PISCATAWAY, NJ--(Marketwire - Oct 11, 2012) - Valuable personal data about us resides in dozens of different web locations, and we frequently contend with the challenges of sharing it securely and privately among limited circles of associates. One example is college transcripts, which contain sensitive information to which prospective employers and job search sites need access but which students struggle to share in a timely, trustworthy, and secure way. Kantara Initiative's User-Managed Access (UMA) Work Group published revision 5 of its data access protocol on October 1 to solve such challenges.

UMA lets web application creators easily craft systems that give control of data to their users. Any web-based data ecosystem can leverage UMA, including eHealth and eGov portals, social networking sites, and personal data stores. It offers individuals centralized security, privacy, and control over sharing data with friends and family, business associates, and organizations. And it allows apps to offer sophisticated privacy and sharing options without extensive software development. One UMA implementation, the SMART system developed at Newcastle University, is working to help students control the sharing of Transcripts of Records and other personal data hosted on University systems with future employers. Recently, the system was integrated with the UK Federation to provide these benefits to other British universities.

Maciej Machulak, SMART team leader and CEO of Cloud Identity Ltd, comments, "Over the years, universities have significantly reduced the paperwork students have to deal with, now providing services online for academic data management. We believe User-Managed Access is a key technology to securely open up access to this data and give students full control. With UMA, students can share their online data selectively when forming collaboration groups for research projects or when applying for post-graduate jobs."

"UMA is doing some of the most important work in the online world today," declares Doc Searls, director of Project VRM and author of The Intention Economy: When Customers Take Charge. "Nothing matters more than empowering users to manage everything that's theirs, and UMA is at the forefront of that. Lots of great work has already been done, and much more remains."

"The Attribute Exchange Network (AXN) relies on User-Managed Access to help simplify, and deploy a business model for, online identity verification for participants in the 'identity ecosystem' envisioned by The National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC)," said David Coxe, CEO of ID Dataweb."UMA enables AXN users to manage their identity attributes in simple, transparent, and secure ways, thereby strengthening online trust."

On Wednesday, October 17, at 8am Pacific time, the UMA Work Group will conduct a free public webinar to discuss and provide live demonstrations of UMA's benefits for the higher education community and other communities where data sharing presents security and privacy challenges. All are welcome to attend. Find webinar information at http://tinyurl.com/umawg. Follow the group on Twitter at @UMAWG.

Kantara Initiative is a robust and open focal point for collaboration to address the issues we all share across the identity community: Interoperability and Compliance Testing; Identity Assurance; Policy and Legal Issues; Privacy; Ownership and Liability; UX and Usability; Cross-Community Coordination and Collaboration; Education and Outreach; Market Research; Use Cases and Requirements; Harmonization; and Tool Development. http://www.kantarainitiative.org

About Kantara Initiative http://kantarainitiative.org/

About the UMA Work Group http://tinyurl.com/umawg

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User-Managed Access for Higher Education: UMA Enables Secure, Private College Transcript Sharing

MANILA, Philippines - City dwellers will make up 70 percent of the world population by 2050, and cities must enact drastic changes now in order to accommodate the city dwellers of the 21st century; and offer them living conditions that are conducive to personal development and well-being.

Architects can play a crucial role in the city evolution by their capacity to meet the challenges of urban sustainability, and develop the tools needed to create resilient, sustainable and livable cities.

Renowned architect Philip H. Recto, the keynote speaker during the Philippine observance of World Day of Architecture celebration conducted by the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) recently, urged architects to be city changers by playing an active role in the city evolution, especially in areas such as: mitigating climate change, reducing carbon emissions, and improving management of resources and energy; structuring cities to be more socially-inclusive, accessible and equitable; developing cities that can resist crises and cataclysms; developing economic, educational and creative opportunities for all; and ensuring the security and sanitation conditions essential to all inhabitants.

Architects alone, and on their own, cannot bring about the ideal change that society needs in the face of climate change. however, we are in a position to initiate and lead the desired change to mitigate the challenge and get our communities more prepared in dealing with the adversities that climate change may bring, Recto said.

