QTC issues A$4.4 bln in 2011 & 2012 bond exchange

(For the latest Australia and New Zealand bond news, double
click on [AU/CRD] and then double click on the ID number)

SYDNEY, July 23 (Reuters) – Queensland Treasury Corp, the
state’s funding arm, has issued a total of A$4.4 billion ($3.93
billion) in new 2011 and 2012 bonds in exchange for
government-guaranteed bonds, sole lead UBS said on Friday.

The borrower issued A$2.7 billion in June 2011 bonds with a
yield 14 basis points above the QTC 2011 Australia-guaranteed
line and A$1.7 billion in April 2012 bonds with a yield 15 bps
above the QTC’s 2012 Australia-guaranteed bonds.

(Reporting by Cecile Lefort)

During the first quarter 2010/11, Alstom`s Sales Showed Resilience, Whilst Orders Were Impacted by a Lack of Large Projects

During the first quarter of 2010/11 (from 1 April to 30 June 2010), orders
booked by Alstom (Paris:ALO) amounted to €3.1 billion. Sales, at €4.7 billion,
were slightly down as compared to the same period of last year1.

Power received orders of €2.0 billion during the first quarter. The lack of
large projects was partly offset by the resilience of small and medium-sized
contracts, particularly in service and retrofit. Transport registered €1.1
billion of new orders, including a major commercial success in Russia.

During the first quarter 2010/11, sales grew by 9% in Transport, whilst they
started to decline in Power, down 6% versus the first quarter 2009/10, as a
consequence of the order evolution over the last fiscal year in this Sector.

The total backlog remained stable at €42 billion on 30 June 2010, benefiting
from a €1.3 billion currency effect. It represented 27 months of sales.

Key figures

Actual figures 2009/10 2010/11 Variation Q1/Q1
(in € million) Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Act. Org.
Orders received 4,768 2,366 4,223 3,562 3,069 -36% -38%
Sales 4,806 4,877 4,691 5,276 4,743 -1% -5%

“This first quarter confirms the resilience of small and medium-sized contracts
in Power but, despite the busy tendering activity, the Group still faces
challenges to register large orders as customers continue to delay their
investments in new power plants. In Transport, the market remains sound,
offering a number of opportunities. Sales have grown in Transport, whilst, as
expected, they have started declining in Power, after the strong decrease in the
order intake of the last fiscal year “, said Patrick Kron, Chairman & Chief
Executive Officer of Alstom.

Sector Review2

Power

Order intake at €2.0 billion for the first quarter of the fiscal year 2010/11
showed a decrease of 35% versus the first quarter of last year. This evolution
reflects the challenging commercial environment for new equipment.

Thermal Systems & Products received small and medium-sized orders only in the
first quarter of the fiscal year 2010/11. The Thermal Services Business
registered a large number of projects for both retrofit and service, as well as
operation and maintenance contracts in Spain. In Renewables, the main orders
booked in the first quarter were for hydro contracts in the Americas, as well as
for wind turbines in Brazil.

Sales in Power, at €3.2 billion, decreased by 6% (-10% on an organic basis3) in
comparison with the same period of last year, due to the expected slowdown of
the turnover in Thermal Systems & Products.

Transport

Orders, at €1.1 billion in the first quarter of the fiscal year 2010/11,
remained sustained despite being down 37% as compared with the first quarter
2009/10, which included several large contracts in Europe and South America.

The main orders booked in the first quarter 2010/11 included locomotives in
Russia, as well as contracts in Sweden for suburban trains and maintenance.

In the first quarter of the fiscal year 2010/11, sales, at €1.6 billion, were up
by 9% (+7% on an organic basis3) compared to the same period of the last fiscal
year.

Key events of the first quarter 2010/11

On 20 May 2010, Alstom entered the solar market by investing $55 million in
BrightSource Energy Inc. This US privately-owned company specialises in
designing, building and operating tower-based solar thermal power plants.

