Ūkio bankas name – to Theatre arena in Vilnius

Ūkio bankas name – to Theatre arena in Vilnius

Ūkio bankas intends to sign a partnership agreement with Theatre arena that was opened in April in Vilnius. The plan is to name the Theatre arena “Ūkio bankas theatre arena”.

In “Ūkio bankas theatre arena”, settled in Olimpiečių street of the capital city, performances will be given by world-renowned OKT/Vilnius City Theatre, A|CH Dance Theatre, creative work will be done by artistic directors Gintaras Varnas and Gytis Ivanauskas, and other art events will be held.

The hall is suitable for various types of events, including theatre plays and dance performances, concerts, conferences, exhibitions, and shooting various projects. Depending on the nature of an event, it can accommodate from 400 to 2,000 spectators.

Ūkio bankas has supported culture, sport and science for a number of years already. The State Small Theatre of Vilnius, Kaunas Drama Theatre and Kaunas Music Theatre are on this list of theatres supported by Ūkio bankas, marking its 20th anniversary this year. The Bank’s support also goes to Pažaislis Music Festival and other culture events. This year Ūkio bankas presents in Lithuania one of the most remarkable culture events of the year – the tour of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia from Moscow in Lithuania with the unrivalled ballet “Corsair” having earned worldwide recognition.

AB Ūkio bankas suspends cooperation with international rating agency „Moody‘s Investors Service“

2009 09 03

1. AB Ūkio bankas, with register code 112020136, address: 25 Maironio str., LT-44250 Kaunas.
2. To the Lithuanian Securities Commission, Stock Exchange NASDAQ OMX Vilnius, BNS and ELTA news agencies. This information is also placed on the Bank’s website http://www.ub.lt.
3. AB Ūkio bankas suspends cooperation with international rating agency „Moody‘s Investors Service“.
4. AB Ūkio bankas has taken decision to suspend cooperation with international rating agency “Moody‘s Investors Service” due to the cost efficiency policy.
5. The information is not confidential.
6. The authorizations to provide additional information are vested in Marius Arlauskas, Head of Financial Institutions and Fund Raising Department, +370 37 301 332.
7. By undersigning this Notification I hereby declare that:
7.1. the information given about the material event is full and correct;
7.2. I am aware of the sanctions to be imposed for the provision of misleading information provided for in the Lithuanian Republic Law on Securities and the Lithuanian Republic Code of the Administrative Violations of Law.

AT&T names Ericsson as key supplier for future Wireline Business

Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) today announced it has been selected as one of two suppliers for AT&T’s Wireline Access products and services. The deal is a breakthrough win for Ericsson’s wireline business in North America. Ericsson will be eligible to provide full system solutions within AT&T’s wireline access network, significantly accelerating AT&T’s ability to bring new broadband-based products and services to market.

AT&T’s strategy is to shorten technology introduction cycles, increase supplier collaboration and focus spending on future technologies.

Ericsson will offer AT&T full end-to-end system solutions, allowing AT&T to significantly accelerate time-to-market for new products and services. Additionally, by closely collaborating with AT&T, Ericsson will be able to tightly focus its research and development, strengthen relationships with third-parties, streamline relevant business practices and ensure wireline access product integration to provide AT&T with the best and most innovative solutions available.

“Ericsson is honored to be entrusted by AT&T with this critical role,” said Angel Ruiz, President of Ericsson North America. “AT&T is a global leader in fixed broadband deployments and helps set the standard that others within the industry look to. We look forward to providing AT&T and its customers with the best technologies and solutions our industry has to offer.”

Wireline Access Suppliers will compete with each other for AT&T capital spending on all Wireline Access applications and products, including collaborating with third-party suppliers to provide technologically leading solutions to AT&T.

Having already approved Ericsson’s GPON Fiber to the Home (FTTH) solution for general deployment, AT&T will now embark on integrating Ericsson’s DSL portfolio for Fiber to the Node (FTTN) and IP DSLAM solutions to support AT&T’s U-verse offerings, such as IPTV, High Speed Internet and VoIP over an all IP network infrastructure.

