EuPD Research – global experts and leaders in solar market research – has awarded REC with the highly regarded “TOP BRAND PV” seal for each of France, Germany, and Italy, the three largest markets in Europe. The seal is based on independent analyses, including surveys of solar installers and end customers on criteria such as brand awareness, distribution, and installer recommendation.

“The ‘TOP BRAND PV’ seal represents REC’s excellent reputation amongst those who work with and use our solar products every day,” said Luc Graré, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Cells and Modules, REC. “It’s a credible indication of customer satisfaction and the reliability of our products, helping installers in their sales initiatives and end customers make educated purchases.”

In addition to the seal, a 2012 IMS Research report ranked REC as the largest European supplier of solar modules in 2011 based on MW shipped. IMS Research is among the most respected independent analysts of the global solar market. “The 594 MW of solar modules shipped worldwide in 2011, plus REC’s increase in the market share demonstrate the demand for quality solar solutions,” adds Graré.

The “TOP BRAND PV” seal and the number one ranking by IMS Research are the latest accreditations for REC, whose modules ranked first in Photon Laboratory’s 2011 Field Performance Test, producing six percent more energy than competing modules.

The workshop focused on governance, international law, shipping routes and future prospects for economic development in the Arctic region.

China seeks permanent observer status in the Arctic Council, an issue which came up repeatedly during the workshop. China argues that the implications of the changing Arctic environment are both global and regional, and therefore views its participation in Arctic governance as justified.

Nordic nations have the potential to forge a special Arctic relationship with China.

The Arctic Council has received 10 permanent observer status applications, which are expected to be resolved at the next Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting. Workshop participants from all Nordic countries reiterated Nordic support for China’s permanent observer status.

‘This has been a truly unique opportunity for Nordic and Chinese experts, diplomats and officials to engage with each other. To my knowledge the workshop was the first of its kind held in China,’ says Linda Jakobson, a member of the SIPRI Arctic research team and East Asia Program Director at the Lowy Institute.

China follows Arctic developments closely.

Last month’s visit by Premier Wen Jiabao to Iceland and Sweden sparked speculation about the emerging superpower’s ambitions in the far north. China’s interest in the Arctic has certainly grown considerably in the past few years.

Chinese Arctic specialists now refer to China as a ‘near-Arctic state’ and at the workshop the term ‘stakeholder’ was also used. The Chinese government has recently increased investment in Arctic research and commissioned a second Arctic ice-breaker.

In a 2010 SIPRI report, China prepares for an ice-free Arctic, Jakobson encouraged the Arctic Council’s Nordic members to grasp the opportunity to forge a unique relationship with China by engaging with Chinese officials and academics on Arctic issues.

RIM is preparing for the launch of its new BlackBerry 10 platform.

“Kristian and Frank bring extensive knowledge of the rapidly changing wireless global market and will help RIM as we sharpen our focus on delivering long-term value to our stakeholders,” said Thorsten Heins, RIM’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Most importantly, both Kristian and Frank possess a keen understanding of the emerging trends in mobile communications and computing.”

Tear is from Sony Mobile Communications, where he served as Executive Vice President. He previously held a variety of operational leadership positions with Ericsson in Europe, Asia and Latin America. At RIM, Tear will serve as Chief Operating Officer overseeing all operational functions for handhelds and services, including research and development, products, global sales, manufacturing and supply chain.

Boulben is the former Executive Vice President of Strategy, Marketing and Sales for LightSquared. He joined LightSquared after serving as Global Director of Commercial Strategy for Vodafone Group and Executive Vice President of Brand and Consumer Marketing for Orange Group. Boulben will oversee global marketing efforts at RIM.

Boulben said “We all know how fast the mobile arena evolves and with the BlackBerry 10 platform, I believe RIM will once again change the way individuals and enterprises engage with each other and the world around them. I could not resist the opportunity to be part of that transformation.”

