WA:Main stories in Monday's W Australian

AAP General News (Australia)
08-08-2011
WA:Main stories in Monday's W Australian

PERTH, Aug 8 AAP - The main stories in Monday's The West Australian:

Page 1: PM calls for calm amid global financial turmoil.

Page 3: WA court gets tough on drug labs.

Page 5: national Leader Brendon Grylls is pork-barrelling with Royalties for Regions
money, Labor says.

World: Rioters in rampage in London.

Finance: Metal price plunge hits home.

Sport: West Coast's surge towards the top four remains on target despite three injury
scares in victory over Richmond.

AAP ldj

KEYWORD: MONITOR FRONTERS WA

� 2011 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

WA: Barnett says he doesn't support nurses going on strike

AAP General News (Australia)
02-17-2005
WA: Barnett says he doesn't support nurses going on strike

West Australian Opposition leader COLIN BARNETT says the state's nurses have a right
to be frustrated by stalled pay talks with the government, but should not go on strike.

But Premier GEOFF GALLOP accuses Mr BARNETT of salivating over the prospect of a nurses'
strike three days before the state election on February the 26th.

The Liberal leader rejects the barb, but refuses to say if he'll try to talk nurses
out of the planned industrial action.

The coalition has already reached an in-principle agreement with the Australian Nursing
Federation over a 14 per cent wage rise, as proposed by the Australian Industrial Relations
Commission.

It's also promising $50 million over three years for better nursing conditions.

AAP RTV hq/hn/wz/rt

KEYWORD: POLLWA ANF BARNETT (PERTH)

2005 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

NSW:'Execution' victim was drug case witness

AAP General News (Australia)
04-12-2011
NSW:'Execution' victim was drug case witness

SYDNEY, April 12 AAP - A man shot dead at his Sydney home last week was due to give
evidence about death threats against the chief Crown witnesses in a major drug trial.

Gemahl Maika, 38, was an important witness in a series of criminal cases against a
multi-million dollar cocaine trafficking and money laundering syndicate, The Sydney Morning
Herald reports.

The raids that broke up the gang in 2007 netted $20 million in cash and firearms including
a gold-plated .357 Magnum pistol.

Mr Maika was shot on Wednesday night as he drove into the garage of his home at Glen
Alpine in Sydney's southwest.

Police said it was an "execution", adding that Mr Maika, whom police did not name at
the time, was known to police.

The Herald reported on Tuesday that in a hearing of one case against the "golden gun"

syndicate, police said there were "extreme" threats to the safety of witnesses.

The evidence to be given by Mr Maika related to allegations of death threats against
the chief Crown witness in the continuing case, known as Mr X.

AAP wjf/pc/bwl

KEYWORD: MAIKA

� 2011 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

FED:Oakeshott wants MMRT legislation produced

AAP General News (Australia)
12-22-2010
FED:Oakeshott wants MMRT legislation produced

CANBERRA, Dec 22 AAP - Key independent MP Rob Oakeshott has accused the Gillard government
of undertaking questionable backroom deals over its proposed mining tax.

His concerns follow the release of a transition group report into the Minerals Resource
Rent Tax (MRRT), that recommended crediting all future state and territory royalties against
the new tax.

That contradicts the government's stance to limit credits to only state royalties existing
at May 2, 2010.

Mr Oakeshott called on the government to release final details of its MRRT as soon
as parliament resumes in February.

"I would ask government to stump up with it (MMRT legislation) quickly," he told Sky
News, suggesting too many "handshakes" were happening "behind closed doors".

"I think there's some cute politics being played behind closed doors. (We need) a full-on
public debate with a detailed piece of legislation."

Opposition frontbencher Bruce Billson says the recommendation represents an "enormous
rebuke" for Prime Minister Julia Gillard and her confused policy.

"This was the mining tax that was so flawed Labor needed to take out a prime minister
to fix it," he told Sky News, referring to Kevin Rudd.

"I wonder whether Julia Gillard's going to be taken out ... neither (prime minister)
has got it right."

Labor MP David Bradbury has denied a policy retreat, saying the report highlights "consensus
emerging between industry and the government".

"It's a little bit presumptuous to start making assessment like that when the government
has not yet responded to the recommendations," he told Sky News.

"To try and characterise this as anything other than a very positive development ...

is a little bit churlish."

MORE sld/sb/jlw/maur

KEYWORD: MRRT

� 2010 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

FED:Aust should speak out on Burma poll

AAP General News (Australia)
08-13-2010
FED:Aust should speak out on Burma poll

Amnesty International has called on Australia to use its regional influence to press
Burma for a free and fair election.

The call comes after country's ruling military junta announced today that the country's
first election in 20 years will be held on November 7.

Amnesty is concerned because the regime has detained more than two-thousand political
prisoners .. including the leader of the main opposition party AUNG SAN SUU KYI.

AAP RTV ca/wz

KEYWORD: BURMA VOTE AUST (CANBERRA)

� 2010 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Fed: Greens call for crackdown on ship shortcuts through reef

AAP General News (Australia)
04-06-2010
Fed: Greens call for crackdown on ship shortcuts through reef

CANBERRA, April 6 AAP - There needs to be a crackdown on foreign ships using the Great
Barrier Reef as a shipping shortcut, the Australian Greens say.

Three to four tonnes of heavy fuel oil spilled from the Shen Neng 1 on Saturday after
it hit a shoal inside a restricted zone of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

Greens leader Bob Brown said on Tuesday he suspected the vessel wasn't the first to
take such a shortcut, and the federal government should do more to control foreign shipping
in the area.

"There needs to be a complete review about the number and size of these ships moving
through the Great Barrier Reef," he told ABC Radio.

"There needs to be pilots aboard and there should be very strict laws, including monitoring,
of where these ships are."

Senator Brown said each ship should be checked before it left port to ensure it was
seaworthy, able to handle the conditions ahead, and to confirm its course.

"Speculation is growing that a large number of these huge ships, including oil containers,
move illegally through this lane near the Douglas Shoal, and nothing's been done about
it by the authorities," he said.

Senator Brown is trying to find out where the Australia Federal Police are up to in
their inquiries into the incident, and questioned whether such vessels even needed to
navigate through the reef at all.

He flew over the Shen Neng 1 site on Monday and said it was stuck "hard and fast" to
the shoal below.

"You would think they're going to have to remove at least part of the cargo (to refloat
it)," Senator Brown said.

Meanwhile, general manager of Maritime Safety Queensland, Captain Patrick Quirk, said
that while there was no evidence of major oil leakage into the water, he was preparing
for the worst.

"We are working with the Department of Community Safety, the local SES groups and a
regional council in terms of preparing ourselves for the eventuality of oil on the beaches,"

he said.

AAP bsb/dep

KEYWORD: CARRIER BROWN

2010 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

WA: Oil spill clean-up expected to cost millions

AAP General News (Australia)
08-23-2009
WA: Oil spill clean-up expected to cost millions

PERTH, Aug 23 AAP - The clean-up bill for an oil and gas spill on a rig off Western
Australia's northwest coast is expected to cost millions of dollars, the Australian Maritime
Safety Authority (AMSA) says.

