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• DJ Vodafone Group Plc Vodafone Connected Worker Report
  TIDMVOD RNS Number : 4064F Vodafone Group Plc 23 May 2013 23 May 2013 MOBILE TO ENHANCE WORKERS' FINANCIAL SECURITY, PRODUCTIVITY AND WORKPLACE SAFETY -- Six mobile services bring secure wage payments, learning programmes and workplace safety reporting to workers in emerging markets The Vodafone Connected Worker report, published today, says mobile money payroll (mPayroll) could enable secure, cost-effective wage payments to be made to millions of unbanked workers by 2020, reducing corruption, lessening the risk of payday robbery and reducing the time spent travelling and waiting to receive cash wages. mPayroll, one of the six mobile solutions identified in the report, will give people greater control over their finances, enabling simple onward payment of bills and remittances to family members using mobile money without having to pay 'cash-in' charges, says the report, commissioned by Vodafone with research undertaken by Accenture across 12 markets (DRC, Egypt, Fiji, Ghana, India, Qatar, Lesotho, Mozambique, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania and Turkey). mPayroll is already being implemented by Safaricom in Kenya, where mobile text payment service M-Pesa is paying exam supervisors across 60,000 schools. Recent research by USAID found these workers welcomed the time saved by not having to collect payments, the guarantee of being paid on time - particularly in the rainy season when trucks carrying wages are often delayed - and the ability to be paid without a bank account. This has reduced the cost of making these payments to workers by 86 per cent. The report says mPayroll could be used by 48 million workers, as well as offer business savings of US$2.8 billion annually. Vodafone Connected Worker also highlights that mobile phones can be used to improve, and potentially, save lives in global supply chains. High mobile phone penetration in emerging markets enables purchasers to conduct anonymous text-based surveys quickly and cheaply across their supply chains to gather information on safety and work environment issues, says the report. Companies are increasingly focused on ensuring working conditions and pay in their global supply chains are acceptable. The Worker Panel mobile solution enables the gathering of anonymous data directly from factory, industrial and agriculture workers regularly and in real-time. Vodafone Connected Worker found that the six identified mobile services could have wider financial benefits for organisations, saving them $30.6 billion by 2020 through improved productivity, while providing $7.7bn of financial benefits to workers. Other mobile solutions identified in the report include: -- mIdentity solutions can be used to enhance corporate security and provide authentication for workers when dealing with customers. By 2020, this could reach 16 million people and offer organisational benefits of US$1.5 billion annually. -- Job Finder offers a subscription-based service to match workers to jobs. It has the potential to reach 49 million workers and could match 12 million workers to jobs annually by 2020, improving livelihoods by US$5.6 billion. -- Fieldforce Enablement provides remote access to corporate systems and facilitates better scheduling, enhancing the productivity, safety and effectiveness of workers. These services could reach over 30 million users, delivering organisational benefits of US$24.9 billion annually by 2020. -- mLearning could deliver basic skills training in literacy and numeracy as well as job-related training via mobile. mLearning has the potential to reach 12 million workers and benefit organisations by US$1.4 billion annually by 2020. Andrew Dunnett, Vodafone Group's Director of Sustainability and Director, Vodafone Foundation, says: "Mobile solutions have the potential to improve workers' lives and save money in the boardroom, helping organisations improve productivity, transparency and security. Whether it is mobile monitoring of the supply chain or using a mobile phone to pay wages, the potential for positively transforming the workplace in these markets, for both employers and workers, is significant." Justin Keeble, Managing Director, Accenture Sustainability Services, Europe, Africa and Latin America, says: "Mass ownership of mobiles in emerging markets enables western brands to connect directly to workers in global supply chains. Using simple SMS messages, brands can monitor workplace conditions in real time - supporting improved labour standards and workplace safety." - ends - For further information: Vodafone Group Group Media Relations Tel: +44 (0) 1635 664444 www.vodafone.com/media Notes to Editors About Vodafone Connected Worker Mobile communications has the potential to significantly improve the quality of working life and simultaneously deliver commercial benefits to organisations operating in emerging economies. While workers and