Showing posts with label New. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New. Show all posts

Thursday, January 27, 2011

New Global Texting Champions Crowned At 2011 LG Mobile World Cup In New York City




Team Panama Wins USD $100,000 and Claims the Title of Fastest, Most Accurate Texters in the World

SAN DIEGO, January 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — LG Mobile Phones crowned the winner of the second annual LG Mobile World Cup today, naming the sister duo, Cristina Sales Ancines, age 20, and Jennifer Sales Ancines, age 15, from Panama as the “World’s Fastest Texters.” Defeating competitors from 16 countries to take home the title of LG Mobile World Cup Champions, the pair completed rigorous texting challenges and games to take home $100,000 in prize money and bragging rights that will last a lifetime.



Demonstrating their skills using the LG BL20 and the LG GT350, Cristina and Jennifer texted their way into World Cup glory by winning the final round of game play. Contestants from South Korea placed second and took home $20,000, while team Brazil placed third and won $10,000.

“We are so excited to have won this world title,” said Cristina. “Participating in this competition and getting to meet so many people from around the world has been a great learning experience and has led to many new friendships,” added Jennifer

In addition to the main competition, players also competed for the opportunity to break the Guinness World Records® achievement for the fastest texting on a QWERTY mobile phone device. Player, Cheong Kit Au from Australia, broke the current Guinness World Records® record for the fastest texting on a QWERTY mobile phone with a 264-character text he typed in just 1 minute and 17 seconds.

The 2011 LG Mobile World Cup took place on Jan. 26 in New York City at the historic Gotham Hall. During the competition, players competed in various texting missions, including wall of dark, monster guide, legendary trillion, touch-phone game (TBD), monster’s swamp and racing relay. In each mission, contestants were tasked with the challenge of typing in phrases on their LG mobile devices exactly as they appeared on nearby LG plasma screens with no mistakes or abbreviations, all while trying to out-text than their opponents.

Finalists selection for the LG Mobile World Cup began with a series of national texting contests across 16 countries including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Korea, Morocco, Nicaragua, Panama, Portugal, South Africa, Thailand and the U.S. After several months, 26 contestants were chosen to compete in the hopes of becoming the word’s fastest texter.

# # #
About LG Electronics, Inc.

LG Electronics, Inc. (KSE: 066570.KS) is a global leader and technology innovator in consumer electronics, mobile communications and home appliances, employing more than 80,000 people working in over 115 operations around the world. With 2009 global sales of 55.5 trillion Korean won (USD 43.4 billion), LG comprises four business units – Home Entertainment, Mobile Communications, Home Appliance, and Air Conditioning and Energy Solution. LG is one of the world’s leading producers of flat panel TVs, audio and video products, mobile handsets, air conditioners and washing machines. LG has signed a long-term agreement to become both a Global Partner and a Technology Partner of Formula 1™. As part of this top-level association, LG acquires exclusive designations and marketing rights as the official consumer electronics, mobile phone and data processor of this global sporting event. For more information, please visit www.lg.com.
About LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company

The LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company is a leading global mobile communications and information company. With its cutting-edge technology and innovative design capabilities, LG creates handsets that provide an optimized mobile experience to customers around the world. LG is pursuing convergence technology and mobile computing products, while continuing its leadership role in mobile communication with stylish designs and smart technology. For more information, please visit www.lgmobilephones.com.


Media Contacts:
Demetra Kavadeles
LG MobileComm U.S.A., Inc.
(707) 328-5307
Demetra.Kavadeles@lge.com
Jackie Cox
LG-One
(914) 729-4235
Jacqueline.Cox@lg-one.com



Thursday, April 2, 2009

New Financial Boost for Businesses in Developing Countries from the UK Government

2 Apr 2009 11:20 Africa/Lagos

New financial boost for businesses in developing countries from the UK Government

London, 2 April/GNN/ --

DEPARTMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT News Release (G20) issued by COI
News Distribution Service on 2 April 2009
Businesses in developing countries are struggling to survive due to the
economic downturn and need urgent financial support, said Secretary of State
for International Development Douglas Alexander.

At the London Summit, world leaders are working to stabilise financial markets
and help families and businesses across the world to get through the recession.

And the UK Government today (THURS) intends to take practical action to
support firms across the globe, helping stimulate trade in developing
countries and ensuring sustainable growth.

