2007'02.11.Sun
China Digital Media Corporation Reports Third Quarter 2006 Results
December 19, 2006
HONG KONG, Nov. 27 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
China Digital Media
Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: CDGT), a leading provider
of cable and
digital television services, advertising services and
content in China,
announced quarterly revenue for the nine months ended
September 30, 2006.
Financial Highlights for the Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2006
Compared to the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2005:
-- Revenues increased 164%% to $12.7 million from $4.8
million
-- Gross profit increased 64% to $4.7 million from $3.2
million
-- Income from operation increased 2.3% to $2.6 million
from $2.5 million
-- Net income before tax and minority interest
decreased 43% to $2.6
million from $4.6 million
With the expansion of business in media advertising and
channel
management, the Company has broadened the revenue base as
compared with the
same period of last year. Thanks to the increased revenue,
income from
operation increased during the nine months ended September
30, 2006 as
compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2005
although the increase in
depreciation of the Company's digital set top boxes
(attributable to the
further installation of approximately 100,000 digital set
top boxes during
the nine months ended September 30, 2006 compared to the
same period of 2005)
has eliminated certain gross margin. As a result, the net
income before tax
(excluding a one time payment discount of $1.8 million from
a set top box
supplier obtained in 2005) maintained at the similar level
of the same period
of last year. As compared to the net income for the nine
months ended
September 30, 2005 which included the one time payment
discount, net income
after tax showed a reduction from last year of $4.6 million
to $1.8 million.
"We are progressing as planned; our core
operations in DTV operations and
advertising agency business has generated substantial
growth for the Company
compared to the same period of last year," said Daniel
Ng, Chairman and CEO
of China Digital Media Corporation. "We are delighted
we have just completed
a new round of financing with the support of institutional
and high net worth
investors which we believe will allow the Company to
develop further and
faster. The Company's management could, in addition, focus
on developing
new business opportunities and believe that this will drive
the Company to
grow and expand."
For more information on the Company, please visit the
Company's website
at http://www.chinadigimedia.com .
To be added to China Digital Media's investor e-mail
list, please send
e-mail to our Investors Relations at ir@chinadigimedia.com.
About China Digital Media Corporation
China Digital Media Corporation focuses its business in
three main areas:
Cable TV Operations, Programs Production and Advertising
Sales. Arcotect
(GZ) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of CDGT in China,
is the sole
contractor and operator of digital television services in
Nanhai, a city with
410,000 cable TV subscribers. As of today, Nanhai's cable
television
operation provides 148 television channels which comprises
of 48 basic
channels and 100 pay channels. The pay channels are
categorized into various
value added packages.
Certain information contained in these materials is
"forward-looking"
information, such as projections, estimates, pro formas, or
statements of
intentions, expectations or plans. Forward-looking
information in this
release includes, without limitation, the future success of
the Company's
advertising business and of the Company's joint ventures,
the Company's
ability to grow and generate new sources of revenues from
its IP STB in the
future, its ability to keep its IP STB technologically
current, and it
ability to develop new business opportunities. All
forward-looking
information is subject to known and unknown risks and
uncertainties, many of
which are outside of the control of the company.
Consequently, actual
results may, and probably will, differ materially from the
results
contemplated in such forward-looking information.
For more information, please contact:
China Digital Media Corporation
Investor Relations
Tel: +852-2390-8600
SOURCE China Digital Media Corporation
PR
2007'02.11.Sun
Focus Media Appointed Ms. Diana Chen as its Chief Operating Officer
December 19, 2006
SHANGHAI, China, Nov. 27 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Focus
Media Holding
Limited (Nasdaq: FMCN), China's largest out-of-home
multi-platform life-
style media company, today announced the appointment of
Diana Congrong Chen,
former Chief Marketing Officer of Focus Media, as its Chief
Operating
Officer.
Diana Chen has been Chief Marketing Office since she
joined the company
in May 2005. During her tenure, Ms. Chen was focusing on
formulating
marketing strategy and maintaining large client
relationships for Focus
Media's multi-platform life style media. "Diana's
promotion is a
recognition for her proven management talent and
contribution to the
Company," said Jason Jiang, Chief Executive Officer of
Focus Media, "This
promotion expands her role in day-to-day operation of the
company and
strengthens our focus on Tier-II cites expansion in
2007."
Before joining Focus Media, Ms. Chen worked for Phoenix
Satellite TV from
1998 to 2004, serving as general manager, director of
international
advertising and president of East China region. While at
Phoenix, Mrs. Chen
successfully built Phoenix's business in the Eastern China
region and
received Phoenix's Best Sales Team Awards for many years.
Ms. Chen holds a
B.A. degree in journalism from Zhejiang University.
About Focus Media Holding Limited
Focus Media Holding Limited (Nasdaq: FMCN) is China's
leading out-of-
home multi-platform life-style media company, which
operates the largest out-
of-home advertising network in China using audiovisual
flat-panel displays.
Based on an audience-centric approach, Focus Media provides
targeted
advertising channels which cover specific demographics
groups and their daily
activities, from office buildings to retail chain stores,
residential
building, shopping malls, golf country clubs, airports, and
airport transit
buses. As of September 30, 2006, Focus Media had
approximately 74,000
display units in our commercial location network, 36,000
display units in our
in-store network, 95,000 advertising poster frames
installed throughout China
and 80 outdoor LED displays in Shanghai. Over 2,500
international and
domestic advertisers had placed advertisements through our
networks as of
September 30, 2006. For more information about Focus
Media, please visit our
website http://ir.focusmedia.cn .
SOURCE Focus Media Holding Limited
2007'02.11.Sun
Focus Media Appointed Ms. Diana Chen as its Chief Operating Officer
December 19, 2006
SHANGHAI, China, Nov. 27 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Focus
Media Holding
Limited (Nasdaq: FMCN), China's largest out-of-home
multi-platform life-
style media company, today announced the appointment of
Diana Congrong Chen,
former Chief Marketing Officer of Focus Media, as its Chief
Operating
Officer.
Diana Chen has been Chief Marketing Office since she
joined the company
in May 2005. During her tenure, Ms. Chen was focusing on
formulating
marketing strategy and maintaining large client
relationships for Focus
Media's multi-platform life style media. "Diana's
promotion is a
recognition for her proven management talent and
contribution to the
Company," said Jason Jiang, Chief Executive Officer of
Focus Media, "This
promotion expands her role in day-to-day operation of the
company and
strengthens our focus on Tier-II cites expansion in
2007."
Before joining Focus Media, Ms. Chen worked for Phoenix
Satellite TV from
1998 to 2004, serving as general manager, director of
international
advertising and president of East China region. While at
Phoenix, Mrs. Chen
successfully built Phoenix's business in the Eastern China
region and
received Phoenix's Best Sales Team Awards for many years.
Ms. Chen holds a
B.A. degree in journalism from Zhejiang University.
About Focus Media Holding Limited
Focus Media Holding Limited (Nasdaq: FMCN) is China's
leading out-of-
home multi-platform life-style media company, which
operates the largest out-
of-home advertising network in China using audiovisual
flat-panel displays.
Based on an audience-centric approach, Focus Media provides
targeted
advertising channels which cover specific demographics
groups and their daily
activities, from office buildings to retail chain stores,
residential
building, shopping malls, golf country clubs, airports, and
airport transit
buses. As of September 30, 2006, Focus Media had
approximately 74,000
display units in our commercial location network, 36,000
display units in our
in-store network, 95,000 advertising poster frames
installed throughout China
and 80 outdoor LED displays in Shanghai. Over 2,500
international and
domestic advertisers had placed advertisements through our
networks as of
September 30, 2006. For more information about Focus
Media, please visit our
website http://ir.focusmedia.cn .
SOURCE Focus Media Holding Limited
2007'02.11.Sun
Focus Media Appointed Ms. Diana Chen as its Chief Operating Officer
December 19, 2006
SHANGHAI, China, Nov. 27 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Focus
Media Holding
Limited (Nasdaq: FMCN), China's largest out-of-home
multi-platform life-
style media company, today announced the appointment of
Diana Congrong Chen,
former Chief Marketing Officer of Focus Media, as its Chief
Operating
Officer.
Diana Chen has been Chief Marketing Office since she
joined the company
in May 2005. During her tenure, Ms. Chen was focusing on
formulating
marketing strategy and maintaining large client
relationships for Focus
Media's multi-platform life style media. "Diana's
promotion is a
recognition for her proven management talent and
contribution to the
Company," said Jason Jiang, Chief Executive Officer of
Focus Media, "This
promotion expands her role in day-to-day operation of the
company and
strengthens our focus on Tier-II cites expansion in
2007."
Before joining Focus Media, Ms. Chen worked for Phoenix
Satellite TV from
1998 to 2004, serving as general manager, director of
international
advertising and president of East China region. While at
Phoenix, Mrs. Chen
successfully built Phoenix's business in the Eastern China
region and
received Phoenix's Best Sales Team Awards for many years.
Ms. Chen holds a
B.A. degree in journalism from Zhejiang University.
About Focus Media Holding Limited
Focus Media Holding Limited (Nasdaq: FMCN) is China's
leading out-of-
home multi-platform life-style media company, which
operates the largest out-
of-home advertising network in China using audiovisual
flat-panel displays.
Based on an audience-centric approach, Focus Media provides
targeted
advertising channels which cover specific demographics
groups and their daily
activities, from office buildings to retail chain stores,
residential
building, shopping malls, golf country clubs, airports, and
airport transit
buses. As of September 30, 2006, Focus Media had
approximately 74,000
display units in our commercial location network, 36,000
display units in our
in-store network, 95,000 advertising poster frames
installed throughout China
and 80 outdoor LED displays in Shanghai. Over 2,500
international and
domestic advertisers had placed advertisements through our
networks as of
September 30, 2006. For more information about Focus
Media, please visit our
website http://ir.focusmedia.cn .
SOURCE Focus Media Holding Limited
2007'02.11.Sun
Global Strategy Aims For Effective Malaria Vaccine By 2025
December 05, 2006
BANGKOK, Thailand, Dec. 5 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- A
report by the world's leading international health
organizations today calls for joint action to accelerate
the development and licensing of a highly effective malaria
vaccine.
The Malaria Vaccine Technology Roadmap, a new global
strategy, is being launched today in Bangkok at the Global
Vaccine Research Forum which is taking place from 3 to 6
December.
(Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040610/CNTH001LOGO )
"Having a highly protective malaria vaccine and
putting it into widespread use in affected areas would be a
true achievement for public health. It would fulfill an
urgent need," said Dr Marie-Paule Kieny, Director of
the Initiative for Vaccine Research, World Health
Organization (WHO). "The Roadmap marks the first
concerted global attempt at mapping out a shared plan of
action for making a preventive malaria vaccine
reality."
The Roadmap is a pathway towards reaching the goal of
developing a malaria vaccine by 2025 that would have a
protective efficacy of more than 80% against clinical
disease and would provide protection for longer than four
years. An interim landmark would be to develop and license
a first-generation vaccine by 2015 with 50% protective
efficacy against severe disease and death that would last
longer than one year.
