Saxo Capital Markets Launches Australian Retail Operations

SYDNEY, Jan. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ — Saxo Capital Markets (Australia) Pty Ltd (‘SCM Australia’) , the online trading and investment specialist, today announced the launch of its retail operations in Australia, offering investors the opportunity to trade thousands of asset classes across award-winning online platforms.

Saxo Capital Markets (Australia) Pty Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saxo Bank A/S. It holds an Australian Financial Services Licence 280372 and is regulated by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission.

The move extends Saxo Bank Group’s reach in the fast-growing Asia-Pacific, and is consistent with its goal of being the premier multi-asset online trading platform in the world.

SCM Australia offers local traders sophisticated trading platforms such as SaxoTrader and SaxoWebTrader, permitting the trading of foreign exchange, CFDs and stocks with live streaming prices and lightning-fast stock trades. SCM Australia provides clients with access to over 160 foreign exchange crosses, more than 13,000 stocks from 25 major exchanges and over 140 Futures contracts on live market prices from over 19 exchanges. SCM Australia’s CEO Anthony Griffin said the company believed it had the services and competitive offering to transform the online trading market in Australia.

Mr Griffin states, “In Australia, we will be adopting the standard Saxo business model that has been successfully implemented in over 20 countries and bringing our award-winning platforms to the market.”

Further, he states, “It was critical to ensure that investors were educated as much as possible on the asset classes they were trading in and the risks involved. As a result, SCM has a number of online educational tools available to ensure investors are informed.”

SCM Australia recently completed the acquisition of Logos Commodities Pty Ltd, the holding company of Commodity Broking Services Pty Ltd, bringing with it an excellent client base and broadening its suite of services.

Kim Fournais and Lars Seier Christensen, co-founders and CEOs of Saxo Bank, said in a joint statement:

“While opening an office in Sydney is a strategic decision to support our Asia-Pacific expansion and growth strategy, it has always been a priority for Saxo Bank. The acquisition has brought with it both tremendous staff as well as a great range of clients. That has given us the critical mass for doing business here. This is a good time for us to prove our commitment to the Australian market.”

Saxo Bank was founded in 1992. Saxo Bank’s trading platforms have defined the company’s success in the online trading space for over a decade. Since introducing the SaxoTrader in 1998, Saxo Bank has enhanced and improved its platforms to meet the evolving needs of traders and investors in a continuously changing industry. The Group has expanded overseas since 2006 and now has operations in more than 20 countries including major financial centres such as Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, London, Zurich, Dubai, and Paris.

Disclaimer:

Saxo Capital Markets (Australia) Pty Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saxo Bank A/S, the Copenhagen-headquartered online trading and investment specialist. It holds an Australian Financial Services Licence 280372 and is regulated by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission. Leveraged investments in foreign exchange or derivatives carry a high degree of risk and may result in significant gains or losses. You should carefully consider your financial situation and consult your independent financial advisors as to the suitability of your situation prior to making any investments. For further information, please see: http://au.saxomarkets.com/about-us/general-disclaimer

About Saxo Capital Markets (Australia) Pty Ltd

Saxo Capital Markets (Australia) Pty Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saxo Bank A/S, the Copenhagen-headquartered online trading and investment specialist. It holds an Australian Financial Services Licence and is regulated by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission. Clients can trade Forex, CFDs, Stocks, Futures, Options and other derivatives via SaxoWebTrader and SaxoTrader, its leading multi-asset online trading platforms. SaxoTrader is available directly through Saxo Capital Markets or through one of its institutional clients. White labelling is a significant business area for Saxo Capital Markets, and involves customising and branding of its online trading platform for other financial institutions and brokers.

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

SOURCE﹛Saxo Bank

Corvil Delivers the First Multi-Team Latency Management Platform

LONDON and NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ —

Corvil, a provider of latency management systems for global financial markets, today announced significant updates to its CorvilNet platform that will bring the benefits of latency management to multiple trading businesses and support teams in the same organization. This is in response to demand from customers looking to update and consolidate multiple disparate infrastructures into one common low-latency trading infrastructure that can be shared cost effectively across all businesses. Supported by a common product platform to assure performance and latency of the underlying data and transactions.