This will be done through the World Bank's new initiative called the Global
Trade Liquidity Programme (GTLP) set up to support small and medium businesses
by helping address the trade finance shortage in developing countries through
international banks.

The UK Government, through its development finance institution CDC, intends
to make a contribution of up to £300m to the GTLP.

Secretary of State for International Development Douglas Alexander said:
"Private sector businesses are an essential engine of growth and play a vital
role in stimulating global trade, which provides a lifeline to millions of
people across the globe.

"People in developing countries have been disproportionately hard-hit by the
economic crisis. This money will help firms keep going during the difficult
climate and help to protect and create jobs.

"This is not an initiative to help make commercial banks richer.

Participating banks must all commit to using the money to support trade in
developing countries. In the first phase, this will include Kenya, Angola,
Ghana, Nigeria, Mauritius, Malawi, Mozambique, Seychelles and Zambia." The
proposed sum alone could help fund beween £2bn and £3bn of trade over the next
two years, helping small and medium firms to import and export products. The
UK money will be invested in the GTLP on a loan basis.

The shortage in trade finance, due to the current economic crisis, is a
significant threat to world trade - already projected to decline by about
nine per cent this year. The World Trade Organisation has suggested there
could be a global shortfall of between $100bn and $300bn.

Notes to Editors:

1. The GTLP, which is due to become operational May, will provide capital to
international banks specialising in trade finance in the developing world
over a period of two, may be three years. The programme raises funds from
development finance institutions, governments, and works through global
and regional banks to extend trade finance to importers and exporters in
developing countries.

The GTLP will be based on a commitment of $1bn from IFC, a member of the
World Bank Group. The IFC is seeking a further $3bn to $4bn from donors. It
is expected to support up to $50bn of trade over three years.

2. CDC is the UK Government's development finance institution. CDC's mission
is to generate wealth by providing capital for investment in sustainable and
responsibly managed private sector businesses. It uses its own balance sheet
to invest in private equity funds focused on the emerging markets of south
Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. For further information visit www.cdcgroup.com

For more information call the DFID press office on 0207 023 0600.

DFID, the Department for International Development: leading the British
government's fight against world poverty. One in five people in the world
today, over 1 billion people, live in poverty on less than one dollar a
day. Information Department 1 Palace Street, London SW1E 5HE.

Website: www.dfid.gov.uk
Press enquiries 020 7023 0600 (overseas +44 20 7023 0600)
Public enquiries 0845 300 4100 (overseas +44 1355 84 3132)



Source: Department for International Development



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Tuesday, March 24, 2009

New Amnesty International Report Cites United States Mirroring Global Progress Toward Death Penalty Abolition

24 Mar 2009 01:00 Africa/Lagos

New Amnesty International Report Cites United States Mirroring Global Progress Toward Death Penalty Abolition

WASHINGTON, March 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Amnesty International (AI) reported today that the global trend toward eliminating capital punishment continued in 2008 and that "[t]here is increasing evidence that the United States itself is slowly turning away from the death penalty."


(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081014/AILOGO)


AI's new report, Death Sentences and Executions in 2008, which provides a global overview of the death penalty, found that only 25 out of the 59 countries that retain the death penalty executed in 2008. In the United States, only nine of the 36 states that retained the death penalty in 2008 actually carried out executions, and the vast majority of these executions took place in one region: the South. Texas accounted for, in essence, half (18 of 37) of the U.S. executions in 2008.


"Executions in the United States are increasingly a regionally isolated phenomenon. Elsewhere, concerns about cost, the possibility of executing the innocent and racial bias have led to a significant decline in support for capital punishment," said Sue Gunawardena-Vaughn, director of AIUSA's Death Penalty Abolition Campaign. On March 18, 2009, New Mexico became the 15th state to become death penalty-free as a result of these concerns. Currently Nebraska, New Hampshire, Colorado and Montana are considering a variety of abolition bills.


Amnesty International's report disclosed that executions are also a regional phenomenon at the international level, as the vast majority of executions in 2008 occurred in Asia and the Middle East. Europe and Central Asia are now virtually free of the death penalty -- with the exception of Belarus. The United States is the only country in the Americas that consistently executes. In December of 2008, St. Kitts and Nevis carried out the first execution in the Americas outside the United States since 2003. There were only two recorded executions in sub-Saharan Africa in 2008, though at least 362 people were sentenced to death.


