02.01.Thu
Interval International Appoints George Wang as Country Manager for China
May 19, 2006
BEIJING, May 19 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Interval
International, a leading global vacation exchange company,
has announced the appointment of George Wang to the
position of country manager for the People's Republic of
China. Wang will be based in Interval International's newly
opened Beijing Representative office.
(Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030423/INTVLINTLOGO
)
Wang is a Chinese national with 14 years experience in
the tourism industry gained with the China National Tourist
Administration. In his new role, Wang will oversee
Interval's presence in China and direct the day-to-day
service activities. He will be responsible for servicing
Interval's existing affiliated resorts, facilitating sales
and marketing support, as well as building Interval's
developer client base in the region.
"We are extremely pleased that an individual with
Wang's experience in the Chinese tourism sector is joining
our team," said Joseph Hickman, executive director,
Asia Pacific. "He will be an asset to Interval as we
continue to grow our business in the Chinese market, which
has huge potential for Interval and the timeshare
industry."
Before joining Interval, Wang was marketing manager for
AMC USA, Co, a business consultancy company. Prior to that,
he held various positions with the CNTA. Wang earned an MBA
in Marketing from North Park University, Chicago, USA and a
BA in Tourism Management from Beijing Second Foreign
Language Institute. Wang is fluent in English and Mandarin
Chinese.
Interval International, a leading vacation ownership
exchange company, is celebrating 30 years of quality and
innovation. Interval has a global network of more than
2,000 affiliated resorts in over 75 countries, and serves
its developer clients and in excess of 1.8 million member
families through 28 offices in 19 countries. The company
provides a variety of services and year-round
travel-related benefits to enhance members' vacation
experiences. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Interval
International is part of IAC/InterActiveCorp, which
operates leading and diversified businesses in sectors
being transformed by the Internet, online and offline.
Other IAC companies include Ask.com, Citysearch,
Entertainment Publications, HSN, LendingTree, and
Ticketmaster.
For more information, please contact:
George Wang
Interval International Singapore Pte Ltd, in China
Tel: +86-10-6436-1383
Fax: +86-10-6436-1382
Email: george.wang@intervalintl.com
Joseph Hickman
Tel: +65-6318-2510
Fax: +65-6318-2510
Email: joe.hickman@intervalintl.com
Adrian Bascombe
Tel: +44-208-336-9573
Fax: +44-208-336-9110
Email: adrian.bascombe@intervalintl.com
SOURCE Interval International
2007'02.01.Thu
Percipia Accelerates Entry to VoIP Hospitality Market in Hong Kong and China With Symphonic InfoCom
May 19, 2006
COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 19 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Percipia
Inc. has established a liaison office and a strategic
relationship with Symphonic InfoCom Limited of Hong Kong in
order to grow market share for its Internet Protocol (IP)
solutions for the hospitality sector in Hong Kong and
China. Percipia's liaison office will be co-located with
Symphonic InfoCom, which will provide local installation
and customer support. Percipia's solutions help global
companies converge their data, voice and video networks and
integrate them with their internal systems.
Percipia specializes in IP telephony for the
hospitality industry, including hotels and casinos.
Percipia was the first to customize and integrate Cisco
CallManager for the hospitality sector. This technology is
vital to the industry because it can lower costs, enable
hotels to provide superior guest services, and transform
the guest phone into a revenue driver once again.
Joseph Tsui, CEO of Symphonic InfoCom, said, "We
are delighted to bring Percipia's industry-leading
solutions here, because the demand is growing. In Hong
Kong this year, we anticipate 36% more hotel rooms over 18
months prior, and China is undergoing a frenzy of hotel
construction, particularly in Beijing and Shanghai. So the
timing is ideal for Percipia and Symphonic InfoCom to team
up to satisfy area clients."
"It no longer makes economic sense for hotels to
install traditional PBX (PABX) systems," said Chris
Farrar, president of Percipia Networks. "Hoteliers in
Hong Kong and China recognize that voice is just one more
service to deliver over their data networks, and Percipia's
hospitality solution, which has been so successful in North
America, is the gold standard for accomplishing
that."