AMSA spokeswoman Tracey Jiggins said the Thai-based company, PTTEP Australasia, which
operates the rig, would foot the bill.

She said while she could not estimate how much the clean-up would cost, "it would be
very expensive" and would continue to rise until the leak was stemmed.

"The imperative now is that the leak is stopped," Ms Jiggins said on Sunday.

"The company has given us a written undertaking that they will pay for any cost of the clean-up.

"It's impossible to gauge at this stage, but it will run into the millions."

AAP ap/apm

KEYWORD: SPILL AMSA

2009 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Events Diary for Wednesday, April 15, 2009

AAP General News (Australia)
04-14-2009
Events Diary for Wednesday, April 15, 2009
EVENTS LISTED IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER AND LOCAL TIME UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED:

ADELAIDE
1150 - Senator Sarah Hanson-Young keynote speaker at Environmental Health Australia Institute
annual conference, The Old Mill, Hahndorf. Contact: Gemma Clark 0427 604 760

BRISBANE
0900 - The Fair Work Bill. How will it impact your business? Statewide seminar series
presented by Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Hotel Grand Chancellor, Spring Hill. Contact:
Gail Gillord 3842 2264.

1000 - Annual bravery awards presentation - 22 Queenslanders to receive awards. Government House.

1130 - Kidney Kids face life's challenges. Children suffering from kidney disease, many
of them transplanted or on dialysis, will take on life's challenges. Tallebudgera Active
Recreation Centre, North Palm Beach. Contact: Anne Wilson 0400 165 391.

CANBERRA
0900 - Leading climate change experts from Australia and China to meet at the Australian
National University. Contact: Roz Smith, 02 6125 6599/0402 286 325.

1030 - Minister for Defence Joel Fitzgibbon to release findings of Defence White Paper
Community Consultation Program. Mural Room, Parliament House, Canberra. Contact: Christian
Taubenschlag, 02 6277 7800 or 0438 595 567.

MELBOURNE
0900 - National Career Conference. Grand Hyatt Hotel. Contact: Georgie Clark 02 97757000.

0930 - Promo for new ABC childrens show WotWots Wednesday. Melbourne Zoo. Contact: Sarah
Osmotherly 0402 882683
1200 - Media launch for Marysville-Lake Mountain bushfire relief bike ride. 5-time Olympian
Shane Kelly to attend. At Marysville. Contact Adam Smith 03 8480 3000.

PERTH
- No events listed.

SYDNEY
1030 - Release of NSW Crime Statistics. Parliament House, Macquarie Street, Sydney. Contact:
Don Weatherburn 9231 9190.

1100 - Media briefing providing update on ABC2 Group sale and transfer process. PPB Sydney
office, MLC Building, Level 46, 19 Martin Place. Contact: Ben Jarvis: 0413 150 448 or
Matt Paterson 0402 140 757.

1230 - Hugh White presents "Australia's defence priorities in the Asian century" to Lunch
At Lowy. The Lowy Institute for International Policy, Ground Floor, 31 Bligh Street, Sydney.

Contact: Katherine Gamble 8238 9181.

1730 - Peter Hartcher presents "Greenspan, Bush and Obama - The Global Financial Crisis"

to the Sydney Institute. Clayton Utz Seminar Room, 1 O'Connell Street, Sydney. Contact:
9252 3366.

SPORT
SWIMMING - Australian Age C'ships - to April 18
Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Cnt
SURFING (Men's) - ASP World Tour - to April 18
Rip Curl Pro, Bells Beach, Vic
GALLOPS -
Warwick Farm
Sandown
Ipswich
Murray Bridge
Ascot
New Zealand
TROTS -
Bathurst
Geelong
Redcliffe
Horsham
Sth Africa
UK
GREYHOUNDS -
The Gardens
Sandown
Ipswich
Angle Park
Ballarat
Bulli
Cannington
Albion Park
Warrnambool



AAP pbc/ad/hn/tnf

KEYWORD: DIARY EVENTS WED

2009 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Fed: Australia should lead at UN climate talks: Flannery

AAP General News (Australia)
12-09-2008
Fed: Australia should lead at UN climate talks: Flannery

CANBERRA, Dec 9 AAP - Australia should take a leadership role at UN climate talks in
Poland, environmentalist and former Australian of the year Tim Flannery says.

Professor Flannery, who is in Poland for the talks, called on the Australian government
to take the initiative on a global pact to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

He said the UN negotiations were not going smoothly and not much progress was being
made, partly because no developed country would take a leadership role.

"I think that I'd like to see Australia be a bit more ambitious, quite frankly," Prof
Flannery told reporters.

"There is very little gain with going with the herd if that results in a treaty that
costs us the Great Barrier Reef and costs us most of our biodiversity.

"I'd be arguing for steep emissions reductions, a leadership position in these negotiations,
and a strategy that would bring the rest of the world along with us."

AAP ca/kms/tnf

KEYWORD: CLIMATE UN FLANNERY

2008 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

SA: Tiger makes Adelaide its second home

AAP General News (Australia)
08-05-2008
SA: Tiger makes Adelaide its second home

By Liza Kappelle

ADELAIDE, Aug 5 AAP - Budget airline Tiger Airways has pounced on a gap left by JetStar
in Adelaide, making the city its second Australian base.

Qantas announced last month the South Australian base for crew and pilots attached
to its low-cost offshoot, Jetstar, would be shut down by the end of August.

The measures were designed to offset rising costs of jet fuel and difficult conditions
in the aviation industry.

Tiger Airways has also recently axed services due to fuel and operating costs - cancelling
flights to Darwin from Melbourne and Singapore.

But Tiger Airways Australia Managing Director Shelley Roberts said today that Darwin
and Adelaide were very different examples and SA was a good choice for the airline's second
Australian home, after Melbourne.

"Darwin - the only place you can fly to - is pretty much Asia within a four hour flying
distance. Adelaide presents many, many opportunities," Ms Roberts said.

"Since we entered the market in Adelaide earlier in the year, we have seen that the
market is generally underserved and constrained by the high fares that are in operation.

"So we know we can continue the low fare revolution in Adelaide."

Setting up the second base is expected to almost double the number of annual low fare
seats being made available in Australia to more than three million per year, she said.

Tiger Airways will boost services from Adelaide to Melbourne from next week and will
base two new A319s in Adelaide from early next year.

Additional aircraft will be based there over the next eight years depending on consumer demand.

The airline would recruit over 50 cabin and flight crew for Adelaide, with former JetStar
crew already lining up for jobs, Ms Roberts said.

Tiger Airlines, which hopes to set up at least five Australian bases in the next seven
years, wants the public to tell them on its website which destinations to service from
Adelaide.

More direct flights from Adelaide are likely to result in more than 10 million additional
passengers using the South Australian airport over the next eight years, Tiger Airlines
says.

Premier Mike Rann said the cumulative benefit to the state economy could be up to $100
million over 10 years.