The report found that between January and December 2008, at least 2,390 people were executed around the world with at least 8,864 sentenced to death in 52 countries. China remained the world's leading executioner by a wide margin, accounting for at least 1,718 executions -- near three-quarters of all executions -- although the figure is believed to be much higher as statistics on death sentences and executions remain state secrets. As in previous years, the United States was also one of the world's top executing nations, behind only China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Together, the five countries accounted for 93% of all documented executions worldwide.


"While it is rewarding to see the United States progressing toward death penalty abolition, the United States should be at the forefront of this movement, not bringing up the rear," said Gunawardena-Vaughn.


The report addresses the discriminatory manner with which the death penalty was often applied in 2008, with a disproportionate number of sentences handed down to the poor, and to members of racial, ethnic or religious minority communities in countries such as Iran, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and the United States. It also discusses the continuing risk of executing the innocent, as highlighted by the four prisoners released from death rows in the United States on grounds of innocence. The four were Kennedy Brewer (Mississippi), Glen Edward Chapman (North Carolina), Levon "Bo" James (North Carolina) and Michael Blair (Texas).


Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.2 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.



NOTE TO EDITORS:

A copy of Amnesty International's report, Death Sentences and Executions
in 2008, will be available from March 24, 2009, 00:01 GMT on www.amnesty.org.

Also available are a number of case studies of people who were executed
during 2008 or who are currently on death row.

A copy of Amnesty International's report, Ending executions in Europe:
Towards abolition of the death penalty in Belarus, calling on the Belarusian
authorities to abolish the death penalty will also be available from March 24,
2009, 00:01 GMT on http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR49/001/2009/en.
First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:


Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081014/AILOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk photodesk@prnewswire.co
Source: Amnesty International

CONTACT: AIUSA media office, +1-202-544-0200 ext. 302, lspann@aiusa.org,
or Brian Evans, +1-202-544-0200 ext. 496, +1-646-853-9623 (cell),
bevans@aiusa.org, both of Amnesty International


Web Site: http://www.amnesty.org/


Indego Africa Opens Global Market to Rwandan Women, Provides Long-Term Skills



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Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Postilion Showcases New Customer Administration Portal at Africa's Premier Banking Technologies Conference

16 Feb 2009 13:00 Africa/Lagos

Postilion Showcases New Customer Administration Portal at Africa's Premier Banking Technologies Conference

Postilion co-sponsors East Africa 2009 Banking & Payment Technologies Conference

JOHANNESBURG and NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Postilion, a leading provider of software solutions for self-service banking and payments and a division of S1 Corporation (NASDAQ:SONE) , today announced that they will be participating at the annual AITEC event in Nairobi from 17 to 19 February. This year's event will focus on the customer's experience of technology implementation and services, challenging suppliers and bankers alike to evaluate their systems in light of customer needs and preferences.


The latest enhancements to Postilion's market leading payments solutions, a new customer administration portal, will be on show at stand E1. Payments experts will be on hand to demonstrate the Postilion Portal, which gives a unified view of customers, accounts, transactions, and activity across various payments channels via a web browser.


Four speakers will showcase Postilion's customer-centric payments solutions at the conference:


* Case Study: The Umoja Switch in Tanzania, by Paul Nilsen, GM of
Business Connexion, a Postilion client based in Tanzania (Session 3)
* Innovating for EFT Success, by Andre Niemand, Sales Manager, Postilion
Africa (Session 3)
* Point of Sale Value-Added Services, by Ophias Sherewa, MD of Transaction
Payment Systems, a Postilion reseller in Africa (Session 6)
* Facilitating Prepaid with Electronic Voucher Distribution, Jim Baird, MD
of ATM Africa, a Postilion reseller in Africa (Session 7)



More than 90 organizations in Africa now use Postilion to enhance their customers' experience of electronic payments. Internationally, more than 300 clients have successfully implemented various Postilion solutions. Postilion drives major transaction switches and processors in numerous African countries, including the continent's largest economies: South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya. Smaller regional switches, such as those in Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Uganda, also run on Postilion platforms. Africa's top three banks and top three retailers use Postilion to drive their electronic payments. Postilion has a presence in 15 countries across the African continent.


About Postilion


Postilion, a division of S1 Corporation (NASDAQ:SONE) , is a leading provider of integrated solutions for self-service banking and payment processing. Our offices, on five continents, serve over 1,500 customers in more than 50 countries. Postilion solutions drive self-service financial transactions and payments, including advanced transactions such as prepay, through Internet access points, ATMs, POS terminals, and phones.