Notes to editors:
Ericsson’s multimedia content is available at the broadcast room:
http://www.ericsson.com/broadcast_room

Ericsson is the world’s leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. Ericsson is the leader in 2G, 3G and 4G mobile technologies, and provides support for networks with over 1 billion subscribers and has a leading position in managed services. The company’s portfolio comprises of mobile and fixed network infrastructure, telecom services, software, broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and the media industry. The Sony Ericsson and ST-Ericsson joint ventures provide consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices.

Ericsson is advancing its vision of “to be the prime driver in an all-communicating world” through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than 75,000 employees generated revenue of SEK 209 billion (USD 32.2 billion) in 2008. Founded in 1876 with the headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on OMX NASDAQ, Stockholm and NASDAQ New York.

http://www.ericsson.com
http://www.twitter.com/ericssonpress

friendsProvid GrpPlc Holding(s) in Company

TIDMFP.

TR-1: Notifications of Major Interests in Shares

1. Identity of the issuer or the underlying Friends Provident Group Plc
issuer of existing shares to which voting
rights are attached:

2. Reason for notification (yes/no)

An acquisition or disposal of voting rights X

An acquisition or disposal of financial instruments which may
result in the acquisition of shares already issued to which
voting rights are attached

An event changing the breakdown of voting rights

Other (please specify):

3. Full name of person(s) Aviva plc & its subsidiaries
subject to notification
obligation:

4. Full name of shareholder Registered Holder:
(s) (if different from 3):
BNY Norwich Union Nominees Limited 14,827,611*

BT Globenet Nominees Limited 23,800*

Chase (GA Group) Nominees Limited 91,991,983*

Chase Nominees Limited 2,894,345*

CUIM Nominee Limited 3,911,253*

Vidacos Nominees Limited 107,789*

* denotes direct interest

BNP Paribas – London 995,788

Chase Nominees Limited 18,332,527

State Street Nominees Limited 12,644,623

Vidacos Nominees Limited 25,154,496

5. Date of transaction (and 3 September 2009
date on which the threshold
is crossed or reached if
different):

6. Date on which issuer 4 September 2009
notified:

7. Threshold(s) that is/are 5% to 4% Change at Direct Interest Level
crossed or reached:

8: Notified Details

A: Voting rights attached to shares

Class/type Situation previous Resulting situation after the triggering
of shares to the triggering transaction
transaction
If
possible
use ISIN
code

Ordinary Number of Number of Number Number of voting Percentage of
Shares shares voting of rights voting rights
rights shares

Direct Direct Indirect Direct Indirect

GB00B3T69350 197,350,918 197,350,918 170,884,215 113,756,781 57,127,434 4.86% 2.44%

B: Qualifying Financial Instruments

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

Type of financial Expiration Exercise/ No. of voting rights Percentage of voting
instrument date conversion period/ that may be acquired rights
date (if the instrument
exercised/converted)

C: Financial Instruments with similar economic effect to Qualifying Financial
Instruments

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

Type of Exercise Expiration Exercise/ Number of voting % of voting rights
financial date Conversion rights instrument
instrument price period refers to

Nominal Delta

Total (A+B+C)

Number of voting rights Percentage of voting rights

170,884,215 7.30%

9. Chain of controlled undertakings through which the voting rights and /or the
financial instruments are effectively held, if applicable:

The voting rights are managed and controlled by Aviva Investors Global Services
Limited, with the following chain of controlled undertakings:-

Aviva Investors Global Services Limited:

* Aviva plc (Parent Company)

* Aviva Group Holdings Limited (wholly owned subsidiary of Aviva plc)

* Aviva Investors Holdings Limited (wholly owned subsidiary of Aviva Group
Holdings Limited)

* Aviva Investors Global Services Limited (wholly owned subsidiary of Aviva
Investors Holdings Limited)

Proxy Voting:

10. Name of proxy holder: See Section 4

11. Number of voting rights proxy holder
will cease to hold:

12. Date on which proxy holder will
cease to hold voting rights:

13. Additional information: Figures are based on a total number of voting rights
of 2,340,000,000

14 Contact name: Diane Thirkettle

15. Contact telephone name: 01603 687803

TWO THIRDS OF PEOPLE DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY EARN ON SAVINGS

· A quarter of people only check interest rates when opening an account

· Average saving account held for ten years

· Saga offers a competitive 5-year fixed rate saving account at 5.00% AER

For more information please call 0845 850 0664 or visit http://www.saga.co.uk/savings

Despite the serious issue of lack of income in the current environment, and widespread belt-tightening, research* by Saga Personal Finance has revealed that Britons are doing little to make the most of their savings, with almost two thirds (61%) admitting to not even knowing the rate of interest on their accounts. The over 50s are savvier at knowing their current rates, with almost half (49%) aware of them, in contrast to over two thirds (68%) of the younger generation who don’t, but the lack of awareness is still acute.