On 2 June 2010, Alstom acquired Amstar, a coating services company in the United
States, which had sales of approximately $11 million in 2009 and employed 50
people. This acquisition strengthened Alstom`s service offerings with advanced
technologies that improve power plant component life.

On 7 June 2010, Alstom and Schneider Electric completed the transaction with
Areva for the acquisition of Areva T&D, its transmission and distribution
businesses, after obtaining the approvals of the relevant competition
authorities and the French Commission des Participations et des Transferts
(CPT). With this acquisition, Alstom created a third Sector, named Alstom Grid,
constituting the high voltage energy transmission business of the Group.
Alstom`s expertise in power generation combined with the capabilities acquired
in grid management positions the Group in the key market of Smart Grid.

On 19 June 2010, Alstom, Transmashholding and Kazakh Railways (KTZ) signed an
agreement for the creation of a joint company to manufacture electric
locomotives in Kazakhstan.

On 24 June 2010, Alstom inaugurated a new production facility in Chattanooga,
Tennessee, (USA) for steam and gas turbines, large turbo-generators and related
equipment for the North American fossil fuel and nuclear power generation
market. It will also retrofit existing steam turbines with leading edge
technology.

Financial situation

During the first quarter 2010/11, Alstom turned into a net debt position, due to
the financing of Areva Transmission for €2.3 billion, the payment of the
dividend for €364 million as well as the impact on the free cash flow of the low
book-to-bill ratio.

Outlook

The Group confirms that the operating margin for the two fiscal years 2010/11
and 2011/12 should be between 7% and 8%, based upon proper contract execution
and gradual recovery of demand.

***

Note 1: Orders and sales for Alstom Grid were not yet available on 30 June 2010
for release. The new Sector will be fully consolidated on 30 September 2010 in
the half year results and will account for four months.

Note 2: The reported figures by Sector are presented in appendix 1. A geographic
breakdown of reported orders and sales is provided in appendix 2. As for all
figures mentioned in this release, these are unaudited.

Note 3: i.e. excluding any currency & scope impacts. For this quarter, these are
mostly positive currency effects.

This press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on
current plans and forecasts of Alstom`s management. Such forward-looking
statements are relevant to the current scope of activity and are by their nature
subject to a number of important risk and uncertainty factors (such as those
described in the documents filed by Alstom with the French AMF) that could cause
actual results to differ from the plans, objectives and expectations expressed
in such forward-looking statements. These such forward-looking statements speak
only as of the date on which they are made, and Alstom undertakes no obligation
to update or revise any of them, whether as a result of new information, future
events or otherwise.

APPENDIX 1 – SECTOR BREAKDOWN BY QUARTER

2009/10 2010/11
Orders received Var. Actual Var. Organic
(in € million) Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 FY Q1 Q1/Q1 Q1/Q1
Power 3,000 1,731 2,652 2,052 9,435 1,950 -35% -38%
Thermal Systems & Products* 1,414 435 1,837 604 4,290 405 -71% -72%
Thermal Services* 1,203 970 573 1,272 4,018 1,203 0% -5%
Renewables* 383 326 242 176 1,127 342 -11% -15%
Transport 1,768 635 1,571 1,510 5,484 1,119 -37% -39%
Alstom 4,768 2,366 4,223 3,562 14,919 3,069 -36% -38%

2009/10 2010/11
Sales Var. Actual Var. Organic
(in € million) Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 FY Q1 Q1/Q1 Q1/Q1
Power 3,368 3,527 3,217 3,789 13,901 3,170 -6% -10%
Thermal Systems & Products* 1,766 2,010 1,803 2,167 7,746 1,574 -11% -14%
Thermal Services* 1,184 1,039 973 1,157 4,353 1,187 0% -5%
Renewables* 418 478 441 465 1,802 409 -2% -8%
Transport 1,438 1,350 1,474 1,487 5,749 1,573 +9% +7%
Alstom 4,806 4,877 4,691 5,276 19,650 4,743 -1% -5%