More than 100,000 ATMs and 500,000 POS terminals worldwide run on Postilion solutions. In the United States, over 1,250 credit unions and community financial institutions use Postilion solutions. Built on open systems, Postilion solutions provide consolidated management information, card management, 3DES and EMV enablement, and loyalty management. At the forefront of compliance with new regulations and security enhancements, such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and Visa's Payment Application Best Practices (PABP), Postilion can help customers achieve compliance with the latest data security standards developed by the payment card industry. More information is available at www.postilion.com.


About S1 Corporation


S1 Corporation (NASDAQ:SONE) delivers customer interaction software for financial and payment services and offers unique solution sets for financial institutions, retailers, and processors under three brand names: Postilion, S1 Enterprise and FSB Solutions. Additional information about S1 solutions is available at www.s1.com, www.postilion.com, www.S1enterprise.com, and www.fsb-solutions.com.


Forward-Looking Statements


This press release contains forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. These statements include statements with respect to our financial condition, results of operations and business. The words "believes," "expects," "may," "will," "should," "projects," "contemplates," "anticipates," "forecasts," "intends" or similar terminology identify forward-looking statements. These statements are based on our beliefs as well as assumptions made using information currently available to us. Because these statements reflect our current views concerning future events, they involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Therefore, actual results may differ significantly from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. The risk factors included in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (and available on our web site at www.s1.com or the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov) provide examples of risks, uncertainties and events that may cause our actual results to differ materially from the expectations we describe in our forward-looking statements. Except as provided by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement.


Source: S1 Corporation

CONTACT: Eduan Swanepoel, + 27 21 525 5000,
eduan.swanepoel@postilion.com


Web site: http://www.s1.com/
http://www.postilion.com/


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KBB.Com Names the Best 2009 New Family Cars



KBB.COM NAMES 2009 BEST NEW FAMILY CARS

Editors Focus on Top 10 Fuel-Friendly Family Haulers, Feature Wide Variety of Vehicle Segments

IRVINE, Calif., February 17, 2009 /PRNewswire/ — - Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com, the leading provider of new- and used-car information, today announces its picks for the honor of being named one of 2009's Best New Family Vehicles. The American family has never had so many choices when it comes to safe, roomy and affordable family cars. While a sea of vehicles is ultimately a good thing, it can also make it more difficult for families to pick a winner. To help consumers determine which new cars should be on their family's consideration list, the editors of Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com compiled a list of the top 10 Best New Family Vehicles, evaluating an ever-lengthening list of eligible vehicles on such factors as resale value, fuel efficiency, capability and kid-friendliness.

This year, the kbb.com editors chose to put extra emphasis fuel economy when choosing their list of the top 10 best cars for families. Gas prices have dropped sharply from their record highs, but the sluggish economy is now dictating smart spending with a focus on overall value. Comprising a wide range of vehicles that includes a compact sedan, a full-size SUV, hybrids, non-hybrids and a clean diesel, kbb.com's list of the 10 Best New Family Vehicles for 2009 features something for everyone.

Kbb.com's 2009 Best New Family Vehicles

Chevy Malibu Honda Odyssey
Chevy Tahoe Hybrid Toyota Camry Hybrid
Chevy Traverse Toyota Highlander Hybrid
Ford Escape Hybrid Toyota RAV4
Honda Civic VW Jetta SportWagen TDI

Vehicles above listed in alphabetical order by brand

"Given the current state of the economy, parents want to get even greater value for their money while buying a new vehicle that will also accommodate their family's lifestyle and needs," said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book and kbb.com. "Fuel-friendly family cars come in so many shapes and forms these days that, no matter the segment or powertrain, there is an efficient – both economically and environmentally – choice out there to suit everyone's needs."

Kbb.com Editorial Comments on the 2009 Best New Family Vehicles
(Vehicles below listed in order of overall passenger/cargo roominess)

2009 Honda Civic
29 mpg (25 city, 36 highway)
For families that pride themselves on thinking small, the Honda Civic is a perennial all-star. Combining impressive fuel economy, unrivaled reliability and class-leading resale values, the winner of our 2009 Small Sedan Comparison is one of those special vehicles by which all its competitors are measured.

2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid
34 mpg (33 city, 34 highway)
The hybrid version of the best-selling car in the country delivers an average of 135 more miles from a 15-gallon fill-up than its gas-only counterpart. On long family road trips, you'll have even less of a chance of making it through a full tank between restroom breaks.