Worryingly, a quarter (24%) of people only check interest rates when opening a savings account, and a further 25% check them once a year or less. With the Bank of England rate unlikely to move anytime soon, many people could be missing out on better deals and much needed income.

Apathy to switch accounts is high, as the average life expectancy of a savings account is almost ten years (9.1 years). Women are shown to be less loyal than men to their accounts (8.8 years vs 9.3 years), but still do not make the most of their ability to switch to better rates on the market.

Fixed rate products, offer savers the peace of mind that they are getting a good rate that will not drop after a few months when the account is no longer front of mind. Savers are also prompted to act when the term ends to shop around again for a competitive rate. Saga offers a five-year fixed rate saving account with an attractive rate of 5.00% AER. The rate is fixed for the product term and customers can have access to their money subject to 90 days loss of interest on the amount withdrawn.

Surprisingly, despite reluctance to switch, almost two thirds (59%) of savers are unhappy with the current rate on their account. The research shows that a massive 89% believe that having a good rate of interest is important, compared to four years ago, when less than three quarters (71%)** thought so.

Andrew Goodsell, Executive Chairman, Saga Group, commented: “Having a competitive rate of interest on your savings is a simple yet important aspect of anyone’s financial arrangements but few people act on this. If you’re not going to regularly check your savings rate then fixing a great rate now is a practical way of making sure you know what your savings are earning. “

Ericsson calls on delegates to raise ICT to top of agenda at UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen

Ericsson calls on delegates to raise ICT to top of agenda at UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen

Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) today said that the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector is crucial to creating a low-carbon 21st century infrastructure. Using today’s communications infrastructure in a smart way can maintain economic development while dramatically reducing emissions.

Giving a keynote address at the Broadband World Forum in Paris today, Ericsson CFO and incoming CEO Hans Vestberg said: “For too long the need for CO2 reductions has been seen as a trade off between economic development and care for the planet. This does not have to be the case. Because the ICT sector can reduce CO2emissions substantially, government representatives have an opportunity to bring ICT onto the agenda for the upcoming United Nations framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen (COP15) in December.”

Vestberg continued: “Studies show that ICT can reduce global CO2emissions by 15% by 2020. Ericsson believes that with an innovation-driven climate agenda, reductions could be even greater. Modern ICT solutions, ranging from education and information services, health as well as transport, can give access to vital services all over the world, without sacrificing our environment.”

What is needed in order to the deliver some 50-80% emission cuts by 2050 – the level and range of targets generally recognized as needed to halt climate change — is to move away from incremental emission reductions to more transformative ones which can deliver measurable savings and “smarter” ways of doing things. This can increase quality of life while dramatically reducing emissions.

Vestberg said: “As representatives of the ICT sector, Ericsson and our industry peers also have the task to bring this message home to our governments and politicians. Change will require the commitment and actions of all levels of society; governments, industry, civil society and individuals. A committed global effort at COP15 is essential to secure both environmental sustainability and economic development, and ICT should be at the heart of this.”

A well-functioning broadband infrastructure constitutes the backbone of a low-carbon 21st century information infrastructure. This is the most energy efficient infrastructure ever created as it provides connectivity and moves information at the speed of light around the planet. Investments in this infrastructure can reinforce several different low-carbon solutions such as virtual meetings, smart grids, m-governance, m-health, e-learning, e-paper, and so on. Even though these services might look very different from a user perspective, they all rely on the same underlying infrastructure.

Today, broadband is at the turning point and is already widely available in most parts of the world. However, the 21st century information infrastructure will play an increasingly important role in realizing the full potential of broadband and enabling many basic services and will over the next 15 to 30 years enable a new digital economy to stimulate innovation across society and will lead to the deployment of completely new solutions.