(*) Figures given for comparison and analysis purposes only

APPENDIX 2 – GEOGRAPHIC BREAKDOWN

Orders received by destination 2009/10 % 2010/11 %
(in € million) Q1 Contrib. Q1 Contrib.
Europe 3,232 68% 1,688 55%
North America 579 12% 485 16%
South & Central America 308 6% 308 10%
Africa / Middle East 83 2% 191 6%
Asia / Pacific 566 12% 397 13%
TOTAL 4,768 100% 3,069 100%

Sales by destination 2009/10 % 2010/11 %
(in € million) Q1 Contrib. Q1 Contrib.
Europe 2,457 51% 2,328 49%
North America 775 16% 645 14%
South & Central America 229 5% 308 6%
Africa / Middle East 824 17% 809 17%
Asia / Pacific 521 11% 653 14%
TOTAL 4,806 100% 4,743 100%

Press Contact
Philippe Kasse, Stéphane Farhi (Corporate)
Tel: +33 1 41 49 29 82 / 33 08
philippe.kasse@chq.alstom.com
stephane.farhi@chq.alstom.com
or
Investor Relations
Emmanuelle Châtelain
Tel: + 33 1 41 49 37 38
emmanuelle.chatelain@chq.alstom.com
Website
www.alstom.com

Copyright Business Wire 2010

Orion Oyj: Orion and Sun settle patent dispute

Orion Corporation (“Orion”) and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited and certain other
companies belonging to Sun group of companies (together “Sun”) have executed a
settlement agreement on lawsuits filed by Orion in the United States against Sun
regarding Sun’s submissions of abbreviated new drug applications (“ANDAs”) for generic
versions of Orion’s Comtan and Stalevo products. Comtan (entacapone) is indicated as an
adjunct to levodopa/carbidopa to treat patients with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease who
experience the signs and symptoms of end-of-dose “wearing-off”. Stalevo is a combination
of carbidopa, levodopa and entacapone for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Both
products contain entacapone, a COMT enzyme inhibiting agent originated and patented by
Orion.

Litigations against Sun have been ongoing by Orion in the U.S. since 2007. The
settlement agreement relates to all lawsuits. Under the terms of the settlement
agreement, Sun will be able to launch generic versions of 25/100/200 mg and 37,5/150/200
mg strengths of Stalevo tablets in the US on 1 April 2012. In addition to these
strengths, Sun will be able to launch generic versions of other strengths of Stalevo
product on 2 October 2012 and generic versions of Comtan product on 1 April 2013,
unless certain conditions relating to launch are fulfilled even earlier. The parties
have agreed that Orion will supply said generic product versions to Sun. The other terms
of the settlement are confidential.

As a consequence of this settlement, Wockhardt, with which Orion executed a patent
dispute settlement on 29 April 2009, can launch other generic versions of Stalevo except
the strengths of 25/100/200 mg and 37,5/150/200mg in the US already on 1 April 2012,
and the strengths of 25/100/200 mg and 37,5/150/200 mg approximately six months after
Sun is allowed to market pursuant to license from Orion, unless certain conditions
relating to launch are fulfilled even earlier.

The settlement with Sun warrants no revision of the full-year 2010 outlook estimate for
the Orion Group provided in the stock exchange release published on 14 June 2010.

Subject to the Court’s approval, the cases will be dismissed and the challenged U.S.
Patents No. 5,446,194 and No. 6,500,867 remain in force.

In compliance with the applicable U.S. laws, Orion will file all of the agreements
related to the settlement with the United States Federal Trade Commission and the United
States Department of Justice.