Every year, there are 300-500 million cases of malaria
and the disease kills more than one million people, mainly
African children. The plan calls for the malaria vaccine
community -- scientists, funding organizations, policy
experts and national and global decision-makers -- to work
together to develop an effective vaccine that prevents
severe disease and death caused by Plasmodium falciparum,
the most deadly form of the malaria parasite.
In the WHO South-East Asia Region, which includes
Thailand, nearly 19 million estimated cases of malaria and
an estimated 99 000 deaths occurred in 2005.
More than 230 experts representing 100 organizations
from 35 countries collaborated to develop and publish the
Roadmap over a two-year period. Leading malaria community
representatives, experts, and funders held a series of
meetings to determine ways to overcome challenges facing
the development of a malaria vaccine.
Challenges include: scientific unknowns such as the
lack of full understanding of mechanisms of malaria
infection, disease and immunity, inadequate resources,
limited private-sector involvement, and uncertain
mechanisms for procuring and distributing a successful
vaccine.
The Roadmap puts into motion a strategic plan for aligning
research and for developing and making available a safe,
effective and affordable vaccine to prevent malaria in
children under five years of age in sub-Saharan Africa and
other highly endemic regions. It presents 11 priorities
within four major areas of work that must be undertaken --
in a more coordinated manner than previously -- by diverse
parties towards the development of a malaria vaccine. They
are:
-- Research: standardizing procedures to compare immune
responses
generated by vaccine candidates, using
state-of-the-art approaches and
sharing information via the web to strengthen the
connection between
laboratories and clinics.
-- Vaccine development: including pursuing
multi-antigen, multi-stage, and
weakened whole-parasite vaccine approaches.
-- Key capacities: establishing readily accessible
formulation and scale-
up development capacity, and building good clinical
practice clinical
trial capacity in Africa and other malaria-endemic
areas.
-- Policy and commercialization: dialoguing with
countries and providing
data to facilitate policy decisions; securing
sustainable financing;
and developing novel regulatory strategies to
expedite the approval of
a safe vaccine.
"The pace of progress towards a malaria vaccine
could dramatically accelerate if these priority areas are
successfully pursued," said Dr Melinda Moree, Director
of the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative which coordinated the
development of the Roadmap. "Information sharing and
collaboration needs to be stepped up to enhance learning
across studies and eliminate redundant work. Above all,
continued commitment to this initiative is vital.
Developing an effective malaria vaccine is an enormous
challenge, but it is within reach."
The development of the Roadmap was sponsored by the Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust.
These two foundations, as well as others from the
"malaria vaccine funders' group" (see below), are
investing resources into priority Roadmap activities. They
have recently been joined in this endeavor by the
Fondazione Monte dei Paschi di Siena who had never before
funded malaria vaccine projects.
Scientists have recently confirmed that it is possible
to develop a malaria vaccine. Currently, there are more
than 30 potential vaccine candidates under development-far
more than there is capacity or funding to investigate in
clinical trials, especially in endemic countries.
Additional resources will be needed to support research
on vaccine candidates and to advance promising candidates
through clinical development. New and existing donors are
urged to support priorities identified in the Roadmap.
Malaria vaccine funders' group
WHO, PATH MVI, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
and the Wellcome Trust, together with representatives of
the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials
Partnership (EDCTP), the European Malaria Vaccine
Initiative (EMVI), the European Commission (Directorate
General for Research), the United States National Institute
for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and the United
States Agency for International Development (USAID) form
part of a malaria vaccine funders' group, with the WHO
Initiative for Vaccine Research as its focal point. The
group's participation and support was critical to the
Roadmap process.
For further information, please contact: Melinda Henry,
WHO Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals, (
http://www.who.int/immunization ), who will be at the
Global Vaccine Research Forum in Bangkok from 29 November
to 8 December 2006 on mobile: +41 79 477 1738 or e-mail:
henrym@who.int.
Malaria Vaccine Technology Roadmap:
http://www.MalariaVaccineRoadmap.net .
All WHO Press Releases, Fact Sheets and Features as
well as other information on this subject can be obtained
on Internet on the WHO home page: http://www.who.int .
SOURCE World Health Organization
2007'02.11.Sun
New Hope for Patients With Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
December 05, 2006
BUFFALO, N.Y., Dec. 5 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Patients
treated with lenalidomide for relapsed chronic lymphocytic
leukemia (CLL) or disease that no longer responds to
chemotherapy have experienced a major response to therapy,
according to a phase II study conducted by Asher
Chanan-Khan, MD, Department of Medicine, Roswell Park
Cancer Institute (RPCI). The results are published in the
December 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
"Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is the most common
hematologic malignancy in the western hemisphere,"
according to Dr. Chanan-Khan, "and remains
incurable." While several phase II studies have
demonstrated improved clinical response to chemotherapy
alone, or combined with the monoclonal antibody rituximab,
relapse is inevitable and treatment options at that point
are limited.
Lenalidomide is a novel immune modulating,
non-chemotherapy, cancer drug that is chemically similar to
thalidomide, but is more potent in the laboratory and
appears to lack some of the more common side effects of
thalidomide. Anticancer activity of this agent has been
reported in various malignant disorders, including multiple
myeloma and myelodysplastic syndrome.
In this phase II study -- the first to report clinical
activity of lenalidomide in patients with CLL -- 45
patients with immunophenotypically diagnosed B-CLL were
treated with a daily dose of 25 mg of lenalidomide. Major
clinical responses were seen in 21 (47%) of the patients,
with four achieving complete response and 17 achieving a
partial response; all with a predictable and manageable
safety profile. The most common side effects included
fatigue, neutropenia and thrombocytopenia.
"Collectively, these data provide strong support
for further pursuit of lenalidomide in confirmatory
clinical studies that are now open at Roswell Park and
other cancer centers in the country," notes Dr.
Chanan-Khan.
Roswell Park Cancer Institute, founded in 1898, is the
nation's first cancer research, treatment and education
center and is the only National Cancer Institute-designated
comprehensive cancer center headquartered in Upstate New
York. RPCI is a member of the prestigious National
Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation's
leading cancer centers. Roswell Park has affiliate sites
and collaborative programs in New York, Pennsylvania and in
China. For more information, visit RPCI's website at
www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-RPCI (1-877-275-7724)
or e-mail askrpci@roswellpark.org.
For more information, please contact:
Deborah Pettibone
Tel: +1-716-868-6182
Email: Deborah.pettibone@roswellpark.org
SOURCE Roswell Park Cancer Institute
2007'02.11.Sun
2007 BIO International Convention Registration Now Available Online
December 05, 2006
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- General
registration is now available for the 2007 BIO
International Convention, sponsored by the Biotechnology
Industry Organization. The global event for biotechnology
will take place May 6-9, 2007 at the Boston Convention and
Exhibition Center, with more than 19,000 industry leaders
from 1,700 companies as well as public officials
representing 60 countries expected to attend. Furthermore,
the BIO Business Forum, held May 7-9, 2007 is expected to
host in excess of 10,000 partnering meetings during the
event.
"We are thrilled to be returning to Boston, the
cradle of biotechnology," stated Jim Greenwood,
president and CEO of BIO. "On our last visit to
Boston in 2000, the BIO International Convention attracted
just over 10,000 attendees. In the last seven years, the
International Convention has experienced phenomenal growth,
reflecting the continued growth and underlying strength of
the global biotechnology industry. This year's event
promises to be our best ever with outstanding speakers,
'must attend' program sessions, partnering meetings and, of
course, the latest advancements in all aspects of
biotechnology."
The theme, "New Ideas. Bold Ventures. Global
Benefits," will feature a program packed with sessions
and speakers focusing on the global aspects of
biotechnology, including business development, global
health, clinical research/clinical trials, policy,
bioethics, devices and diagnostics, biopreparedness,
intellectual property/legal, food and agriculture, and
industrial and environmental issues. International
seminars will spotlight national-level developments from
more than 30 countries and regions worldwide.
A 250,700 square foot exhibit hall will showcase a
record number of state, regional and international
pavilions, and the BIO Business Forum partnering sessions
promise to be the most successful to date. Networking
opportunities will abound at evening and special events.
The annual BIO Career Fair will be held Sunday, May 6, 2007
at the World Trade Center, Boston.
General registration for the BIO International
Convention is now available at
http://www.bio2007.org/Registration/index.html .
Early-bird discounted registrations of more than 30% are
available until March 23, 2007. For more information about
the global event for biotechnology, including housing and
program updates, please visit the event homepage at
http://www.bio2007.org .
BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies,
academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and
related organizations across the United States and 31 other
nations. BIO members are involved in the research and
development of healthcare, agricultural, industrial and
environmental biotechnology products.
Upcoming BIO Events
BIO Drug, Device & Diagnostic Summit
December 4-5, 2006
San Diego, CA
BIO CEO & Investor Conference
Feb. 12-14, 2007 New York City
2007 World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and
Bioprocessing
March 21-24
Orlando, FL
BIO International Convention
May 6-9, 2007
Boston, MA
For more information, please contact:
Erin Reese
Biotechnology Industry Organization
Tel: +1-202-962-9200
SOURCE Biotechnology Industry Organization
2007'02.11.Sun
Inaugural Automotive Conference to Strengthen Working Relationships Between Chinese and North American Supply Chains
December 05, 2006
SHANGHAI, China, Dec. 5 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The
first-ever summit for greater cooperation and development
between the Chinese and North American automotive supply
chains will be held on April 23 - 24, 2007, in Shanghai,
jointly sponsored by the Automotive Industry Action Group
(AIAG) and China Association of Automobile Manufacturers
(CAAM). The inaugural summit will be produced by Shanghai
International Auto Parts Sourcing Center (APSIS).
(Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040719/DEM007LOGO )
With the theme "Cooperation, Exchange and
Development is a Win-Win Situation," the 2007 China-US
Automotive Supply Chain Summit will be the platform for
automotive executives to better understand supply chain and
governmental requirements, as well as strategies for further
development. The two-day program will feature speakers
comprising purchasing directors and other senior management
from DaimlerChrysler Corp., Ford Motor Co. and General
Motors Corp.; leaders from BAW, SAIC and CHANA; and
representatives from Chinese suppliers. Topics of interest
include:
* Quality Criteria and Core Elements of the North
American Automotive
Supply Chain.
* Globalization Expectations from the Chinese
Government for Domestic
Suppliers Serving the North American and Global
Market.
* Development Strategies of North American Suppliers
and Cooperation with
Tier Two and Three Chinese Suppliers.
* Risk Management of Exported Chinese-Made Auto
Products.
Executives from automotive OEMs and suppliers are
encouraged to attend the conference, as well as quality
managers and professionals.
More information about the summit will be available on
AIAG's Web site at http://www.aiag.org or APSIS' Web site
at http://www.apsis.com.cn .