The new release extends the reach of the CorvilNet latency management platform into multiple asset classes and departments. A single CorvilNet installation can now serve multiple departments with the relevant analysis and metrics for their business needs. Executives, trading desks, trade support teams and infrastructure teams will now have one-click access to CorvilNet with real-time and historical views, tailored to their specific requirements. These views also include the option to restrict access to specific order flow. For example, multiple trading desks across asset classes can share a single CorvilNet deployment with the assurance that other trading desks cannot access their order flow analysis.

Donal O’Sullivan, VP Product Management Corvil said, “By replacing several outdated monitoring systems with a single latency management platform, which is flexible enough to meet the needs of the entire organisation, our customers are achieving considerable cost savings.”

One of the users is Deutsche Borse, which is refreshing its global latency monitoring system and adding new capabilities for its recent 10G co-location service with the latest version of the CorvilNet platform.

“CorvilNet provides both our customers and us with a complete and comprehensive latency insight of Deutsche Borse Group’s markets. With the upgrade to the new CorvilNet system we renew our commitment to offer the best services to our customers,” said Matthias Kluber, Executive Vice President Deutsche Borse, responsible for Networks and Infrastructure.

Other highlights in the release include the CorvilNet Latency Feed; which allows real-time multicast distribution of CorvilNet latency data; distributed multi-hop analysis; time of day alerting and zero traffic alerts, e.g. when market data or trading sessions fail.

The new release is available immediately; contact your Corvil sales representative for further information.

Corvil

Corvil is a provider of Latency Management systems for global financial markets. The company was founded in 2000 and operates from New York, London, Singapore and Dublin. Customers use Corvil for precision monitoring, troubleshooting and reporting of performance for their trading applications and networks. In addition, Corvil’s products are used to demonstrate latency compliance and transparency of services such as co-location, direct feeds and Direct Market Access (DMA) offered to trading clients. For more information on Corvil, please visit http://www.corvil.com.

SOURCE﹛Corvil

Corvil Delivers the First Multi-Team Latency Management Platform

LONDON and NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ —

Corvil, a provider of latency management systems for global financial markets, today announced significant updates to its CorvilNet platform that will bring the benefits of latency management to multiple trading businesses and support teams in the same organization. This is in response to demand from customers looking to update and consolidate multiple disparate infrastructures into one common low-latency trading infrastructure that can be shared cost effectively across all businesses. Supported by a common product platform to assure performance and latency of the underlying data and transactions.

The new release extends the reach of the CorvilNet latency management platform into multiple asset classes and departments. A single CorvilNet installation can now serve multiple departments with the relevant analysis and metrics for their business needs. Executives, trading desks, trade support teams and infrastructure teams will now have one-click access to CorvilNet with real-time and historical views, tailored to their specific requirements. These views also include the option to restrict access to specific order flow. For example, multiple trading desks across asset classes can share a single CorvilNet deployment with the assurance that other trading desks cannot access their order flow analysis.

Donal O’Sullivan, VP Product Management Corvil said, “By replacing several outdated monitoring systems with a single latency management platform, which is flexible enough to meet the needs of the entire organisation, our customers are achieving considerable cost savings.”

One of the users is Deutsche Borse, which is refreshing its global latency monitoring system and adding new capabilities for its recent 10G co-location service with the latest version of the CorvilNet platform.

“CorvilNet provides both our customers and us with a complete and comprehensive latency insight of Deutsche Borse Group’s markets. With the upgrade to the new CorvilNet system we renew our commitment to offer the best services to our customers,” said Matthias Kluber, Executive Vice President Deutsche Borse, responsible for Networks and Infrastructure.

Other highlights in the release include the CorvilNet Latency Feed; which allows real-time multicast distribution of CorvilNet latency data; distributed multi-hop analysis; time of day alerting and zero traffic alerts, e.g. when market data or trading sessions fail.

The new release is available immediately; contact your Corvil sales representative for further information.

Corvil

Corvil is a provider of Latency Management systems for global financial markets. The company was founded in 2000 and operates from New York, London, Singapore and Dublin. Customers use Corvil for precision monitoring, troubleshooting and reporting of performance for their trading applications and networks. In addition, Corvil’s products are used to demonstrate latency compliance and transparency of services such as co-location, direct feeds and Direct Market Access (DMA) offered to trading clients. For more information on Corvil, please visit http://www.corvil.com.