Percipia, based in Columbus, Ohio, is an expert in
telephony systems and solutions, satisfying over 450
customers worldwide. In business since 1992, Percipia has
won recognition both as a Cisco partner and for
entrepreneurship. Percipia has deployed its hospitality
applications software with Cisco IP phones in nearly 10,000
hotel rooms globally.
Symphonic InfoCom Limited, incorporated in 1995 by
global telecommunications veterans, has profound knowledge
and experience with telephony in Hong Kong and China.
Symphonic InfoCom provides value-added distribution of
telecommunications products, systems integration and
consulting services.
For more information, please contact:
Barbara Chapin
Percipia, Inc.
Tel: +1-614-856-1132
Email: bjchapin@percipia.com
SOURCE Percipia Inc.
2007'02.01.Thu
Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Announces Greentech Investment in Altra Inc. and $100,000 KPCB Prize for Green Innovation
May 19, 2006
Launches Greentech Innovation Network for Green Policy and Technology Entrepreneurs
SAN FRANCISCO, May 19 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Kleiner
Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) -- a leader in
providing venture and relationship capital SM services --
announced an investment in biofuel leader Altra Inc.
(Altra) and the new KPCB Prize for Green Innovation as part
of KPCB's "Greentech initiative."
"Altra is a national leader in ethanol
production," said John Doerr, KPCB partner. "Its
unique, proprietary technology and strong, passionate team
make it a sustainable, high-impact business. Altra is
creating a nationwide ethanol production footprint by
acquiring and `speeding up' existing, traditional
corn-to-ethanol plants and by `starting up' new
ones."
Based in Los Angeles, California, Altra has signed a
definitive agreement to acquire California's largest
operating ethanol plant.
"We've known Larry Gross, Altra's CEO, for a long
time," said KPCB partner John Denniston, who serves on
Altra's board. "Larry's leadership and exceptional
team will make a big difference in bringing ethanol to
consumers. Altra's team has over 100 years of combined
experience in producing ethanol, and will bring important
innovations to the industry."
"KPCB's commitment to and leadership in Greentech
makes them an extremely helpful and well-networked
investor," Gross said. "We share a common goal
of innovating to create new, green sources of energy. We
believe Altra's strategy and national footprint enables us
to better serve consumers than smaller, local
competitors."
Altra has invested in five biofuels plants, which will
have the capacity to produce 175 million gallons of ethanol
and 80 million gallons of biodiesel each year. The total
financing of over $50 million included funding from KPCB,
The Angeleno Group, Khosla Ventures, Omninet Private Equity
and Sage Capital Partners.
KPCB also announced the KPCB Prize for Green
Innovation, a $100,000 annual prize awarded for the best
technology or policy innovation in Greentech. A panel of
five independent judges will select and announce the first
winner in this fall.
"This award will encourage innovation in
sustainable, green growth," said KPCB partner Brook
Byers. "We will bring worldwide recognition to
entrepreneurs who achieve breakthroughs in green energy
generation, storage, conservation or policies, whether from
an individual or a team, whether public or private, anywhere
in the world."
KPCB today inaugurates the Greentech Innovation Network
with 50 of the world's leading entrepreneurs, scientists and
policymakers. They are gathering from the United States,
Asia, Europe and South America to build a strategic map for
evaluating needs and encouraging innovation, and to forge
new partnerships. Insights from Pulitzer Prize-winning New
York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, a
"geo-green", will keynote the networking event.
KPCB partner Bill Joy will lead a series of
inspirational talks by four green thought leaders: Dr.
Frances Arnold, California Institute of Technology
professor; Dr. Jose Goldemberg, Environmental Secretary of
Sao Paulo, Brazil and Universidade de Sao Paulo professor;
Dr. R.K. Pachauri, UN Global International Panel of Climate
Change Chairman and Director General of The Energy and
Resources Institute; and Dr. Martha Symko-Davies, National
Renewable Energy Laboratory Senior Project Leader.
"Three huge trends are driving our Greentech
agenda," Doerr explained. "First, urbanization
is the largest trend on the planet. Four billion people
will move into megacities in the next 50 years, and they
all want green transportation, water, and energy. Second,
climate change and global warming are accelerating at
alarming rates. And third, we are addicted to oil, funding
both sides of the war on terrorists, weakening democracy and
our economy and damaging the environment. We must change
our policies and practices and accelerate innovation. The
KPCB Greentech Innovation Network is an ongoing initiative
for collaboration among the world's best innovators."