employers face many challenges in these markets, the 12 Vodafone markets Vodafone Connected Worker covers demonstrate strong growth potential and innovation. The report, commissioned by Vodafone, in conjunction with Accenture Sustainability Services, looks at six opportunities that can create shared value for both workers and the organisations that employ them, and demonstrates how mobile technology can help to do this. The report aims to stimulate engagement between mobile operators, governments, NGOs and businesses, to develop new solutions to transform opportunity into innovation. Download the full report: http://www.vodafone.com/content/index/about/sustainability/Research.html About Vodafone Vodafone is one of the world's largest mobile communications companies by revenue with approximately 404 million customers in its controlled and jointly controlled markets as of 31 March 2013. Vodafone currently has equity interests in 30 countries across five continents and around 50 partner networks worldwide. For more information, please visit: www.vodafone.com This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange END NRAAJMFTMBITMMJ (END) Dow Jones Newswires May 23, 2013 03:00 ET (07:00 GMT)
• DJ Chariot Oil & Gas: 1 Year Extension for Namibia Central Area Blocks
  LONDON--Chariot Oil & Gas Ltd. (CHAR.LN), an Atlantic margins focused oil and gas exploration company, Wednesday said that the Ministry of Mines and Energy in Namibia has granted a one year extension for the First Renewal Phase on the Central Area Blocks, (License 19, covering Blocks 2312 A & B and Northern halves of 2412 A & B), offshore Namibia. MAIN FACTS: -These licenses are operated by Chariot's wholly owned subsidiary, Enigma Oil & Gas Exploration (Pty) Ltd., which holds 90% equity and is partnered with AziNam Ltd. which holds the remaining 10% equity. -This extension means that the current phase will now run to Aug. 31, 2014. -Chariot has identified prospects within both the shallower and deeper petroleum systems and will be looking to open a data room on the Central Area during the third quarter this year. -There will be a focus on the shallower petroleum system, which contains attribute-supported prospects but recent third party results have de-risked the deeper petroleum system and the prospect portfolio identified here. -This recent drilling of the Wingat-1 well was undertaken in the Walvis Basin, approximately 70 kilometers from Chariot's Blocks, and the results have been encouraging for their prospectivity. -The well reportedly encountered two oil generating source rocks and samples recovered good quality, light oil. -Further third party drilling in the region, to be undertaken in the near future, will also help inform Chariot's prospect selection and the Company will look to secure a partner with the aim of drilling a well in 2014 on completion of the farm-out process. -Shares closed Tuesday at 23.5 pence. -Write to Iain Packham at iain.packham@dowjones.com Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires (END) Dow Jones Newswires May 22, 2013 02:31 ET (06:31 GMT) LONDON--Fastnet Oil & Gas PLC (FAST.LN), an oil company focused on Africa and the Celtic Sea, Wednesday said that an independent resource assessment has been completed by SLR Consulting for its Deep Kinsale propect, identifying unrisked gross 2.365 billion barrels of oil in-place with a 50% chance of being produced. MAIN FACTS: -Risked Potential Resources Estimates of oil in-place for Deep Kinsale in the range of 134 million barrels to 691 million barrels, reflecting the early stages of evaluation and analysis. -The independent assessment confirms that oil-bearing sands (based on well log analysis) encountered in the Middle and Lower Wealden wells drilled by Marathon in the early 1970's occur in the same geological structure that hosts the shallow producing gas sands in the Greensand and Upper Wealden in the Kinsale gas field. -The Deep Kinsale structure covers an area of up to 162 square kilometers. -Acquisition of 500 square kilometers of three-dimensional seismic recently completed over Deep Kinsale and significantly under budget. -Once the three-dimensional seismic has been processed and interpreted, the data generated will provide new information to reduce the range in the in-place resources estimates; identify any potential for structural compartmentalization by faulting; and, by using seismic attributes analysis, define potential reservoir "sweet spots". -This information will be combined with a new analysis of the active petroleum systems around and under the Kinsale Head gas field focusing on hydrocarbon charging mechanisms and the potential for re-migration during Tertiary basin uplift. -This will help to identify the target area for the farm-in well which will be designed to meet the requirements of the option agreement entered into with PSE Kinsale Energy Ltd. based off the results of the independent pilot development study that is being commissioned by Fastnet. -Shares closed