Economic Recovery Won’t Help LabourLONDON - The “green shoots of recovery” may not be political spin after all - according to the Economist Intelligence Unit. The pace of decline is slowing and the government can take some credit with an aggressive fiscal stimulus. In fact, the UK may even be in a favourable position compared to the eurozone that has been more prudent. But none of this is likely to help the Labour party - mired by the expenses scandal and facing an electorate keen to punish the UK’s incumbent government. An International Litigation Draws Attention From China and Europe - Danone-Wahaha Feud: The Cornerstone of World EqualityHANGZHOU, China - Following the successful completion of the China-EU high-level economic and trade dialogue, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao recently went to Prague for the China-EU summit, marking that Sino-EU cooperation has returned to the right place after suffering a temporary setback last year. Amsterdam Court of Appeals Declares Shell Settlement BindingTHE HAGUE, The Netherlands - The Hague - Today, the Amsterdam Court of Appeals has declared the Non-U.S. Settlement Agreement concerning the recategorisation by Shell of certain of its oil and gas reserves binding. The agreement provides relief in the amount of US$352.6 million to qualifying non-U.S. shareholders who bought Shell shares on any stock exchange outside the United States from 8 April 1999 through 18 March 2004. The settlement amount includes a US$12.5 million payment which is to be distributed equally to all shareholders who submit a valid claim for relief, regardless of the number of shares held by the person or entity submitting a claim. International Transport Sector Confident to Provide Transport’s Central Role in Stimulating Economies Around the WorldPARIS and LEIPZIG, Germany - 800 Delegates From Around the World, Including 52 Transport Ministers and Industry Leaders Discussed the Future of Global Transport at the 2009 International Transport Forum in Leipzig, Germany. In a “David Against Goliath” Move, Cult Anti-Ageing Skincare Brand, SKIN.NY(R), Takes on Boots The Chemist for Misleading the Public by Making False Claims About Their No.7 Protect & Perfect ProductsLONDON - Cult skincare brand SKIN.NY(R) have issued legal proceedings against beauty giant, Boots the Chemist, for misleading the public. In a recent blaze of publicity, Boots the Chemist claimed that their much-lauded Boots No.7 Protect and Perfect was the first anti-wrinkle cream to be proven to be effective in clinical trials. This is untrue. In fact, SKIN.NY Radical Restructure Complex(R) containing QAL-100(R) was the first complex skin cream with proven clinical trials published in the BJD over 6 years earlier in October 2003. Boehringer Ingelheim and the World Stroke Organization Announce Partnership in the World Stroke AcademyINGELHEIM, Germany - For Healthcare Media Outside the U.S.A., Canada, and Japan Boehringer Ingelheim announced today that it will become the founding sponsor of the World Stroke Academy, a novel training initiative for stroke professionals being developed by the World Stroke Organization (WSO). This latest educational initiative from the WSO will bring together an international group of stroke experts - led by Professor Michael Brainin of the Danube University Krems, Austria - to provide information about stroke and knowledge for health professionals and medical doctors in order to improve prevention, therapy and management of stroke. Proven Reliability for Accountants Choosing IRIS Tax Solutions for Online FilingLONDON - Newly issued statistics for April show that the success rate for personal tax returns filed online using IRIS tax products (www.iris.co.uk/practice) was well above the average of 94.5% for third party software. The sheer volume of returns filed online using IRIS tax software makes this achievement even more remarkable with a total number of 12,491 returns filed across IRIS, PTP and Drummohr products. Web 2.0 Gains Momentum in Europe, with Companies Looking for New Ways to Stay Productive, Notes Frost & SullivanLONDON - The year 2008 and economic downturn have changed the way companies are going about their daily business. In response to the current recession in Europe, businesses are seeking new ways to stay productive while significantly cutting costs with the help of Web 2.0 solutions. From lower-cost versions of enterprise applications, to utilising cloud computing, ‘crowd sourcing’ business owners are taking advantage of what Web 2.0 has to offer. International Transport Forum 2009 “Transport for a Global Economy: Challenges & Opportunities in the Downturn” has OpenedPARIS and LEIPZIG, Germany - The Secretary General of the International Transport Forum, Jack Short, Opened the International Transport Forum 2009 in Leipzig on Tuesday With a Tour of the Accompanying Exhibition Strauss Group Reports Solid Start to 2009 with Growth