"We have been quietly investing in Greentech for
several years," added Ray Lane, KPCB partner.
"We've backed four new ventures since announcing our
Greentech initiative in February of this year. These,
together with five previous ventures, are innovating for
green and sustainable growth. We're seeing more and more
entrepreneurs address critical environmental needs. This
workshop is not a conference, it is a networking event to
`help solve the problem' by collaborating in five Greentech
areas. They are electricity generation and storage,
electricity efficiency, alternative fuels, transportation
efficiency and carbon reduction policies."
KPCB has previously announced investments in
Lilliputian Systems, which produces micro fuel cells for
portable and wireless devices, and Miasole (
http://www.miasole.com ), which makes a flexible, low-cost
photovoltaic cell for large-scale solar energy. Six other
Greentech ventures are in stealth mode.
About Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
Since its founding in 1972, KPCB has backed
entrepreneurs in over
450 ventures, including AOL, Align Technology, Amazon.com,
Citrix, Compaq Computer, Electronic Arts, Genentech,
Genomic Health, Google, IDEC Pharmaceuticals, Intuit,
Juniper Networks, Netscape, Lotus, LSI Logic, Sun
Microsystems, Symantec, VeriSign and Xilinx. More than 150
of the firm's portfolio companies have gone public. Many
other ventures have achieved success through mergers and
acquisitions. Additional information can be found at
http://www.kpcb.com/greentech .
About Altra Inc.
Formed in 2004 as Malibu Capital Partners, Inc., Altra
acquires and develops a portfolio of renewable energy
projects. They are specifically focused on the production
and sale of ethanol and biodiesel. Altra intends to become
the leading integrated biofuels company in the United
States, employing state-of-the-art manufacturing,
processing technologies and customer service disciplines as
a key biofuels supplier to petroleum companies and other
significant end-users. For more information, visit
http://www.altrabiofuels.com .
For more information, please contact:
Jennifer Graham
Tel: +1-415-591-4016
Email: jennifer_graham@sfo.bm.com
John Denniston
Tel: +1-650-233-3300
Email: jdenniston@kpcb.com
SOURCE Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
2007'02.01.Thu
`2006 International Exhibition and Forum on Mobile Phone Industry' Opens to Build Complete Industry Chain
May 18, 2006
Innovation Brings Strides Forward and Integration Creates Business Opportunity
TIANJIN, China, May 18 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ --
"2006 International Exhibition and Forum on Mobile
Phone Industry" will be unveiled in the Tianjin Binhai
International Conference and Exhibition Center on May 18.
The three-day exhibition will become the very largest
exhibition in China's mobile phone industry by attracting
not only general participation of organizations and
advanced companies at various links of the global mobile
phone industrial chain but also domestic and foreign
spectators and audience by diversified and in-depth
activities such as exhibitions and shows, summits and
forums, trade talks, online transactions and business
linkup.
This exhibition, with the theme of "Build Complete
Mobile Phone Industrial Chain under New Environment and
Create Unlimited Business Opportunities", will be
attended by 343 manufacturers at the links of
custom-making, design, manufacture, sale, spare parts,
software and value-added service in the mobile phone
industrial chain, which include domestic and foreign
operators as China Mobile, SKY, manufacturers of mobile
phones as Motorola, Samsung, mobile phone design companies
as CEC Wireless, mainstream value-added mobile service
providers as Microsoft and Skynet and numerous
authoritative companies at various links of the mobile
phone industrial chain as BYD, Sharp, GE and BAK.
Meanwhile, domestic and foreign government departments,
research institutes and industrial organizations in domestic
areas as Hebei, Shenszhen and Zhongguancun, Canadian,
Romanian and other foreign embassies in China, the
International GSM Association, IPC, China TD-SCDMA
Industrial Alliance will also enter their names for this
exhibition one after another.
