Holcim: Bernard Fontana, CEO of Aperam to become new CEO. Effective February 1, 2012 Bernard Fontana, presently CEO of Aperam, a company recently spun-off from ArcelorMittal, is to assume the position of CEO of Holcim Ltd. He is replacing departing CEO Markus Akermann, who is stepping down at the end of January 2012 on grounds of age. Markus Akermann, 64, who has been CEO of Holcim Ltd since the beginning of 2002, will be reaching retirement age at the end of January 2012. Link: Click Here

u‑blox, the Swiss positioning and wireless chip and module company, announces the acquisition of San Diego based Fusion Wireless, a provider of CDMA wireless modules for consumer and M2M applications in North America. “The acquisition of Fusion Wireless immediately gives u-blox new, cutting-edge wireless module products plus access to the huge embedded CDMA market in North America for both consumer and M2M applications. It also expands our wireless module technology roadmap to cover all popular standards used in the Americas based on a layout-consistent form factor. Link: Click Here

Cosmo Pharmaceuticals SpA, (SIX: COPN), today announced that analysis of top-line safety data from a double blind, multicenter 12-month extended use study in patients treated daily with either the investigational drug budesonide MMX® 6 mg or placebo will be provided as support for the planned submission of a New Drug Application (NDA) for budesonide MMX 9 mg to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the induction of remission of mild or moderate active ulcerative colitis by its US partner Santarus. Link: Click Here



Economy
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S&P: The Global Economic Recovery Can’t Get A Grip, Says Special Report. Most of the world is struggling to get a hold on the recovery. The spread of Europe's sovereign debt crisis and the growing risk of a slowdown in the U.S. and Europe continue to defy the global recovery and undermine economic stability, says a recent report by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services. Link: Click Here

Italy: S&P today lowered its unsolicited long- and short-term sovereign credit ratings on the Republic of Italy to 'A/A-1' from 'A+/A-1+'. The outlook is negative. The transfer and convertibility assessment remains 'AAA', as it does for all members of the eurozone. Link: Click Here

The Multi-Billion Business with Mobile Apps. The world of digital products is growing rapidly and mobile applications on smartphones and tablet PCs are gaining ground. Industry estimates are predicting a multi-billion market. The question of who is set to benefit from future profits is already being decided today. Those of us who are older might remember bringing programmable pocket calculators to school. These days it is no longer necessary to actually buy a calculator at an office supply store – calculator functionality can be downloaded as an application on a smartphone or tablet PC. Link: Click Here