AREVA signed an enhanced cooperation agreement with Rolls-Royce to extend global cooperation which covers the manufacture of components for new nuclear power plants and other nuclear projects in the United Kingdom and beyond. It follows a global agreement signed between the two companies in March 2011.

Rolls-Royce will supply AREVA with equipment and technical and engineering services with an objective of £100 million in value for the first of its EPR reactors in the UK, planned to be built at Hinkley Point by EDF. The agreement provides for similar values of work to be made available for subsequent EPR construction in the UK.

Luc Oursel, AREVA CEO, said: “Since our original commitment in March, we have widened and deepened the scope of our cooperation. We look forward to working with Rolls-Royce across a range of opportunities including the back-end of the nuclear fuel cycle and the expansion of renewable energies.”

AREVA has signed with EDF a Memorandum of Understanding relating to the delivery of the nuclear steam supply system and all central instrumentation and control systems for the Hinkley Point C project and confirming the timeframe for completing the negotiation for the contract.

AREVA has been chosen to build the nuclear steam generating systems for the first four EPR reactors planned for construction in the UK by EDF and is competing for a further two reactors for Horizon Nuclear Power. The group is also in preliminary discussions with NuGen for the construction of two EPR reactors.

The airline, further extending its European reach, will start a daily service to Lisbon in the south west corner of Europe, just six days after launching flights to Barcelona in neighbouring Spain.

Emirates will serve Lisbon with a modern Boeing 777-200ER aircraft, a far cry from more than 500 years ago when Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama put to sea in search of a passage to India.

Offering First Class, Business Class and Economy Class cabins, EK 191 will leave Dubai at 0915hrs each day and arrive in Lisbon at 1445hrs. The return flight, EK 192 departs Lisbon at 1755hrs and gets into Dubai at 0435hrs the next day. The Portuguese capital becomes Emirates’ 31st European destination.

“Lisbon has been on our European wish-list for some time. Our daily flight will link this far western corner of Europe with our strong route network, via Dubai, into Africa, across Asia and beyond, said Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline. “We will be the only carrier based in the Middle East operating into Portugal, bringing our refreshing approach to customer service, our dynamic and inspiring approach to business, along with superb value for money,” Mr Clark added.

“We are delighted to welcome Emirates to Lisbon and we look forward to a long and successful partnership with our newest airline client,” said Lisbon Airport Director João Nunes.“Emirates have established a high level of excellence and admiration within the aviation community and we are confident that passengers will be eager to take advantage of the new route for travel to the Middle East and beyond. Connectivity is essential for business and for tourism and this new flight and the onward connections that it will provide will be very beneficial for the Portuguese economy,” Mr Nunes added.

Portugal has a population of around 10 million, of which nearly 2 million live in Lisbon and its suburbs. It is estimated there are some 200 million Portuguese speakers around the world, making it the third most spoken European language globally, according to Visit Portugal.

Through its industry-leading international hub in Dubai, the airline’s serves many of the countries where Portuguese is heard including India, Angola, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Brazil and Hong Kong – gateway to the former Portuguese enclave of Macau.

Since joining what became the European Union in the mid-1980s, Portugal’s traditional focus on an agricultural economy has become increasingly diversified, with a steady expansion of the service sector.

As one of Europe’s warmest countries, Portugal is a popular tourist destination. Its better known attractions, such as the resorts of the Algarve, are supplemented by medieval castles and scenic villages dotted around winding coastlines and hillsides.

Portugal has more than 800 kilometres of Atlantic coast and is the primary point of access to the Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira.

In Lisbon, visitors can sip an expresso on the leafy streets, go window shopping in Chiado square, visit Jeronimos Monastery, the World Heritage Site and resting place for Vasco da Gama, or view treasured art at places such as Calouste Gulbenkian and Berardo museums.

Lisbon was recently ranked the 7th best city in Europe for shopping by the ‘Globe Shopper City Index’ of The Economist Intelligence Unit. The city also ranks 8th in the world for international conferences and events, according to the International Conferences and Congress Association (ICCA).

Portugal’s main exports feature textiles, clothing, wood products, machinery, tools and electrical equipment. Emirates SkyCargo, offering 17 tonnes of belly-hold capacity in the 777-200ER, will be on hand to assist importers and exporters.