SOURCE﹛Corvil

TripAdvisor Announces Asia’s Best Hotels with 2012 Travellers’ Choice Awards

Top Properties in Asia Named for Best Luxury and Bargain, Best for Service, B&Bs and Inns, All-Inclusive, Spa and Trendiest Categories

SINGAPORE, Jan. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ — TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP), the world’s largest travel site*, has announced the winners of its 2012 Travellers’ Choice(R) awards. The 10th annual awards revealed premier properties all over the world, in addition to winners in the categories of Best Luxury and Bargain, Best for Service, B&Bs and Inns, All-Inclusive, Spa and Trendiest. In total, 3,943 properties globally have been recognized this year with dedicated lists featuring 30 countries and eight regions worldwide. Unlike any other hotel honours, TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice winners are based on millions of valuable reviews and opinions from travellers around the world.

(Logo: http://www.prnasia.com/sa/2012/01/26/20120126134542864980-l.jpg )

This is TripAdvisor’s biggest awards ever with expanded categories from “Top 10” to “Top 25” winners, providing more inspiration for travellers seeking remarkable properties around the world. Within Asia, properties from 16 countries have been recognized by TripAdvisor travellers.

“TripAdvisor is incredibly proud to announce its Travellers’ Choice award-winning hotels for the tenth year,” said Jean Ow-Yeong, TripAdvisor spokesperson. “We’re also thrilled to grow our awards with winner lists for twice as many markets globally this year, as we continue our mission to help more travellers around the world plan and have the perfect trip.”

Notes to Editors:

Awards selection:

The winners are based on the more than 60 million reviews and opinions from travellers on TripAdvisor, including traveller ratings for specific categories. Reviews and opinions were analysed using an algorithm similar to that used by TripAdvisor’s Popularity Index taking into account the property’s quality overall and for a particular category, according to traveller reviews and opinions, as well as the quantity and recency of content written on TripAdvisor.

Select 2012 Winners

Best Hotel in Asia – Taj Lake Palace Udaipur( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g297672-d302377-Reviews-Taj_Lake_Palace_Udaipur-Udaipur_Rajasthan.html ) – Udaipur, India

Best Luxury (4&5 star) Hotel in the World and in Asia – Shangri-La Hotel Tokyo(http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1066443-d1235856-Reviews-Shangri_La_Hotel_Tokyo-Chiyoda_Tokyo_Tokyo_Prefecture_Kanto.html ) –

Tokyo, Japan

Best Bargain in the World and Asia – HueNino Hotel( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1066443-d1235856-Reviews-Shangri_La_Hotel_Tokyo-Chiyoda_Tokyo_Tokyo_Prefecture_Kanto.html ) – Hue, Vietnam

Best for Service in the Asia – Pavillon d’Orient Boutique-Hotel( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g297390-d1017524-Reviews-Pavillon_d_Orient_Boutique_Hotel-Siem_Reap_Siem_Reap_Province.html ) – Siem Reap, Cambodia

Best B&B and Inn in Asia – Saubhag Bed and Breakfast( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g304551-d1173783-Reviews-Saubhag_Bed_and_Breakfast-New_Delhi_National_Capital_Territory_of_Delhi.html ) – New Delhi, India

Best All-Inclusive in Asia – Taj Exotica Resort & Spa( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1752120-d302458-Reviews-Taj_Exotica_Resort_Spa-Emboodhu_Finolhu.html ) – Emboodhu Finolhu, Maldives

Best Relaxation and Spa in Asia – Desa Seni A Village Resort( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1752120-d302458-Reviews-Taj_Exotica_Resort_Spa-Emboodhu_Finolhu.html ) – Canggu, Indonesia

Trendiest Hotel in Asia – Quincy Hotel( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g294265-d1235512-Reviews-The_Quincy_Hotel_by_Far_East_Hospitality-Singapore.html ) – Singapore