Currently, our mobile phone industry is facing a
significant opportunity for developing from a big mobile
phone manufacturer to a strong manufacturer and from the
largest mobile phone market to the most valuable mobile
phone market in the world. Tianjin is always an important
mobile phone manufacture and production base in our
country, whose output accounts for 24% of the national
total. One of out four mobile phones in our country comes
from Tianjin. Tianjin could be referred to as the
"Capital of Mobile Phones". Tianjin is also an
important production base from the global perspective. Its
annual output accounts for 10% of the world total and
already has a world-class mobile phone production
capability. Nowadays, it has five bases for production of
mobile phone spare parts, such as base for plate-type
capacity-resistance component represented by Sumsang,
Panasonic and ROHM, integrate-circuits represented by
Freescale and SMIC, base for environment-friendly cells
represented by Lishen and Lantian Sanyo, base for
components represented by CTS and GE and base for injection
moulding represented by Yaguang Nypro.
With the Binhai new Area of Tianjin included in the
national strategic development plan, the future development
of this area will become an excellent platform for the
development of the mobile phone industry and its soft and
hard environments will provide reliable assurance for the
rapid advance of the industry, which will truly exhibit the
competitive advantages of the mobile communication terminal
industry at the Bohai-rim area.
A number of greatly valuable high-level forums and
technical seminars will also be held during the exhibition
and representatives from government departments, operators,
dealers and manufacturers of mobile phones, manufacturers of
the spare parts and famous experts and scholars will conduct
in-depth discussions about the development trend of the
industry, custom-making of mobile phones in other
countries, development trend of the mobile phone
technology, application of value-added service, etc.
The successful holding of the "International
Exhibition and Forum on Mobile Phone Industry" will
make it the industrial event that is of the highest
standard and level, involves the most industrial links and
has the largest scale and the highest degree of
internationalization in China's mobile communication
industry.
About Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area
(TEDA)
Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA)
was established in 1984 with the approval of the State
Council of the People's Republic of China. It is one of
the first state-class economic-technological development
areas in the country.
TEDA is located in the center of a larger area
bordering Bohai Sea and the east of the Asia-Europe Land
Bridge, thus serving as the gate to the two super cities of
Beijing and Tianjin, and the throat connecting the northeast
of China. By the end of 2005, 4,067 foreign companies have
landed in TEDA. Of the Fortune 500 companies, 57
multinational companies, from 10 countries and regions,
including such well-established multinational giants as
Motorola, Samsung and Toyota, invested in 123 enterprises
in TEDA. In 2000, "Fortune" listed TEDA as one
of the most highly recommended economic areas in China. In
2002 UNIDO listed TEDA as one of the most dynamic areas of
China together with Shenzhen, Suzhou, Wenzhou, Shanghai
Pudong and Xi'an High-tech Park.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.investteda.org .
For more information, please contact:
Ding Lei, TEDA
Tel: +86-22-2520-1576
Xu Hui, TEDA
Tel: +86-22-2520-1118
SOURCE Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area
2007'02.01.Thu
Research & Development (R&D) Budgets Set to Grow With China the Biggest Recipient, New Research for Thomson Reveals
May 18, 2006
BEIJING, May 18 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Two thirds of
Asian executives are set to boost R&D budgets over the
next three years to reflect the critical importance of
innovation to maintaining a competitive advantage,
according to an executive survey conducted by Economist
Intelligence Unit for Thomson Scientific.
The findings, which were revealed at the "Think
Smart R&D and Innovation Roundtable" held in
Beijing today, state the country most expected to benefit
from this investment is China, with 48.15% of companies
stating it will have the biggest share of its R&D
spend, ahead of India (24.07%), US (21.69%) and Europe
(20.99%). Up to 40% of respondents cited the Chinese
Government's active support for R&D as China's greatest
asset. The survey polled 165 senior executives in
Asia-Pacific (including 37% from China) and was conducted
in April-May 2006.
Thomson Scientific - part of the Thomson Corporation, a
leading provider of integrated information based solutions -
has developed a number of innovation lead initiatives to
assist R&D teams at universities and Chinese and
foreign enterprises to gain competitive advantage through a
better understanding and usage of Intellectual Property
data.
The survey reveals that over a quarter of respondents
view international companies as more competitive than their
own organization, while only 6.75% view Chinese companies as
more competitive. However, Thomson statistics for patent
registration indicate this is set to change. Latest figures
reveal that the number of applications by Chinese nationals
has nearly tripled from 2000 to 2004.