Ericsson is strongly committed to reduce its own life-cycle carbon footprint and has quantified targets in place to do so. Even more importantly, Ericsson is advocating an innovation-driven climate agenda that utilizes technology and will include the deployment of transformative low-carbon solutions that broadband technology can deliver.

Notes to editors:
Ericsson’s multimedia content is available at the broadcast room:
http://www.ericsson.com/broadcast_room

Ericsson is the world’s leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. Ericsson is the leader in 2G, 3G and 4G mobile technologies, and provides support for networks with over 1 billion subscribers and has a leading position in managed services. The company’s portfolio comprises of mobile and fixed network infrastructure, telecom services, software, broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and the media industry. The Sony Ericsson and ST-Ericsson joint ventures provide consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices.

Ericsson is advancing its vision of “to be the prime driver in an all-communicating world” through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than 75,000 employees generated revenue of SEK 209 billion (USD 32.2 billion) in 2008. Founded in 1876 with the headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on OMX NASDAQ, Stockholm and NASDAQ New York.

http://www.ericsson.com
http://www.twitter.com/ericssonpress

Ericsson delivers advanced interactive TV services to Sweden’s Com Hem

Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) is enabling Sweden’s largest cable television operator, Com Hem, to deliver new advanced entertainment services to its consumers via an interactive TV platform. The new on-demand services will mean viewers can catch up on their favorite TV programs anytime.

The on-demand TV platform supports a wide range of advanced services, such as video-on-demand, catch-up and start-over TV programs and music on-demand, and also includes a flexible interactive portal for Com Hem’s new Landlord-Tenant service. The rollout of the new services has started, with around 500,000 subscribers reached by December 2009.

Martin Kull, Chief Technology Officer, Com Hem, says: “With the solution from Ericsson, we can provide comprehensive on-demand digital services to our customers and offer viewers a wealth of interactive and personalized TV. Ericsson has brought together and integrated multiple vendors’ solutions, from content ingest to set-top box,and created an end-to-end system based on a hybrid digital video broadcasting and IP approach.”

Jan Wäreby, Senior Vice President and Head of Business Unit Multimedia, Ericsson, says: “This project demonstrates our ability to partner with operators and deliver valuable TV solutions. We have the best-in-class technologies, integration expertise and resources to help operators deploy complex systems that enable new services and increased revenues.”

As prime integrator, Ericsson is designing, integrating and delivering the TV platform, which includes hardware and software solutions from Tandberg Television, part of the Ericsson group. The platform includes the OpenStream Digital Services Platform, Xport Producer and EQ8096, as well as products from a number of third-party vendors.

Notes to editors:
Ericsson’s multimedia content is available at the broadcast room: http://www.ericsson.com/broadcast_room

Backgrounder: Ericsson individualizes the TV-experience
http://www.ericsson.com/ericsson/
press/facts_figures/doc/individual_tv_experience.pdf

Ericsson is the world’s leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. Ericsson is the leader in 2G, 3G and 4G mobile technologies, and provides support for networks with over 1 billion subscribers and has a leading position in managed services. The company’s portfolio comprises of mobile and fixed network infrastructure, telecom services, software, broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and the media industry. The Sony Ericsson and ST-Ericsson joint ventures provide consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices.

Ericsson is advancing its vision of “to be the prime driver in an all-communicating world” through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than 75,000 employees generated revenue of SEK 209 billion (USD 32.2 billion) in 2008. Founded in 1876 with the headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm and NASDAQ New York.

http://www.ericsson.com
http://www.twitter.com/ericssonpress

SAGA LAUNCHES MOTORBIKE INSURANCE FOR OVER 50S

SAGA LAUNCHES MOTORBIKE INSURANCE FOR OVER 50S

* 700,000 UK bikers aged over 501
* Almost 3,000 over 50s passed their bike test in 07/082
* Motorbikes offer cheaper alternative to car during credit crunch times

Saga has launched a new motorcycle insurance product to cover riders over the age of 50. The policy offers cover enabling bikers to indulge in their passion, safe in the knowledge that should an accident happen, they have an insurance policy tailored to their needs.

A new study1 by Saga Insurance reveals that motorcycling is big business amongst the older generation. Almost a quarter (21%) of all motorcyclists are aged over 502, with almost 700,000 owning a bike and a further 1 million yearning to be a biker. That’s a total of over 1.7 million people with a thirst for the open road.