Tuesday at 23.25 pence. -Write to Iain Packham at iain.packham@dowjones.com Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires (END) Dow Jones Newswires May 22, 2013 02:54 ET (06:54 GMT) LONDON--Horizonte Minerals PLC (HZM.LN), a Brazil-focused nickel miner, Wednesday said it has completed metallurgical testing at its Araguaia Nickel Project located south of the Carajas mining district in northern Brazil, confirming the suitability of a conventional Rotary Kiln Electric Furnace to process the ore to produce ferronickel. MAIN FACTS: -Studies established operational conditions suitable for both the kiln and electric furnace in an RKEF operation - data will feed into a Pre-Feasibility Study to be undertaken in the second half of 2013, with a view to completion in 2014. -A market study undertaken for Horizonte by CRU Strategies has confirmed that the targeted grade (15-17%) for Araguaia ferronickel product meets the requirements of stainless steel plants. -Shares closed Tuesday at 7.4 pence. -Write to Iain Packham at iain.packham@dowjones.com Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires (END) Dow Jones Newswires May 22, 2013 02:59 ET (06:59 GMT) LONDON--Max Petroleum PLC (MXP.LN), a Kazakhstan-focused oil company, Wednesday said that the BCHW-2 appraisal well in the Baichonas West field has reached a total vertical depth of 1,487 meters, finding oil and gas across two reservoirs. MAIN FACTS: -Electric logs indicate a total of seven meters of net pay in Jurassic strata reservoirs and five meters of net pay in Triassic strata reservoirs, as well as 93 meters of lower quality Triassic reservoirs that could be potentially productive with hydraulic fracturing over a 170 meters gross interval. -The seven meters of net pay in the Jurassic strata comprises two zones, including an upper interval at vertical depths between 1,106 to 1,116 meters and a lower interval at depths between 1,187 to 1,201 meters. -The lower interval correlates with pays seen in the BCHW-1 well, while the upper zone is a new reservoir not previously encountered. -Reservoir quality in the Jurassic is excellent with porosity ranging from 15 to 27%. -The Triassic section, which extends from vertical depths of 1,210 to 1,380 meters, is largely composed of tight sandstones, all of which appear to be charged with oil and gas. -Electric logs indicate five meters of these sands can be considered net pay having porosity of 15% or greater, which is the standard porosity cut-off the Company has used historically for Triassic reservoirs. -An additional 33 meters of reservoirs have porosities ranging between 8% and 15%, with a further 60 meters of additional tight sandstone reservoirs with porosities below 8%. -The entire 170 meter hydrocarbon-charged Triassic section is a candidate for hydraulic fracture stimulation and therefore will be included in the testing program for the well. -Production casing has been run in the well and testing will begin as soon as regulatory approvals are received. -The Zhanros ZJ30 Rig will now move to drill the SAGW-4 well, an important appraisal well in the Sagiz West Field, located four km south of the nearest producing well in the field. -Shares at 0712 GMT up 0.1 pence, or 3.5%, at 4.1 pence. -Write to Iain Packham at iain.packham@dowjones.com Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires (END) Dow Jones Newswires May 22, 2013 03:16 ET (07:16 GMT) LONDON--Leyshon Resources Ltd. (LRL.AU), a company looking to develop unconventional gas resources with a particularly focus on the Eastern Flank of the Ordos Basin, Wednesday said that flow testing of the two wells ZJS5 and ZJS6 by its wholly owned subsidiary, Pacific Asia Petroleum Ltd., is ongoing with initial results expected next week. MAIN FACTS: -Both wells ZJS5 and ZJS6 are part of an initial program designed to explore and test the potential for commercial gas production in a highly prospective and unexplored 380 square kilometer central depression area that appears to demonstrate good continuity with the neighbouring Sanjiaobei discovery. -The testing is part of the previously announced $20 million accelerated exploration and appraisal program on the Zijinshan Gas Project, located on the eastern fringe of the prolific Ordos Gas Basin in Central China. -Shares at 0718 GMT in London up 1.25 pence, or 8.0%, at 16.9 pence. -Write to Iain Packham at iain.packham@dowjones.com Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires (END) Dow Jones Newswires May 22, 2013 03:20 ET (07:20 GMT) LONDON--Mediterranean Oil & Gas PLC (MOG.LN) said Thursday it has reached agreement with Genel Energy PLC (GENL.LN) to enable the deep-water semi-submersible drilling rig, the "Paul Romano", which Genel has contracted with Noble Corp. (NE), to drill one exploration well offshore Malta Area 4 in the fourth quarter of 2013. MAIN FACTS: -The Paul Romano, will drill the Hagar Qim 1 exploration well in water depths of approximately 450 metres and will target reservoirs at a depth of approximately 2,500 meters. -The exploration well is to target unrisked likely gross prospective resources in the Lower Eocene/Paleocene of 109 million barrels of oil equivalent (27 million barrels of oil equivalent net to MOG). -Shares closed Wednesday at 8.0 pence. -Write to Iain Packham at iain.packham@dowjones.com Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires (END) Dow Jones Newswires May 23, 2013 03:00 ET (07:00 GMT) Copyright (c) 2013 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