About AIAG
Founded in 1982, AIAG is a globally recognized
organization where OEMs and suppliers unite to address and
resolve issues affecting the worldwide automotive supply
chain. AIAG's goals are to reduce cost and complexity
through collaboration; improve product quality, health,
safety and the environment; and optimize speed to market
throughout the supply chain. Headquartered in the metro
Detroit area, its more than 1,500 member companies include
North American, European and Asia-Pacific OEMs and
suppliers to the automotive industry. Additional
information is available on the Internet at
http://www.aiag.org .
About CAAM
CAAM is a nationwide automotive industry association of
Chinese automotive vehicle, motorcycle, auto parts and auto
related enterprises and groups, which is legally
established in accordance with the principles of equality
and volunteerism. Its business areas include the study of
economics, innovation and technology within the automotive
industry, suggestions to the government on development
plans and policies, trends of the domestic and
international automotive market, industry statistics under
the authorization of the government, sponsorships of
activities to promote communication between international
automotive industry organizations and organization of
exhibition conferences to help member enterprises engage
the domestic and international market under government
authorization. More information is available on the
Internet at http://www.caam.org.cn/ .
About APSIS
Shanghai International Auto Parts Sourcing Center
(APSIS) is a platform providing comprehensive sourcing
service with headquarters located in An Ting, Shanghai.
Joint investors include the China Association of Automobile
Manufacturers (CAAM), National Center of Supervision and
Inspection on Motor Vehicle Products Quality (Shanghai)
(SMVIC), Shanghai International Automobile City Development
Co., Ltd (SIAD) and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation
Group (SAIC).
As a cutting edge company with worldwide prestige,
APSIS provides recommendations on quality controls,
long-distance and on-site logistics support to the global
supply chain. With neutrality, professionalism and
accessibility, APSIS builds an effective communications
platform for domestic auto parts suppliers and
international purchasers. Additional information is
available on the Internet at http://www.apsis.com.cn .
For more information, please contact:
Leslie Santos-Cotham,
Automotive Industry Action Group
Tel: +1-248-358-9794
SOURCE Automotive Industry Action Group
2007'02.11.Sun
Quadrem's New SourceCentre(TM) Solves Spot Buy Purchasing Pains
December 05, 2006
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, and SINGAPORE, Dec. 5
/Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Quadrem has released a new sourcing
solution, SourceCentre, that simplifies and streamlines
spot buys, which often involve high volumes of sourcing
events with high volumes of suppliers.
"As we deployed our sourcing solutions with
several key customers, they identified the need to support
not only strategic category management but also the 'spot
buy' process, where it's not uncommon for a company to send
thousands of requests for quotes each month to thousands of
suppliers," said Chris Haydon, Vice President, Global
Solutions. "Quadrem licenses best-of-breed solutions
to complement our own e-marketplace technology suite, but
there wasn't a simple, scalable solution that could handle
the volumes our customers were doing for spot buys and
price and availability checks. So we developed our own
application designed for this type of purchasing activity.
After deploying with several customers within our global
e-marketplace buyer community, we are now marketing
SourceCentre outside our existing customer base."
SourceCentre solves many of the complexities of
high-volume spot buy activity, where the focus is more on
price and availability than multi-variable optimisation and
analysis. SourceCentre integrates with SAP, Oracle and other
ERP systems and enables organizations to quickly experience
online sourcing without a substantial commitment of time or
resources. Customers can easily search a global electronic
directory of product and service information from tens of
thousands of suppliers, many from the industrial MRO
sector. SourceCentre has a simple, intuitive user
interface to provide fast and efficient RFx creation,
response and award.
To support spot buys, SourceCentre provides:
* Access to one of the world's largest global
supplier networks
* Approved supplier listings
* Side-by-side bid comparisons
* Analysis showing the lowest cost provider, for each
item and overall
in the RFx
* RFx and line item attachments
* Open and locked bids
* Supplier / buyer collaboration via messaging
* Electronic audit trail
About Quadrem
Quadrem ( http://www.quadrem.com ) provides e-business
solutions that connect buyers and suppliers to maximise
supply chain efficiencies. Quadrem's global transaction
platform, vibrant international community and high-quality
content services enable customers to implement the most
effective e-business initiatives for buyers and suppliers.
Established in 2000, Quadrem has offices in Australia,
Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Korea, Mexico, The
Netherlands, Peru, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, South Africa,
the UAE and the United States.
For more information, please contact:
Choon Boon Heng of Quadrem
Tel: +65-6550-9683
SOURCE Quadrem
2007'02.11.Sun
Sidley Austin Advises JPMorgan and UBS on a US$400 Million High Yield Offering for Greentown China Holdings Limited
December 05, 2006
HONG KONG, Dec. 5 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- International
law firm Sidley Austin acted as U.S. counsel to the initial
purchasers JPMorgan and UBS in connection with Greentown
China Holdings Limited's (Greentown) issuance of its US$400
million 9% Senior Notes due 2013, including "high
yield" covenants, pursuant to Regulation S and Rule
144A.
Matthew Sheridan, a partner in Sidley's Hong Kong
office, led the transaction. This is the fifth high yield
bond offering that Sidley has worked on in Asia to have
closed successfully this year.
Mr. Sheridan notes, "The special features of this
transaction included structuring the covenants to allow the
company flexibility to invest in minority-owned entities,
within the framework of traditional high yield covenants.
The challenge is to introduce complex products like high
yield debt, particularly in Asia, where the product is not
yet prevalent. We particularly enjoy working with issuers
and underwriters to expand the market for this
product."
This latest transaction is the third occasion in which
Sidley has advised the underwriters in connection with a
transaction for Greentown. In January 2006, Sidley
represented JPMorgan in connection with Greentown's US$150
million convertible bond offering and in July 2006, Sidley
also acted for the underwriters, JPMorgan and UBS, in
connection with Greentown's US$400 million initial public
offering, with a listing on the main board of The Stock
Exchange of Hong Kong (SEHK) and international placements
pursuant to Rule 144A and Regulation S. Partners Timothy Li
and Constance Choy of Sidley's Hong Kong office acted on
those transactions.
Greentown, headquartered in Hangzhou (Zhejiang
Province), China, is one of the leading residential
property developers in China.
Notes for Editors:
Sidley is one of the world's largest full-service law
firms, with more than 1,700 lawyers practicing in 15
offices in Asia, Europe and the U.S. Sidley is
consistently ranked at the top of the Thomson Financial
league tables.
For 2005, the firm was ranked as:
-- top issuer counsel and third as underwriter counsel
for U.S. debt,
equity and equity-related offerings;
-- top issuer counsel and top underwriter counsel for
U.S. investment grade
debt; and
-- top issuer counsel and third underwriter counsel for
U.S. straight debt,
including asset-backed and mortgage backed
securities.
In Asia, lawyers in the corporate finance team advise
clients on U.S., Hong Kong and English law in connection
with all types of equity, debt and equity-linked
transactions, including SEC-registered offerings in the
United States, international securities offerings pursuant
to Rule 144A and Regulation S governed by U.S. and English
law, The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Main Board and Growth
Enterprise Market (GEM) listings, and issuances involving
the creation of ADR or GDR programs.
In 2005, Sidley ranked first in relation to the number
of transactions advising issuers and first (tied) in
relation to the number of transactions advising
underwriters for listings on The Stock Exchange of Hong
Kong Mainboard. (Asian Legal Business, Jan 2006).
In 2006, Sidley was named to Legal Business' Global
Elite, their survey of "the 15 finest law firms in the
world."
For more information, please contact:
Matthew Sheridan, Partner
Tel: +852-2901-3886
Email: msheridan@sidley.com
Lisa Kong, Marketing Manager
Tel: +852-2509-7899
Email: lkong@sidley.com
SOURCE Sidley Austin
2007'02.11.Sun
Astron Clinica Receives Frost & Sullivan European Technology Innovation of the Year Award for Pioneering SIAscopy
December 05, 2006
LONDON, Dec. 5 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The 2006 Frost
& Sullivan European Technology Innovation of the Year
Award is conferred on Astron Clinica Ltd. of the United
Kingdom in recognition of its novel skin imaging technology
-- Spectrophotometric Intracutaneous Analysis (SIAscopy).
This technology has pioneered the measurement and
non-invasive visualisation of the major dermatological
constituents -- blood, melanin and collagen -- of the
skin.
"Astron Clinica's SIAscopy utilises both visible
and infrared (IR) light to examine skin components such as
blood, melanin, dermal melanin and collagen to a depth of 2
mm below the skin's surface, and provides gross living
pathological data on skin lesions," notes Frost &
Sullivan Research Analyst Sangeetha Prabakar. "This
eliminates the need for other more laborious clinical
examination and laboratory analysis procedures."
Using sophisticated mathematical models and software
programmes, SIAscopy generates images called SIAscans,
which can then either be displayed on PCs, viewed
separately or overlaid, to demonstrate how skin features
relate to one another. This allows physicians to know the
exact size of a lesion and make more precise incisions.
"SIAscopy is a safe, non-invasive and painless
technique that is ideal for analysing and monitoring
various skin conditions such as skin cancers or melanomas,
psoriasis, acne, eczema, skin de-pigmentation, skin aging,
and scars," observes Ms. Prabakar.
"High-resolution scans provide five different views of
the lesion under examination and enable skincare specialists
to visualise the skin's structure, vascular composition, and
reticular pigment networks in unmatched detail and
clarity."
While contact SIAscopy provides very high-resolution
SIAscans for all types of cells and structures, giving the
maximum amount of information about a specific area of skin
or a lesion, non-contact SIAscopy allows a larger area (such
as an entire back or face) to be imaged and provides details
about the concentration of haemoglobin and melanin levels.
It is particularly helpful in monitoring large numbers of
moles on a person, observing moles that are changing and is
also useful for imaging haemoglobin.
"One of SIAscopy's greatest advantages is in
reducing the need for biopsy," says Ms. Prabakar.
"This, in turn, reduces expenses, decreases scarring
as well as the time lag between identification and
diagnosis. Furthermore, SIAscanning is quick and easy, and
requires only minimal training of staff."
The SIAscopy-based DERMETRICS product suite includes
products for skin cancer, skin conditions, skin health,
skin cosmetics, and skin pharmaceuticals. SIAscopy shows
strong potential for adoption by medical and cosmetic
industries. For instance, Proctor & Gamble has
announced the introduction of a skin tone analysis system
to be powered by SIAscopy. Beau Visage, a MediSpa client
consultation and management system, uses non-contact
SIAscopy to examine the entire facial haemoglobin and
melanin structure and measure skin age and sun damage.
Frost & Sullivan's Technology Innovation Award is
bestowed upon a company (or individual) that has carried
out new research, which has resulted in innovation(s) that
have or are expected to bring significant contributions to
the industry in terms of adoption, change, and competitive
posture.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognise
companies in a variety of regional and global markets for
demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior
performance in areas such as leadership, technological
innovation, customer service, and strategic product
development. Industry analysts compare market participants
and measure performance through in-depth interviews,
analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to
identify best practices in the industry.
About Astron Clinica
Astron Clinica, based in Cambridge UK, designs,
develops and brings to market its skin imaging products
that incorporates its proprietary skin imaging technology
SIAscopy. SIAscopy uniquely enables medical, pharmaceutical
and cosmetics industry professionals to visualise up to 2mm
beneath the surface of the skin using both a proprietary
hand held scanner and an off-the-shelf digital camera.