The task is not really as awesome as it seems. The first step is to work towards getting everyone engaged in the change process, and inculcate the notion that the change has to begin with oneself, he continued.

At this point, he also mentioned that his own architectural office was furnished with 97 percent recycled materials in support of sustainable development.

Recto stressed that in the context of the UN Human Settlements campaign I am a City Changer, it begins with an awareness of the urban issues that confront us today; and it is this awareness that should transform our attitude -- from one of resignation that things happen by chance, to a victorious attitude that we can make a difference because things happen by choice.

The World Day of Architecture celebration was initiated by the Union Internationale des Architectes (UIA) or International Union of Architects which is an international federation of national associations of architects with headquarters in Paris. Since its founding in 1948, it has grown to encompass the key professional organizations of architects in 124 countries and territories, and counts on some 1.3 million members worldwide today.

In 1996, the UIA arrived at a decision to celebrate the World Day of Architecture on the first Monday of October of each year. This is the same day that the United Nations observes World Habitat Day in order to reflect on the state of human settlements and the basic right to adequate shelter for all. - (Philstar News Service, http://www.philstar.com)

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Architects urged to be city changers

By Meena Krishnamsetty - October 10, 2012 | Tickers: ALEX, ASEI, GY, GEOY | 0 Comments

Meena is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinions of our bloggers and are not formally edited.

Marcato Capital Management is a two-year old firm managing $750 million that focuses on value investments across various sectors. The firms sweet spot is $1 billion $5 billion market cap companies. Last Monday Mick McGuire, founder of Marcato and former analyst for Bill Ackman and Pershing Square Capital, gave a presentation at the Value Investing Congress that focused on three hidden real estate value plays.

Alexander & Baldwin (NYSE: ALEX) is a real estate and agricultural company that focuses on real estate development and commercial housing in Hawaii. McGuire believes that the land on Alexanders books is held at a value much lower than its potential market value. Most of the plots are farmland, but Alexander believes the value could be unlocked through residential or industrial development.

Alexander represented over 20% of Marcatos 2Q portfolio, and was the firms second largest holding. This included a 33% increase from the first quarter. However, McGuire was topped by mentor Bill Ackman in share ownership amongst the funds we track, with Marcato owning 1.3 million shares and Ackman 3.6 million.

McGuire noted in his presentation that the net asset value on Alexanders commercial real estate should total just over $900 million, versus the book value of around $800 million. Marcato also completed a DCF on each of Alexanders development properties, calculating the aggregate of all properties to be around $300 million. Including a net asset value on joint-venture assets with the other values puts the net asset value around $30 a share, while the company currently trades around $29.

McGuire then took his analysis a step further by accounting for Alexanders current cash flow from operations, adding another $17 to the valuation. This puts the fair value of Alexanders shares at $47, compared to the companys current sub-$30 trading price.

Gencorp (NYSE: GY) is McGuires second pick. The company is a manufacturer of aerospace and defense products and systems, but also focuses on re-zoning, entitlement, sale and leasing of excess real estate assets. McGuire believes the key to GenCorps land value is in a California region that once acted as a buffer between residential areas and test sites for devices. GenCorp has permits to develop around 6,000 acres, with most estimates putting the land value at $50,000-$60,000 per acre. In addition to its California assets, McGuire also places the value of the companys excess office space at a $66 million based on net operating income of $5 million.

For 2Q, the company reported that cash from operating activities was $29.3 million, compared to $14.6 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2011. Also worth noting is the companys trailing P/E of 101 and its forward P/E of 25. However, McGuire believes that earnings are understated due to non-cash accounting treatments, and so he believes the company trades at P/E of 8x true economic earnings.

This is probably the most hidden real estate playhaving less evident ties to the real estate market when compared to McGuires other two picks. GenCorp competes with a couple other key defense product manufacturers that trade above the company on a P/S basis. GenCorp trades at a 0.6, while American Science & Engineering (NASDAQ: ASEI) trades at 2.9x and GeoEye (NASDAQ: GEOY) 1.9x.