2009 Chevy Malibu
26 mpg (22 city, 33 highway)
As a fuel-friendly family sedan, the newest Chevy Malibu has some seriously strong credentials. Not only does it offer class-leading fuel economy topping out at an impressive 33 highway miles per gallon, it also edged out the Honda Accord to win our 2008 Family Sedan Comparison Test.

2009 VW Jetta SportWagen TDI
34 mpg (30 city, 41 highway)
Thanks to the new technology and new clean diesel fuel that make it emissions-legal in all 50 states, the Jetta TDI's cult-like following is at risk of being absorbed by the mainstream. For some, the Jetta SportWagen TDI is the gold standard of responsible family transportation.

2009 Ford Escape Hybrid
32 mpg (34 city, 31 highway)
After undergoing a major overhaul for the 2008 model year, the Ford Escape Hybrid is improved again for 2009 with a more powerful and more efficient gas-electric powertrain. Its city fuel-economy rating of 34 miles per gallon is one better, even, than that of the Toyota Camry Hybrid's.

2009 Toyota RAV4
24 mpg (22 city, 28 highway)
In addition to class-leading fuel economy, the Toyota RAV4 offers one especially family-friendly feature uncommon in the category: a third row of seats. It's a tight squeeze back there for some, but we ran into a family who shuttled seven people from Northern Utah to Southern California – and back – in a RAV4.

2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
26 mpg (27 city, 25 highway)
The three-row crossover continues to fortify its recently acquired status as the quintessential family car. This gas-electric version of Toyota's Camry-based crossover has the distinct advantage of being the most fuel-efficient three-row vehicle on the road.

2009 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid
21 mpg (21 city, 22 highway)
Car-based crossovers continue to displace traditional SUVs in suburban driveways, but for big families with big passenger/cargo/towing needs, the full-size SUV remains indispensible. The Chevy Tahoe Hybrid is as green as it gets in this arena, and still offers towing capacity of up to 6,200 pounds.

2009 Chevy Traverse
19 mpg (17 city, 24 highway)
Boasting more cargo volume than even its Chevy Tahoe stablemate, the Traverse is the biggest crossover on the road — yet it beats the fuel economy of many smaller three-row vehicles. We like all the Traverse's siblings – Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook – but the Chevrolet has the lowest starting price, which makes it our family pick.

2009 Honda Odyssey
20 mpg (17 city, 25 highway)
20 mpg (17 city, 25 highway) We've always thought an Acura badge would look right at home on the sharply styled, thoroughly refined Honda Odyssey. The most premium-like minivan on the market is also the most fuel efficient, thanks in part to its (optional) ability to cruise on three of six cylinders.

Family Vehicle Research Tools Available on Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com
Full expert car reviews of 2009 model year vehicles, including written and video reviews
2009 model-year car safety information
Crash test data
Rollover ratings
Air bag information
Specifications and information on optional features, including:
Child door locks
Rear entertainment systems
Cup-holders
Optional third-row seating
Perfect Car Finder® Tool
Side-by-Side Car Comparison Tool
Consumer car reviews
Car incentives and rebates information
New car pricing, including MSRP, dealer invoice price, New Car Blue Book® Values and projected resale value information
Used car values, including trade-in, retail and private party values
Environmental information on KBB® Green
For more information about the 2009 Best New Family Vehicles, visit www.kbb.com/family09.

About Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com)
Since 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, has provided vehicle buyers and sellers with the new and used vehicle information they need to accomplish their goals with confidence. The company's top-rated Web site, www.kbb.com, provides the most up-to-date pricing and values, including the New Car Blue Book® Value, which reveals what people actually are paying for new cars. The company also reports vehicle pricing and values via products and services, including software products and the famous Blue Book® Official Guide. According to the C.A. Walker Research Solutions, Inc. – 2008 Spring Automotive Web Site Usefulness Study, kbb.com is the most useful automotive information Web site among new and used vehicle shoppers, and half of online vehicle shoppers visit kbb.com. kbb.com is a leading provider of new car prices, car reviews and news, used car blue book values, auto classifieds and car dealer locations. No other medium reaches more in-market vehicle shoppers than kbb.com.

Media Contacts:
Robyn Eckard
949-268-3049
reckard@kbb.com
Joanna McNally
949-268-3079
jmcnally@kbb.com
Brenna Robinson
949-267-4781
berobinson@kbb.com