Awarded Frost & Sullivan's 2006 European Technology
Innovation of the Year Award, Astron Clinica's products use
SIAscopy to allow the measurement and non-invasive
visualisation of the major dermatological constituents of
skin -- blood, melanin and collagen -- in vivo for the
first time. Astron Clinica's customers include
dermatologists, plastic surgeons, GPs and aesthetic
medicine practitioners.
Further information is available at
http://www.astronclinica.com .
About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, a global growth consulting
company, has been partnering with clients to support the
development of innovative strategies for more than 40
years. The company's industry expertise integrates growth
consulting, growth partnership services and corporate
management training to identify and develop opportunities.
Frost & Sullivan serves an extensive clientele that
includes Global 1000 companies, emerging companies, and the
investment community by providing comprehensive industry
coverage that reflects a unique global perspective and
combines ongoing analysis of markets, technologies,
econometrics, and demographics.
For more information, visit http://www.frost.com .
For further information, please contact:
Lucy Saunders
Press Contact Astron Clinica
Tel: +44-777-556-6074
Email: lucy.saunders@mahseer.co.uk
Sandra Holze
Promotions Co-ordinator, Best Practices
Frost & Sullivan
Tel: +44-207-915-7866
Email: sandra.holze@frost.com
SOURCE Frost & Sullivan
2007'02.11.Sun
Subaye.com Generated First Monthly Fee Revenue of $673,800 in November, $20 Million Annual Income Based on Forecast of 100,000 Users in 2007
December 05, 2006
HONG KONG, Dec. 5 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Telecom
Communications, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: TCOM), the Total
Solutions Provider, announced today that its subsidiary,
Subaye.com corporate video sharing channel has generated
more than 16,000 enterprise video new users to uploads,
storage, sharing and publishing 30 day period. It is
currently over 160% growth from last month.
The Subaye.com enterprise video service revenue
generating monthly fee of $60 for each business user starts
on November 1. "Almost 90% of users paid monthly fee
for continue service after 30 days free of charge period.
An amount of $673,800 first monthly fee income has been
received in November. This new service offering will add
more than $20 million income stream for us, based on the
forecast that there will be 100,000 users in 2007,"
said Y.F. Su, Vice President of TCOM.
About Telecom Communications, Inc.
Telecom Communications, Inc. (TCOM) is a Total
Solutions Provider that offers Integrated Communications
Network Solutions and Internet Content Service in universal
voice, video, data web and mobile communications for
interactive media applications, technology and content
leaders in interactive multimedia communications. It
develops, markets and sells a universal media software
solution for enterprise-wide deployment of integrated
voice, video, data web and mobile communications and media
applications. Telecom Communications, Inc. does business in
Asia via its wholly owned subsidiaries, Alpha Century
Holdings Ltd., IC Star MMS, Ltd. ( http://www.icstarmms.com
, http://www.skyestar.com ), Guangzhou TCOM Computer
Technology Limited ( http://www.mystaru.com ) and majority
owned subsidiary HRDQ Group, Inc. ( http://www.subaye.com
).
Safe Harbor
The statements made in this release constitute
"forward-looking" statements, usually containing
the words "believe," "estimate,"
"project," "expect," or similar
expressions. These statements are made pursuant to the safe
harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements inherently
involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from the forward-looking
statements. Factors that would cause or contribute to such
differences include, but are not limited to, changing
economic conditions, interest rates trends, continued
acceptance of the Company's products in the marketplace,
competitive factors and other risks detailed in the
Company's periodic report Filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. By making these forward- looking
statements, the Company undertakes no obligation to update
these statements for revisions or changes after the date of
this release.
For more information, please contact:
Ms. Sandy Tang
Telecom Communications, Inc.
Tel: +852-782-0983
Email: pr@tcom8266.com
SOURCE Telecom Communications, Inc.
2007'02.11.Sun
Diabetes Epidemic out of Control
December 04, 2006
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Dec. 4 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ --
The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) has published
new data indicating the enormity of the diabetes epidemic.
Data published today in the Federation's Diabetes Atlas
show that the disease now affects a staggering 246 million
people worldwide, with 46% of all those affected in the
40-59 age group. Previous figures underestimated the scope
of the problem, while even the most pessimistic predictions
fell short of the current figure. The new data predict that
the total number of people living with diabetes will
skyrocket to 380 million within twenty years if nothing is
done.
At today's press conference in Cape Town, IDF President
Pierre Lefebvre told reporters, "Just twenty years ago,
the best information available suggested that 30 million
people had diabetes. A bleaker picture has now emerged.
Diabetes is fast becoming the epidemic of the 21st
century."
Diabetes, mostly type 2 diabetes, now affects 5.9% of
the world's adult population with almost 80% of the total
in developing countries. The regions with the highest rates
are the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, where 9.2 %
of the adult population are affected, and North America
(8.4%). The highest numbers, however, are found in the
Western Pacific, where some 67 million people have
diabetes, followed by Europe with 53 million.
India leads the global top ten in terms of the highest
number of people with diabetes with a current figure of
40.9 million, followed by China with 39.8 million. Behind
them come USA; Russia; Germany; Japan; Pakistan; Brazil;
Mexico and Egypt. Developing countries account for seven of
the world's top ten.
According to IDF President-Elect Martin Silink,
"The diabetes time bomb has been ticking for 50 years,
and it's been getting louder. Despite the warning,
successive generations of world leaders have largely
ignored the threat. Diabetes has now exploded with the
force felt greatest in the Middle East, India, China and
the USA."
Lifestyles in transition
A complex interplay of genetic, social and
environmental factors is driving the global explosion in
type 2 diabetes. For low and middle-income countries,
economic advancement can lead to alterations to the living
environment that result in changes in diet and physical
activity within a generation or two. Consequently, people
can develop diabetes despite relatively low gains in
weight. In the developed world, diabetes is most common
among the poorest communities. Either way, wherever poverty
and lack of sanitation drive families to low
cost-per-calorie foods and packaged drinks, type 2 diabetes
thrives.
Diabetes is deadly. It accounts for 3.8 million deaths
per year, similar in magnitude to HIV/AIDS. Once thought of
as a disease of the elderly, diabetes has shifted down a
generation to affect people of working age, particularly in
developing countries. This has economic consequences. As IDF
Vice-President Jean-Claude Mbanya puts it, "This
epidemic is responsible for so much suffering and loss of
life, yet so little is being done to tackle it. Where
growing economies like India and China lead, many will soon
follow. Doing nothing in the face of the epidemic will place
significant stress on the economic development of many
countries and will jeopardize the Millennium Development
Goals."
A United Nations Resolution
The International Diabetes Federation leads a coalition
of diabetes representative organizations and other
stakeholders demanding a United Nations Resolution on
diabetes to ensure that adequate attention is given to the
disease. For a country like the Pacific Island nation of
Nauru, a UN Resolution cannot come soon enough. Nauru tops
the list of countries with the highest prevalence of
diabetes. Almost a third of the entire population live with
diabetes and its consequences.
The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) is an
organization of over 190 member associations in more than
150 countries. Its mission is to promote diabetes care,
prevention and a cure worldwide. IDF leads the campaign for
a UN Resolution on diabetes. See
http://www.unitefordiabetes.org .
The Diabetes Atlas provides up-to-date estimates of
diabetes prevalence and impaired glucose tolerance, and
health expenditures for more than 200 countries for the
years 2007 and 2025. See http://www.eatlas.idf.org/media
for relevant graphics and background materials.
For more information, please contact:
Delice Gan
Special Projects Manager
The International Diabetes Federation
Tel: +46-73-800-2799
+27-828-583496
Email: delice@idf.org
SOURCE International Diabetes Federation
2007'02.11.Sun
Risk of Heart Attack Significantly Reduced in About 90 days by Modern Combination of Drugs
December 04, 2006
-- New Results From the Only Large European Study
Combining Blood
Pressure-Lowering With Cholesterol Reduction in
Patients With
Moderate Cardiac Risk Prevents Half of Heart
Attacks
LONDON, Dec. 4 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The risk of heart
attack can be reduced by more than 50 percent by combining a
cholesterol-reducing drug, atorvastatin calcium, with a
blood pressure-lowering drug, amlodipine besylate, and the
benefits are evident for heart attacks as early as 90 days
after the start of treatment.
Additionally, in the trial, the simultaneous initiation
of atorvastatin and amlodipine treatment was about three
times more effective at preventing heart attacks than
adding atorvastatin, a statin, to one of the world's most
widely used blood pressure-lowering drugs, atenolol, a
beta-blocker.
For the first time, results from a large trial -- the
Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial (ASCOT), which
recruited >19,000 patients in the UK, Ireland and the
Nordic countries -- show that the addition of atorvastatin
to amlodipine (a calcium channel blocker) reduced the risk
of fatal and non-fatal cardiac events by 53%, and clinical
benefits were evident after only three months' treatment
(p=0.02). This contrasted with the addition of atorvastatin
to atenolol, which only achieved a non-significant 16%
reduction by the end of the study (median 3.3 years),
according to a paper published on-line in the European
Heart Journal today. (See Figure 1)
According to a principal ASCOT investigator, Professor
Peter Sever of the International Centre for Circulatory
Health, Imperial College, London, UK, these results have
major implications for physicians and their patients
worldwide.
"ASCOT demonstrates that the risk of heart attacks
can be more than halved in the many patients at moderate
risk who doctors see every day. In addition, there is a
reduction in strokes of >25 percent. This is achieved by
combining two well-known and widely-used drugs -- amlodipine
and atorvastatin.
"However, if we continue to use older blood
pressure-lowering drugs, such as atenolol, and choose only
to treat high blood pressure in isolation without giving a
statin, we only confer a small part of this potential
benefit. As a result, the risk of heart attacks and strokes
remains unacceptably high in too many patients despite
treatment to blood pressure targets," Professor Sever
said.
Results establish important hypothesis for future
research
The differences in risk reduction between the two
treatments may be explained by recent and ongoing
laboratory studies. Earlier laboratory research and
clinical studies suggest that amlodipine and atorvastatin
may stabilize the fatty deposits in the walls of the
arteries (atherosclerotic plaques) which can rupture to
cause cardiovascular events such as heart attacks.
Professor Sever said: "The new data generate an
important hypothesis that suggests a synergistic effect
between atorvastatin calcium and amlodipine besylate, which
goes beyond the effects of the individual drugs. This is an
exciting possibility for future research, which we and
other groups will be exploring."
The future of treatment
The ASCOT Study is resulting in a re-evaluation of the
management of patients with a moderately increased risk of
cardiac events worldwide. The importance of combining a
contemporary blood pressure drug regimen based on a calcium
channel blocker with a statin is gaining importance.
Meanwhile, the use of beta-blockers -- except where they
are specifically indicated -- is being questioned.
"For the first time, these important data show
that the selection of a blood pressure-lowering drug
regimen combined with a statin may have significant
clinical implications for preventing heart attacks. It is
vital that we use the right combination from the start to
maximize the reduction in cardiac risk," Professor
Sever said.