Tear with 25 years of experience holds a Masters Degree in Science from the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden and completed the Ericsson Executive MBA program at Columbia University in New York.

Frank Boulben has 20 years of experience. he was also the Director of Commercial Strategy for Vodafone Group, responsible for strategic marketing, customer insights and segmentation, pricing, customer investment optimization and roaming. Prior to Vodafone, Frank was the Executive Vice President for Brand and Consumer Marketing for Orange Group, responsible for brand and communications, consumer propositions, value-based marketing, which included pricing and customer investment optimization, customer insights and segmentation, CRM, product marketing and devices portfolio management.

Before joining Orange, Frank spent eight years working for Vivendi Universal, occupying several strategy and marketing roles for SFR and then as CEO of Vivendi Universal Internet division with a focus on mobile services. During 2005-2006, Frank served on the Board of the GSM Association (the world’s largest trade association representing more than 800 wireless carriers in 219 countries) and was the Chairman of the Strategy Committee.

He holds diplomas from the École Polytechnique and from the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, where he studied mathematics, physics and economics.

MasterCard also unveiled a new brand identifier ‘ MasterCard PayPass Ready ‘ – now available to device manufacturers to use with NFC-enabled smartphones that have been tested and certified by MasterCard for use with PayPass technology. The MasterCard PayPass Ready identifier will signify a device is available for commercial deployment of PayPass, and can be included as a sticker on the approved device, and in an approved device’s packaging, marketing collateral and advertisements. Nokia and BlackBerry-maker RIM are among the first handset manufacturers committed to supporting this brand mark.

“In the near future, millions of phones will ship with NFC technology embedded within them. The new PayPass Ready identifier will help consumers make informed device purchasing decisions by providing a visual mark that indicates devices are certified to make simple, smart and secure payments via the MasterCard PayPass network,” said Mung Ki Woo, group executive, Mobile at MasterCard.

The plan, he said, is for the vessel to be as similar as possible to the original Titanic in design and specifications, but with modern technology. “It will be every bit as luxurious as the original Titanic but of course it will have state-of-the-art 21st Century technology and the latest navigation and safety systems,” he said.

The announcement comes just weeks after the centenary of the sinking of the ill-fated Titanic. The vessel, the largest luxury ship in its time, struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. It went down on 15 April 1912, leaving more than 1,500 people dead.

The new vessel is scheduled to sail from London to New York in late 2016, if all goes as planned. “It is going to be designed so it won’t sink,” he added. “But, of course, if you are superstitious like you are, you never know what could happen.”

The cost of the construction is not known, a spokesman for Palmer said.

The mining magnate from Queensland, who has strong business relations with China, has expanded into tourism. He owns a luxury resort on the Sunshine Coast and has plans to build a fleet of luxury liners.

His plan to build the Titanic replica was announced on the same day that he revealed plans, in a separate news conference, to contest the next federal election in Queensland.

He told reporters that he has expressed interest in standing for Queensland’s Liberal National Party (LNP), part of the conservative opposition at federal level, in the Brisbane seat of Lilley – currently held by Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer Wayne Swan.

The Chikyu, operated by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, was digging the seabed off Japan’s northern coast to take fault samples and study last year’s devastating earthquake and tsunami.

The agency said Friday that the probe’s drilling pipe hit the fault zone at 6,883.5 meters (22,600 feet) undersea before reaching the target of 7,740 meters Wednesday. That’s nearly 8 kilometers (5 miles) deep.

The drilling site is located off Oshika Peninsula, just west of the axis of the Japan Trench. The water depth at the primary drill site is 6,910 meters, and Chikyu will drill as much as 1000 meters below the seafloor to reach the fault zone. Maritime organization said that the U.S. vessel Glomar Challenger set the previous record of 7,049.5 meters (23,130 feet) below sea surface in the Mariana Trench in 1978. However, in the Mariana expedition the drilling only sampled to 15.5 meters below the seafloor. The present expedition to the Japan Trench will use about 8,000 meters of drill string.