Vin Caraher, President and CEO of Thomson Scientific
explains:
"It is clear that China is rapidly shifting from a
low cost manufacturing base to a low cost innovation base,
where complex R&D processes, experimentation and
exploration are conducted. As this shift occurs, the role
of Intellectual Property for Chinese enterprises will
become more important as companies use Intellectual
Property data to leverage a competitive advantage."
Thomson, which has over 30 years expertise in China, is
well placed to assist Chinese companies to innovate faster
and with higher frequency by providing authoritative and
reliable patent data. Thomson Scientific produces Derwent
World Patents Index (DWPI), the world's largest commercial
collection of patent data. Its team assesses, classifies,
summarizes and indexes in excess of 39,000 patent documents
each week from 42 international patent offices. In addition,
Thomson has 900 databases (with six billion pages of
content) from the most authoritative authors, as well as
the analytical software solutions to help academics and
business professionals uncover trends, profile competitors
and identify strategic development opportunities.
As part of Thomson's support for global innovation, the
company partnered with the State Intellectual Property
Office (SIPO) in China to launch an IP Knowledge Contest
with SIPO's China Intellectual Property News (CIPN), with
the aim of gauging the professional and academic public's
understanding of Intellectual Property. Questions vary
from piracy restrictions to time limits for the protection
of an invention, with results due later in 2006.
In addition, in 2005, the company worked with the
Ministry of Information Industry (MII) to develop the
Thomson Joint Laboratory for Intellectual Property
Development, which provides Chinese citizens access to its
patent databases through the lab facility.
Thomson's latest venture, which launched on 3 May, is a
dedicated website for China innovation
http://www.innovationinchina.com .
About the Thomson Corporation
The Thomson Corporation ( http://www.thomson.com ),
with 2005 revenues of $8.7 billion, is a global leader in
providing integrated information solutions to business and
professional customers. Thomson provides value-added
information, software tools and applications to more than
20 million users in the fields of law, tax, accounting,
financial services, higher education, reference
information, corporate e-learning and assessment,
scientific research and healthcare. With operational
headquarters in Stamford, Conn., Thomson has approximately
40,000 employees and provides services in approximately 130
countries. The Corporation's common shares are listed on the
New York and Toronto stock exchanges (NYSE: TOC; TSX).
Thomson Scientific is a business of The Thomson
Corporation. Its information solutions assist
professionals at every stage of research and
development-from discovery to analysis to product
development and distribution. Thomson scientific
information solutions can be found at
http://www.scientific.thomson.com .
For more information, please contact:
Lucy Liu
Thomson Scientific
Tel: +86-10-828-62099
Email: lucy.liu@thomson.com
Allison Wright
Grayling China
Tel: +852-2164-8300
Email: allison.wright@hk.grayling.com
SOURCE Thomson Scientific
2007'02.01.Thu
World's Most Comprehensive Survey of Stroke Experience Launched at European Stroke Conference
May 18, 2006
BRUSSELS, Belgium, May 18 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ --
AstraZeneca and the Stroke Alliance for Europe (SAFE) today
announced the launch of the world's most comprehensive
Global Stroke Survey. The research project, revealed at the
European Stroke Conference (ESC) meeting, will assess the
true burden of stroke for patients and caregivers, with the
first results expected in late 2006.
Arne Hagen, President of the Stroke Alliance for Europe
(SAFE) said, "We are excited to be partnering with
AstraZeneca on this important initiative. The need for
education about stroke and stroke prevention is
overwhelming -- fifteen million people worldwide suffer a
stroke each year. One in three of these people die, a
further third are left with varying degrees of disability,
and only one third of stroke victims recover without
disability (1). Stroke is a life-shattering event, yet very
few people can recognise the symptoms or understand the
devastating impact stroke can have on patients and
families. We look forward to the results of this Global
Stroke Survey."
The Global Stroke Survey will be designed to provide
in-depth understanding of the true burden, social
consequences, and functional and emotional distress caused
by stroke around the world. Variations between countries
will also be investigated to build a comparative picture of
standards in stroke care across the globe.