Orion Corporation

Timo Lappalainen Olli Huotari
President and CEO SVP, Corporate Functions

Contact persons:
Timo Lappalainen, President and CEO, phone +358 10 426 3692

About Orion
Orion is a European pharmaceuticals and diagnostics company dedicated to treating and
preventing disease by discovering and developing innovative medicinal treatments and
diagnostic tests for global markets. Orion is engaged in human and veterinary drugs,
active pharmaceutical ingredients and diagnostic tests. In 2009, Orion’s net sales were
EUR 771.5 million. Operating profit was EUR 207.0 million, and the company invested EUR
95 million in pharmaceutical research and development. The number of employees is about
3,100. Orion corporate headquarters are in Espoo, Finland. Orion is listed on NASDAQ OMX
Helsinki. For more information, please visit: http://www.orion.fi/en/.

Publisher:
Orion Corporation
Communications
Orionintie 1A, FI-02200 Espoo
Homepage: www.orion.fi

HUG#1425982

UPDATE 1-Canada April building permits post unexpected gain

June 4 (Reuters) – The value of Canadian building permits posted an unexpected 5.4 percent gain in April from March on strength in the nonresidential sectors, Statistics Canada data indicated on Friday.

Market traders had predicted a 2.0 percent decrease. The gain was the second month in a row that permits have risen after four straight months of declines.

Nonresidential intentions jumped by 32.2 percent in April on gains in both institutional and commercial buildings.

Residential intentions slipped 8.0 percent on declines in single- and multifamily permits in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec — three of Canada’s most powerful provinces.

Permits were up 48.2 percent from a year earlier when their values were near record lows. (Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Theodore d’Afflisio)

Russia’s Bashneft oil reserves seen at 1.27 bln bbls

MOSCOW, April 14 (Reuters) – Russian mid-sized oil company Bashneft (BANE.RTS), owned by holding company Sistema (AFKC.MM), said on Wednesday its proven reserves were valued at 1.27 billion barrels after its first independent audit in 12 years.

The company said the audit was conducted by Miller&Lents under Petroleum Resources Management System (PRMS) criteria.

“At current output levels, the company’s proven oil reserves will last for more than 20 years,” Bashneft President Viktor Khoroshavtsev said in a statement. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin, editing by Robin Paxton)

SPDR Gold Trust holdings hit record-high 1,141.041T

TOKYO, April 12 (Reuters) – The world’s largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, the SPDR Gold Trust (GLD), said its holdings hit an all-time high of 1,141.041 tonnes as of April 9, topping the previous record hit the day before. [GOL/SPDR]

For details on gold holdings by the ETF listed in New York and also co-listed on other exchanges, click on:

www.exchangetradedgold.com/

Following are changes in SPDR holdings;

Date: Total tonnes

Apr 9 1,141.041

Apr 8 1,140.433

Apr 7 1,130.737

Mar 29 1,129.823

Mar 25 1,124.647

Mar 23 1,120.079

Mar 10 1,115.511

Mar 5 1,116.120

Mar 3 1,115.511

Mar 2 1,111.556

Feb 23 1,106.987

Feb 22 1,107.901

Feb 19 1,107.596

Feb 16 1,109.424

Feb 5 1,106.378

Feb 4 1,104.550

Feb 3 1,110.339

Jan 19 1,111.922

Jan 17 1,112.836

Jan 14 1,113.750

Jan 12 1,115.884

Jan 8 1,119.541

Jan 7 1,123.503

Jan 6 1,123.869

Jan 4 1,128.745 (Reporting by Chikako Mogi)

Indian shares extend gains to 1 pct

MUMBAI, April 9 (Reuters) – Indian shares extended gains to 1 percent on Friday morning, helped by earnings optimism and rising foreign portfolio inflows. Reliance Industries (RELI.BO) and financials led the rise.

Financials

At 10:06 a.m. (0436 GMT), the 30-share BSE index .BSESN was up 0.99 percent at 17,890.29 points, with 27 components advancing, after hitting 17,891.26.