• DJ DataStax DataStax Responds to Exceptional Demand for Apache
  RNS Number : 3847F DataStax 23 May 2013 DataStax Responds to Exceptional Demand for Apache Cassandra in Europe -- Announces Community Initiatives Throughout Region LONDON--(Marketwired - May 23, 2013) - -- Cassandra Summit Europe 2013 scheduled for October 16 and 17 in London; features training, tutorials and info sessions from experts and enterprises using Cassandra to transform their businesses -- Developer and Administrator certified training program with the first courses available in Paris and London -- 30+ Cassandra user groups across 23 countries building a strong following -- dozens of meetups taking place all year DataStax, the company that powers the big data applications that transform business, today announced a series of initiatives to meet the unprecedented demand for Apache Cassandra in Europe. DataStax opened its European subsidiary in Q1 2013 and is aggressively expanding throughout EMEA as organizations in the region increase demand for DataStax Enterprise, the company's production-certified version of the Cassandra database. "Every day we speak to new customers and community members planning to launch a critical online service based on Apache Cassandra," said John Glendenning, vice president and general manager, DataStax EMEA. "Cassandra is becoming the benchmark alternative to legacy RDBMS solutions from the likes of Oracle and IBM, and our European Summit, training courses and extensive user group meetup schedule are helping to grow this vibrant community." London Cassandra Summit Hosted by DataStax, the Cassandra Summits are the premier events for the Global Apache Cassandra community. For the first time in its three-year history a Cassandra Summit will take place in Europe, following the biggest Cassandra event ever -- the 2013 Summit kickoff in San Francisco next month which will feature more than 1,000 attendees including CIOs, CTOs, developers, DBAs, press and industry analysts. The London Cassandra Summit will take place on October 16 and 17, and will feature a full lineup of speaking sessions showing how leading enterprises use Cassandra to transform their businesses. Attendees can learn best practices from leaders in the field and learn how to push development boundaries, deliver new solutions and even receive DataStax Cassandra Developer Certification. Cassandra Developer and Administrator Training in Paris and London DataStax now offers training sessions in Europe where developers and DBAs can build their skills and learn everything they need to succeed with Apache Cassandra. Each course takes place over two days and covers topics such as NoSQL data modeling, indexes, time-series data, Hadoop, data management and many others. The Paris Developer Training with Cassandra will be held June 6-7, 2013; the London Developer and Administrator Training with Cassandra sessions take place July 15-16, and July 17-18, respectively. Each two-day session costs EUR 1,850 (euros), or in the UK: GBP 995 + GBP 199 VAT. 60+ Community Meetups Scheduled Throughout EMEA DataStax drives Apache Cassandra by contributing significant portions of code back to the open-source community and bringing together new and experienced members of the community together to share best practices during meetups. DataStax has scheduled more than 60 community meetups across 12 countries, so no matter where a Cassandra user lives, they can learn more about the technology and build their skills -- all while connecting with like-minded community members. Visit Planet Cassandra for the full meetup schedule. About DataStax DataStax powers the big data apps that transform business for more than 250 customers, including startups and 20 of the Fortune 100. DataStax delivers a massively scalable, flexible and continuously available big data platform built on Apache Cassandra(TM). DataStax integrates enterprise-ready Cassandra, Apache Hadoop(TM) for analytics and Apache Solr(TM) for search across multi-datacenters and in the cloud. Companies such as Adobe, Healthcare Anytime, eBay and Netflix rely on DataStax to transform their businesses. Based in San Mateo, Calif., DataStax is backed by industry-leading investors: Lightspeed Venture Partners, Crosslink Capital and Meritech Capital Partners. For more information, visit DataStax or follow us @DataStax. Contact Information: Alex Bradley alex@datastax.com 408-599-8457 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange END NRAPGUCPAUPWPPP (END) Dow Jones Newswires May 23, 2013 03:01 ET (07:01 GMT)