in Sales and Pro-forma Net ProfitTEL AVIV - Financial highlights: - Sales in Q1 totaled NIS 1.52 billion, an increase of 1.2%; Organic growth, net of exchange rate impacts, totaled 6.3%. - Q1 reported operating profit reached NIS 135 million, compared to NIS 125 million in the same quarter last year; Operating profit for Q1, on a pro-forma[1] basis, totaled NIS 135 million compared to NIS 137 million last year. - Q1 reported net profit totaled NIS 74 million, compared to NIS 84 million in Q1 2008; Net profit, on a pro-forma basis, reached NIS 80 million compared to NIS 65 million last year. 500,000 YouTube Views in Two Weeks: Grabarz&Partner Infects the Internet With “Bontrust” AdvertisingHAMBURG, Germany - The fact that successful viral advertising doesn’t always have to come from the USA or England has been impressively demonstrated recently by the Hamburg ad agency Grabarz&Partner for its client Bontrust. Two weeks ago the agency uploaded a 75-second spot for the investment consulting firm on the video sharing website YouTube. The lavishly produced film shows a world that is completely made of banknotes, and in which the Abraham Lincoln immortalized on dollar bills falls head over heels in love with a female banknote and fathers children with her. Ending: “Make your money multiply with us.” IslamicAdvisory.com Launches First Islamic Finance Training PortalDUBAI, UAE - The Islamic finance industry gets its first dedicated training portal: IslamicAdvisory.com, Islamic Finance Training, Online. Certified by leading scholars, the portal is the first to provide streamable, interactive Islamic finance training modules “ideal for training across large-scale institutions,” as one prominent user, Yusuf Jha, Shariah Controller at Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, describes it. S7 Airlines Opts in Favour of WirecardMUNICH, Germany - With immediate effect, the Russian S7 Airlines will make use of payment services provided by Wirecard AG in connection with credit card acceptance via Wirecard Bank AG. New Findings Provide Additional Insights into the Management of Anaemia and Secondary Hyperparathyroidism in Chronic Kidney Disease PatientsMILAN - Data presented from large-scale observational studies provide new insights into the day-to-day management of two major complications of CKD: anaemia and secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT).(1), (2), (3), (4) Magna Confirms Offer for OpelAURORA, Canada - Magna International Inc. (TSX: MG.A, NYSE: MGA) today confirmed that, together with Sberbank Rossii (”Sberbank”), it has submitted a non-binding indicative offer for Opel. The offer contemplates a total investment by Magna and Sberbank of Euro 700 million, a portion of which would be guaranteed by the German government. Under the offer, the proposed equity interests in Opel would be: General Motors - 35%; Sberbank - 35%; Magna - 20%; and Opel employees - 10%. Hawker Beechcraft Sets Industry Standard for SustainabilityGENEVA - Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) is taking the lead in sustainability among aircraft manufacturing companies. HBC organized the formation of the Wichita Sustainability Coalition, implemented a sustainability program throughout all areas of its business and expanded its company recycling program. In addition, the Beechcraft Bonanza G36 was the first to fly on Swift Sustainable Fuel and among the first to fly on unleaded fuel. Security Trade Sees the Future of Access Control at IFSEC 2009BRIGHTON, England - UK Access Control Manufacturer Sensor Access Technology Receives an Enthusiastic Reception for its New IP Hosted Access Control Product GuardPointNET at Security Trade Show IFSEC Held in Birmingham UK this week. Seven-Time PGA Event Champion Sergio Garcia Takes Ceremonial Delivery of First-In-Class Hawker 4000GENEVA - Golf champion touts world’s most advanced business jet at EBACE Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) announced that seven-time PGA Event Champion Sergio Garcia took ceremonial delivery of the revolutionary Hawker 4000 super-midsized business jet on May 12 at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva, Switzerland. The Hawker 4000 is first in its class, first in the world and the most advanced business jet in the world based on its innovative composite construction. Competition Lets Children Design Their Own Car SeatLONDON - Budding artists aged three to 12 have the chance to ride in style, in a child car seat customised by themselves. Global Health Advocates Call For Pan-African Voices to Speak UpNAIROBI, Kenya - “The people of Africa must speak out and tell President Obama, a son of Kenya, that he must meet his promises to those who are affected by HIV/AIDS.” — James Kamau, Kenya Treatment Action Movement, Nairobi Geico’s Self-Sustainable PaintshopMILAN - With paint shops being the biggest consumers of power in assembly plants, the challenge in an increasingly