Note to Editors
To view Figure 1 please register at PR Newswire for
Journalists (PRNJ)
http://www.prnewswire.com/media
About cardiovascular risk
More that 330 million adults in Europe and North
America suffer from high blood pressure, which also affects
an additional 639 million men and women in the rest of the
world. (The Lancet, January 2005)
About 80% of people with high blood pressure have
additional uncontrolled cardiovascular risks. (World Health
Organisation).
About ASCOT
ASCOT is the largest European study of people with high
blood pressure and > 3 additional common cardiac risk
factors, e.g. history of smoking, age > 55 years,
diabetes, lipid abnormalities, etc. It included more than
19,000 men and women with high blood pressure who were at a
moderate risk of strokes and heart attacks and without
previous history of heart disease. To control their blood
pressure, they received either the newer drug -- a calcium
channel blocker, amlodipine besylate -- or a beta-blocker,
atenolol, to which the ACE inhibitor perindopril or the
diuretic bendroflumethiazide were added, respectively, if
necessary, to control the BP. Additionally, 10,000 patients
also were treated with the cholesterol-lowering drug
atorvastatin calcium or a placebo (dummy pill). This is the
only major European study to date to combine these two
treatment strategies.
The most commonly seen adverse events (AEs) in the
amlodipine regimen were peripheral oedema and cough. The
most commonly seen AEs in the atenolol regimen were
dizziness and fatigue. No new, unexpected AEs were observed
beyond those seen in previously published ASCOT results.
Further details can be found at the ASCOT Web site,
http://www.ascotstudy.org
Potential synergy between lipid-lowering and blood
pressure-lowering in the Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac
Outcomes Trial Lipid-Lowering Arm
Peter Sever, Bjorn Dahlof, Neil Poulter, Hans Wedel,
Gareth Beevers, Mark Caulfield, Rory Collins, Sverre
Kjeldsen, Arni Kristinsson, Gordon McInnes, Jesper Mehlsen,
Markku Nieminem, Eoin O'Brien and Jan Ostergren
European Heart Journal 2006, Volume 27; 24: 2982-2988
Executive Committee of the ASCOT Trial
Peter S Sever
Professor of Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics
International Centre for Circulatory Health
National Heart and Lung Institute
Imperial College, London
& St Mary's Hospital, London, UK
Email: p.sever@imperial.ac.uk
Bjorn Dahlof
Associate Professor
Department of Medicine
Sahlgrenska University Hospital/Ostra
University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Email: bjorn.dahlof@scri.se
Neil R Poulter
Professor of Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine
International Centre for Circulatory Health
National Heart and Lung Institute
Imperial College, London, UK
Email: n.poulter@imperial.ac.uk
Hans Wedel
Professor of Epidemiology
Biostatistics
Nordic School of Public Health
Gothenburg, Sweden
Email: hans.wedel@biostat.se
For more information, please contact:
Alison Davies
MediNews International
Tel: +44-121-454-4114
Mobile: +44-7709-424240
Email: adavies@medinews.org
Michael W Gibbs
MediNews International
Tel: +44-121-454-4114
Mobile: +44-7879-813667
Email: mgibbs@medinews.org
SOURCE Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial (ASCOT)
2007'02.11.Sun
Hewitt Associates Study Reveals Salary Increases Set to Stabilize in Asia Pacific
December 04, 2006
The Average Overall Salary Increase Budget in CHINA Ranged from 7.5% to 8.4% in 2006. Few Companies Reported a Salary Freeze This Year.
SHANGHAI, China, Dec. 4 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Asia's
markets have maintained steady growth in the last year,
which has led to a stabilization of salary increases in
most markets during 2006. Though employers are reporting
pay increases, the hikes are modest in comparison to
previous years, and this trend looks set to continue in
2007, according to the 7th annual Asia-Pacific Salary
Increase Survey conducted by Hewitt Associates, a global
human resources services company.
This year, India once again reported the highest
average salary increase at 13.8%, compared with 14.1% in
2005. For the second year in a row, The Philippines
recorded an average overall salary increase of 8.2%, while
salaries in China rose by 8%, down from 8.3% last year. As
Singapore's economy continued to strengthen, employees
experienced average salary increases of 4.6%, up from 3.9%
in 2005 and demonstrating one of the largest year-on-year
hikes. Meanwhile, Thailand and Malaysia saw raises of 6.5%
and 6.2% respectively, marking an increase from 6.3% and
5.6% in 2005. Salaries also rose in Australia, Korea and
Hong Kong.
"While organizations are being driven to increase
their spend on compensation as a result of the ongoing
attraction and retention challenges we are facing in Asia,
many companies are reassessing their human resources
strategies and broader business goals to ensure they are
getting the most out of their talent and increasing
productivity," said Nishchae Suri, head of Hewitt's
Talent and Organization Consulting Analytics practice in
Asia.
Increasing Market Orientation
With the pressure to retain key talent growing, an
increasing number of organizations are ensuring their pay
is competitive by closely monitoring market movements.
Over 80% of participating organizations review their
markets annually, using multiple sources of information to
benchmark compensation, such as industry surveys and
information through personal contacts. While 81.6% of
participating organizations continue to practice industry
benchmarking, a record 20.2% are now benchmarking against
best-in-class companies.
Rising Variable Payouts
Hewitt's study indicates that variable pay continues to
be an important means of attracting and retaining talent,
with 78% of responding organizations using them.
Individual performance awards continue to be the most
popular, with 56.2% of responding organizations saying they
are their preferred type of variable pay plan. They also
indicated individual performance awards have the highest
impact on business results, followed by business incentive
plans and team awards.
According to the study, companies increased variable
payout in 2006 to 14.9% of their payroll, up from 14.5% in
2005. This year, target variable payout was highest for
senior/top management at 21.8%, and is expected to rise to
22.3% in 2007.
Hewitt's study also highlights that the prime challenge
faced by organizations in implementing variable pay plans is
poor communication of their objectives and measures to
employees.
Jean Lin, head of Hewitt's Talent and Organization
Consulting Analytics practice in China, commented,
"Rewards are an emotive issue with employees and it is
of paramount importance that companies not only house a
fair, transparent reward system, but also properly
communicate guidelines to employees. Despite this, an
alarming number of organizations still fall short when it
comes to communicating pay decisions to employees. There
is clearly a huge gap between what employees want to know
and what organizations are sharing."
Achieving Business Objectives Through Rewards
Though organizations have the right intent when it
comes to fostering a healthy performance and reward
culture, most said they are only partially achieving their
objectives of attracting, engaging and retaining talent, as
well as achieving business results. At 60.1%, more than
half of participating organizations said their reward
programs do not achieve the desired outcome because of
budgetary constraints, while 33.3% cited lack of
communication as the primary reason.
About Hewitt's Salary Increase Survey
Hewitt surveyed more than 1,400 foreign, locally-owned,
and joint-venture companies this year, making this the most
comprehensive salary study in Asia Pacific to date. The
survey covered 11 markets including Australia, China, Hong
Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. It measured
actual and projected salary increases, and compensation
practices for five specific job categories, namely
senior/top management, manager,
professional/supervisor/technical, clerical/support, and
manual workers.
To obtain a copy of the individual market reports,
please email apac_sis@hewitt.com .
About Hewitt Associates
With more than 60 years of experience, Hewitt
Associates (NYSE: HEW) is the world's foremost provider of
human resources consulting and outsourcing services. The
company consults with more than 2,400 organizations and
administers human resources, health care, payroll and
retirement programs on behalf of more than 350 companies to
millions of employees and retirees worldwide. Located in 35
countries, Hewitt employs approximately 22,000 associates.
For more information, please visit
http://www.hewittasia.com .
Asia-Pacific Salary Increase Survey 2006-2007 Market
Highlights
China
-- Information was collected from 365 organizations.
-- 3% of survey respondents reported a salary freeze
for 2006, while
less than 2% expect a salary freeze in 2007.
-- The average overall salary increase budget ranged
from 7.5% to 8.4%
for the five employee groups surveyed in 2006, and
from 7.1 % to
8.5% for 2007. Middle management received the
highest increase at
8.4% in 2006.
-- 69% of participants reported having a variable pay
plan, with gain
sharing/productivity awards and team awards
remaining popular.
Generally, the percentage of cash compensation
devoted to variable
pay increases with the level of seniority.
-- At 22%, senior/top management received the highest
percentage of
variable pay in total cash compensation.
-- 48.7% of participating companies position their
salary by comparing
base salary with the market, while only 19%
benchmark total
guaranteed pay with the market.
-- 65% of participating companies offered fixed
bonuses to their
employees in 2006.
-- 38% of participating companies offer long-term
incentives, typically
stock options.
For more information, please contact:
Jihann Moreno
Tel: +86-21-2306-6688
Email: jihann.moreno@hewitt.com
Melinda Earsdon
Tel: +852-2877-8600
Email: melinda.earsdon@hewitt.com
SOURCE Hewitt Associates
2007'02.11.Sun
Communications Platforms Trade Association Adds Three Members
December 04, 2006
Degree Controls, Interphase and ZNYX Networks Join CP-TA
ITU TELECOM WORLD, HONG KONG, Dec. 4
/Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The Communications Platforms Trade
Association (CP-TA) today announced that Degree Controls,
Inc has joined as a Sponsor Member and Interphase
Corporation and ZNYX Networks have joined as Contributor
Members. These companies intend to contribute technical and
marketing resources to CP-TA's working groups in order to
help drive a mainstream market for open industry
specifications-based communications platforms through
interoperability certification.
"We are pleased to welcome these respected
companies into CP-TA," said Shlomo Pri-Tal, CP-TA
Chairman. "They are bringing valuable contributions to
solving interoperability issues for thermal, manageability
and data transport, as well as looking ahead at the next
generation of interoperability requirements for AdvancedMC
and MicroTCA."
CP-TA is currently defining interoperability test
requirements and procedures for PICMG's AdvancedTCA
specification aligned to the SCOPE AdvancedTCA profile. At
ITU Telecom World, CP-TA is demonstrating its test tools,
including thermal testing, for the first time.
"DegreeC is committed to providing thermal and
airflow solutions and we are working closely with CP-TA
members to develop guidelines and tests for thermal
interoperability," said Rajesh Nair, Degree Controls,
Inc. Chairman and CTO.
In the future, CP-TA will address PICMG's AdvancedMC
and MicroTCA as well as specifications from OSDL and the SA
Forum.
"Interphase has established a key leadership role
in delivering next generation AdvancedTCA(R), MicroTCA(TM)
and AdvancedMC(TM) (AMC) solutions to the
marketplace," said Greg Kalush, CEO, Interphase
Corporation. "We are excited to contribute our
technology resources to address the interoperability
requirements for Advanced Mezzanine Cards, thereby ensuring
ease of adoption of AdvancedMC's by the industry to deliver
innovative and cost effective solutions in the
marketplace."