"This will give interstate visitors more affordable opportunities to travel to South
Australia for their holidays - injecting valuable tourism dollars into the local economy,"

the premier said.

AAP lk/jm/de

KEYWORD: TIGER NIGHTLEAD (PIX AVAILABLE)

2008 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Fed: Govt to release sorry wording this afternoon

AAP General News (Australia)
02-12-2008
Fed: Govt to release sorry wording this afternoon

The federal government will this afternoon reveal the exact form of words it will use
to apologise to the stolen generations.

The wording will be revealed in federal parliament after 5pm (AEDT) .. ahead of Prime
Minister KEVIN RUDD delivering the long-awaited apology in the House of Representatives
tomorrow.

Mr RUDD says the government is trying to balance the expectations of the opposition
.. with those of indigenous people .. and says there'll be further discussions with the
opposition before the wording is released.

AAP RTV so/psm/

KEYWORD: SORRY (CANBERRA)

2008 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Qld: Molotov cocktail arsonist escapes jail

AAP General News (Australia)
08-24-2007
Qld: Molotov cocktail arsonist escapes jail

A court's heard a jealous Brisbane soldier threw a molotov cocktail into a car because
he was angry about his ex-partner's new boyfriend.

24-year-old NATHAN JOHN BANKS was so upset the mother of his child had become close
friends with another man .. he destroyed the car while it was parked on the man's front
lawn.

BANKS pleaded guilty today in the Brisbane District Court to one count of arson.

The court was told the soldier .. who was based at the Enoggera Army Barracks in Brisbane's
north at the time .. used a yellow oil container filled with petrol to make the molotov
cocktail.

He waited until night before sneaking to the man's house and throwing the explosive
through the driver's side window.

The car immediately caught fire and BANKS headed back to the barracks while the owner
was left to put out the flames.

Police later searched his unit and vehicle where they found clothing containing traces
of petrol and the cap from the yellow oil container.

The court was told he'd had a bad year and tried to commit suicide only months before
the offence.

He was sentenced to two years jail but was released on parole.

He was also ordered to repay four thousand dollars to RACQ insurance for the damage to the car.

AAP RTV cf/pjo/imc/bart

KEYWORD: BANKS (BRISBANE)

2007 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Fed: E Timor results possible in a week - Downer

AAP General News (Australia)
04-10-2007
Fed: E Timor results possible in a week - Downer

CANBERRA, April 10 AAP - Foreign Minister Alexander Downer expects the results from
the East Timorese presidential elections to be known within the next week or so.

The people of East Timor went to the polls yesterday to vote for a new president, their
first ballot for the role since the country gained independence in 2002.

But there are suggestions the poll could require a run-off vote, with no clear winner emerging.

Despite this possibility, Mr Downer said the election had gone well.

"People voted in vast numbers," he told Adelaide radio.

"That is a great thing for East Timor."

Mr Downer said he was unsure when exactly the result of the poll may be known.

"It will be within the next week or so and then beyond that, there are parliamentary
elections in the middle of the year and I think that is likely to be pretty lively as
well," he said.

AAP so/sb/jt/de

KEYWORD: TIMOR DOWNER

2007 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Qld: Bikie Bakir to face new charges

AAP General News (Australia)
12-08-2006
Qld: Bikie Bakir to face new charges

A court's been told the bikie brother of Gold Coast phone entrepreneur RON BAKIR will
be charged with a list of new offences .. as early as this weekend.

YASSAR BAKIR's legal team has turned up to the Supreme Court in Brisbane today .. to
make a bail application on charges of attempted murder .. dangerous conduct with a weapon
and possession of a firearm.

However .. prosecutor TAMARA THOMPSON's announced the new charges are pending against
the 32-year-old .. and it would be preferable to hear a bail application including the
new charges at a later date.

Ms THOMPSON says after organised crime police spoke to a key witness in the case ..

BAKIR will be now charged with a great number of new offences.

Supreme Court Justice DEBRA MULLINS has adjourned the bail application until next Tuesday
.. December 12.







BAKIR is accused of shooting 39-year-old PITA WILLIAM WILSON eight times .. at Southport
Spit on the Gold Coast on June 9.

A member of the Finks bikies .. BAKIR is the younger brother of RON BAKIR .. who attracted
enormous publicity through his involvement with the defence of convicted drug smuggler
SCHAPELLE CORBY.

AAP RTV smk/sc/tm/bart

KEYWORD: BAKIR (GOLD COAST)

2006 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

NSW: Man arrested over western Sydney stabbing death

AAP General News (Australia)
08-02-2006
NSW: Man arrested over western Sydney stabbing death

A man's been arrested after another man was found dead with multiple stab wounds in
a western Sydney unit last night.

Officers found the body of a 58-year-old man in a unit on Stewart Street at Parramatta
.. after receiving a Triple-0 call.

Police say they searched a house in Chapel Lane at Baulkham Hills .. where they arrested
a 56-year-old man.

He was taken to Parramatta Police Station and is helping police with their inquiries.

AAP RTV tr/cp

KEYWORD: STABBED (SYDNEY)

2006 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Vic: Conner beats Bertrand for first time in 23 years

AAP General News (Australia)
02-12-2006
Vic: Conner beats Bertrand for first time in 23 years

After 23 years .. America's Cup skipper DENNIS CONNER has finally came up trumps over
his Australian arch-rival JOHN BERTRAND.

In the CMV Volvo Challenge on Port Phillip Bay yesterday .. CONNER narrowly defeated
BERTRAND after a three-race duel.

The rivals are famous for their 1983 America's Cup race .. when Australia shocked their
American counterparts with a sensational win.

The race is regarded as one of Australia's most treasured moments in sailing's history
.. with former prime minister BOB HAWKE encouraging Australians to celebrate .. even during
working hours.

Until yesterday .. CONNER and BERTRAND hadn't raced each other in 23 years.

AAP RTV jat/wz/rt

KEYWORD: CONNER (MELBOURNE)

2006 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

alternative hypothesis

alternative hypothesis The hypothesis, in a hypothesis test, that will be accepted if the null hypothesis is rejected. The term was introduced by Neyman and Egon Pearson in 1933.

E-mailed bomb threat blows up in kids' faces.(Neighbor)

Byline: Wallace & Smith

The high-tech equivalent of pulling a fire alarm at school was realized at Twin Groves Junior High in Buffalo Grove recently when two students sent an e-mail bomb threat to the school.

But if any other juvenile pranksters are getting it into their heads that such a stunt might be good for a laugh, think again.

One of two students responsible for sending the e-mail has been expelled and the other is facing similar punishment. The two also were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, and they may face additional charges, according to Buffalo Grove Police Investigator Tim Gretz. And they will now be getting a firsthand lesson in our justice system as their case makes its way through the Lake County juvenile court system.

Furthermore, Keith Mann, the director of technology for Northwest Suburban High School District 214, pointed out that it's virtually impossible to send an e-mail message that cannot be traced.

"You can always backtrack to see who did this," he said.

Gretz said the Twin Groves students used highly sophisticated language in their bomb threat and were savvy enough to make an attempt to disguise the origin of their e-mail, which was sent from one of their homes through a private e-mail service account.

