DUBAI, U.A.E., May 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) embarked on a capacity-expansion drive in the polyolefins market to realize its ambition of becoming a major global polyolefins production hub. Based on the current planned addition of new capacities, the GCC polyolefins industry is likely to see an avalanche of additional capacity by 2010. With the GCC polyolefins market being a low-growth one with a corresponding low demand, the additional capacities are expected to create a surge in the demand for polyethylene and polypropylene in the GCC.

New analysis from Frost Sullivan (http://www.chemicals.frost.com), Strategic Analysis of the Polyolefins Demand in the GCC, finds that the market grew at 4.9 percent in 2008.

BRUSSELS, May 19 /PRNewswire/ --

- Companies Taking no Chances - Hospitals Struggling and Price Pressure Increasing

The global economic crisis and recession have shaken many governments and industries. However, a recent survey conducted by Eucomed of 100 top executives at medical technology manufacturers across Europe defies this trend with only 20% of respondents noticing a significant negative impact on their business. The vast majority are nevertheless anticipating tougher times due to the downturn and restructuring of healthcare systems. Over 80% of respondents agree that hospitals are struggling financially, price pressure is increasing, and tendering and contracting conditions have worsened.

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 19 /PRNewswire/ --

- The people of Africa must speak out and tell President Obama, a son of Kenya, that he must meet his promises to those who are affected by HIV/AIDS. -- James Kamau, Kenya Treatment Action Movement, Nairobi

In a press conference held today in Nairobi, global health advocates, including Global AIDS Alliance (GAA) executive director Dr. Paul Zeitz, called for a pan-African response to fix the funding gap in President Barack Obama's fiscal year 2010 budget request submitted to the U.S. Congress on 7 May 2009.

LONDON, May 19 /PRNewswire/ --

- With Travel Budgets on the Decline, and a Health Threat Further Restricting Travel, a Survey by Plantronics Shows That Sales Representatives get More Intimate With Their Customers When Using a Headset for Telephone Calls

LONDON, May 19 /PRNewswire/ --

Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) today unveiled the company's latest market research identifying how headsets shape the experience shared between sales representatives and their customers. With the economic downturn and trimming of travel budgets, companies are becoming increasingly dependent on their salesforces' ability to foster and maintain valuable customer relationships over the phone.

BIRMINGHAM, England, May 19 /PRNewswire/ --

- Companies Benchmarked on Their Sustainable Business Practices

Semplice Energy Limited, leading provider of enterprise CleanTech energy solutions and part of British Gas, a Centrica company, today announced the launch of the Sustainability Challenge Scorecard survey at Sustainability live! 2009, at the NEC, Birmingham. The survey forms the basis of research into how successfully businesses are addressing energy and carbon reduction, and what needs to be done to help organisations set and achieve aggressive carbon reduction targets.

UTRECHT, The Netherlands, May 19 /PRNewswire/ -- WCC Smart Search Match, the leading provider of high-performance search and match software, today announced that it has reached a significant milestone in the support of public employment services worldwide. With the recent launch of services in France and Sweden that are based on WCC's flagship product, ELISE, over 60% of the registered unemployed people in Europe are assisted by an ELISE-backed system, according to data derived from Eurostat statistics. WCC's commitment to helping public employment services connect jobs with job seekers spans over thirteen years and has involved implementations throughout Europe and the US.

DULLES, Virginia, May 19 /PRNewswire/ --

Cigital, the largest consulting firm specializing in software security and quality, announced today that it has acquired the European consulting, assessment and training operations of Security Innovation. This acquisition will broaden Cigital's reach and expand its capability to support trans-Atlantic clients more completely.

LIDKÖPING, Sweden, May 19 /PRNewswire/ --

- Handheld Today Announced the Nautiz eTicket(TM), a New Version of the Versatile Rugged Mobile Computer Nautiz X5(TM), Designed Especially for Transactions and Ticket Validations in the Public Transport Sector.

The Handheld Group introduced today the new Nautiz eTicket(TM) rugged PDA with an integrated smart card reader. The Nautiz eTicket joins the Handheld Nautiz product line with RFID capabilities plus a host of other advanced features. A built in smart card reader supports various ISO14443 type A/B, and ISO 15693 RFID devices, including MIFARE and ICODE. The contactless electronic link between the card and the reader allows for the fast transaction needed in transportation security and payment systems.

BRISBANE, Australia, May 19 /PRNewswire/ --

Australia's fastest growing action sports label, Unit Clothing is teetering on the edge of controversy once more following the launch of a campaign to promote its 'Age of Panic' theme.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090519/NY19277 )

Unit has released its own range of face masks and respirators in an effort to combat the global threat of swine flu.

Retaining its renowned edge, Unit has photographed its models demonstrating the products in a dimly-lit cold storage facility, surrounded by the hanging carcasses of freshly-slaughtered pigs.

LONDON, May 19 /PRNewswire/ --

- AboveNet's Fibre-Optic Network in London to be Used for In-Depth Validation Trials

AboveNet, a leading provider of fibre optic and IP connectivity solutions for business and carriers, and QinetiQ, the defence, security and technology company, have announced a strategic partnership that will exploit an advanced cryptography solution to provide strong network security for communications. This solution aims to make quantum cryptography a reality across optical networks.