Top 25 Asia Hotels

— Taj Lake Palace Udaipur( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g297672-d302377-Reviews-Taj_Lake_Palace_Udaipur-Udaipur_Rajasthan.html ) – Udaipur, India
— Cocoa Island Resort( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g298335-d308275-Reviews-Cocoa_Island_Resort-South_Male_Atoll.html ) – South Male Atoll, Maldives
— Layana Resort and Spa( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g303905-d499913-Reviews-Layana_Resort_and_Spa-Ko_Lanta_Krabi_Province.html ) – Ko Lanta, Thailand
— Constance Moofushi Resort( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g298324-d1053329-Reviews-Constance_Moofushi_Resort_Maldives-South_Ari_Atoll.html ) – South Ari Atoll, Maldives
— Casa del Mar( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1096282-d307707-Reviews-Casa_del_Mar_Langkawi-Pantai_Cenang_Langkawi_Langkawi_District_Kedah.html ) – Langkawi, Malaysia
— Amazing Ngapali Resort( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g612368-d648209-Reviews-Amazing_Ngapali_Resort-Ngapali.html ) – Ngapali, Myanmar
— Soneva Gili by Six Senses( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g612368-d648209-Reviews-Amazing_Ngapali_Resort-Ngapali.html ) – North Male Atoll, Maldives
— Sojourn Boutique Villas( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g297390-d1437944-Reviews-Sojourn_Boutique_Villas-Siem_Reap_Siem_Reap_Province.html ) – Siem Reap, Cambodia
— Baros Maldives( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g298332-d316882-Reviews-Baros_Maldives-North_Male_Atoll.html ) – North Male Atoll, Maldives
— La Residence d’Angkor by Orient-Express( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g297390-d301738-Reviews-La_Residence_d_Angkor_by_Orient_Express-Siem_Reap_Siem_Reap_Province.html ) – Siem Reap, Cambodia
— Orange County Kabini( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g304553-d1123252-Reviews-Orange_County_Kabini-Mysore_Karnataka.html ) – Mysore, India
— Komaneka at Tanggayuda( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g297701-d626311-Reviews-Komaneka_at_Tanggayuda-Ubud_Bali.html ) – Ubud, Indonesia
— Nihiwatu( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g297731-d486594-Reviews-Nihiwatu-Sumba_East_Nusa_Tenggara.html ) – Sumba, Indonesia
— Hansar Bangkok( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g293916-d1958185-Reviews-Hansar_Bangkok-Bangkok.html ) – Bangkok Thailand
— Fairmont Beijing( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g294212-d1234659-Reviews-Fairmont_Beijing-Beijing.html) – Beijing, China
— Jamahal Private Resort & SPA( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g297696-d609918-Reviews-Jamahal_Private_Resort_SPA-Jimbaran_Nusa_Dua_Peninsula_Bali.html ) – Bali, Indonesia
— Veligandu Island Resort( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g298323-d316959-Reviews-Veligandu_Island_Resort-North_Ari_Atoll.html ) – North Ari Atoll, Maldives
— Siripanna Grand Resort & Villa( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g293917-d1594693-Reviews-Siripanna_Grand_Resort_Villa-Chiang_Mai.html ) – Chiang Mai, Thailand
— Sandalwood Luxury Villas( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g293918-d968136-Reviews-Sandalwood_Luxury_Villas-Koh_Samui_Surat_Thani_Province.html ) – Koh Samui, Thailand
— Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, Chiang Mai( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g293917-d503193-Reviews-Mandarin_Oriental_Dhara_Dhevi_Chiang_Mai-Chiang_Mai.html ) – Chiang Mai, Thailand
— The Samaya Bali( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g469404-d603376-Reviews-The_Samaya_Bali-Seminyak_Bali.html ) – Bali, Indonesia
— Mandarin Oriental( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g294217-d301413-Reviews-Mandarin_Oriental_Hong_Kong-Hong_Kong.html ) – Hong Kong, China
— Zazen Boutique Resort & Spa( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1179396-d505232-Reviews-Zazen_Boutique_Resort_Spa-Bophut_Koh_Samui_Surat_Thani_Province.html ) – Bophut, Thailand
— La Residence Phou Vao by Orient-Express( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1179396-d505232-Reviews-Zazen_Boutique_Resort_Spa-Bophut_Koh_Samui_Surat_Thani_Province.html ) – Luang Prabang, Laos
— Ping Nakara Boutique Hotel & Spa( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1179396-d505232-Reviews-Zazen_Boutique_Resort_Spa-Bophut_Koh_Samui_Surat_Thani_Province.html ) – Chiang Mai, Thailand

For the complete list of TripAdvisor’s 2012 Travellers’ Choice winners, more reviews, opinions and candid holiday photographs, go to http://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/TravelersChoice.

About TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor(R) is the world’s largest travel site, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 50 million unique monthly visitors*, and over 60 million reviews and opinions. The sites operate in 30 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to TripAdvisor’s millions of monthly visitors.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 18 other travel media brands, and together the sites attract more than 65 million unique monthly visitors**. TripAdvisor’s travel media brands include: http://www.airfarewatchdog.com, http://www.bookingbuddy.com, http://www.cruisecritic.com, http://www.familyvacationcritic.com, http://www.flipkey.com, http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk, http://www.independenttraveler.com, http://www.onetime.com, http://www.seatguru.com, http://www.sniqueaway.com, http://www.smartertravel.com, http://www.travelpod.com, http://www.virtualtourist.com, and http://www.kuxun.cn.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, Worldwide, August 2011

**Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Inc. and its subsidiaries, Worldwide, August 2011

(C)2012 TripAdvisor, Inc. All rights reserved.

SOURCE: TripAdvisor

FC2 Updates LiveChat with New Languages

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ — FC2, Inc. has updated one of its services, FC2 LiveChat (http://livechat.fc2.com) with multiple new languages.

(Logo: http://www.prnasia.com/sa/2009/12/03/20091203591671.jpg )

The global web service company, FC2, Inc., now supports 7 new languages (Traditional Chinese, Korean, Indonesian, Spanish, German, Russian and French) on its FC2 LiveChat service (http://livechat.fc2.com).

About “FC2 LiveChat “(http://livechat.fc2.com)

FC2 LiveChat is a service based in Japan, but will now be available worldwide with further support of 7 new languages.

What is FC2 LiveChat?

FC2 LiveChat was created in August 2010, and has been provided in both Japanese and English. It is a communication tool which allows users to send real-time text, video and audio. This live chat service is free. With LiveChat, users can broadcast live “programs” to the world, or engage in a Two-way Video Chat with another user.

Within a single year, FC2 LiveChat has gained popularity and is highly ranked on Google Japan’s search engine. In order to reach more users, FC2 will now support Japanese, English, Traditional Chinese, Korean, Indonesian, Spanish, German, Russian and French.

Merits of FC2 LiveChat

FC2 LiveChat has been used to broadcast video showing specialist know-how, how to draw illustrations, people performing original music, etc.

— Watch or broadcast videos for free! No broadcast time limits.
— Over 1000 people can simultaneously watch your live broadcast on a single channel.
— Notifications of when your favorite user begins broadcasting
— FC2 LiveChat also supports an Adult version.

Future Plans

FC2 intends to introduce support in other languages, and a one-touch video recording function, which uploads videos to “FC2 Video”. It also plans to develop support for smartphones and a “charge viewers” feature, which is currently supported only on the Japanese version.

In addition, FC2 is currently taking requests from Advertisers. Interested parties may visit the link below for more details related to advertising to English users:
http://staffen.blog124.fc2.com/blog-entry-128.html

FC2 will continue to strive to create a comfortable blogging environment for users and do their best to meet users’ needs.

About FC2, Inc.:

FC2, Inc. is a web service company that primarily provides services in Japan. Headquarters are located in Nevada, USA. Established since 1999, it has a non-stop work ethic to provide and improve services to users. FC2 Blog is widely used and very popular in Japan.

Contact:

Takuma Kishi
Tel: +1-310-414-9626
Email: global@fc2.us

SOURCE﹛FC2, Inc.

German Authorities Recommend Removal of TiBREEZE Breast Implants

HANOVER, N.H., Jan. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ — The International Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) has been officially informed by the German authorities at the BfArM Institute that the former company, GfE Medizintechnik GmbH in Germany, sold implants that were manufactured using PIP components. From September 2003 to August 2004 they were sold under the name TiBREEZE. These silicone implants were coated by GfE Medizintechnik GmbH with a titanium layer and subsequently filled by PIP in France with their silicone gel. The silicone composition was the same as in PIP and Rofil implants that were filled with industrial grade silicone since 2001. Therefore, the German authorities at the BfArM Institute today amended their recommendation of 6 January 2012 to explant PIP and Rofil implants to include explantation of TiBREEZE implants as a precautionary measure even without symptoms.