The 50-share NSE index was up 0.8 percent at 5,348.50. (Reporting by Ami Shah)

Taiwan’s Quanta Computer March sales up to T$89.1 bln

TAIPEI, April 8 (Reuters) – Quanta Computer (2382.TW), the world’s biggest contract laptop maker, posted on Thursday sales of T$89.137 billion ($2.8 billion) for March, up from T$60.4 billion in the same month a year earlier.

Technology

The company’s website is at www.quanta.com.tw. (Reporting by Roger Tung)

UPDATE 1-Swiss Re buyback returns $2.1 bln to investors

ZURICH, April 8 (Reuters) – Swiss reinsurer Swiss Re (RUKN.VX) has terminated its share buyback programme after returning more than 2 billion Swiss francs ($1.87 billion) to shareholders since 2007, the company said on Thursday.

The world’s second-biggest reinsurer began the buyback programme in August 2007, and closed it on April 7, as outlined in the programme terms. In that time it has bought back over 26 million shares at a total cost of 2.1 billion francs.

More than 17 million of the shares were cancelled from the share registry, while just under 9 million are being held as treasury shares.

(Reporting by Martin de Sa’Pinto; editing by Elaine Hardcastle)

($1=1.071 Swiss Franc)

Seoul shares at 21-mth closing high on techs, autos

Institutions sold a net 202.3 billion won worth of stocks,
and retail investors offloaded a net 57.9 billion won worth.

Decliners outnumbered advancers 470 to 315, with 85 issues
ending flat.

Trading volume stood at 343 million shares worth 6 trillion
won, compared with 290 million shares worth 5.7 trillion won in
the previous session.

The KOSPI 200 June futures index KSc1 ended up 1.15
points at 227.05, and the KOSPI 200 spot index .KS200 rose
1.22 points at 226.69.

The junior Kosdaq market .KQ11 ended 0.82 percent lower
to close at 514.95.

Move on day +0.25 percent

12-month high 1,723.22 19 JAN 2010

12-month low 1,249.94 1 APRIL 2009

Change on yr +2.42 percent

All-time high 2,085.45 1 NOV 2007

All-time low 93.10 6 JAN 1981

I’m going to be worth £16m next year: Susan Boyle

London, Mar 29 (ANI): Scottish singer Susan Boyle is convinced she will be worth 16 million pounds by next year.

After Boyle, 48, released her debut album ‘I Dreamed A Dream’, it became the biggest-selling CD of 2009 in the U.K., and has now sold more than 8.5 million copies globally.

The singer, who has reportedly been living off an allowance from Simon Cowell, will receive her first big payout from her worldwide sales when she turns 49 on April 1.

“I’m no April fool – I’m going to be worth 16 million pounds next year,” the Daily Star quoted her as saying.

And she is looking forward to buying a new five-bedroom, three-bathroom riverside property in her hometown of Blackburn, West Lothian, Scotland.

“Susan was teased from a child because of her birth date and told she would never amount to much in her life. She can still remember the taunts as if they were yesterday,” her brother, Gerry, said.

“But she rang me last week and was so happy. She said, ‘Gerry, if people look at me now they’ll realise I’m no idiot, no fool. I can buy whatever I want.’ I felt so happy for her.

“She’s had a lot of knocks in life and deserves everything good coming her way… The figures are staggering – eye popping.

“When Susan was told she dropped the phone and danced a jig around her front room, even though money is not her god and never will be,” he added. (ANI)

Mikael Skov Steps Down From the Position as CEO in TORM A/S

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, March 1, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In September 2008, Mikael
Skov took over the position as CEO of TORM until Jacob Meldgaard starts as new
CEO on 1 April 2010. Mikael Skov has been with TORM since 1984.

As Mikael Skov has not wished to be reinstated in his former position as COO, as
originally planned, Mikael Skov and TORM’s Board have decided that the right
time for Mikael Skov to leave the Company is after the release of TORM’s annual
report 2009 on 11 March 2010. In the period until 1 April when new CEO Jacob
Meldgaard starts, CFO Roland M. Andersen will take over the responsibility as
acting CEO.