The company that provided the account helped police trace the source of the e-mail to a modem in the Buffalo Grove-Lincolnshire area, Gretz said. From there, they filled in their investigation from information provided by a parent and identified the two culprits within two days of the incident.

* * *

Internet (ab)use policies: The Twin Groves students are, of course, not the first to have gotten into trouble through inappropriate uses of the Internet. Students in other states also have been disciplined for e-mailing death threats to the president.

And though access to e-mail and the Internet is considered an important tool for students, it does come with its opportunities for abuses.

And, unfortunately, Mann said he expects that the number of abuses will continue to grow until schools get used to having the Internet around and "determine proper rules, regulations and policies."

"We're going to see tons and tons of examples" of Internet abuses, Mann said, "probably things we can't even think of yet."

Mann said that as students learn to use the new tools of information-gathering, they also need to "have a full discussion about networking ethics."

Most districts have started this discussion by establishing Internet use policies. Most of those require parents to sign off on allowing their children to use the Internet with the understanding that the schools may not be able to control access completely and prevent students from finding inappropriate information or images. Students, in turn, have to acknowledge that Internet access is a privilege that, like any other privilege, could be lost if they abuse it.

Though most parents seem concerned about their children accessing pornography over the Internet, experts in educational technology point out that there are lots of other inappropriate or illegal things students can find or do in cyberspace.

But we won't get into those. We don't want to give anybody any ideas.

* * *

Lincoln's progenies: Christin Luckman, a senior at Barrington High School, and Abbas Khan, a sophomore at Wheeling High School, have qualified to represent Illinois in the Lincoln Life Lincoln-Douglas Debates at the National Speech Tournament in Minneapolis during the week of June 15.

At the speech tournament, Christin, Abbas and Anne Coleman of New Trier High School in Winnetka will compete against more than 200 other Lincoln-Douglas debate winners from across the country. The participants are competing for $20,000 in scholarship money being offered by the Lincoln National Life Insurance Co. The top four finishers will receive $8,000, $6,000, $4,000 and $2,000, respectively.

The students are part of the Northern Illinois Forensic League District. The district tournament was held in March at Loyola Academy. To qualify for their district, they won a rigorous, double-elimination tournament debating more than 40 students representing 21 different high schools.

* * *

NASA visit: Students at Schaumburg High School will get a chance to meet one of their more successful graduates Thursday. Catherine A. Larson, a 1983 graduate, has been selected as the school's distinguished graduate for 1997.

She will be the guest speaker at the school's honors convocation.

Larson is an engineer for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Her current assignment is a space shuttle propulsion systems flight control officer; she is one of only five people in the United States qualified for this position.

The Distinguished Graduate Award is presented to Schaumburg High School graduates who have achieved consistent success in their chosen careers and/or have made significant contributions to the school or community.

Impresse Partners With Leading Content Providers for New E-commerce Commercial Printing Network.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 30, 1999--

Impresse.com Will Include News, Information and Reviews from

Graphic Arts and Publishing Experts

Impresse Corporation today announced that key content partners have agreed to exclusively offer a wide range of content and resources for the new impresse.com(TM) business-to-business e-commerce network targeting the printing, publishing and graphic arts communities. Publish Magazine and its online version, Publish.com; creativepro.com from Extensis Corp.; and Mark Beach and Eric Kenly, authors of the best-selling graphic arts book, Getting It Printed, will provide industry news, tutorials, tips and techniques as well as online resources that will help impresse.com users be informed on the quickly changing commercial print industry.

"Our premier partners bring a wealth of value-added content and community-building support that will be a huge benefit to our impresse.com customers," said Siva Kumar, Impresse's co-founder and vice president of marketing of Impresse. "For example, we think print buyers and commercial printers will greatly appreciate having acclaimed experts such as Mark and Eric provide detailed examples and tutorials on important daily print buying tasks and also help them keep up to date on tasks they may only use occasionally."

The impresse.com network is a comprehensive end-to-end Internet service tailored for print buyers, in corporations and creative services firms, who want to cost-effectively automate and manage the procurement workflow for commercially printed items, from project creation through fulfillment and delivery. Launched today at Seybold San Francisco '99, impresse.com was selected as a "Hot Pick" by the Seybold editors.

Publish magazine and Publish.com

Publish magazine and its online edition, Publish.com, are recognized as industry-leading authorities on graphic arts, print and electronic publishing. As a featured partner, Publish will provide impresse.com users with its award-winning original content including featured articles, editorials and reviews. Additionally, users will soon be able to access selected features on Publish.com, including resource directories and special book offerings.

"We are always pleased to highlight Publish's award winning industry coverage among trade professionals."said Wes Walton, publisher of Publish Magazine. "We are committed to helping publishers make the right purchasing decisions by providing critical information about competing high-end brands and technologies with in-depth comparisons, reviews and more."

Getting it Printed

Getting It Printed is the best-selling book thousands of graphic arts professionals rely on every day to train staff and educate customers. Faculties at almost 100 universities and institutions throughout the U.S. use the book to explain both business and technical aspects of print production. Getting It Printed is recommended by Printing Industries of America (PIA), National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL) and other major trade associations.

"Impresse.com is an incredible Internet resource the graphic arts community can leverage to learn new tips and techniques they can immediately put to practice," said Eric Kenly, author of the book, senior trainer for technical and educational center at Rochester Institute of Technology, and partner of IO Technologies. "Mark and I are very excited to partner with Impresse because they truly have the most comprehensive and complete e-commerce service for our industry today."

Creativepro.com

Creativepro.com, a new web portal specifically designed by Extensis, is the premier online resource for the print and web publishing communities. Creativepro.com provides visitors with leading-edge information and resources that integrate the Internet into the creative workflow. As a content partner, creativepro.com and impresse.com will work together to bring graphic arts professionals with the most up-to-date industry news, online resources and product reviews.

Users can securely access impresse.com network using Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator on any Windows or Macintosh computer. Impresse products and services are being demonstrated at Seybold this week at the Impresse booth (Number 201). Impresse was recently named one of the industry's top 100 hot private companies by UPSIDE magazine (June 1999).

About Impresse

Impresse Corporation is the leading provider of business-to-business e-commerce solutions that revolutionize the way corporations buy, produce and fulfill commercially printed materials. Impresse's Internet B2B e-commerce commercial print network and Intranet suite of enhanced software services leverage the latest open Internet standards to effectively automate workflows and transactions between corporate buyers and commercial printers. The Company, headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, is venture funded by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Benchmark Capital, The Java Fund and Atlas Venture. For more information, contact Impresse at 408/530-2000 or at www.impresse.com.

Note to Editors: Impresse, impresse.com and ImpresseWare are trademarks of Impresse Corporation. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of the individual companies and are respectfully acknowledged.

Aloft opens door to 'Smart Check-In' at more hotels.(CONTRACTS)

After a successful pilot, Aloft Hotels will roll out its automatic check-in at five more hotels worldwide.