• DJ QinetiQ Swings to GBP137M Pretax Loss, Final Dividend 2.7p
  LONDON--Defence company QinetiQ Group PLC (QQ.LN) Thursday reported that it swung to a pretax loss in fiscal 2013, though profit rose on an adjusted basis, while it raised the final dividend to 2.7 pence from 2 pence and backed its overall full-year expectations. MAIN FACTS: -Revenue in year to March 31 GBP1.33 billion versus GBP1.47 billion a year earlier -Operating loss GBP121.4 million versus GBP361.3 million profit -Pretax loss GBP137.0 million versus GBP316.3 million profit -Adjusted operating profit GBP168.7 million versus GBP159.6 million -Underlying operating margin 12.7% versus 10.9% -Underlying pretax profit GBP152.1 million versus GBP110.2 million -Non-cash impairment of GBP255.8 million to the acquired goodwill in the U.S. Services division; and net restructuring cost of GBP16.3 million -Net cash GBP74.0 million versus net debt GBP122.2 million -Adjusted EPS 18.9 pence versus 13.6 pence -Diluted loss per share 20.5 pence versus EPS 37.6 pence -Dividend 2.7 pence versus 2 pence -U.K. Services expected to remain steady this year; low levels of visibility in U.S. Services -Budgetary pressures, drawdown effect seen last year continue to affect timing and quantity of sales in Global Products -Backs FY expectations overall -Shares at 0701 GMT down 2 pence or 1.1% at 202 pence valuing the company at GBP1.35 billion. -Write to Ed Ballard at ed.ballard@dowjones.com Order free Annual Report for QinetiQ Group Plc Visit http://djnweurope.ar.wilink.com/?ticker=GB00B0WMWD03 or call +44 (0)208 391 6028 Order free Annual Report for QinetiQ Group Plc Visit http://djnweurope.ar.wilink.com/?ticker=US74732F1066 or call +44 (0)208 391 6028 Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires (END) Dow Jones Newswires May 23, 2013 03:03 ET (07:03 GMT) Copyright (c) 2013 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
• DJ VTB Group Expects Tele2 Russia to Get Moscow Licenses Soon - Interfax
  By Olga Razumovskaya MOSCOW--Russia's second-biggest lender VTB Group (VTBR.RS) expects its recently-acquired telecom unit, Tele2 Russia, to obtain licenses to operate in Moscow--the country's hottest mobile market--soon, the bank's Deputy Chief Executive Yury Solovyev told reporters in London Wednesday, Interfax reported. "We'll break through to Moscow, I recommend you change your provider," Mr. Solovyev said. He added that Tele2 could receive the license to operate in Moscow "soon." Asked whether VTB was doing all it could to obtain the license, Mr. Solovyev said: "Not yet, but we will." Tele2 Russia has licenses to provide GSM standard services in 42 Russian regions but doesn't yet have a presence in the country's capital. There are no free GSM or more advanced standard Long-Term-Evolution frequencies in Moscow. Agency website: www.interfax.ru Write to Olga Razumovskaya at olga.razumovskaya@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires May 23, 2013 03:07 ET (07:07 GMT)
• DJ Halfords Group FY Profit Declines to GBP71M, Cuts Dividend Payment
  LONDON--Halfords Group PLC (HFD.LN), a retailer of automotive and leisure products, Thursday reported a significant decline in full year pretax profit, cut its dividend payment, and said that it currently anticipates a reduction in fiscal 2014 profits due to new investments in the business. MAIN FACTS: -Pretax profit for the 52 weeks to March 29 amounted to 71.0 million pound, compared with pretax profit of GBP94.1 million in the year ago period. -Adjusted pretax profit GBP72.0 million versus GBP92.2 million. -Total group revenue GBP871.3 million versus GBP863.1 million. -Adjusted diluted earnings per share 27.5 pence versus 33.5 pence. -Diluted earnings per share 26.9 pence versus 34.0 pence. -Net debt GBP110.6 million versus GBP139.2 million. -Cash and cash equivalents GBP7.9 million versus GBP13.4 million. -Proposed final dividend per share 9.1 pence versus 14.0 pence. -Proposed full year dividend per share 17.1 pence versus 22.0 pence. -Autocentres strategy remains unchanged; growth of 20-30 new centers per year to continue. -Re-positioning of retail business: focus on sales growth to support ongoing sustainable profitability. -GBP100 million of retail capital investment over three years, underpinned by a significant increase in both operating costs and stock. -Group sales target of GBP1 billion in fiscal 2016. -Anticipates group EBITDA may not exceed current levels until fiscal 2016. -Shares at 0706 GMT down 56 pence, or 14.2% at 335 pence. -Write to Tapan Panchal at tapan.panchal@dowjones.com Order free Annual Report for Halfords Group Plc Visit http://djnweurope.ar.wilink.com/?ticker=GB00B012TP20 or call +44 (0)208 391 6028 Order free Annual Report for Halfords Group Plc Visit http://djnweurope.ar.wilink.com/?ticker=US4057311007 or call +44 (0)208 391 6028 Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires (END) Dow Jones Newswires May 23, 2013 03:07 ET (07:07 GMT) Copyright (c) 2013 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