"We provide embedded networking solutions for
scalable, continuous-service systems. These solutions are
in strict compliance with open, forward-looking industry
specifications such as AdvancedTCA (PICMG 3.x) and relevant
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standards," said
Connie Austin, President/CEO, ZNYX Networks. "We see
CP-TA certification as the logical next step for moving the
industry to the next level of interoperability."
Member companies participate in the creation of
interoperability test documents and will be able to promote
their products meeting the requirements as CP-TA-certified.
For information on joining CP-TA and membership benefits,
visit http://www.cp-ta.org/join .
About the Communications Platforms Trade Association
The Communications Platforms Trade Association is a
global organization of 25 communications platform and
building block providers whose mission is to accelerate the
adoption of SIG-governed, open-specification-based
communication platforms by certifying interoperable
building blocks. For more information about CP-TA, visit
http://www.cp-ta.org .
For more information, please contact:
Kim Miller
VTM PR for CP-TA
Tel: +1-971-563-5677
Email: kmiller@vtm-inc.com
Lori Zielinski
VTM PR for CP-TA
Tel: +1-503-619-0852
Email: lzielinski@vtm-inc.com
SOURCE Communications Platforms Trade Association
2007'02.11.Sun
SourceCode Announces K2.net Integration With the 2007 Microsoft Office System, Exchange Server 2007 and Windows Vista
December 04, 2006
K2.net BlackPearl will empower businesses to transcend people, systems, and distance
REDMOND, Wash., Dec. 4 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ --
SourceCode, the creator of the K2.net Enterprise Workflow
for the .NET Platform, today announced that it will release
the next generation of the K2.net product line, which works
with the 2007 Microsoft Office system, Exchange Server 2007
and the Windows Vista operating system to provide customers
with increased visibility and manageability of their
business processes to help increase profitability, reduce
costs, maintain compliance efforts, while increasing
customer satisfaction and shareholder value.
"We have architected our K2.net BlackPearl
offering to maximize the capabilities of the 2007 Office
system, Windows Vista and Exchange Server 2007. As a
global launch participant we are highlighting the 200+ new
and enhanced features we have built into the K2.net
BlackPearl offering. Our goal is to allow our mutual
customers to achieve a faster time to value with their
enterprise workflow solutions," said Dennis Parker,
President, SourceCode. "We're very excited about the
business opportunities ahead -- this launch signifies a new
age of computing and SourceCode is in a prime position to
respond to the needs of today's demanding business
environment."
"We are very pleased that SourceCode has built its
K2.net business process management and advanced workflow
offering to maximize the capabilities of the 2007 Office
system, Exchange Server 2007 and Windows Vista," said
Kurt DelBene, Corporate Vice President of the Office
Business Platform Group at Microsoft Corp.
"SourceCode's continued commitment to innovation
highlights the power and flexibility of these Microsoft
products."
About SourceCode
SourceCode Technology Holdings, Inc. develops the
award-winning K2.net(TM) 2003 enterprise workflow offering.
K2.net 2003 is the leader in business process management
for .NET through its enablement of rapid solution assembly
to optimize interactions between people, systems and
process. Customers derive significant value from their
Microsoft investments by leveraging K2.net 2003 and its
powerful, proven and seamless integration across a range of
products including: Microsoft Office 2003, Microsoft Office
InfoPath 2003, SharePoint Portal Server 2003, Microsoft
Office Project Server 2003, Microsoft Content Management
Server 2002, Live Communications Server 2005, BizTalk
Server 2004, Exchange Server 2003, and Visual Studio.NET.
In conjunction with its global partner network, SourceCode
has developed solutions to help manage and monitor
processes that are designed to help customers increase
profitability, reduce costs, improve customer satisfaction,
and maintain compliance efforts.
SourceCode Technology Holdings, Inc. is headquartered
in Redmond, Washington and has offices in the United
States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, South
Africa, Australia, and Singapore.
SourceCode and K2.net are registered trademarks or
trademarks of SourceCode Technology Holdings, Inc. in the
United States and/or other countries. The names of actual
companies and products mentioned herein may be the
trademarks of their respective owners.
For more information, please contact:
Media & Analyst Relations
Jeff Shuey
SourceCode | K2.net
Tel: +1-425-922-8056
Email: jeff@k2workflow.com
SOURCE SourceCode
2007'02.11.Sun
WORLD AIDS DAY MESSAGE
December 01, 2006
GENEVA, Dec. 1 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The HIV/AIDS
epidemic continues to grow. Some 40 million people, their
families, and their communities, are now living with HIV.
Effectively tackling this epidemic remains one of the
world's most pressing public health challenges.
(Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040610/CNTH001LOGO )
In August this year, at the XVI International AIDS
Conference, 30,000 of us came together in Toronto in reply
to the Conference's call to action. That action, we
agreed, must reflect a balanced mix of prevention,
treatment and care. This year's World AIDS Day theme
"Accountability" reminds us again of our
responsibility for making the right choices.
In Toronto, I spoke on the three areas in which we had
to take action: the three "Ms" of Money,
Medicines and a Motivated workforce.
Money: We have made some important progress and
continue to do so. For example, just over half of the
latest round of grants from the Global Fund - which
totalled US$846 million -- will go to fight HIV/AIDS.
Continued commitment is needed and resources must be used
effectively. Accountability is an important theme for
those who want to see the best possible results in terms of
human lives.
Medicines: Our goal remains to scale up international
efforts to provide universal access to prevention,
treatment, care and support services. The ten-fold
increase in people on treatment in sub-Saharan Africa in
recent years shows that we can do it. Sub-Saharan Africa
also illustrates what still has to be done: it represents
70% of the global unmet need for treatment.
We have a very long way to go still in the provision of
medicines to those who need them. To be able to do that, we
must also know who needs treatment and care.
The latest AIDS epidemic update from WHO and the UNAIDS
Secretariat, released on 21 November, gives us the most
accurate picture of the epidemic to date. HIV surveillance
remains weak in almost all regions, particularly among
marginalized groups. Those at highest risk -- men who have
sex with men, sex workers, and injecting drug users -- are
not reliably reached through HIV prevention and treatment
strategies.
At the Toronto Conference there was a powerful drive to
address the needs of those who bear the greatest burden of
the AIDS epidemic -- women and girls. Some 40% of new HIV
infections now occur among young people aged between 15 to
24 years. The most striking increases in the number of
people living with HIV have occurred in East Asia, Eastern
Europe and Central Asia.
Those most at risk of exposure to HIV do not always
know how to protect themselves and often do not have access
to the means to do so, such as condoms, clean needles and
syringes, and treatment for sexually transmitted
infections. Levels of knowledge of safer sex and HIV
remain low in many countries, as well as perceptions of
personal risk. Even in countries where the epidemic has a
very high impact, such as Swaziland and South Africa, a
large proportion of the population do not believe they are
at risk. Where prevention efforts decline, HIV infects more
people.
Counselling and testing are essential so that people
who are infected can know their status, seek care, and
using their increased knowledge, change their behaviours to
prevent transmission of the virus to others. Those who are
tested can also use knowledge of their status to protect
themselves.
A Motivated health workforce: Motivated and skilled
health workers who can provide essential services are the
crucial missing link in many countries. WHO's "Treat,
Train Retain" plan for a healthy and well supported
healthcare workforce is being developed now in 15
countries.
Prevention works but has to be focused on the needs of
those most likely to be exposed to HIV, and it must be
sustained. There are success stories. In 8 out of 11 of
some of the world's most affected countries, HIV prevalence
in the age group 15 to 24 years has declined in the past
five years. We must seize on these successes and see that
they are repeated.
We know that comprehensive harm reduction programmes
reduce risky drug injecting practice and result in declines
in HIV infection rates. Effective responses are being
implemented in many countries, ranging from Brazil and
China to the Islamic Republic of Iran and Indonesia. These
experiences provide good models for other countries.
Another key element in the epidemic -- Tuberculosis --
has recently drawn increased attention with the development
of an extremely drug resistant form that signals the urgent
need for TB control. TB causes up to half of all deaths in
people living with HIV.
The AIDS epidemic provides us with clear evidence that
even some of the most complex health and development
problems can be successfully addressed. To see this
positive pattern repeated everywhere will take greater
political will and more resources.
Our ability to be responsive to changes in the epidemic
is a central factor if we are to succeed. We have to be
constantly alert to shifts in the epidemic dynamic and
country contexts, aware of which approaches are successful,
and flexible enough to adapt our responses accordingly. We
do not just need "more". We need to commit to
clear sightedness about what is working and what is not --
and quickly apply that knowledge.
For example, recognizing the critical role that
vulnerable and marginalized populations play in the
epidemic, we need to invest in models of service delivery
that reach these groups, ensure equitable and quality
services, and are able to provide sustainable support to
the most affected communities.
We are now more than 25 years into this epidemic.
People living with HIV and their communities urgently need
to see tangible results. We are at a critical juncture.
Just last week, Secretary-General Kofi Annan inaugurated
the new joint UNAIDS/WHO building in Geneva. It is a
building which now houses the HIV, TB and Malaria staff of
WHO, side by side with the UNAIDS team. Nothing more
clearly symbolises our determination to work as a team. It
is a commitment to collaboration, and with that comes our
commitment also to accountability: to all those currently
living with HIV, and to all those whose lives must be
protected from it.
All press releases, fact sheets and other WHO media
material may be found at: http://www.who.int .
For more information, please contact:
Christine McNab
Acting Director,
WHO Communications Department
Tel: +41-22-791-46-88
Mobile: +41-79-254-6815
Email: mcnabc@who.int
SOURCE World Health Organization
2007'02.11.Sun
AXA Rosenberg Wins Global Equity Mandate From NCSSF
December 01, 2006
BEIJING, China, Dec. 1 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- AXA
Rosenberg, an AXA Investment Managers company specializing
in global, active equity asset management, announced today
that it has been chosen by the National Council for Social
Security Fund (NCSSF) to manage the Fund's first
international investments.
AXA Rosenberg will manage a Global ex-US equities
mandate with the goal of outperforming the MSCI World ex-US
index. AXA Rosenberg is one of a group of ten international
managers selected by the NCSSF to provide investment
services to the Fund.
"We are very pleased to have been chosen for this
mandate, which recognizes our expertise in managing global
equity portfolios, that represent 40 percent of our
assets," said Stephane Prunet, Global chief executive
officer of AXA Rosenberg. "As a specialist within AXA
Investment Managers' multi-expert organization, we have
particular expertise in working with large government
pension funds to help address their long-term funding
liabilities. We look forward to forging a long-term
relationship with the NCSSF," he added.
Anthony Fasso, Asia Pacific chief executive officer at
AXA Rosenberg attended the public ceremony for the official
manager appointment, and commented, "We are honored to
have been selected for the first international allocation
by this important organization." He added, "The
award of this mandate recognizes AXA Rosenberg's unique
investment process, and continues the strong momentum we
have built as part of the Asian focused strategy of the AXA
Investment Managers group, where our combined assets have
increased by more than 250 percent over the past 5
years."