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3 Hidden Real Estate Value Plays for Strong Long-Term Gains

LAS VEGAS, NV--(Marketwire - Oct 10, 2012) - OwnYourInfo, the premier online life management service, announces the release of Version 2.Since its launch in September 2011, OwnYourInfo has undergone a series of structural and interface design updates that make for a significantly improved user experience.

As corporate investment grows in the personal data space, OwnYourInfo promises to be steadfast in its goals of making the access and sharing of personal information more organized, safe, efficient and universally accessible.The release of Version 2 marks major improvements in usability, integration, and user verification.Company founder, Mark L. Black, said, "We have learned a lot since we launched our online web service in September 2011.We are adapting our service to the feedback that our growing user base is providing, as well as the emerging standards and innovations of the industry.Our team has reaped many benefits from the increasingly organized and collaborative community of individuals and companies working to promote individual control over personal information."

Version 2 of OwnYourInfo comes with major usability improvements."Many of the changes are to enable more granular -- but still simple -- control over data we share all the time; for example, its easy to figure out how to enter and share sensitive account numbers or credit card information.V2 is all about convenience without losing security," said William McCusker, Product Manager for OwnYourInfo.

With the release of V2, OwnYourInfo will begin to focus on interoperability and exporting capabilities.Recently, OwnYourInfo became a development partner in the Respect Trust Framework and a member of the Personal Data Ecosystem Consortium (PDEC).Participation within these organizations begins a new chapter for OwnYourInfo; now, a company that is beginning to interact and coordinate with a growing group of companies which operate in the personal data space and drive the concept of the 'personal cloud.'

Individuals interested in OwnYourInfo's services can now try a basic version of the site for free. A subscription service for a nominal fee ($5/monthly) is offered for individuals seeking more advanced features.

Visitownyourinfo.com and start taking control of your information today.

About OwnYourInfo OwnYourInfo is an online and mobile portal based on four principals: organization, efficiency, safety and accessibility. OwnYourInfo was founded on the premise that people should be able to securely and efficiently store and share their personal information and documents. For more information, visitwww.ownyourinfo.com.

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OwnYourInfo Introduces V2 and Freemium Model

BetterNetworker announced that they are promoting Ray Higdons new personal development course, The Power Mind. A BetterNetworker Instructor and member since 2010, Higdon is widely known and respected throughout the network and Internet marketing industry and is one of the top leaders and earners. Higdon and BetterNetworker previously teamed up in June 2012 to promote Higdons ProBlog Academy blogging course, which met with much success.

Austin, Texas (PRWEB) October 10, 2012

This course, which will be broken down into separate modules and released over a six week time span, focuses on teaching people how to change their mindset and use the power of attraction to turn negative thoughts into positive ones. The law of attraction, which is essentially the idea that a person has the ability to attract success through positive thinking, had a profound effect on Higdon when he first began in network and Internet marketing, and he credits it with much of his success.

Years ago I was sent a book on how to use the law of attraction and it changed my life, says Higdon. I started experiencing major success with real estate, speaking and many other areas of my life. Looking back, it is breaking away from that training that attributed to my disastrous fall in that career.

Its time to divorce the negative emotions that run so many peoples lives. My goal with this course is to change the lives of thousands of people all over the world [] and to make investing in this course a very easy decision, he continues. My goal is not just to make money from this but to impact as many people as possible.

BetterNetworker plans to promote the course via two separate mailings to their list during the week of October 8-12, 2012.

Were always delighted to work with Ray, says CEO Jesse Jameson. Hes such an inspiration to so many people. The way he was able to break through in this industry and experience the incredible success he has is truly amazing, and on top of it all hes just such a genuine person with so much integrity and class. Hes a shining example of a true leader who honestly cares about helping others, so were always proud to stand behind him and help promote his training, because we know just how valuable it will be for our members.

Im really excited to do something cool with BetterNetworker, says Higdon. I love those guys.

A BetterNetworker member since 2010, Higdon has worked closely with the company in the past and is a very frequent contributor to their site. In June 2012, BetterNetworker partnered with Higdon to promote his ProBlog Academy blogging course, which was extremely popular within the BetterNetworker community.