• DJ Chariot Oil & Gas: 1 Year Extension for Namibia Central Area Blocks
  LONDON--Chariot Oil & Gas Ltd. (CHAR.LN), an Atlantic margins focused oil and gas exploration company, Wednesday said that the Ministry of Mines and Energy in Namibia has granted a one year extension for the First Renewal Phase on the Central Area Blocks, (License 19, covering Blocks 2312 A & B and Northern halves of 2412 A & B), offshore Namibia. MAIN FACTS: -These licenses are operated by Chariot's wholly owned subsidiary, Enigma Oil & Gas Exploration (Pty) Ltd., which holds 90% equity and is partnered with AziNam Ltd. which holds the remaining 10% equity. -This extension means that the current phase will now run to Aug. 31, 2014. -Chariot has identified prospects within both the shallower and deeper petroleum systems and will be looking to open a data room on the Central Area during the third quarter this year. -There will be a focus on the shallower petroleum system, which contains attribute-supported prospects but recent third party results have de-risked the deeper petroleum system and the prospect portfolio identified here. -This recent drilling of the Wingat-1 well was undertaken in the Walvis Basin, approximately 70 kilometers from Chariot's Blocks, and the results have been encouraging for their prospectivity. -The well reportedly encountered two oil generating source rocks and samples recovered good quality, light oil. -Further third party drilling in the region, to be undertaken in the near future, will also help inform Chariot's prospect selection and the Company will look to secure a partner with the aim of drilling a well in 2014 on completion of the farm-out process. -Shares closed Tuesday at 23.5 pence. -Write to Iain Packham at iain.packham@dowjones.com Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires (END) Dow Jones Newswires May 22, 2013 02:31 ET (06:31 GMT) LONDON--Fastnet Oil & Gas PLC (FAST.LN), an oil company focused on Africa and the Celtic Sea, Wednesday said that an independent resource assessment has been completed by SLR Consulting for its Deep Kinsale propect, identifying unrisked gross 2.365 billion barrels of oil in-place with a 50% chance of being produced. MAIN FACTS: -Risked Potential Resources Estimates of oil in-place for Deep Kinsale in the range of 134 million barrels to 691 million barrels, reflecting the early stages of evaluation and analysis. -The independent assessment confirms that oil-bearing sands (based on well log analysis) encountered in the Middle and Lower Wealden wells drilled by Marathon in the early 1970's occur in the same geological structure that hosts the shallow producing gas sands in the Greensand and Upper Wealden in the Kinsale gas field. -The Deep Kinsale structure covers an area of up to 162 square kilometers. -Acquisition of 500 square kilometers of three-dimensional seismic recently completed over Deep Kinsale and significantly under budget. -Once the three-dimensional seismic has been processed and interpreted, the data generated will provide new information to reduce the range in the in-place resources estimates; identify any potential for structural compartmentalization by faulting; and, by using seismic attributes analysis, define potential reservoir "sweet spots". -This information will be combined with a new analysis of the active petroleum systems around and under the Kinsale Head gas field focusing on hydrocarbon charging mechanisms and the potential for re-migration during Tertiary basin uplift. -This will help to identify the target area for the farm-in well which will be designed to meet the requirements of the option agreement entered into with PSE Kinsale Energy Ltd. based off the results of the independent pilot development study that is being commissioned by Fastnet. -Shares closed Tuesday at 23.25 pence. -Write to Iain Packham at iain.packham@dowjones.com Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires (END) Dow Jones Newswires May 22, 2013 02:54 ET (06:54 GMT) LONDON--Horizonte Minerals PLC (HZM.LN), a Brazil-focused nickel miner, Wednesday said it has completed metallurgical testing at its Araguaia Nickel Project located south of the Carajas mining district in northern Brazil, confirming the suitability of a conventional Rotary Kiln Electric Furnace to process the ore to produce ferronickel. MAIN FACTS: -Studies established operational conditions suitable for both the kiln and electric furnace in an RKEF operation - data will feed into a Pre-Feasibility Study to be undertaken in the second half of 2013, with a view to completion in 2014. -A market study undertaken for Horizonte by CRU Strategies has confirmed that the targeted grade (15-17%) for Araguaia ferronickel product meets the requirements of stainless steel plants. -Shares closed Tuesday at 7.4 pence. -Write to Iain Packham at iain.packham@dowjones.com Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires (END) Dow Jones Newswires May 22, 2013 02:59 ET (06:59 GMT) LONDON--Max Petroleum PLC (MXP.LN), a Kazakhstan-focused oil company, Wednesday said that the BCHW-2 appraisal well in the Baichonas West field has reached a total vertical depth of 1,487 meters, finding oil and gas across two reservoirs. MAIN FACTS: -Electric logs indicate a total of seven meters of net pay in Jurassic strata reservoirs and five meters of net pay in Triassic strata reservoirs, as well as 93 meters of lower quality Triassic reservoirs that could be potentially productive with hydraulic fracturing over a 170 meters gross interval. -The seven meters of net pay in the Jurassic strata comprises two zones, including an upper interval at vertical depths between 1,106 to 1,116 meters and a lower interval at depths between 1,187 to 1,201 meters. -The lower interval correlates with pays seen in the BCHW-1 well, while the upper zone is a new reservoir not previously encountered. -Reservoir quality in the Jurassic is excellent with porosity ranging from 15 to 27%. -The Triassic section, which extends from vertical depths of 1,210 to 1,380 meters, is largely composed of tight sandstones, all of which appear to be charged with oil and gas. -Electric logs indicate five meters of these sands can be considered net pay having porosity of 15% or greater, which is the standard porosity cut-off the Company has used historically for Triassic reservoirs. -An additional 33 meters of reservoirs have porosities ranging between 8% and 15%, with a further 60 meters of additional tight sandstone reservoirs with porosities below 8%. -The entire 170 meter hydrocarbon-charged Triassic section is a candidate for hydraulic fracture stimulation and therefore will be included in the testing program for the well. -Production casing has been run in the well and testing will begin as soon as regulatory approvals are received. -The Zhanros ZJ30 Rig will now move to drill the SAGW-4 well, an important appraisal well in the Sagiz West Field, located four km south of the nearest producing well in the field. -Shares at 0712 GMT up 0.1 pence, or 3.5%, at 4.1 pence. -Write to Iain Packham at iain.packham@dowjones.com Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires (END) Dow Jones Newswires May 22, 2013 03:16 ET (07:16 GMT) LONDON--Leyshon Resources Ltd. (LRL.AU), a company looking to develop unconventional gas resources with a particularly focus on the Eastern Flank of the Ordos Basin, Wednesday said that flow testing of the two wells ZJS5 and ZJS6 by its wholly owned subsidiary, Pacific Asia Petroleum Ltd., is ongoing with initial results expected next week. MAIN FACTS: -Both wells ZJS5 and ZJS6 are part of an initial program designed to explore and test the potential for commercial gas production in a highly prospective and unexplored 380 square kilometer central depression area that appears to demonstrate good continuity with the neighbouring Sanjiaobei discovery. -The testing is part of the previously announced $20 million accelerated exploration and appraisal program on the Zijinshan Gas Project, located on the eastern fringe of the prolific Ordos Gas Basin in Central China. -Shares at 0718 GMT in London up 1.25 pence, or 8.0%, at 16.9 pence. -Write to Iain Packham at iain.packham@dowjones.com Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires (END) Dow Jones Newswires May 22, 2013 03:20 ET (07:20 GMT) LONDON--Mediterranean Oil & Gas PLC (MOG.LN) said Thursday it has reached agreement with Genel Energy PLC (GENL.LN) to enable the deep-water semi-submersible drilling rig, the "Paul Romano", which Genel has contracted with Noble Corp. (NE), to drill one exploration well offshore Malta Area 4 in the fourth quarter of 2013. MAIN FACTS: -The Paul Romano, will drill the Hagar Qim 1 exploration well in water depths of approximately 450 metres and will target reservoirs at a depth of approximately 2,500 meters. -The exploration well is to target unrisked likely gross prospective resources in the Lower Eocene/Paleocene of 109 million barrels of oil equivalent (27 million barrels of oil equivalent net to MOG). -Shares closed Wednesday at 8.0 pence. -Write to Iain Packham at iain.packham@dowjones.com Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires (END) Dow Jones Newswires May 23, 2013 03:00 ET (07:00 GMT) LONDON--BowLeven PLC (BLVN.LN) , an Africa-focused oil company, Thursday said that following the successful testing of the Middle Isongo and Intra Isongo reservoirs in Cameroon, the IM-5 well has been suspended as a future development/producing well and the Atwood Aurora jack-up rig has been released from contract. MAIN FACTS: -The focus will now move to preparing and agreeing the detailed Gas Sales Agreement prior to the final investment decision. -The Group is targeting the final investment decision by the end of 2013. -Anticipates the delivery of first production from the Permit in 2016. -Stage I of the Etinde development project is based on supplying 70 million standard cubic feet of dry gas to a proposed fertiliser plant in Cameroon. -As announced on March 20, a detailed term sheet for the proposed sale of EurOil's gas production from Etinde has been agreed among Ferrostaal, SNH and EurOil. -The term sheet includes an agreement on the applicable pricing mechanism -Shares at 0705 GMT down 1.5 pence, or 2.0%, at 72.0 pence. -Write to Iain Packham at iain.packham@dowjones.com Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires (END) Dow Jones Newswires May 23, 2013 03:07 ET (07:07 GMT) Copyright (c) 2013 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