Aloft's Smart Check-In, the hotel industry's first such program, will let guests zoom to their rooms at Aloft Harlem, Aloft Brooklyn, Aloft Dallas Downtown, Aloft Jacksonville Tapestry Park, and Aloft London by the end of 2011. Smart Check-In made its debut at Aloft Lexington (Massachusetts) last year.

Tech-savvy Aloft is a brand from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. launched in 2008. With nearly 50 properties now open worldwide, the brand has enjoyed the fastest ramp-up in hospitality-industry history. Designed to appeal to the digital generation, Aloft brings urban-influenced, modern, open, and vibrant design at an affordable price point.

Running on radiofrequency identification (RFID) technology, Smart Check-In caters to a new generation of guests on the go who ate more interested in high-tech than high-touch service. Technology has been a vital component of the Aloft brand's DNA from day one, when the "first" Aloft hotel made its debut in virtual reality on Second Life.

How Smatr Check-In works

Select Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) members who opt to participate receive a new enhanced SPG/Aloft-branded TFID keycard. On the day of a planned stay, a text message is sent to the guest' mobile device with their room number. Once at the hotel, guests can skip the check-in line and go straight to their room, where their keycard will unlock the door -- giving guests control of their check-in experience in the palms of their hands. A video tour of Smart Check-In is available for viewing at http:www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iCSAsm7DGs&feature=channel video title.

"Aloft guests never settle for a traditional hotel experience, and they've embraced the Smart Check-In revolution with tremendous enthusiasm," said Brian McGuinness, senior vice president, Specialty Select Brands for Stawood. "For our associates, freedom from traditional check-in procedures means they can spend more time engaging with guests and enhancing the social atmosphere that's made Aloft such a huge hit."

The SPG/Aloft-branded RFID keycard may eventually act as an all-access pass throughout the Aloft stay, allowing guests to purchase cocktails and bites at the hotel's buzzing w xyz bar, sundries at the re:stick retail kiosk, and snacks at re:fuel by aloft, the Aloft brand's deli-style, grab-and-go pantry. The pilot program partner is VingCard Elsafe, a cutting-edge security technology leader for the hospitality industry.

Smart signature features have made Aloft one of the most successful launches in hospitality industry history. Savvy guests can surf their tablets, work on laptops via fast and free hotel-wide wireless Internet access, shoot a game of pool, or grab a drink with friends in the always-hapening re:mix lobby an lounge. The re:charge fitness center and splash, the indoor pool, give travelers options to destress and re-energize, while re:fuel offers sweet, savory, and healthy food, snacks and beverages 24 hours a day.

Aloft features intuitive, high-tech features throughout its public spaces and guest rooms, ensuring guests are always plugged in and connected. All Aloft hotels feature CAT-6 high-throughput wires, which means that all hotels are wired to accommodate tomorrow's technologies. Guest rooms provide a calm oasis that is combination high-tech office and entertainment center, thanks to the plug-and-play, a one-stop connectivity solution that links multiple electronic gadgets at once such as PDAs, cell phones, mp3 players, and laptops, to a 42-inch flat-panel HDTV-ready television for optimal sound and viewing.

Family Christian Stores Launches $30 Million Internet Venture for Nation's 85 Million Christians.

iBelieve.com Teams with Madison Dearborn Partners

To Integrate Content, Community and Commerce

CHICAGO, Sept. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Family Christian Stores, the nation's leading Christian retail chain, today announced plans to launch a comprehensive web destination site aimed at helping Christians enrich their spiritual lives, communicate with each other and purchase products and services online through an innovative contextual commerce model.

Family Christian Stores said it is teaming with the $4 billion private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners to build the premier destination site for online Christians -- iBelieve.com. Chicago-based Madison Dearborn is leading a first-year $30 million investment to launch the standalone venture.

"This new venture is more than just a retailer-goes-online strategy," said Family Christian Stores President and CEO Leslie Dietzman, also serving as iBelieve.com's CEO. "iBelieve.com is a standalone company with its own operations and management team committed to integrating e-commerce capabilities within the framework of proprietary content and community programming to satisfy all of a Christian's life intentions."

"The trusted reputation, industry knowledge and dominant commercial position of Family Christian Stores will provide a critical competitive edge to iBelieve.com," said Ben Chereskin, principal of Madison Dearborn Partners. "We are pleased to ally our financial resources with iBelieve.com's innovative business model and strong team to help facilitate its accelerated growth strategy."

iBelieve.com will be a one-stop destination site for Christians and other morality-concerned individuals, offering information resources, interactive channels, faith-based programming, activities and events, outreach and community offerings, and contextual e-commerce. The site will leverage the bricks-and-mortar presence of Family Christian Stores, including its nearly six-million-member affinity program, to build awareness and traffic for the site.

"iBelieve.com is the best positioned site to serve the rapidly growing online Christian community," said Dietzman. "The consumer intimacy and supplier relationships of Family Christian Stores, our credibility among potential alliance partners such as ministries and missions organizations, and our ability to attract a partner of the caliber of Madison Dearborn will enable us to create the ultimate and all-encompassing online experience for Christians."

Family Christian Stores is the industry leader in the $3 billion Christian retail market. The Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer operates 335 stores and has posted annualized revenue growth in excess of 30 over the last five years. This online initiative is intended to complement Family Christian Stores' rapid retail growth and expansion plans, projected to include a total of more than 130 new stores in 1999 and 2000.

Dietzman said the Christian retail market remains underserved at the store level and even more so on the Internet, inspiring the aggressive growth plan for this online venture.

According to an August 1999 national survey commissioned by iBelieve.com and conducted by Barna Research Group, 44 of self-proclaimed evangelical Christians, or more than 35 million people, are online. An additional 2.5 million Christians are expected to go online within the next six months. The research also found, however, that only 15 of the Christian respondents feel strongly about the Internet as a source of information about matters of faith.

"A void exists for the millions of Christians on the Internet, and we intend to fill it with a robust, all-encompassing online experience," said iBelieve.com President Jef Fite. "iBelieve.com will captivate online Christians by being original and relevant and staking the claim as the trusted, single source for Christians on the web."

Site Profile

Leading up to the scheduled launch of the site in January 2000, iBelieve.com will debut a growing assortment of information and offerings. A pre-launch site is currently live on the Internet and features brief profiles of the site, coming attractions, and an interactive, online poll on the "Most Influential Christians of the 20th Century."

At launch, iBelieve.com will offer personalized content and community programming generated by its ministry and mission organization alliance partners and its internal publishing and content team. This site will help Christians search for a closer walk with God, address the issues and opportunities that arise in their everyday lives, offer ways to reach out to their local community or the world, and develop a virtual community for Christians where they can interact and develop relationships with one another.

The e-commerce component of the site will provide visitors thousands of SKUs spanning all categories of Christian products from books and Bibles to music, gifts and apparel, as well as service offerings such as travel, entertainment, money management and health. The products will be offered in a typical e-commerce store format, as well as integrated throughout the site in the content and community offerings.