The new service follows a trend of growing links between Portugal and the UAE. Portugal opened its embassy in the UAE in 2010 and the UAE reciprocated in Lisbon last year.

With a fleet of 169 aircraft, Emirates now flies to 121 destinations, having recently launched Dallas, Lusaka and Harare. Services to Seattle start on 1st March, flights to Ho Chi Minh City get underway from 4th June and Barcelona joins the Emirates’ network on 3rd July.

Picture 1 caption: Emirates will fly daily to the Portuguese capital of Lisbon from 9th July.

Picture 2 caption: The Portuguese capital of Lisbon joins the Emirates’ network from 9th July.

Picture 3 caption: Emirates will launch services to Lisbon from 9th July, deploying a Boeing 777-200ER.

Lisbon – snapshot

• 7th best city in Europe for shopping by the ‘Globe Shopper City Index’ of The Economist Intelligence Unit
• 8th in the world for international conferences and events (International Conferences and Congress Association – ICCA)
• Top city break destination (World Travel Awards 2009 and 2010)
• Numerous golf courses including the Quinta da Marinha Oitavos in Cascais – the first course in Europe to be awarded the Audubon International „Certified Signature Sanctuary/Gold“
• A short drive from Lisbon is Ericeira, Portugal’s surfing capital and recognised as one of the best surfing spots in Europe
• Portugal has more than a dozen world heritage sites, which include the cultural landscape of Sintra, the historic centre of Oporto and the pre-historic rock art site of Siega Verde

LONDON, 7 February 2012. NetJets Europe has today launched Europe’s first direct financing product for the industry, changing the way companies and individuals are able to acquire business aircraft. The NetJets Europe Direct Finance product provides new clients with an alternative financing method with rates comparable to those offered by major financial institutions.

Luis Pinto, CFO at NetJets Europe comments: “With the current economic climate, many businesses are working to avoid the large capital outlay traditionally associated with jet or even fractional jet ownership, especially given the scarcity of credit from the traditional lenders. However, corporates still need to fly to do business and remain competitive, and want the financial and tax benefits that leasing can’t deliver.”

The new NetJets Europe financing model bridges the gap between lease and acquisition, allowing customers to purchase a midsize or long range aircraft through NetJets Europe Direct Finance, with competitive interest rates. Customers are only required to provide a low 25 per cent down payment.

The NetJets Europe finance model delivers significant savings compared to leasing on midsizde jet options, and even greater reductions on larger cabin models, making it a very attractive option for the customer. The interest rates vary depending on the amount of hours purchased by the customer. Backed by Berkshire Hathaway, NetJets Europe represents a secure line of credit for the term of the five year acquisition programmes.

Mr Pinto explains, “NetJets Europe’s first innovation was one of delivering new ownership models that made more efficient use of client funds to let them purchase what they needed, when they needed it. Today, we’re letting customers pay for the assets how they want to. We’re already seeing a huge amount of interest from Eastern Europe and from large corporate clients.”

“We know how uncertain the current market is and want to provide our customers with all the options to secure an aircraft and continue to grow their business. Our Direct Finance proposition empowers businesses and individuals to purchase the aircraft they need, but changes the way they buy, providing access to funds in a difficult credit climate.”

Prague, 30th January 2012 – More of the same, but a slightly brighter 2012 for the Czech Republic. This comes from a review of 2011 market activity and a summary of key trends we are likely to witness this year in Eastern European real estate markets. Colliers International has recently published its latest report: Eastern Europe:  What Lies Ahead in 2012?

The report provides a review and summary of key trends concerning the office, retail, industrial and investment markets of Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Ukraine in 2012. The report also comments on the macro-economic and financial conditions impacting each of these Eastern European countries.

Key highlights for the Czech Republic include:

• The number of speculative office projects will be low or non-existent – banks continue to show a limited interest in financing new projects.
• Several retailers are planning moderate store expansions, including Interspar, H&M, Orsay, New Yorker and Paul (bakery).
• Gross industrial take-up will largely be driven by built-to-suit developments and lease renewals.

Key highlights for Eastern Europe include:

• Moscow is the only city reviewed which will see 2012 rental rises in all three key property sectors – offices, retail and industrial. 
• Office rents in most other markets will remain stable except Zagreb and Kiev, where Colliers forecasts office rental declines.
• Retail rental uplift for prime shopping centres is also forecast in St Petersburg, but the capital cities of the South Eastern European markets; Sofia; Tirana; Athens; Bratislava and Zagreb, will see rental declines.
• Prague, St Petersburg, Moscow and Warsaw are the only cities which will see growth in the industrial and logistics sector.