• DJ Development Securities: Resolution to Grant Planning at 399 Edgware Road
  LONDON--Development Securities PLC (DSC.LN) said Thursday it secured a Resolution to Grant Planning at its seven-acre development site at 399 Edgware Road, North West London, for a 150 million pound, mixed-use regeneration scheme. -Shares at 0707 GMT flat at 191 pence valuing the company at GBP233 million. -Write to Ed Ballard at ed.ballard@dowjones.com Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires (END) Dow Jones Newswires May 23, 2013 03:08 ET (07:08 GMT) Copyright (c) 2013 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
• DJ ANALYST RATINGS CHANGES AS OF 0700 GMT
  BROKER & NEW RATING (FROM) TARGET (PREVIOUS) COMPANY ========================================================= Exane BNP Paribas: ARM Holdings neutral (outperform) ========================================================= Investec: Booker Group 140p (134p) Halfords 375p (385p) ========================================================= JP Morgan: Fidessa underweight (neutral) 1757p (2002p) Petroplavlosk neutral (overweight) 170p (320p) ========================================================= Nomura: Kingfisher reduce (neutral) 280p (270p) Inditex EUR117 (EUR121) Thomas Cook neutral (reduce) 159p (105p) ========================================================= UBS: Schibsted NOK285 (NOK260) The period for all target prices is unavailable, unless otherwise stated (END) Dow Jones Newswires May 23, 2013 03:09 ET (07:09 GMT) Copyright (c) 2013 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
• DJ Pearson Shakes Up Management Amid Restructure
  By Kathy Gordon LONDON--Education publisher Pearson PLC (PSON.LN) said Thursday it will restructure its top management to focus on core educational categories and geographies as part of new Chief Executive John Fallon's GBP150 million reorganization of the business. The changes will see the departure of Will Ethridge, a 15-year veteran of the business, who will step down as chief executive of Pearson's North America division at the end of the year. The shake-up comes three months after Pearson reported a slump in profits after closing a U.K. business and warning of tough market conditions and structural industry change. At the time Mr. Fallon, who took up his post in January, outlined plans to aggressively focus on digital publishing and educational services as demand for hard-copy textbooks declines, and on lucrative emerging markets where the shift to digital is fast and under-penetrated. Pearson last year agreed to hive off its book publishing business Penguin into a joint venture with Random House, leaving it with a predominantly educational business, although it also owns the Financial Times newspaper and generates around 9% of sales through the paper and related news products. The company said it will split its operations into three categories reflecting the stages of education - school, higher education and professional - and three regions - North America where it generates over half its revenue, core markets such as the U.K. where the company is already established, and growth markets such as China and Latin America. Mr. Fallon said the new organization structure "is designed to make Pearson more digital, more services-oriented, more focused on emerging economies and more accountable for learning outcomes. This is a significant change in the way we run the company that will take time and sustained commitment, but it is one we must make to be able to accelerate the execution of our global education strategy." Chairman Glen Moreno said of Mr.Ethridge's departure: "North American Education has been a powerhouse for Pearson for many years and Will has been at the heart of its success. He has developed a strong team of executives and ensured they are ready to take on these new responsibilities." Ethridge is the second long-serving executive to leave following the change of top leadership at Pearson, after Rona Fairhead, chief exceutive of the Financial Times Group, left the board in April. Pearson shares opened 1.3% lower at 1249 pence, in a broadly lower London market. Write to Kathy Gordon at kathy.gordon@dowjones.com; Twitter: @DJKathyGordon Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires (END) Dow Jones Newswires May 23, 2013 03:10 ET (07:10 GMT) Copyright (c) 2013 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.