The successor of the company stated to ISAPS that 728 implants were produced in this period of time. Most of those implants were sold in Germany where they include about 280 patients. In addition to Germany, TiBREEZE implants were delivered to the following countries: Belgium, Italy, Finland, South Africa, Switzerland, England, Austria and Lichtenstein. A total of 400 patients worldwide are thought to be affected.

According to Dr. Dirk Richter (Germany), Chair of ISAPS’ Patient Safety Committee, “as there are no studies yet available to prove the safety of industrial grade silicone in the human body, ISAPS supports the French and German authorities’ recommendations and encourages all women with TiBREEZE, PIP or Rofil breast implants produced after 2001, to check with a specialized plastic surgeon to discuss removal of the implants.”

The forty-one year old International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery is the largest international society of individual board certified (or the equivalent) aesthetic plastic surgeons with 2,140 members in 93 countries. Surgeons undergo a strict application process to determine their qualifications to join the society. The ISAPS mission is twofold: the continuing education of plastic surgeons in latest techniques in the field of aesthetic plastic surgery and medicine and the promotion of patient safety. All ISAPS members are listed on the website http://www.isaps.org

SOURCE﹛International Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS)

So Klose Becomes The Asia’s First Dating Agency To be Awarded ISO9001:2008 Certification

The world-class quality brand for the world of elite Chinese singles

HONG KONG, Jan. 19, 2012 /PR Newswire-Asia/ — So Klose, a leading elite dating agency for Chinese singles, is the first dating agency in Asia to achieve ISO9001:2008 certification with zero non-conformity, for its provision of bespoke introduction, dating and matching services. This is a testimony to So Klose’s commitment of exclusive service quality management which meets with the international best practice. The ISO certification verifies that So Klose’s quality is built into every aspect of its business from service development, delivery to client follow up.

(Logo: http://www.prnasia.com/sa/2011/12/05/20111205150300103459-l.jpg )

With its recent ISO9001:2008 certification, So Klose customers are the biggest winners. The certification represents affirmation by an independent third-party that when using So Klose’s services, the customer is assured of high quality and reliability. This accreditation reaffirms the company’s strong position as a reputable and the most trusted dating services provider for successful and elite Chinese clientele, and is an added credibility and value to its existing system of innovation and service excellence.

The ISO 9001:2008 certification will ensure that So Klose’s success continues through a combination of continual improvement in its quality management processes, and in customer focus.

About SO KLOSE.COM

So Klose is a leading elite dating agency based in Hong Kong. The profile of So Klose members are mainly single professionals, executives and entrepreneurs coming from all over the world. Since its inception, So Klose has had an extraordinary record of introducing successful and intelligent people to like-minded compatible life partners. The vast majority of members (97%) have university degrees. The majority of male members (70%) and about half of female members (48%) have studied overseas; 47% of So Klose male members are the top 5% income earners in Hong Kong population; while 46% of So Klose female members are the top 18% income earners which have annual incomes exceeding half million. In January 2011, So Klose was honorably granted the award of The “Excellence in ICM Award” by Intellectual Property Department (IPD), Hong Kong SAR Government; and in December 2010, So Klose was honorably granted the award of “Pioneer In Intellectual Capital Management” by IPD. In January 2012, So Klose was awarded the ISO9001:2008 certification.

More information about SO KLOSE.COM is available at http://www.so-klose.com.

SOURCE: So Klose

JOil Sees Tripling of Jatropha Productivity over Next Eight Years through Application of Biotechnology

Scientific findings and process on biofuel crop presented in a paper delivered at INSULA (International Scientific Council for Island Development) / RSB (Roundtable for Sustainable Biofuels), Conference in UNESCO, Paris

SINGAPORE, Jan. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ — JOil (S) Pte Ltd, a scientific bioenergy crop developer of New Generation Jatropha, discussed cutting edge science and biotechnology processes that could increase the present productivity of Jatropha from the less than 1 ton of oil/hectare to 3 tons/hectare using breeding, tissue culture and genetic engineering processes.

These developments and findings were presented by Dr Hong Yan, Chief Scientific Officer, at the INSULA/RSB conference “Jatropha: State of the Art” held at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris on 14th and 15th December 2011.