The site will employ leading-edge technology to ensure speed, ease of navigation and reliability for online users. Product fulfillment and customer service systems will closely mirror the high performance operating systems currently in place at Family Christian Stores, which ensure diverse selection as well as rapid replenishment.

Leadership Depth

The management team of iBelieve.com is led by Leslie Dietzman, who will hold the CEO title at both Family Christian Stores and the Internet venture, and President Jef Fite. Dietzman has led Family Christian Stores since 1994, joining the company following senior level positions at Wal-Mart, Ames Department Stores and Mervyns. Fite is a former Family Christian Stores special projects and technology executive and served for a number of years as an information and operating systems specialist at Andersen Consulting.

Other members of the leadership team include chief content officer Allen Arnold and chief customer officer John Nardini. Arnold joins iBelieve.com from senior vice president of marketing at Word Publishing, a division of Thomas Nelson, the world's largest Christian books and Bibles publisher. The former Ogilvy & Mather branding and advertising executive led Word's marketing, special events and advertising efforts for eight years. Nardini joins iBelieve.com from vice president of marketing for Chordant Distribution Group, the nation's largest Christian music distributor. Nardini was the CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) "Impact X2 Innovator of the Year" in 1999 as the individual most responsible for growing the industry, and is a former H.J. Heinz and Procter and Gamble marketing executive.

Fite said: "We are building an organization with proven leadership and an aggressive vision to ensure iBelieve.com sets the standard, not just as the leading Christian online site, but as a model among all affinity-based Internet strategies."

Family Christian Stores is the nation's largest Christian retailer with 335 stores in 38 states. Family Christian Stores' mission is to offer an extensive selection of high-quality, Christian-related products of exceptional value in a family environment. Family Christian Stores locations offer thousands of products including Christian books and Bibles, music, gifts and cards, apparel, children's merchandise and church supplies.

Madison Dearborn Partners is a private equity firm based in Chicago, Illinois, which manages a portfolio with more than $4 billion of capital under management. Madison Dearborn's objective is to partner with companies that have outstanding management teams and the potential for significant long-term growth. This includes investments in companies in the consumer, financial, industrial, communications, natural resources and health care services industries. MDP's Consumer team has significant experience investing in and working with companies in the retail and direct marketing sectors.

NetSol starts trading on DIFX.

Provided by 7DAYS.ae

NetSol Technologies yesterday announcedAa the commencement of trading of its NASDAQ US-listed common shares on the Dubai International Financial Exchange. NetSol will trade on the DIFX under the symbol 'NTWK'

A[umlaut] 2007 Al Sidra Media LLC

Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company

Red Hat names general manager for MEA.

Red Hat, a leading provider of open source solutions, has appointed George DeBono as its general manager in the Middle East and Africa region.

DeBono, who previously held a senior global operations role within Red Hat, will now lead the company's business in the region. Prior to joining Red Hat, DeBono held management roles at Sun and Computer Associates.

"The Middle East and Africa offer significant growth opportunities for Red Hat. We have been operating in the region with an on-the-ground presence since 2009," said Werner Knoblich, vice president and general manager of EMEA at Red Hat.

"We intend to build on our early success by adding depth to our marketing, sales and technical support team and have recruited George to lead the company's regional business. George's track record of outstanding achievement, performance and leadership bode well for Red Hat's ability to increase its footprint in these exciting, emerging markets."

"In today's business world, where companies are still grappling with recessionary market conditions, Red Hat's technology is very attractive to end-users as it carries a strong value proposition," said DeBono.

"As compared to the traditional proprietary Capex model offered by Red Hat competitors, which places a strain upfront on company resources, Red Hat's Opex business model provides internal funding for customers that can be used for innovation, which in turn can lead to a competitive advantage."

"Our approach is simple -- work with customers who have invested in our technology to help them realize value. Customer satisfaction is key, as satisfaction breeds opportunity," he added.

"The overarching strategy is transparency, internally as well as to customers and partners. At a grassroots level, we are investing a lot of time and energy garnering market intelligence like understanding the business objectives behind regional customers implementing technology, and which systems integrators deliver consistently high-quality projects," DeBono continued.

"We also realize that we need to continue to popularize the Red Hat brand and for that purpose we have appointed Hesham El Komy to head our marketing and communications programs for the region."

DeBono added that the growing popularity of Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization is also a positive trend.

"We are currently demonstrating a number of proof of concepts to customers looking at virtualization infrastructure deployments. The initial positive responses we have received lead us to believe that this technology will be a strong business driver in the region," he said.

Red Hat has its regional headquarters for Middle East and Africa in Dubai Internet City. -- TradeArabia News Service

Copyright 2011 www.tradearabia.com

Copyright 2011 Al Hilal Publishing & Marketing Group

Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company

Attn. New York City: Sprint programs awarding more than $50,000 to outstanding local non-profits now open for applications.

Application period for 2011 Sprint Community Champions Program and Sprint Local Grant Program runs through July 29

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- Sprint (NYSE: S) is now accepting applications for the New York City Sprint Community Champions Program and Sprint Local Giving Program. In total, these programs will award four grants to New York City-area non-profit organizations this year, totaling $57,500. This is the third year Sprint has offered these programs to New York non-profits.

Sprint Local Grant Program - recognizing two New York City non-profit organizations with $25,000 Sprint Foundation grants

The Sprint Local Grant Program provides $25,000 Sprint Foundation grants to two New York City 501(c)3 organizations to support programs providing a meaningful impact in Sprint's philanthropic focus areas of youth development (including mentoring, leadership and academic achievement), arts and culture, and environmental stewardship. Eligible organizations must be located in the New York City area (Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester counties in New York, andBergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex and Union counties in New Jersey). Additional eligibility requirements can be found at www.sprint.com/localgiving.

Nominations for the Sprint Local Grant Program will be accepted through 6 p.m. Eastern on Friday, July 29, at www.sprint.com/localgiving. The two selected organizations will be notified by mid-September, and the grants will be awarded by the end of November.

Sprint Community Champions Program - recognizing two outstanding New York City individuals for their ongoing community support

The Sprint Community Champions Program recognizes one adult and one high-school student who have made positive impacts on people and organizations in the New York City community. The Adult Champion will have a $5,000 Sprint Foundation grant donated in his or her name to a qualified non-profit organization of his or her choice. The Youth Champion will have a $2,500 Sprint Foundation grant donated in his or her name to a qualified non-profit organization of his or her choice. Eligible individuals for both the Adult Champion and the Youth Champion must reside in the New York City area (Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester counties in New York, andBergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex and Union counties in New Jersey). Additional eligibility requirements for the Champions, as well as for the charitable organizations that receive the grants, can be found at www.sprint.com/localgiving.

Nominations for the Sprint Community Champions Program will be accepted through 6 p.m. Eastern on Friday, July 29, at www.sprint.com/localgiving. The two selected individuals will be notified by mid-September, and grants in these individuals' names will be awarded to qualifying organizations of their choice by the end of November.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 51 million customers at the end of 1Q 2011 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 6 in its 2010 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation's greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

Lenovo Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2010/11 Results.