Unite national officer Roger Maddison said “Ford faces the very real prospect of the first strike since the 1970s. Unite will not stand by and allow Ford to create a two tier workforce on pay and pensions. We urge Ford to return to the negotiating table if it wants to avoid this dispute.

“We fiercely oppose the closure of Ford’s final salary scheme to new entrants. This is the thin end of the wedge. Ultimately we believe Ford will try to close the entire scheme.

The sites being balloted include Manufacturing engine/stamping and diesel design centre at Dagenham; Manufacturing engine plant, Bridgend; Transmission plant at Halewood; Parts distribution centre at Daventry; Transit assembly plant at Southampton; Ford of Britain HQ at Warley; and Design and technical centre, Dunton, Basildon.

Ducati will join the traditional Italian brands Lamborghini and Italdesign, as the third pillar for AUDI AG in Northern Italy. Another building block in the Company’s growth strategy thus falls into place. Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, declared: “It has great expertise in high-performance engines and lightweight construction, and is one of the world’s most profitable motorcycle manufacturers.” The progressive control systems and special combustion chamber process of Ducati engines, their resulting sporty character, and Ducati’s extensive know-how in lightweight construction thus offer great potential for AUDI AG and the Volkswagen Group.

Ducati is a globally active company and has manufacturing operations at its headquarters in Bologna and at its own factory in Thailand. It maintains a series of importer companies in strategic markets. Experts predict that the motorcycle market will enjoy strong growth over the next few years, especially in Asia. In 2011, Ducati sold around 42,000 motorcycles and generated revenue of some €480 million, employing around 1,100 people.

The company was founded by Adriano Ducati and Marcello Ducati in Bologna in 1926. Known originally as Società Scientifica Radiobrevetti Ducati, it initially built parts for radios. It ventured into the manufacture of motorcycles in 1949.

Ducati has been actively involved in motorcycle racing for many decades through its racing division Ducati Corse. Its racing activities are currently focused on the Ducati official factory team in the MotoGP class of the Motorcycle World Championship and in the Superbike World Championship, supporting competitive private teams. Ducati won the manufacturers’ championship in this latter class 17 times in 21 championships and the pilots’ 14 times.

North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command officials said that the U.S. systems detected and tracked a launch of a North Korean TaepoDong-2 missile at 6:39 p.m. EDT. The missile was tracked on a southerly launch over the Yellow Sea, said a Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, release. Initial indications are that the missile’s first stage fell into the sea 102.5 miles west of Seoul, South Korea, the statement says. The other two stages were assessed to have failed and no debris fell on land, it said. “At no time were the missile or resulting debris a threat,” the release added.

Japanese Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka said that North Korea’s long-range rocket crashed into the ocean after a flight time of just over one minute.

According to reports the rocket was moved in a southerly direction over the Yellow and East China Sea.

New applicant volumes rose 26% in the three months to March this year, compared to the same period in 2011. The number of sales (subject to contract) were up by 42% in Q1 2012 compared to 2011, while activity in the £5m+ bracket has been particularly buoyant, up 93% over the same period. But supply has once again failed to keep pace, with new instructions up by just 12%. The problem is even more pronounced in the £5m+ bracket, with new instructions down by 11%. These positive indicators have contributed to prices rising in March by a further 1.1%, the highest rate since May 2011, when prices increased by 1.4%.

Prime central London property prices have been rising strongly for three years, on the back of foreign demand and London’s status as a safe haven for investors. The strongest rises in Q1 were seen in the £1m to £2.5m price band (+3.2%) and the sub-£1m band (+3.1%), while the £10m+ bracket saw the smallest rises (+1.5%). Among the areas to see the fastest price growth were Marylebone (+7%), South Bank (+3.5%) and Knightsbridge (+3.4%). Apartment prices have risen more than house prices (+3% and +2.5% respectively).