This is the first foray into international markets by
China's national pension fund, and marks a significant step
in the diversification of the Fund's investments. Earlier
this year the Chinese Government announced that the NCSSF
could begin allocating funds to international fund
managers. Previously investments were limited to China, in
fixed income, domestic equity, and private equity,
including stakes in pre-IPO state-owned companies.
The NCSSF conducted a thorough review process to choose
the managers for this first foray into international
markets.
About NCSSF
The National Council for Social Security Fund (NCSSF),
founded in November 2000, is a governmental agency on the
ministerial level directly under the State Council of the
People's Republic of China. The total outlays were
appropriated by the central financial budget, and the NCSSF
is responsible for the management and operation of the NSSF,
including: to manage the fund allocated by the central
government, capital and equity assets derived from
reduction of state-owned shares and capital raised in other
manners; to formulate the operation schemes for investments
of SSF and to organize the operation; to select investment
managers and custodians of the NSSF, to mandate them with
and to monitor the investment operation and custody of the
NSSF assets, invest directly in prescriptive markets in
accordance with the related laws and regulations; to be
responsible for the financial management and accounting of
the NSSF, and to prepare periodical financial statements
and accounting reports; to regularly to publish the
financial condition such as NSSF's assets, proceeds and
cash flow to the public; to earmark fund for social
security purposes in a way instructed and designated
jointly by the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Labor
and Social Security; and to perform other duties as
assigned by the State Council. For more information on the
NCSSF please visit http://www.ssf.gov.cn/web/index.asp or
http://www.ssf.gov.cn/enweb/index.asp .
About AXA Rosenberg
AXA Rosenberg Group LLC, an AXA Investment Managers
Company, was founded in 1985 by Dr. Barr Rosenberg. AXA
Rosenberg models and predicts company fair value, future
earnings, and risk in building portfolios that aim to
produce higher future earnings per dollar than the markets.
This analysis is embedded in an expert system -- the
proprietary software built to embody the firm's collective
knowledge - so that it can be applied in a consistent and
repeatable fashion in markets worldwide. Today AXA
Rosenberg manages approximately $105 billion in individual
country, regional and global strategies for pension funds,
foundations and government entities in the Americas,
Europe, Asia and Japan. Headquartered in Orinda,
California, the firm has offices in Greenwich, Connecticut,
Toronto, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney. For
more information please visit http://www.axarosenberg.com .
About AXA Investment Managers
AXA IM is a multi-expert asset management company
within the AXA Group, a global leader in financial
protection and wealth management. AXA IM is one of the
largest European-based asset managers with approximately
euro 482 billion in assets under management as of the end
of October 2006. AXA IM employs over 2,500 people around
the world and serves customers in 18 countries.
For more information, please contact:
Asia Pacific:
Adrien Darde
AXA Rosenberg
Tel: +852-2285-2078
Email: adarde@axarosenberg.com
Joshua Goldman-Brown
Gavin Anderson & Company
Tel: +852-2218-9952
Email: jgoldman-brown@gavinanderson.com.hk
Global / North America:
Jennifer Morgan
AXA Rosenberg
Tel: +1-925-253-3447
Email: jmorgan@axarosenberg.com
Greg Jawski
Fleishman Hillard
Tel: +1-212-453-2145
Email: greg.jawski@fleishman.com
Europe:
Wendy Sayer
AXA Rosenberg
Tel: +44-20-7895-6748
Email: wsayer@axarosenberg.com
Ellen Gracey
GR Communications
Tel: +44-20-7357-0070
Email: ellen@grcomms.co.uk
SOURCE AXA Rosenberg Group LLC
2007'02.11.Sun
JWT Worldwide Promotes Mark Webster From Chairman of JWT Thailand to CEO of JWT Japan
December 01, 2006
SINGAPORE, Dec. 1 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Michael
Maedel, president of JWT Worldwide, announced today that
Mark Webster has been promoted from chairman of JWT
Thailand to CEO JWT Japan effective in January, succeeding
Ambar Brahmachary who is joining Young & Rubicam as
head of its Asia Pacific region.
Webster has been with JWT for 14 years, beginning in
Hong Kong, where he was raised. He held managing director
positions in Vietnam and the Philippines before arriving at
JWT Thailand five years ago. During his time there, Webster
successfully established a truly integrated office that has
consistently been among JWT's top creative performers. In
the last year JWT has become a true creative powerhouse;
JWT now ranks fourth in the prestigious Gunn Report.
"I'm delighted Mark will be succeeding Ambar, who
I would like to thank for eight years of outstanding
leadership," said Maedel. "Mark is a JWT veteran
well equipped to assume this important role in Japan, an
office that plays a very significant role within our
network because of its leading-edge position in the areas
of technology and new media."
Japan is one of JWT's top five offices. Its key clients
include Unilever, Nestle, Unicharm, Pfizer (J&J),
Suntory, DTC and Ford.
About JWT
JWT, which celebrated its 142nd anniversary this year,
ranks as the largest advertising agency brand in the United
States and as the fourth largest full-service network in the
world. Its parent company is WPP (Nasdaq: WPPGY).
For more information, please contact:
Eric Robertson
Tel: +1-212-210-7336
SOURCE JWT
2007'02.11.Sun
UNDP recognizes community-based AIDS response in China
December 01, 2006
AIDS Care China honoured by the inaugural UN Red Ribbon Award
BEIJING, China, Dec. 1 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Against
the backdrop of World AIDS Day, the United Nations in China
presented today AIDS Care China with the inaugural Red
Ribbon Award for the organization's community-based
approach in combating HIV/AIDS. This marks the first time
that a Chinese organization has received such high-profile
recognition for its work in the area of HIV/AIDS.
(Logo:
http://www.xprn.com.cn:9080/xprn/sa/20061107113358-34.jpg
)
"The Red Ribbon Award not only recognizes this
outstanding group, but it also recognizes the crucial role
communities can play, and are playing, in partnership with
local authorities at a crucial time for the HIV/AIDS
epidemic in China," said Khalid Malik, UN Resident
Coordinator and UN Development Programme Representative in
China, at the award ceremony in Beijing.
AIDS Care China, founded by Thomas Cai in Guangzhou
five years ago as a modest counseling service for people
living with HIV/AIDS, now serves communities through its
care centres located in hospitals and clinics in Guangdong,
Yunnan, Guangxi and Hubei. Its platform has expanded from
counseling and support to helping patients throughout the
AIDS treatment process, working together with local health
care providers.
"When we began our programme at the Number 8
Hospital in Guangzhou, we never dreamed that we would one
day reach so many people in so many places, and that too
within just a few years," Thomas remarked. "We
owe this to our staff and volunteers ¨C people living with
and without HIV/AIDS -- who are truly committed to fighting
AIDS together."
Launched this year, the Red Ribbon Award is led by the
UN Development Programme in partnership with the Joint
United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), and
recognizes grassroots leadership in this global campaign.
AIDS Care China is one of 25 communities around the world
that were finalists for the prize. The winners were
previously announced in August at the 2006 International
AIDS Conference in Toronto, Canada.
In a World AIDS Day statement from UN headquarters,
Secretary-General Kofi Annan reiterated the themes
symbolized by the Red Ribbon Award: shared accountability
and community involvement. "Accountability applies
not only to those who hold positions of power," said
Annan, "but it also applies to all of us¡ it requires
every one of us to help bring AIDS out of the shadows, and
spread the message that silence is death."
Malik echoed that sentiment. "The campaign against
HIV/AIDS is too formidable to be fought alone. Governments
have recognized this. Non-government organizations have
recognized this. Medical professionals have recognized
this. The innovative work of AIDS Care China demonstrates
the potential offered by true partnership and
collaboration."
In accepting the award, Thomas urged community-based
HIV/AIDS organizations ¨C including AIDS Care China -- to
work together and constantly expand their horizons.
"AIDS Care China promotes the concept that people
living with HIV/AIDS should not isolate themselves in a
small circle of fear to be pitied," Thomas said.
"Rather, we should face the wider realities and
embrace society as a whole, and mobilize more resources to
fight the war against AIDS. Therefore, we have re-defined
ourselves as an organization working with the meaningful
participation of all people -- including those living with
HIV/AIDS. The scope of our work will be expanded from
treatment and care to also incorporate HIV/AIDS prevention
approaches, including raising awareness and reducing stigma
among the general public."
As AIDS Care China steps up its efforts even more, the
UN Joint Country Programme on HIV/AIDS in China is offering
its support. Together with UNDP, AIDS Care China is
supporting the socio-economic empowerment of women living
with HIV/AIDS through a micro-enterprise scheme in Yunnan
and Guangdong. The aim of this project is to encourage and
support established women living with HIV/AIDS groups to
set up and run their own small businesses. In addition to
providing direct employment for these women, the profits
from these small businesses are channeled back into the
group to fund their PLWHA support activities, thus reducing
donor dependency while increasing sustainability and local
ownership.
"Helping people help themselves lays a strong
foundation for China's efforts to stem the spread of this
scourge" said Malik. "The work of AIDS Care
China ¨C and indeed of so many community-based
organizations in this vast land ¨C is proof of that. When
the history of HIV/AIDS in China is chronicled in the years
to come, we may look back at this moment as a crucial
milestone ¨C a time when community-based HIV/AIDS
organizations and local health authorities formed key
partnerships to jointly help turn the tide of the epidemic
in the world's most populous nation."
UNDP fosters human development to empower women and men
to build better lives in China. As the UN's development
network, UNDP draws on a world of experience to assist
China in developing its own solutions to the country's
development challenges. Through partnerships and
innovation, UNDP works to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals and an equitable Xiao Kang society by
reducing poverty, strengthening the rule of law, promoting
environmental sustainability, and fighting HIV/AIDS.
http://www.undp.org.cn
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Edmund Settle
HIV/AIDS Programme Manager,
UNDP China
Tel: +86-10-8532-0775
Email: edmund.settle@undp.org
SOURCE United Nations Development Programme
2007'02.11.Sun
NetEconomy Expands Operations into Australia and China
December 01, 2006
THE HAGUE, The Netherlands, Dec. 1 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/
-- NetEconomy, the global leader in financial crime
management and compliance solutions, today announced it has
opened offices in Sydney and Shanghai to expand its foothold
in the Asia Pacific region and support its new customers.
NetEconomy's new customers in China and Australia will
be using its ERASE(R) financial crime solutions to improve
monitoring and detection capabilities for fraud, money
laundering, terrorist financing and market abuse, and to
ensure regulatory compliance within these regions.
"NetEconomy is a strong global company committed
to providing our new customers with the highest levels of
service, innovation and success," said Sebastian
Kuntz, CEO of NetEconomy. "By expanding operations
into China and Australia we are well positioned to capture
new growth opportunities in this rapidly expanding
financial crime solutions market. NetEconomy's
comprehensive and easily deployable solutions are uniquely
suited to helping clients quickly and effectively address
emerging risks and regulatory challenges within these
important regions. Furthermore our solutions contribute to
improved operational risk management and the capital
adequacy requirements as set out in Basel II."
