BERLIN, May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Automotive batteries is one of the major topics in the global auto industry. This is because energy storage is crucial in developing low emission powertrains using hybrid or fully electric technologies. According to the consultancy Advanced Auto Batteries, global growth in automotive batteries has increased more than ten-fold over the last six years and the global market will likely approach US$1.4 billion by 2010 and $2 billion by 2013. Growth in hybrids is especially strong in Germany, where registrations increased 44 percent in 2007. Business opportunities in Germany will be presented at the Advanced Automotive Battery and Ultracapacitator Conference, AABC 2008, May 14-16th in Tampa, Florida, USA.

MELBOURNE, Australia, May 12 /PRNewswire/ --

Starpharma Holdings Limited (ASX: SPL, OTCQX: SPHRY) today announced positive results of a clinical trial that achieved all its objectives demonstrating that 3% SPL7013 Gel (VivaGel(R)) was safe and well-tolerated in sexually abstinent women when administered vaginally, twice daily for 14 days.

Based on these results and existing supporting data, the product is deemed suitable for continued development as a topical microbicide for the prevention of HIV and genital herpes (HSV) and the exploration of other potential indications. These findings support current and future clinical studies to assess the safety and efficacy of VivaGel(R) for genital herpes and HIV in sexually active women.

HAIFA, Israel, May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Oil Refineries Ltd. (TASE: ORL.TA) (the "Company" or "ORL"), Israel's largest oil refiner, announced that Carmel Olefins Ltd. (a private company in which ORL holds 50%, hereinafter: "COL") completed on May 6, 2008, the closing on the transaction to acquire 49% of the outstanding share capital of Domo Polypropylene BV (hereinafter: "Domo"), under the terms of the press release dated January 24, 2008.

On January 24, 2008 the company announced that a wholly owned foreign subsidiary of COL had signed an agreement to acquire 49% of Domo, this was followed by an additional press release dated April 28, 2008 announcing that all prerequisite conditions for the acquisition had been met.

About Oil Refineries Ltd.

OXFORD, England, May 12 /PRNewswire/ --

- ATTN: Liverpool and Manchester Press

Due to ever increasing student numbers and in order to continue to provide unrivalled student support, Oxford College of Marketing, has recently appointed Diane Cotton as Regional Manager for their Liverpool centre. Diane has a wealth of experience both in marketing and tutoring. This appointment has been made in recognition of the explosion of business opportunities in the Liverpool area during the 2008 Capital of Culture celebrations.

CAMBERLEY, England, May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Hitched.co.uk (http://hitched.co.uk) has officially been recognized as the UK's number 1 wedding website of 2007. The popular online wedding guide has worked hard at improving, increasing and developing its website to help brides and grooms up and down the country plan their perfect day with less stress and more organisation. Having re-launched in August 2007, hitched.co.uk has succeeded in maintaining its status as the number 1 wedding website, recognized by Hitwise.

PARDUBICE, Czech Republic, May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- A Czech company Ekopanely CZ, producer of ecological building boards from moulded straw, received CE certification. This standard covers all European standards to be matched by this product. The certificates include, for instance, certificates of fire-resistance, sound and heat isolation, firmness, health safety and many others.

LONDON, May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- PriceGrabber.co.uk(TM), part of Experian, today announced a partnership with CNET Networks UK to deliver its online shopping comparison tool to two of the online publisher's most popular titles, CNET.co.uk ( http://www.cnet.co.uk) and ZDNet.co.uk (http://www.zdnet.co.uk).

PriceGrabber.co.uk will make it easier for readers to find the best possible price for a wide variety of gadgets that are reviewed across the CNET.co.uk and ZDNet.co.uk Web sites, including mobile phones, game consoles, MP3 players, laptops and televisions. In addition, PriceGrabber.co.uk will provide merchant ratings to enable users to find the right product, at the right price, from the right seller.

TORONTO, May 12 /PRNewswire/ --

- New fund to mark "mobile" as the new frontier

Research In Motion (RIM) (TSX: RIM; Nasdaq: RIMM), RBC (RY: TSX; RY: NYSE) and Thomson Reuters (NYSE: TRI; TSX: TRI; LSE: TRIL; Nasdaq: TRIN), today announced plans to launch the BlackBerry(R) Partners Fund, a US$150 million venture capital fund, to invest in mobile applications and services for the BlackBerry(R) platform and other mobile platforms. The Fund is to be co-managed by JLA Ventures and RBC Venture Partners.

LONDON, May 12 /PRNewswire/ --

- Personal, Express and Custom Telepresence Solutions Broaden Telepresence Accessibility

LONDON, England (May 12, 2008) - Teliris(1) (http://www.teliris.com), the leading telepresence(2, 3) provider, announced today a new continuum of telepresence solutions that breaks previous pricing barriers to open telepresence accessibility to enterprises and smaller businesses.

(PHOTO: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080512/NYM039-a ) (PHOTO: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080512/NYM039-b ) (PHOTO: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080512/NYM039-c )

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, social anxiety disorder affects approximately 15 million American adults and is the third most common mental disorder in the United States, after depression and alcohol dependence.

The essential feature of the disorder is the fear of being evaluated by others, with the expectation that such an assessment will be negative and embarrassing. It tends to run a chronic and unremitting course and often leads to the development of alcoholism and depression. The disorder most often surfaces in adolescence or early adulthood, but it can occur at any time, including childhood.

Using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), researchers in The Netherlands were able to detect biochemical differences in the brains of individuals with generalized social anxiety disorder (also known as social phobia), providing evidence of a long-suspected biological cause for the dysfunction.