* Full-year sales of US$21.6 billion

* Full-year pre-tax income of US$358 million

* Profit attributable to equity holders of US$273 million

* Full-year basic EPS of 2.84 US cents, or 22.08 HK cents

* Net cash reserves of US$2.7 billion (as of March 31, 2011)

* Full-year double digit record market share of 10.2 percent

HONG KONG -- Lenovo Group today announced results for its fourth fiscal quarter and full year ended March 31, 2011. Lenovo was the fastest growing of the top five PC manufacturers for the sixth quarter in a row, and for the eighth quarter in a row outgrew the worldwide PC market as a whole. Lenovo's continued focus on executing its "protect and attack" strategy across all geographies, customer segments and product lines, resulted in balanced growth throughout the year, leading to a record year-ending double digit market share of 10.2 percent.

During the fourth quarter, Lenovo's worldwide PC shipments increased 16 percent year-over-year, compared to an overall industry decline of 1.1 percent during the same period.

Consolidated sales for the fourth fiscal quarter grew 13 percent year-over-year to US$4.88 billion. The Company's operating profit (excluding restructuring costs, one-off items and net other income) for the quarter grew almost 50 percent year-over year to US$69 million. Gross profit margin was at 12.3 percent, an improvement of 1.9 points. For the quarter, Lenovo reported a pre-tax income of US$60 million, triple last year's figure. Profit attributable to equity holders was US$42 million in the fourth quarter, more than triple last year's result.

Basic earnings per share for the fourth fiscal quarter was 0.43 US cent, or 3.35 HK cents. Lenovo's Board of Directors declared a final dividend of 0.64 US cents, or 5.0 HK cents per share for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2011.

For the 2010/2011 fiscal year, consolidated sales increased 30 percent to US$21.6 billion. Lenovo's PC shipments grew 28 percent year-over-year, compared to an overall industry increase of 7.4 percent. The Company's pre-tax income was US$358 million. The full-year profit attributable to equity holders was US$273 million, more than double last year's result. Basic earnings per share for the 2010/11 fiscal year totaled 2.84 US cents, or 22.08 HK cents.

"Lenovo had a record-setting year and the Board of Directors is satisfied with both the quarterly and annual results. Lenovo's performance is evidence that the Company is achieving its short-term and quarterly goals, while strengthening its long-term competitiveness. These results demonstrate that we have the right strategy in place and are executing on that strategy," said Lenovo Chairman Liu Chuanzhi. "However, as we celebrate our success, we are very focused on the challenges we face as we continue to build our business worldwide. Our innovative products, our focused strategy and our strong culture, will remain the keys to our success in the coming year and beyond."

"We are very satisfied with the progress of our strategy execution. We not only continue to gain market share in all geographies, customer segments and product lines, but also reported a significant improvement in profit. Our fourth quarter gross profit margin improved almost 2 points year-over-year." said Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing. "We enter our new fiscal year with the utmost confidence. By continuing to execute our 'protect and attack' strategy, Lenovo will be able to further accelerate our pace of growth in the PC industry while achieving good progress in new businesses as well, especially in the mobile internet area."

Lenovo fourth fiscal quarter was highlighted by several significant announcements including the formation of the Company's new Mobile Internet and Digital Home business group responsible for creating mobile-Internet focused devices, including tablets and smartphones, as well as devices for new categories like cloud computing, smart TV and the digital home.

Lenovo also announced the formation of a joint venture with NEC, creating the largest PC group in Japan, and giving Lenovo a leading market share position in two out of the three largest PC markets in the world.

In the product area, Lenovo's focus on innovation was highlighted by the introduction of Lenovo's first tablet which is being sold exclusively in China and is the first of several Lenovo tablet products planned for international release late in the year.

GEOGRAPHIC OVERVEW

Lenovo China achieved US$2.2 billion in consolidated sales in the fourth fiscal quarter, a 12.3 percent increase year-over-year, and accounting for 45 percent of the Company's total sales volume worldwide. Lenovo's industry-leading market share in China rose 1.9 points year-over-year during the fourth quarter to 27.6 percent. Lenovo's fourth quarter PC shipments in China grew 15.8 percent year-over year, double the overall industry growth rate of PC shipments in China of 7.6 percent. Of particular note was the growth rate during the quarter for Lenovo PCs in emerging cities in China.

In the Emerging Markets,* Lenovo's PC shipments grew 31.5 percent, year-over-year during the fourth fiscal quarter, more than twice as fast as the industry growth rate in the region of 12.7 percent. Consolidated sales for the quarter increased 14.2 percent year-over-year to US$850 million, or 17.4 percent of the Company's total sales. While all regions in the emerging markets performed well during the fourth quarter, the shipment growth rates in Russia (up 88 percent), India (up 58 percent), ASEAN (up 43 percent) and Latin America/Brazil (up 15 percent) in particular are worth noting.

Lenovo's performance in the Mature Markets** during the fourth fiscal quarter was highlighted by a year-over-year growth rate in PC shipments of 7.0 percent, all the more impressive when compared to an overall regional decrease in PC shipments of 12.1 percent. Consolidated sale totaled US$1.8 billion, a year-over-year increase of 13.4 percent, or 37.6 percent of Lenovo's total worldwide sales for the quarter. Leading the way in the mature markets, Lenovo's PC shipment grew 25 percent year-over-year in North America. Despite the enormous challenges created by the natural disasters in Japan, Lenovo only saw a slight decrease in PC shipments there of 1.4 percent year-over year and anticipates a full recovery in that market next quarter.

PRODUCT OVERVIEW

Consolidated sales for Lenovo's laptop PC business worldwide in the fourth fiscal quarter totaled US$3.0 billion, an increase of 12 percent year-over-year, representing 61.3 percent of the Company's total sales. The Company's worldwide laptop PC shipments were up 15 percent year-over-year, compared an overall increase during the quarter of just 0.8 percent. During the fourth fiscal quarter, Lenovo introduced the next generation of the best-selling ultraportable business laptop of 2010 - the ThinkPad X220 and the X220 convertible, new T, L and W series ThinkPads, as well as the new ThinkPad Edge E220 and E420 laptops designed for small and medium business customers. Lenovo also announced several new models of the world's fastest booting Windows 7 consumer laptops - the IdeaPads Y470 and Y570.

Lenovo's desktop PC shipments for the fourth fiscal quarter increased an impressive 17.4 percent year-over-year worldwide, compared to an overall industry decrease of 3.8 percent. During the quarter, consolidated sales for desktop PCs grew 13 percent year-over-year, totaling US$1.7 billion, or 34.1 percent of Lenovo's total sales revenue. For consumers, Lenovo unveiled four new IdeaCentre all-in-one desktop PCs in the fourth quarter. For business customers, Lenovo introduced the new ThinkCentre M81 and M91 desktops, and E30 workstation, all featuring the highest levels of performance, security, and manageability.