In May of 2005, NetEconomy opened an office in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia to expand its sales operations and to
support its growing customer base in the Asia Pacific
region. Today the Kuala Lumpur office will operate as the
regional headquarters for this region. NetEconomy services
and supports customers across Singapore, Malaysia, India,
the Middle East and the Philippines.
About NetEconomy
NetEconomy is the leading provider of financial crime
management and compliance solutions. With over 110
implementations across 48 countries, NetEconomy has an
exceptional track record for developing and delivering
highly effective and easily deployable solutions for
anti-money laundering, fraud prevention and market
surveillance. NetEconomy brings business value to its
worldwide client base through its personalized customer
approach for minimizing regulatory risk, delivering
measurable results, and protecting corporate
brand/reputation. NetEconomy is headquartered in The Hague,
with offices in Boston, London, New York, Paris, Kuala
Lumpur, Shanghai and Sydney, and distributors and strategic
partners across the Middle East, Caribbean, Europe, South
(East) Asia and the United States. For more information
visit http://www.neteconomy.com .
For more information, please contact:
Joyce Kooijman
Tel: +31-70-4525486
Email: jkooijman@neteconomy.com
SOURCE NetEconomy
2007'02.11.Sun
Euro RSCG Worldwide is the Largest Global Advertising Agency
December 01, 2006
Findings in Advertising Age Annual Report Reveal That New Business Wins Across the Global Network Have Propelled the Agency To Top Spot
NEW YORK, Dec. 1 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Euro RSCG
Worldwide today is the largest global advertising agency,
measured by number of accounts. Ranked #3 in the 2005
Advertising Age Global Marketers Report, Euro RSCG
Worldwide was elevated in this year's ranking due in part
to a significant business expansion with U.K.-based
household cleaning brand Reckitt Benckiser, as well as
growth in the Latin American and Chinese markets. Euro RSCG
Worldwide has 75 accounts worldwide and 1,346 assignments
surpassing agencies including Ogilvy & Mather, McCann
Erickson Worldwide, Grey Worldwide and BBDO Worldwide,
which together round out the top five agencies, according
to the figures released by Advertising Age this month.
Of the Top 100 Global Marketers listed in the report,
located at http://www.AdAge.com , Euro RSCG Worldwide
handles the advertising for 10 of these brands: Ford Motor
Co., Reckitt Benckiser, Danone Group, PSA Peugeot Citroen,
Citigroup, Bayer, Schering-Plough Corp., LG Group,
Carrefour and Sanofi-Aventis. These responsibilities are
handled out of multiple offices across Euro RSCG's global
network, which has footholds in North America, Latin
America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia
and the Pacific Islands.
"I am tremendously proud of our talent around the
globe, and of our ability to grow, both financially and
creatively," said David Jones, Global Chief Executive
Officer of Euro RSCG Worldwide. "The high ambitions we
have already reached are a sign of further success to
come."
Jones continued: "While our offices in New York,
London and Paris tend to attract the most attention, Latin
America is actually one of our star performers. Regional
Director Ricardo Monteiro has led Euro RSCG to win 25
international awards and 45 local awards in 2006. China,
too, continues to boom for us, which is why we have secured
the world's largest full-time field marketing force of some
30 thousand employees in China alone."
Advertising Age publishes a list of the Top 100 Global
Marketers annually. The full 2006 report, published at
http://www.AdAge.com lists the global accounts for 22 of
the largest global advertising agencies.
Euro RSCG Worldwide, a leading integrated marketing
communications agency, is made up of 233 offices located in
75 countries throughout Europe, North America, Latin
America, and Asia Pacific. Euro RSCG provides advertising,
marketing services, corporate communications, and
interactive solutions to global, regional, and local
clients. The agency's client roster includes Airbus, Air
France, BNP Paribas, Capgemini, Charles Schwab, Danone
Group, Diageo, IBM, Jaguar, L'Oreal, LVMH Louis Vuitton,
PSA Peugeot Citroen, Reckitt Benckiser, sanofi-aventis,
Schering-Plough, Verizon, and Volvo. Headquartered in New
York, Euro RSCG Worldwide is the largest unit of Havas, a
world leader in communications (Euronext Paris SA:
HAV.PA).
For more information, please contact:
Jonathan Sanchez
Euro RSCG Worldwide
Tel: +1-646-206-4653
Email: jonathan.sanchez@eurorscg.com
SOURCE Euro RSCG Worldwide
2007'02.11.Sun
Linguatec and Chinese Academy of Sciences Agree on Strategic Cooperation
December 01, 2006
MUNICH, Germany, Dec. 1 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The
German language technology specialist Linguatec and the
renowned Chinese Academy of Sciences have reached an
agreement on strategic cooperation. The goal is joint
research and development of new language technology
solutions to make closer ties between Europe and China
possible.
Chinese High End Research
The Chinese Academy of Sciences is a renowned
institution in the People's Republic of China. An
independent organization, it specializes in the natural
sciences and high technology and includes about 100 top
level research organizations. One of these is the Institute
of Computing Technology (ICT) in Peking, where outstanding
scientists shape the future of Chinese computer
linguistics.
Over 10 Years Language Technology Experience in
Germany
In this computer linguistic context Linguatec is
virtually predestined for cooperation with the ICT, as the
language specialists in Munich have been driving forward
the development of innovative language technology software
for more than 10 years. The result of this commitment are
numerous prize-winning products in all areas of automatic
translation, speech recognition and voice output. With
increasingly multilingual solutions Linguatec takes into
account growing globalization and the necessity of
international exchange.
Common Goals
"Linguatec is a highly valued partner for us in
the further development of multilingual language technology
applications," explains Prof. Dr. Liu Qun from the
Institute of Computing Technology of the Chinese Academy of
Sciences. "This cooperation makes it possible to
synergetically combine our academic and practical strengths
and competences. Our goal is to develop innovative high end
solutions as a first step and as an essential second step
to introduce them into industry and business."
Promising Perspectives
With this partnership Linguatec establishes its
position as linguistic bridgehead to the Chinese market.
The language technology specialist from Munich first
introduced itself to the Asian IT world at the CeBIT in
Shanghai in September and attracted the attention of the
Chinese Academy of Sciences. "This cooperation is a
milestone for the relations between Europe and China. We
are standing on the threshold of a new era in which China
will play an important role. In these circumstances,
developing language technologies with a strong partner to
facilitate communication between European and Chinese
business partners is a tremendous common challenge,"
says Linguatec CEO Dr. Reinhard Busch about the agreement.
About Linguatec:
Linguatec GmbH is Germany's leading producer of
language technology software. Their main product areas are
automatic translation, speech recognition and voice output.
Linguatec is the only company to have received the European
Information Technology Prize three times.
http://www.linguatec.net
About the Chinese Academy of Sciences:
The Chinese Academy of Sciences is a renowned
institution in the People's Republic of China. An
independent organization, it specializes in the natural
sciences and high technology and includes about 100 top
level research organizations. One of these is the Institute
of Computing Technology (ICT) in Peking, where outstanding
scientists shape the future of Chinese computer
linguistics.
http://www.ict.ac.cn/en/index.htm
For more information, please contact:
Linguatec GmbH
Ms Elisabeth Bauer
Gottfried-Keller-Str. 12
81245 Munchen
Germany
Tel: +89896664152
Email: e.bauer@linguatec.net
SOURCE Linguatec
2007'02.11.Sun
InBev and Anheuser-Busch Reach Agreement for European Import Brands in United States
December 01, 2006
Anheuser-Busch to Import Beck's, Bass, Stella Artois, Other InBev European Brands
ST. LOUIS and BRUSSELS, Belgium, Dec. 1
/Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Anheuser-Busch (NYSE: BUD) will
become the exclusive U.S. importer of a number of InBev's
(Euronext: INB) premium European import brands, including
Stella Artois(R), Beck's(R), Bass Pale Ale(R),
Hoegaarden(R), Leffe(R) and other select InBev brands, the
two brewers announced today.
Effective February 1, 2007, Anheuser-Busch will import
these premium brands and be responsible for their sales,
promotion and distribution in the United States. These
InBev brands, which had sales volumes of about 1.9 million
hectoliters (or about 1.5 million barrels) in 2005, will be
available to Anheuser-Busch's U.S. wholesaler network where
possible.
InBev's Canadian brands, including Labatt Blue(R) and
Labatt Blue Light(R), as well as Brahma(R), are not
included in the agreement. Working closely with Labatt
Breweries of Canada, InBev USA will continue to market and
sell the Labatt and Brahma brands through a separate
distribution network.
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
"This agreement gives us highly-valued brands that
appeal to beer drinkers looking for sophisticated imports in
their beer choices," said August A. Busch IV, president
and chief executive officer of Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc.
"We live in a world with diverse cultures and
lifestyles, and this provides additional variety for our
consumers. These well-known import brands complement our
company's leading portfolio of American premium beers and
enable our company to better compete. This is consistent
with our stated strategy of enhancing our participation in
the U.S. high-end beer segment."
"By securing access to Anheuser-Busch's
world-class sales and distribution system, this agreement
will enhance opportunities for U.S. consumers to experience
the unique values of our premium European import brands, and
further accelerate their growth," said Carlos Brito,
CEO, InBev. "This is another step in InBev's mission
to create enduring bonds with our consumers throughout the
world."
Doug Corbett, president of InBev USA, said: "InBev
USA remains fully committed to the Labatt Canadian brands
and to Brahma. These are great brands with a lot of
potential and this agreement will allow us to focus on
growing them in their markets."
InBev is a publicly traded company (Euronext: INB)
based in Leuven, Belgium. The company's origins date back
to 1366, and today it is the leading global brewer by
volume. InBev's strategy is to strengthen its local
platforms by building significant positions in the world's
major beer markets through organic growth, world-class
efficiency, targeted external growth, and by putting
consumers first. InBev has a portfolio of more than 200
brands, including Stella Artois(R), Brahma(R), Beck's(R),
Leffe(R) and Skol(R) -- the third-largest selling beer
brand in the world. InBev employs some 85,000 people,
running operations in over 30 countries across the
Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. In 2005, InBev realized
11.7 billion euro revenue. For further information visit
http://www.InBev.com .
Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch is the leading
American brewer. The company brews the world's
largest-selling beers, Budweiser(R) and Bud Light(R).
Anheuser-Busch also owns a 50 percent share in Grupo
Modelo, Mexico's leading brewer, and a 27 percent share in
Tsingtao, the No. 1 brewer in China. Anheuser-Busch ranked
No. 1 among beverage companies in FORTUNE Magazine's Most
Admired U.S. and Global Companies lists in 2006.
Anheuser-Busch is one of the largest theme park operators
in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum
cans and is America's top recycler of aluminum cans. For
more information, visit http://www.anheuser-busch.com .
For more information, please contact:
Terri Vogt
Anheuser-Busch
Tel: +1-314-577-7750
Email: terri.vogt@anheuser-busch.com
Brenda Williams
InBev USA
Tel: +1-203-849-3712
Email: bwilliams@inbev.com
Marianne Amssoms
InBev
Tel: +32-16-27-67-11
Email: marianne.amssoms@inbev.com
SOURCE Anheuser-Busch
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