Dr. Tomas Odergren, Vice President, Global Product
Director, Development at AstraZeneca, commented:
"Stroke is a medical emergency with potentially
devastating consequences if treatment is not sought
immediately. Yet poor understanding of the symptoms of
stroke often means diagnosis and treatment is delayed. Our
hope is that results from this Global Stroke Survey
initiative will deepen our understanding of the burden of
stroke and contribute to better outcomes for stroke
patients in the future."
The survey will be conducted in France, Germany, Italy,
Spain, UK, Sweden, Australia, China, Canada and the USA. Its
reach will be extensive; a total of 2,400 patients and 2,400
caregivers will be surveyed following recruitment through
medical professionals. A steering committee, consisting of
patient organisations like SAFE and leading stroke experts
will guide the development of the survey.
AstraZeneca has a firm commitment to stroke research
and awareness, and continues to support scientists,
physicians, and patients with the aim of improving stroke
treatment.
About AstraZeneca:
AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare
business engaged in the research, development, manufacture
and marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals and the
supply of healthcare services. It is one of the world's
leading pharmaceutical companies with healthcare sales of
over $23.95 billion and leading positions in sales of
gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuroscience,
respiratory, oncology and infection products.
AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability
Index (Global) as well as the FTSE4Good Index.
For more information, visit
http://www.astrazenecapressoffice.com
About SAFE:
The aims and objectives of SAFE, a non-profit-making
organisation, are to promote awareness and understanding of
stroke, to promote prevention, to identify those at risk, to
improve access to appropriate treatment and care, to improve
the quality of life of people affected by stroke and their
families and carers, to promote better access to accurate
and understandable information, to increase the priority
given to stroke by policy and decision-makers and by health
care providers, to promote research on stroke and related
areas and to co-ordinate the efforts of national stroke
patient groups in Europe.
For more information, visit http://www.safestroke.org/
References:
(1). The Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke, World
Health Organisation,
2004. Available at:
http://www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/resources/atlas/en/
For more information, please contact:
Anne Ferguson, Acting Global PR Manager,
AstraZeneca
Tel: +44-1625-231-319 or +44-79202-36253
Email: anne.ferguson@astrazeneca.com
Harry King, Account Manager,
Porter Novelli
Tel: +44-207-853-2276
Email: harry.King@porternovelli.co.uk
SOURCE Global Stroke Survey
2007'02.01.Thu
Leading Experts Urge Commitment From Industry and International Donors to Prepare for the Introduction of Pneumococcal Vaccines
May 18, 2006
Millions of Deaths Could be Prevented by Routine Immunisation Against a Major Cause of Pneumonia and Meningitis in the Developing World
LONDON, May 18 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- In today's online
edition of The Lancet, a group of leading global health
experts have come together to call for vaccine
manufacturers and international donors to negotiate
affordable pricing of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines and
for governments of developing world countries and their
partners to establish disease surveillance networks and
begin preparations for pneumococcal vaccine introduction.
The experts believe that urgent action to introduce
routine childhood pneumococcal vaccination is needed
because of the enormous burden of the disease - the World
Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that about 1.6 million
people including up to one million children under five
years old, die every year of pneumococcal pneumonia,
meningitis, and sepsis.(1) In populations with high child
mortality rates, pneumonia is the leading infectious cause
of mortality and accounts for about 20-25% of all child
deaths.(2)
This call to action comes on the eve of a meeting of G8
ministers to discuss funding vaccines. This seems to be the
latest step in major changes over the last five years in
financing of immunisation, including the creation of the
GAVI Alliance (Global Alliance for Vaccines and
Immunization) Fund. Dr Orin Levine, the lead author of the
article and Executive Director of PneumoADIP - a
non-governmental organisation that aims to shorten the time
between use of a vaccine in industrialised nations and their
introduction in the developing world - commented: "We
hope that with such mechanisms in place, all developing
countries will begin to consider that millions of children
can now be saved by the simple addition of this vaccine to
existing immunisation programmes."
Dr Thomas Cherian, Co-ordinator, Ad Interim, EPI, WHO,
and co-author of the article added: "Pneumococcal
disease is a major global health issue; what is promising
is that a seven-valent vaccine that is effective against
seven common strains of the disease is already licensed and
in use in over 60 countries and that formulations containing
additional serotypes of the organism that are also relevant
for developing countries are under development. The WHO
considers pneumococcal vaccines to be a priority and
recognises the urgency to make these vaccines available for
children in developing countries."