New Potential for Next Generation Jatropha

Dr. Hong demonstrated in his presentation that biotechnology is the core science required to address the present low yield of Jatropha. He was candid in his assessment of the current views on Jatropha as a biofuel saying, “There was initially great excitement surrounding the use and commercial potential of Jatropha in the early 2000s but this was followed by a wave of disappointment in India, Central America and Africa with poor yields as early plants were from seeds collected from wild accessions and had greater vulnerability to pests than anticipated.”

“The yield and better pest resistance of Jatropha can be realized with biotechnology over time. At JOil, we are applying breeding, tissue culture and genetic engineering to develop a continuous pipeline of improved Jatropha varieties. We are also seeing very good field trial data for our new varieties with traits like better uniformity, improved self-branching, early flowering and higher productivity. More than 2 tons of seeds per ha was achieved for the first year in field trials on marginal land plots in Southern India. Such continuous efforts on Jatropha improvement will move the average productivity of Jatropha from 1 ton of oil per hectare to about 3 tons of oil per hectare over the next 7 – 8 years.

Mr. Sriram Srinivasan, Chief Financial Officer, added, “The demand for Jatropha-derived biodiesel already exists among airlines and motor fleet operators. It is the supply-side of the equation that is holding up the adoption rate of biofuels. We believe the turning point will come when Jatropha plantation becomes commercially viable with the adoption of improved jatropha varieties and better agronomic practices.

In his paper, Mr. Srinivasan presented several scenarios of Jatropha viability and showed how the right genetics and package of practices have significant impact on the economics of Jatropha adoption. If low quality planting material and low care is taken, the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) could be less than 10%, whereas with good quality planting material and good care, the IRR will be more than 25%. He also mentioned that with revenue from by-products from Jatropha for high end uses like animal feed, the IRR can significantly improve.

The Need for a Global Jatropha Forum

The international participation at this conference also included representatives from UNESCO, RSB (Roundtable for Sustainable Biofuels), INSULA (International Scientific Council for Island Development), Lufthansa, Neste Oil, Eco Carbone, TERI (The Energy Research Institute), Cosmo Biofuels, University of Bern, ADECIA and Empa. Delegates discussed in detail the need for a global forum to address issues specific to Jatropha such as growers, land use, extraction and application and standardisation.

Mr. Pier Giovanni d’Ayala, Secretary General of INSULA, who chaired the workshop, said that he was very happy with the high-level of interaction at the workshop and looked forward to the success of Jatropha as a crop despite the present challenges faced.

Mr. Haye Sebastian, Manager — Environmental Affairs of RSB, who was instrumental in coordinating the international workshop commented that the issues raised during the workshop including land rights and sustainability, need to be taken up in more detail by all the players globally.

ABOUT JATROPHA

Jatropha curcas, also called physic nut, is a drought-resistant plant which has been used for years as a hedge plant to protect food crops from animals. Its seeds, when crushed, result in jatropha oil which can be processed to produce a high-quality biodiesel to be used to fuel airplanes, diesel cars, and stationery machines like generators. Since Jatropha can be grown on poor land and as a hedge for existing gardens and fields, it does not compete with land used for food crops, unlike edible oil and feedstock like soybean and palm oil. The Jatropha plant is native to Africa, North America and the Caribbean.

ABOUT JOIL (S) PTE LTD

Based in Singapore, JOil (S) Pte Ltd (“JOil”) is a joint venture company incorporated by Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, Tata Chemicals (through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Tata Chemicals Asia Pacific Pte Ltd) and other investors in 29 August 2008. Its main business activities include the development, propagation and sale of elite Jatropha seedlings and improved genetically-modified seedlings for commercial cultivation as well as to engage in agronomy research and provision of agronomy advisory. JOil is positioned as a responsible company that provides a sustainable (both economically and environmentally) solution to the use of plant resources as a feedstock for biofuel.

SOURCE: JOil (S) Pte Ltd

Chinese Civil Aviation Administration Relies on Radio Equipment From Rohde & Schwarz

MUNICH, Jan. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ — State-of-the-art radios for air traffic control (ATC) must be reliable, compact and future-ready. The R&S Series4200 ATC radios from Rohde & Schwarz meet all these requirements, which is why the Chinese CAAC Air Traffic Management Bureau uses and trusts these products.