Chairman of the Board N. E. Nielsen says: “On behalf of the Board of Directors I
would like to thank Mikael for taking on the position as CEO during the past 1
1/2 years. I respect Mikael’s decision and wish him all the best for the future.
At the same time, I personally would like to thank Mikael for his excellent and
valued cooperation in TORM and for his great efforts during the past 25 years
where he has been part of developing the Company into what it is today.”

From 1 April 2010, TORM’s Executive Management will consist of CEO Jacob
Meldgaard and CFO Roland M. Andersen.

About TORM

TORM is one of the world’s leading carriers of refined oil products as well as a
significant participant in the dry bulk market. The Company runs a fleet of
approximately 140 modern vessels, principally through a pooling cooperation with
other respected shipping companies who share TORM’s commitment to safety,
environmental responsibility and customer service.

TORM was founded in 1889. The Company conducts business worldwide and is
headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. TORM’s shares are listed on the NASDAQ OMX
Copenhagen (ticker: TORM) and on NASDAQ in New York (Nasdaq:TRMD). For further
information, please visit www.torm.com.

Safe Harbor Forward Looking Statements

Matters discussed in this release may constitute forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to future
events and financial performance and may include statements concerning plans,
objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying
assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical
facts. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon various
assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions,
including without limitation, Management’s examination of historical operating
trends, data contained in our records and other data available from third
parties. Although TORM believes that these assumptions were reasonable when
made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant
uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and
are beyond our control, TORM cannot assure you that it will achieve or
accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections.

Important factors that, in our view, could cause actual results to differ
materially from those discussed in the forward looking statements include the
strength of world economies and currencies, changes in charter hire rates and
vessel values, changes in demand for “tonne miles” of oil carried by oil
tankers, the effect of changes in OPEC’s petroleum production levels and
worldwide oil consumption and storage, changes in demand that may affect
attitudes of time charterers to scheduled and unscheduled dry-docking, changes
in TORM’s operating expenses, including bunker prices, dry-docking and insurance
costs, changes in governmental rules and regulations including requirements for
double hull tankers or actions taken by regulatory authorities, potential
liability from pending or future litigation, domestic and international
political conditions, potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents
and political events or acts by terrorists. Risks and uncertainties are further
described in reports filed by TORM with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission, including the TORM Annual Report on Form 20-F and its reports on
Form 6-K.

Forward looking statements are based on management’s current evaluation, and
TORM is only under obligation to update and change the listed expectations to
the extent required by law.

-0-
CONTACT: TORM A/S
Christian Frigast, Deputy Chairman (in the absence of Chairman
N. E. Nielsen)
+45 2632 6400

German inflation hits 0 per cent for first time since 1987

Wiesbaden, Germany – Germany’s consumer price index for May 2009 is expected to show 0.0 per cent inflation compared to the same month last year, for the first time since 1987, according to preliminary figures released Wednesday.

The data are based on early results from six federal German states, Germany’s Federal Statistical Office reported.

May’s consumer price index dropped 1 per cent compared to April 2009, which in turn represented an increase of 0.7 per cent over April last year.

The results are thought to be a consequence of the sharp rise in oil prices during the first half of 2008, which have since dropped off again, counteracting other inflationary factors.

Analysts predict that inflation will sink to negative numbers during the course of the summer, before picking up again towards the end of the year.

Final results for May 2009 are due to be released on June 10. (dpa)

Singapore’s visitor arrivals fall 6.1 per cent in April

Singapore – A fall in tourist arrivals in Singapore levelled off in April, as the number of visitors to the city state shrank 6.1 per cent compared to a year ago, the Singapore Tourism Board said Wednesday.

The decline was smaller than the double-digit slump posted in each of the previous three months.

In April, a total of 780,000 visitors arrived in Singapore.