There are other pneumococcal vaccines in development,
which contain additional serotypes targeting strains of the
disease that commonly cause death and disability in the
developing world; however, these will not be available for
several years. Introducing the seven-valent vaccine now
means that lives can start to be saved straight away. This
vaccine, manufactured by Wyeth, is effective,
well-tolerated and can be delivered through existing
immunisation systems. Surveillance data from the USA
indicate that the herd immunity(i) effect from routine
childhood pneumococcal vaccination prevents twice as many
cases as the direct effects of vaccination alone -
protecting vulnerable adults as well as children.
Responding to The Lancet paper, Julian Lob-Levyt,
Executive Secretary, GAVI Alliance, said, "There is
convincing evidence of the benefits of vaccines for major
child killers especially when such a simple health
intervention could help in meeting UN Millennium
Development Goal no. 4: to reduce child mortality by two
thirds by 2015. GAVI will be looking closely at how best to
assist countries where pneumococcal disease represents a
significant burden on public health."
Jean Stephenne, President of GlaxoSmithKline
Biologicals, the vaccines division of GlaxoSmithKline PLC,
also welcomed the call to action in The Lancet and said,
"GSK Bio has invested many years in the development of
a vaccine that protects against the 10 most important
strains of pneumococcus serotypes worldwide, and our
candidate is now being studied in a global clinical
program. We have a long history of supplying vaccines in
developing countries and are committed to working to make
our pneumococcal vaccine available worldwide at sustainable
prices. We hope that our partners in governments, donor
agencies, charities, and international organisations will
step up with a firm purchase commitment that will allow us
to save as many lives as possible."
James Connolly, Executive Vice President and General
Manager of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals vaccine's business unit,
concurred with the call to action and stated, "Prevnar
has been launched in 60 countries, and has had a significant
impact on the health of children where it is in use. In the
US, three years after the routine use of Prevnar, there has
been a 94 per cent reduction in invasive pneumococcal
disease caused by the disease serotypes included in the
vaccine. We are actively working with international
agencies to help provide access to Prevnar for children in
the developing world.
Meanwhile, Wyeth researchers are continuing to work on
new versions of Prevnar, including a version that will
address 13 of the most prevalent serotypes of invasive
pneumococcal disease, which will expand its usefulness
globally for both children and adults."
(i) Herd immunity is the resistance of a population to
spread of an infectious organism due to the immunity of a
high proportion of the population - the US study suggests
that the herd immunity effect of pneumococcal vaccination
may be particularly strong.
References
1. WHO. Pneumococcal vaccines. Wkly Epidemiol Record
2003; 14: 110-19
2. Williams BG, Gouws E, Boschi-Pinto C et al.
Estimates of worldwide distribution of child deaths from
acute respiratory infections. Lancet Infect Dis 2002; 2:
25-32
Notes to Editors
Pneumococcal disease is an infection caused by
Streptococcus pneumoniae. When these bacteria invade the
lungs, they cause the most common kind of bacterial
pneumonia. The bacteria can also invade the bloodstream
(bacteremia) and/or the tissues and fluids surrounding the
brain and spinal cord (meningitis).
According to WHO, pneumococcal pneumonia and meningitis
are responsible for 800,000 to one million child deaths each
year and more than 90 per cent of pneumococcal pneumonia
deaths in children occur in developing countries.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is the United
Nations specialised agency for health. It was established
on 7 April 1948. WHO's objective, as set out in its
Constitution, is the attainment by all peoples of the
highest possible level of health. Health is defined in
WHO's Constitution as a state of complete physical, mental
and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease
or infirmity.
The goal of the Pneumococcal Vaccines Accelerated
Development and Introduction Plan (PneumoADIP) is to
shorten the time between the use of a new vaccine in
industrialised countries and its introduction in developing
countries by reducing demand uncertainty and achieving an
affordable, sustainable supply of vaccines. This novel
approach is funded by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and
Immunization (GAVI) through its partner the Vaccine Fund.