Over two fifths (84%) of these easy riders, say they have a bike because they love the freedom of being on the open road, and 16% state they enjoy the thrill and danger of riding. For a quarter (23%) of financially savvy over 50s, motorbikes offer a cheaper alternative to driving a car, while a further 17% enjoy the liberty of weaving through traffic on the commute to work.

Whilst over half of bikers over 50 say they have always been bikers, almost 40% say they have recently returned to biking, probably because they have more spare time and money as they have paid off the mortgage and the children have left home. Some 42,000 people first get into biking once they have reached 50 – in fact almost 3,000 people over 50 passed their motorbike test in 2006/7 and over 250 of these were women.

Touring bikes are most popular among over 50s, with over a quarter (26%) owning one of these machines. A fifth of over 50s drive a no-nonsense standard bike, 14% ride a scooter and over one in ten (11%) speed junkies own a sports bike.

Andrew Goodsell, executive chairman, Saga Group, commented: “With more over 50s than ever before taking to the road, it is a great indication that this age group is really embracing the idea of living life to the full. We hope that our new motorbike insurance will help them continue their love for this hobby, safe in the knowledge that they are protected financially should anything happen”.

Kingfisher forced to release results early following leak

Kingfisher forced to release results early following leak

The retailer – which owns DIY chain B&Q – made the unscheduled update after sending draft figures to a number of retail analysts. According to the statement Kingfisher expects to report “adjusted pre-tax profit” of £285m to £290m for the six months to August 1, 2009. The company will release full results on September 17, as originally planned.

Analysts upgraded their full-year profit forecasts on the back of the statement. The shares closed up 1 at 218p. But the better-than-expected performance was overshadowed by the accidental leak of the current trading figures.

The figures were included in a spreadsheet attached to an e-mail sent by Sarah Gerrand, head of investor relations at Kingfisher.

“Don’t be mad at me – but you will need to SLIGHTLY change your models as under the new geographic leadership structure we have to include Ireland in with the UK,” she wrote in the email sent to analysts. “So, please find attached the restated data on a quarterly, half yearly and annual basis for the last 3 years, on this basis. Enjoy!! :)” she added.

Two hours later the head of investor relations sent another email to analysts: “Guys, apologies but the email attachment i sent earlier does not add up properly! – please use the amended version.”

A spokesman for Kingfisher refused to comment on when the retailer realised that it had included the current trading figures. “We made a mistake, but we believe we acted quickly and responsibly to rectify it,” he said.

Recession nears end but stagnation may follow

Britain’s economy grew for the first time over a three-month period since May last year, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) said today but warned that the end of recession could turn to a period of stagnation.

NIESR’s monthly estimate of economic growth suggests that gross domestic product (GDP) grew 0.2 per cent between June and August, after a 0.3 per cent fall in the three months to the end of July.

The influential think-tank said: “This is the first time our GDP indicator has been higher over a three-month average since May of 2008 and reinforces our view that the recession ended in May of this year.”

However, NIESR added: “There may well be a period of stagnation now, with output rising in some months and falling in others; the end of the recession should not be confused with a return to normal economic conditions.”

The findings chime with other indicators in suggesting Britain’s economy is stabilising after suffering its sharpest contraction in decades.

Britain’s services sector grew last month at its fastest pace in over two years, according to a survey last week, while official data earlier today showed manufacturing output rose in July at its fastest pace in one-and-a-half years.

In a speech today, Chancellor Alistair Darling reiterated his opposition to reducing the Government’s fiscal stimulus package, which he said would risk damaging recovery.

He said: “Cutting support now, as some are demanding, would run the real risk of choking off the recovery even before it started and prolonging the global downturn.

“But in the medium-term we need to live within our means. Not to do so would be equally irresponsible and damage our country’s future.”

Mr Darling set out the Government’s determination to “never risk the fiscal sustainability of our economy”.

He said: “This will mean, as Gordon Brown and I have already made clear, hard choices on public spending.

“We won’t flinch from these difficult decisions. But we will always be guided by our core values of fairness and responsibility.”

NIESR specialises in estimating GDP ahead of official figures produced by the Office for National Statistics.