“As we anticipate a further deepening of the Eurozone crisis, investment activity in the Czech Republic is expected to be moderate to strong. However, trading volumes are unlikely to match the €2 billion of deals transacted in 2011,” says Omar Sattar, MRICS, Managing Director, Colliers International Czech Republic. “Investor origin will continue to be comprised of a mix of foreign and domestic funds, mirroring the trend of 2011.”

Investment turnover for 2011 was recorded to be ca. €12 billion across the region, excluding Greece. This equates to the second best year on record. The report depicts that investment turnover is expected to fall back in 2012 in response to contractions in economic growth and the availability of real estate debt.

With regards to the office sector, Moscow is the only location showing signs of supporting rental growth. Most other markets forecast rents to remain stable except for Zagreb and Kiev where rental declines are forecast. The same stability is true in the Czech Republic, where similar to 2011; lease renewals and renegotiations will play a significant role in gross office take-up over the year. The number of speculative office projects will be low or non-existent in 2012 as most banks continue to show a limited interest in financing new office projects.

“The Colliers Czech office team has been watching these trends closely and are set to assist our clients in both lease renegotiations or finding new space; whichever fits their needs best,” says Mr. Sattar. “Around 100,000 m2 of new office space will come onto the market in 2012 and 47% of this inventory is currently pre-leased.”

AMSTERDAM, 25 January, 2012 – AVG Technologies, a leading provider of internet and mobile security, today presents the “AVG Community Powered Threat Report – Q4 2011”, providing insight, background and analysis on the trends and developments in the global online security threat landscape. Highlights in this quarter’s report are the risks of QR codes, stolen digital certificates bypassing security on mobile phones and the persistence of rootkits.

 Cybercrime has come a long way since it was mostly a digital form of vandalism. It has developed into a criminal business operated for financial gain and is now worth billions. In this report AVG focuses on some of the most notable cybercrime developments in the last quarter.

 QR codes are becoming popular for mobile users to insert text and URLs into the mobile device without typing. Unfortunately they are also being discovered as an ideal way to distribute malware to unsuspecting victims. The user does not know what lurks behind the QR code until the malware is already installed and running. This report describes in detail the new technique already used by hackers and expected to gain momentum in 2012. Putting a malicious QR code sticker onto existing marketing material or replacing a website’s bona fide QR code with a malicious one could be enough to trick many unsuspecting people.

“In Q4 we clearly saw the convergence between computers and mobile phones applies to malware too. As phones become more like computers, so do the risks,” said Yuval Ben-Itzhak, Chief Technology Officer, AVG Technologies. “Many sophisticated tricks of the trade from computers are now being repurposed for phones. However, as phones are often tied into billing systems the gains can be far greater.”

2011 saw a surge in both Android users and Android malware samples. In December, Google removed another 22 malicious apps from the Android Market, making the total for 2011 pass the 100 mark. 1 Cyber criminals have now clearly discovered phones as an interesting target. In another sign that mobile phones are becoming more like computers every day, the use of stolen certificates is now making its way to mobile devices. Digital certificates are often used to certify the identity of the author of an application. If a criminal can get their hands on the certificate belonging to a major software developer, their malware can circumvent security provisions and give users a false sense of security.

Rootkits have been one of the more serious threats to target operating systems in recent years. Rootkits evolved from commercial and financial use to cyber warfare with a very specific target (Stuxnet, Duqu 2). Currently we are witnessing the first phase of the rootkit evolution on mobile devices (CarrierIQ 3). They are ever evolving to be much more sophisticated with some interesting samples showing up every few months.

In this report we focus on one of the latest rootkits called ZeroAccess, a very sophisticated, very effective rootkit using advanced anti-forensic features. ZeroAccess is a kernel mode rootkit spying on users and is controlled from a remote server. Waiting for commands from the criminals behind it, the rootkit allows the criminals to use the infected machine when and how they wish.