During the fourth fiscal quarter, Lenovo Mobile achieved US$187 million in consolidated sales. Lenovo's handset shipments in China grew 47.4 percent, more than double the industry growth rate in China of 19.7 percent. The Company continues to work closely with locals carriers such as China Unicom and China Telecom to extend the distribution channels of Lenovo smartphone. During the year, Lenovo remained the largest domestic handset brand in China.

*Includes Africa, Asia Pacific, Brazil, Central/Eastern Europe, Hong Kong, India, Latin America, Mexico, Middle East, Pakistan, Russia, Taiwan, Turkey

** includes Australia/New Zealand, Israel, Japan, North America, Western Europe and global accounts

LENOVO GROUP
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
For the fiscal quarter and full year ended March 31, 2011
(in US$ millions, except per share data)
		Q4 10/11			Q4 09/10			Y/Y CHG			FY 10/11			Y/Y CHG
Sales		4,879			4,317			13.0%			21,594			30.0%
Gross Profit		600			449			33.6%			2,364			32.1%
Gross Profit Margin		12.3%			10.4%			1.9 pts			10.9%			0.1 pt
Operating Expenses(*)		(531)			(402)			32.0%			1,978			24.7%
Expenses-to-Revenue Ratio(*)		10.9%			9.3%			1.6 pts			9.2%			-0.4 pt
Operating Profit(*)		69			47			46.8%			386			89.4%
Other Non-Operating Expenses		(10)			(7)			42.9%			(24)			-42.3%
Pre-tax Income(*)		59			40			47.5%			362			124.7%
Restructuring costs, one-off items and other income,net		1			(20)			-105%			(4)			-94.3%
Pre-tax Income		60			20			200%			358			102.9%
Taxation		(18)			(7)			157.1%			(85)			80.1%
Profit Attributable to Equity Holders		42			13			223.1%			273			111.2%
EPS (US cents)
Basic		0.43			0.14			0.29			2.84			1.42
Diluted		0.42			0.13			0.29			2.73			1.40
Dividend per share (HK cents)											7.60			2.10
* Excludes restructuring costs, one-off items and other income, net

Studies from Charite University Hospital and School of Medicine Have Provided New Information about Pathology.(Report)

New research, 'E-education in pathology including certification of e-institutions,' is the subject of a report. According to recent research published in the journal Diagnostic Pathology, "E-education or electronically transferred continuous education in pathology is one major application of virtual microscopy. The basic conditions and properties of acoustic and visual information transfer, of teaching and learning processes, as well as of knowledge and competence, influence its implementation to a high degree."

"Educational programs and structures can be judged by access to the basic conditions, by description of the teaching resources, methods, and its program, as well as by identification of competences, and development of an appropriate evaluation system. Classic teaching and learning methods present a constant, usually non-reversible information flow. They are subject to personal circumstances of both teacher and student. The methods of information presentation need to be distinguished between static and dynamic, between acoustic and visual ones. Electronic tools in education include local manually assisted tools (language assistants, computer-assisted design, etc.), local passive tools (slides, movies, sounds, music), open access tools (internet), and specific tools such as Webinars. From the medical point of view information content can be divided into constant (gross and microscopic anatomy) and variable (disease related) items. Most open access available medical courses teach constant information such as anatomy or physiology. Mandatory teaching resources are image archives with user-controlled navigation and labelling, student-oriented user manuals, discussion forums, and expert consultation. A classic undergraduate electronic educational system is WebMic which presents with histology lectures. An example designed for postgraduate teaching is the digital lung pathology system. It includes a description of diagnostic and therapeutic features of 60 rare and common lung diseases, partly in multimedia presentation," wrote K. Kayser and colleagues, Charite University Hospital and School of Medicine.

The researchers concluded: "Combining multimedia features with the organization structures of a virtual pathology institution will result in a virtual pathology education institution (VPEI), which can develop to a partly automated distant learning faculty in medicine."

Kayser and colleagues published their study in Diagnostic Pathology (E-education in pathology including certification of e-institutions. Diagnostic Pathology, 2011;6 Suppl 1():S11).

For additional information, contact K. Kayser, UICC-TPCC, Charite, Charite Platz 1, 10118 Berlin, Germany.

Keywords: City:Berlin, Country:Germany, Region:Europe, Computers, Pathology.

This article was prepared by Computer Weekly News editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2011, Computer Weekly News via VerticalNews.com.

Service Corporation International Announces Schedule For Its First Quarter 2011 Earnings Release and Conference Call.

HOUSTON -- Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI) announced it expects to issue a press release with financial results for the first quarter 2011 on Wednesday, April 27, 2011, after the market closes. A conference call will be hosted by SCI Management on Thursday, April 28, 2011. Details of the conference call are as follows:

What: Service Corporation International First Quarter 2011 Earnings Conference Call

When: Thursday, April 28, 2011, at 9:00 a.m. Central Time

How: Dial-in Number - 617-614-3518 / Code - 61124219 or listen live via the internet through our website at www.sci-corp.com in the Investors section under "Webcasts & Presentations"

Replay: 617-801-6888 / Code 86802121 - Available through May 12, 2011 or for at least 90 days through our website at www.sci-corp.com in the Investors section under "Webcasts & Presentations"

Contact: Sandy Bobo at 713-525-5395

About Service Corporation International

Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI), headquartered in Houston, Texas, is North America's largest provider of deathcare products and services. At March 31, 2011, we owned and operated 1,398 funeral homes and 381 cemeteries (of which 218 are combination locations) in 43 states, eight Canadian provinces, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Through our businesses, we market the Dignity Memorial[R] brand which offers assurance of quality, value, caring service, and exceptional customer satisfaction. For more information about Service Corporation International, please visit our website at www.sci-corp.com. For more information about Dignity Memorial[R], please visit www.dignitymemorial.com.

DT launches broadband device and fixed-telephony services.(GERMANY)

Germany-based telecommunications operator DT (Deutsche Telekom) has unveiled a broadband device and fixed-telephony service while opening up the possibility of leasing broadband and fixed-telephony equipment.

This service would comprise a number of packages starting at $2.58 a month. The operator's offering includes Speedport modems as well as WLAN routers, in addition to the equipment needed to access its IPTV (Internet Protocol television) service.

One major advantage of this package is that even those who don't have a landline connection with DT can gain access to the devices.

Indians will have to wait for at least a year to access iPhone.(WIRELESS)

The much-awaited iPhone, developed by Apple, will be launched in the US on June 29. However, users in India would need to wait for more than a year to access this new product. iPhone performs the functions of a cellphone, a digital camera, an iPod, and a mobile Internet device. Industry experts say that this product will be launched in the Indian market only by mid-2008. Although India is the world's fastest-growing cellphone market, experts are skeptical about iPhone's chances in the country's market. Mobile operators like Vodafone-Essar and Bharti Airtel would be likely candidates for being partners with Apple in India. Airtel, which was the first one to introduce BlackBerry devices in India, recently partnered with Taiwan-based HTC for providing an advanced smartphone for its customers. According to telecom analyst Mahesh Uppal, a new player in the high-end mobile phone market is always keen to team up with established mobile firms having a large user base. In the US, the costs of the iPhone 4GB and 8GB models will be $499 and $599, respectively.