China’s CAAC has purchased a total of 294 ATC radios to be installed at 20 locations in the CAAC Northwest air traffic control region. The order is the largest that Rohde & Schwarz has won so far for the airspace in Northwestern China. The R&S Series4200 radios are used for communications between the flight operation centers on the ground and the aircraft. Kenny Wu, Managing Director of Rohde & Schwarz China Trading Ltd., is justifiably proud: “We have been supplying state-of-the-art ATC radio equipment to Chinese customers for more than 25 years. This order is proof again of the trust and confidence placed in our company.”

The tight delivery schedule was especially challenging. “The customer urgently needed the radios due to the constantly increasing number of flights. We succeeded in considerably reducing the normal delivery periods. Engineers from Rohde & Schwarz supported on-site installation. This helped us ensure that the system meets the performance requirements,” states Kenny Wu of Rohde & Schwarz China.

R&S Series4200 radio are used for voice communications between air traffic controllers and pilots. They are extremely reliable and can be updated, monitored and remote-controlled via an IP-based network so that software updates require no on-site personnel. They adhere to the latest international standards and in addition, provide VoIP functionality and VDL2 for reliable ground-air data communications. These features make the radios economical and ready for the future – key criteria for meeting CAAC’s requirements.

Press contact:

Katrin Wehle
Phone: +4989-412911378
E-mail: press@rohde-schwarz.com( mailto:press@rohde-schwarz.com )

SOURCE﹛Rohde & Schwarz

Debra Maxwell Appointed as International Director for the UK’s National Outsourcing Association

LONDON, Jan. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ — Debra Maxwell, arvato’s Global BPO Director, has been elected as the International Director for the National Outsourcing Association (NOA), the UK’s only outsourcing trade association. In her role, Debra will lead the international direction of the NOA by promoting best practice, service excellence and innovation internationally, and fostering a greater understanding of offshoring.

Martyn Hart, chairman of the NOA commented: “Debra’s extensive international expertise and experience will really help promote the interests of the NOA internationally including with other trade bodies, interest groups and embassies.”

“It’s a real honour to be appointed to the NOA board and I’m excited about helping to position the UK as a key hub in international outsourcing,” explained Debra Maxwell, Global BPO Director, arvato and NOA Board Member, International. “Much of the innovation and best practice in international outsourcing is led from the UK, so we should be at forefront of the debate. I’m also looking forward to helping companies navigate the complexity and cultural challenges to realise the benefits that international outsourcing can bring.”

With extensive experience in leading global client relationships, Debra heads arvato’s $200m global BPO partnership with Microsoft which sees arvato process 90% of Microsoft’s global revenues in an innovative managed service model arrangement. She led the arvato team that completed one of the most complex outsourcing transitions within Microsoft Operations, delivering 12 successful transitions in 12 months. The ‘contract-to-invoice’ relationship is designed to deliver overall operational effectiveness, increased quality, and enhanced customer and partner experience, as well as a reduction in global operating costs of more than 20%.

Debra has teams based in a diverse range of locations all over the globe including Reno (Nevada), Fargo (North Dakota), Monterrey (Mexico), Dublin (Ireland), Singapore (Singapore) and Manila (Philippines).

She is the Country Manager for arvato’s rapidly expanding Philippines operation. Based in Manila, the location provides a full range of BPO and contact centre services to a number of international companies keen to capitalise on the availability of a low cost, high quality solution delivered with a strong cultural affinity.

About arvato UK & Ireland

arvato is a trusted global business outsourcing partner to the private and public sectors in the UK. With more than 50 years of experience in outsourcing, arvato combines expertise in business process outsourcing (BPO), finance services, contact centres, loyalty and customer retention, supply chain solutions, and public sector and citizen services to deliver innovative, individual solutions. arvato has long-term partnerships with some of the most respected companies in the UK and globally, as well as innovative public sector clients. It is a subsidiary of arvato AG, an internationally networked outsourcing provider with over 60,000 people employed in over 270 subsidiaries across 35 countries worldwide. arvato has annual revenues of approximately EUR5bn contributing nearly a third of the Bertelsmann group annual revenues of over EUR15bn. http://www.arvato.co.uk .

For more information contact Citypress at arvatopr@citypress.co.uk

SOURCE﹛arvato UK & Ireland