energy-hungry world is to make them more efficient. Talari Networks Mercury T200 Extends the Reach of Adaptive Private Networking for Enterprise WANsLAS VEGAS - Affordable SOHO appliance expands Talari’s revolutionary, RAID-like approach to lowering WAN costs while increasing bandwidth and reliability In the Presence of the President of the State of Israel, Mr. Shimon Peres the 2009 Dan David Prize was Awarded toTEL AVIV, Israel - Professor Paolo de Bernardis, Professor Andrew Lange and Professor Paul Richards for Their Contribution for the Past Time Dimension in the Field of Astrophysics - History of the Universe Wipro, Oracle and Hackett Collaborate to Launch HR Platform SolutionsBANGALORE, India - First of its Kind Collaboration to Bring Together World Class Bundled BPO Services and Technology Liaoning Provincial High Court Dismisses Danone’s Appeal, Wahaha Defeats Danone 24:0HANGZHOU, China - Since the claim against Zong Qinghou, Chairman of Hangzhou Wahaha Group Co, Ltd., brought by two subsidiaries of Danone, Myen Pte. Ltd. and Festine Pte. Ltd., was rejected by the Henan Provincial High Court on April 10, 2009, the Liaoning Provincial High Court, on April 27, delivered its final judgment on the “non-compete” obligation case brought by Singapore Novalc Pte Ltd, another subsidiary of Danone, against Zong, in which the claim was rejected and the original judgment was sustained. So far, Danone has been defeated by Wahaha three times consecutively in a single month, with all the 24 ruled cases between the two parties ending against Danone. Document Interoperability Initiative Drives Development of New ToolsLONDON - Fraunhofer FOKUS and industry experts collaborate to help organisations test and verify conformance with standardised document formats; updates to additional translator projects unveiled. 75 Percent of Recruiters Believe Candidates With IT Certifications are More Employable, Finds The IT Job BoardLONDON - Online Recruitment Specialist Carries out Industry Survey 75 percent of recruiters believe that IT candidates with additional qualifications stand a better chance of securing a job, according to a recent survey[1] undertaken by The IT Job Board - www.theitjobboard.co.uk. SABMiller - Full Year Results Interview with CEOLONDON - SABMiller, one of the world’s largest brewers, today reported strong full year results for F09 despite a challenging backdrop. Creanord Unveils New EchoVault Total for Deploying and Assuring Carrier Ethernet 2.0 ServicesETHERNET EXPO EUROPE - LONDON - Creanord Ltd., a premier solutions enabler assisting Carriers and service providers in Ensuring Quality of Experience(TM) and strengthening customer loyalty announced today the availability of Creanord EchoVault Total. Addax Petroleum Announces Acquisition Onshore Gabon With Immediate Exploration DrillingCALGARY, Canada - Potential Farm-in for 50 Per Cent Interest of Ogueyi Licence Area Including Currently Drilling Azango Exploration Well Portfolios of the Poor Offers Rare Look at Surprisingly Complex Financial Lives of the World’s PoorNEW YORK - New Book Recommends Expansion of Microfinance and Better Financial Tools Billions of people around the world live on less than US$2 per day - what many in the developed world easily spend on a cup of coffee. As global leaders work to stabilize the financial systems of the world’s largest economies, they also have an unparalleled opportunity to include poor households in meaningful reform that expands access to those who need it most. TED Open-Translation Project Brings Subtitles in 40+ Languages to TED.comNEW YORK - A first-of-its-kind toolset is empowering volunteer translators worldwide to bring TED talks to their communities Addax Petroleum Announces Strong Cash Flows in First Quarter 2009 ResultsCALGARY - High Impact Projects Expected to Yield a Transformational Year Addax Petroleum Corporation (”Addax Petroleum” or the “Corporation”) (TSX: AXC and LSE: AXC), today announced its results for the quarter ended March 31, 2009. The financial results are prepared in accordance with Canadian GAAP and the reporting currency is US dollars. Barclays Commercial Survey: UK Businesses see Opportunity to ‘Leapfrog’ Competition During RecessionLONDON - A majority of UK businesses view the ability to ‘leapfrog’ struggling competitors as their key opportunity in the current recession, according to new research by Barclays Commercial examining recessionary behaviour amongst established UK companies*. RockTron Cuts the Cost of Concrete!LONDON - After nearly two decades of development, determination and sheer graft in the face of considerable scepticism, RockTron’s pioneering new UK eco-mineral processing plant for fly ash near Widnes is now on line. Over and above the significant environmental benefits, RockTron can now offer the hard-pressed cementitious industry a range of superior cement components at half the price of CEM1 (Cement)! www.rktron.com |