Arrivals from Hong Kong, the Philippines, Vietnam, Germany and Australia grew, which the board “mainly attributed to the Easter holiday period in April.”

Visitor days in April reached 3.2 million, a decrease of 3.3 per cent compared to April 2008.

The average occupancy rate for Singapore’s hotels was 71 per cent in April, down 11.9 percentage points from a year earlier, the board said.

Hotel room revenue was estimated at 110 million Singapore dollars (76 million US dollars), a sharp decline of 40.2 per cent compared to April last year.(dpa)

Tech Mahindra successfully raises Rs 600 crore

Tech Mahindra, an M and M-promoted company, has notified that it has successfully raised Rs 600 crore of debt through issuance of bonds.

The company said that it has allotted 6,000 non-convertible debentures (NCDs) of face value of Rs 10 lakh each, aggregating to Rs 600 crore on April 17.

Recently, Tech Mahindra through its arm Venturbay Consultants, won the race to acquire controlling stake in scam-hit Satyam Computer. The company has to pay Rs 1,756 crore by April 21, for acquisition of a 31 per cent stake in the company.

Reports suggest that Tech Mahindra would pay an aggregate of about Rs 2,889 crore for 51 per cent stake in Satyam.

Thai stocks open down 1 pct after political unrest

BANGKOK, April 16 (Reuters) – Thailand’s benchmark stock index .SETI fell just 1 percent when the market reopened on Thursday after political violence in Bangkok during a three-day holiday.

Some analysts had said the peaceful end to the protests might limit falls.

For more protest stories, click on [nSP470159]

At 0300 GMT, the main index was down 1.03 percent at 449.28, retreating from a 13-week high hit on Friday, before the holiday. ($1=35.40 Baht) (Reporting by Arada Therdthammakun; Editing by Alan Raybould)

Students put themselves to sleep in April 1 prank

Tirana (Albania), April 2 (DPA) An Albanian high-school class pulled off a dangerous April fool’s prank on their teacher when all pupils took sedatives and fell asleep in class, local media reported Thursday.

All 20 students of a class in a school in Saranda, on Albania’s southern Adriatic coast, swallowed one or two Diazepam pills. They obtained the drug, similar to Valium, in a pharmacy, reports said.

When the teacher saw his entire class slip in deep slumber, he grew frantic with fear and had all his students transported to a hospital, where the joke unravelled.

The school director described the prank as ‘collective idiocy’.

Australia, South Africa receive Test and ODI championship trophies

Dubai, Mar 25 (ANI): The presentation of ICC Test Championship mace and the ODI Championship shield plus prize money was made to the captains of the Australia and South Africa teams in Johannesburg today.

Captain Ricky Ponting accepted the mace and 175,000 dollars on behalf of Cricket Australia for leading the team that will finish top of the Test Championship table on the annual cut-off date of 1 April. He also picked up a cheque for 75,000 dollars for coming second in the ODI Championship on the same date.

Meanwhile, Graeme Smith took possession of the shield and 175,000 dollars on behalf of Cricket South Africa in recognition of his team finishing on top of the ODI Championship table. He also accepted a cheque for 75,000 dollars for being second in the Test Championship on the 1 April cut-off.

At the presentation, Ponting said: “This is a tribute to the hard work of the players and the back-room staff and it’s very pleasing for us… After losing the home series against South Africa we were under pressure and so we came here to make sure we lifted our game and improve in a lot of areas. That was our focus.

“I think the way we performed in first two Tests of the series was as good as we have played in a long time and it gave me perhaps more pleasure than any other series I have been a part of either as a player or a captain.”

Smith added: “If you look back a couple of years we were probably fourth or fifth in both the Test and ODI rankings so to be second in the Test rankings and number-one in one-dayers is a great feeling and is testament to how far we have come.

“The hunger is there and we have shown that we can compete with Australia in both those formats of the game and I am optimistic that we can eventually lead both sets of rankings because we have the right plan and the right attitude at the moment.” (ANI)