PneumoADIP is located at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School
of Public Health. The mission of PneumoADIP is to improve
child survival and health by accelerating the evaluation of
and access to new life saving pneumococcal vaccines for the
world's children. For more information, please visit:
http://www.preventpneumo.org .
The GAVI Alliance (The Global Alliance for Vaccines and
Immunization) was launched in 2000 to increase immunisation
rates and reverse widening global disparities in access to
vaccines. Governments in industrialised and developing
countries, UNICEF, WHO, the World Bank, non-governmental
organisations, foundations, vaccine manufacturers, and
public health and research institutions work together as
partners in the Alliance, to achieve common immunisation
goals, in the recognition that only through a strong and
united effort can much higher levels of support for global
immunisation be generated. Funds channelled through GAVI's
financing arm, The GAVI Fund (formerly The Vaccine Fund),
are used to help strengthen health and immunisation
services, accelerate access to selected vaccines and new
vaccine technologies - especially vaccines that are new or
under-used, and improve injection safety. In addition to
substantial funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation, The Vaccine Fund has been financed by ten
governments to date-Canada, Denmark, France, Ireland,
Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United
Kingdom, and the United States- as well as the European
Union and private contributors.
For further information visit the following website:
http://www.preventpneumo.org .
For more information, please contact:
Hans Kvist, Director, Communications,
GAVI's PneumoADIP
Mobile: +1-410-736-8243
Email: hkvist@jhsph.edu
SOURCE GAVI's PneumoADIP
2007'02.01.Thu
WHO Official Tells World to Prepare For New Diseases
May 18, 2006
Hong Kong, May 18 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- A senior
official of the World Health Organization (WHO) today
warned countries to learn from the experience of the
2002-2003 SARS outbreak in order to be ready for new and
possibly more deadly diseases in the future.
(Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040610/CNTH001LOGO )
"As we have already seen with avian influenza, the
threat from emerging diseases did not end with SARS,"
said Dr Shigeru Omi, WHO Regional Director for the Western
Pacific. "I am sure there will be similar and maybe
even worse diseases to come."
One of the lessons from SARS (severe acute respiratory
syndrome), Dr Omi said, was that governments have to
provide health systems with the resources needed to protect
the public. "Many health systems were undermanned and
under-resourced when SARS struck," Dr Omi said.
"The result was great human suffering, enormous fear
and staggering economic losses."
Dr Omi was speaking at a press conference here to
launch a new book on what happened during the SARS
outbreak, produced by the WHO Regional Office for the
Western Pacific. Dr Omi said he hoped the 300-page book,
written largely by experts involved in the battle, would
serve as "an enduring archival reference, giving
future generations the guidance they will need when facing
similar public health threats."
Another lesson from SARS, Dr Omi said, was that
transparency always is the best policy. "Because the
outside world was not informed of what was going on in the
initial stages of the outbreak, the virus managed to reach
a tourist hotel in Hong Kong. From that moment on,
international outbreak was inevitable. If we had known
more about what was happening in those early weeks, things
would probably have been different."
SARS also served as a wake-up call on the need to
change animal husbandry practices in Asia, Dr Omi said. It
is still a mystery how the SARS virus jumped from animals to
humans, he said, but it was clearly related to the
conditions in some wet markets where wild animals are
jammed together and slaughtered, thereby raising the
chances of cross-infection and the emergence of new and
dangerous pathogens.
"Today, we are seeing a similar problem with avian
influenza, which has exposed the conditions in backyard
farms in Asia and elsewhere. Raising chickens, ducks and
pigs together, often in unhygienic conditions and close to
human habitations, sets the scene for human infection with
a new virus," Dr Omi said.
By early July 2003, WHO declared that human-to-human
transmission of the SARS virus had been broken, but only
after a total of 8098 probable cases with nearly 800
deaths. Some 98% of the cases were in the Western Pacific
Region, particularly China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Viet
Nam.
More information can be found at
http://www.wpro.who.int/publications/PUB_9290612134.htm
Illustrations from the book can be downloaded at
http://www.wpro.who.int/media_centre/sars_book/
For more information, please contact:
Mr Peter Cordingley
Spokesman for the WHO Western Pacific Region
Tel: +63-917-844-3688
E-mail: cordingleyp@wpro.who.int
SOURCE World Health Organization
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