Other key findings in the report:

• The Blackhole toolkit is currently the most active threat on the web with a share of nearly 50% of all detected instances and over 80% of all toolkits
• Around a million malicious mobile events have been detected during this quarter
• The USA is still the largest source of spam, now followed by the UK. Compared to the previous quarter, the UK jumped from fourth to second place overtaking India and Brazil.
• Brazil is not just a very active banking Trojan market 4, the report highlights Portuguese as the second most used language in spam messages

 JR Smith, CEO of AVG Technologies, said “With threats such as ID theft, phishing attacks and Trojans, cyber criminals create an environment of increased risk that puts people off going online. At AVG we believe our role is to give people the tools and peace of mind to enjoy their online experience.”

 About the report
The AVG Community Powered Threat Report is based on the Community Protection Network traffic and data, collected over a three-month period, followed by analysis by AVG. It provides an overview of web, mobile devices, Spam risks and threats. All statistics referenced are obtained from the AVG Community Protection Network.

The AVG Community Protection Network is an online neighborhood watch, helping everyone in the community to protect each other. Information about the latest threats is collected from customers who choose to participate in the product improvement program and shared with the community to make sure everyone receives the best possible protection.

AVG has focused on building communities that help millions of online participants support each other on computer security issues and actively contribute to AVG’s research efforts.

# # #

Full Q4 Threat Report: AVG_Community_Powered_Threat_Report_Q4_2011 

* 1 https://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9222595/Google_pulls_22_more_malicious_Android_apps_from_Market

* 2 https://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9185919/Is_Stuxnet_the_best_malware_ever_

* 3 http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/dec/15/carrier-iq-faces-us-probe

* 4 http://www.circleid.com/posts/20111123_brazil_the_newest_up_and_comer/

A second call for bids will be announced in April 2012, regarding geographical construction zones still to be specified.
Our group’s proposal involves our M5000 wind turbine technology for the sites defined by the authorities off the coast of Dieppe-Le Tréport, Fécamp (in Seine-Maritime), Courseulles-sur-Mer (in Calvados), Saint-Brieuc (in Côtes d’Armor) and Saint-Nazaire (in Loire-Atlantique):

Zone 1: Le Tréport (in Seine-Maritime, 600 to 750 MWe) – GDF Suez/Vinci/AREVA

Zone 2: Fécamp (in Seine-Maritime, 480 to 500 MWe) – EDF/Alstom/Poweo ENR/Nass & Wind/Dong Energy/WPD Offshore – GDF Suez/Vinci/AREVA

Zone 3: Courseulles-sur-Mer (in Calvados, 420 to 500 MWe) – EDF/Alstom/Poweo ENR/Nass & Wind/Dong Energy/WPD Offshore – GDF Suez/Vinci/AREVA

Zone 4: Saint-Brieuc (in Côtes d’Armor, 480 to 500 MWe) – EDF/Alstom/Poweo ENR/Nass & Wind/Dong Energy/WPD Offshore – Iberdrola/Eole Res/AREVA/Technip/Neon – GDF Suez/Vinci/Siemens

Zone 5: Saint-Nazaire (in Loire-Atlantique, 420 to 750 MWe) – EDF/Alstom/Poweo ENR/Nass & Wind/Dong Energy/WPD Offshore – Iberdrola/Eole Res/AREVA/Technip/Neon

The approximately $500-million contract covers uranium, conversion, enrichment,fuel design and fabrication, and related engineering services. It is the first of a kind awarded by a nuclear utility to a fuel supplier in the country in several decades.

Under the agreement, AREVA will provide six fuel reloads which correponds to a decade of fuel supply, with deliveries beginning in 2015. The contract includes transition of the Monticello plant to use AREVA’s innovative ATRIUMTM 10XM boiling water reactor fuel. This will be the first time that Xcel Energy will use AREVA fuel in its plants.

Luc Oursel, AREVA CEO, said: “AREVA is very pleased with the trust placed in us by Xcel Energy. This new success was made possible thanks to our integrated business model that draws on a broad portfolio of products and services tailored to meet our customers’ needs.”

Dennis Koehl, senior vice president and chief nuclear officer for Xcel Energy, said the utility looks forward to working with AREVA. “This contract represents the start of a productive working relationship between AREVA and Xcel Energy, onewe believe will benefit our customers by controlling fuel costs,” Koehl said.

*Xcel Energy is a major U.S. utility operating in eight Midwestern and Western states, with a total generation capacity of 16,000 MW.