More details about The Power Mind can be found by clicking on the following link:

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BetterNetworker Announces Support of Ray Higdon’s “The Power Mind”

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - Oct 10, 2012) - Respect Network, the world's first open network for the trusted exchange of personal data, today announced that Allfiled and OwnYourInfo have joined as Development Partners, and Edentiti has joined as a Verification Partner. Each of these companies offers new technologies or services that empower individuals to control the sharing of their personal information online.

"The Respect Network is a decentralized multi-provider network that enables individuals to choose a trusted service provider to enable them to more easily, safely, and profitably share their personal data online, just like they can choose a bank to exchange money," said Respect Network Managing Director Drummond Reed. "Allfiled and OwnYourInfo are pioneers in creating these new personal data services in the U.K. and the U.S., and Edentiti's online identity verification service is already used by over 80 companies across Australia."

Allfiled is a personal data services provider, building tools that help people get stuff done in a secure, empowering, privacy-enabled way. "We fully recognize and endorse that this new industry will necessarily be built out as a network of providers architecting themselves around individuals and their needs," said Product Director Iain Henderson. "We are delighted to join the Respect Network, who is helping to make this vision real."

OwnYourInfo is a personal data store for safe, organized and efficient access and distribution of sensitive and routine personal information. "Convincing customers to keep their personal data online is all about trust; OwnYourInfo joined the Respect Network to demonstrate to our customers that their trust in our service is paramount," said founder and CEO Mark L. Black. "We are convinced that initiatives like the Respect Network are foundational to our emerging industry."

Edentiti's Australian-based online identity verification service recently won the Novay Digital Identity Award for the best new concept or product in the field of digital identity. "Edentiti provides legal entities with the services to be their own identity providers," said Kevin Cox, Founder of Edentiti. "Since this enables both users and businesses to control their own digital identity, Edentiti services fit easily within the Respect Network framework."

Respect Network launched the Founding Partner Program in the spring of 2012 to enlist companies committed to the strong personal data control protections of the award-winning Respect Trust Framework. Neustar, one of the world's leading trusted neutral network service providers, and Swisscom, Switzerland's leading telecom provider and one of the most trusted brands in Europe, are the first two Commercial Partners. Other Founding Partners include Kynetx, The Customer's Voice, Project Danube, Gluu, Planetwork, Bitworld, Miicard, BioID, Virtrue, TrustCloud, Ctrl-Shift and The Searls Group.

The Founding Partners will be meeting and giving demonstrations of interoperable digital identity and personal data technologies at the Internet Identity Workshop being held October 23-25 in Mountain View, CA.

Respect Network will soon begin inviting select global brands to participate in this new consortium, enabling them to empower and connect directly with customers in a way that has never been possible.For more information, visit http://www.respectnetwork.com.

About Respect Network Corporation Respect Network is the world's first trusted personal data network.All members subscribe to the Respect Trust Framework; the new model for personal data sharing that is listed with the Open Identity Exchange and won the Privacy Award at the 2011 European Identity Conference.Individuals can join the Respect Network today through the Connect.Me social relationship manager available at http://connect.me/.

About Allfiled Allfiled, founded in 2007, provides a personal data service to individuals, and white label personal data services to large organisations and entrepreneurs wishing to enter the personal data ecosystem either as service providers or application developers. Our strong belief is that the individual will become the optimal point of integration and origination for data about themselves, and that this will enable step change improvements in how customer-supplier relationships are managed and run. For more information see http://www.allfiledsolutions.com.

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Respect Network Announces New Development and Verification Partners

In a carefully crafted strategy for the coming elections in Gujarat, the Congress is avoiding personal attacks on chief minister Narendra Modi. Instead, the party will target him on development issues. As part of its campaign material, the party has come out with a CD in which it seeks to reach out to the innocent people with a subtle message they are being taken for a ride by the BJP government in the name of development.

Titled Gandhi Navu Gujarat (Mahatma Gandhis Gujarat), the CD has three songs uncho uthavo haath (raise your hands), bholu Gujarat (innocent Gujarat) and ma gurjari no haath (mother Gujarat).

While the first song features the partys symbol hand, the second tries to corner the BJP on governance and development issues, besides growing unemployment in the state.

The video shows people of Gujarat with blind-folds and they remove it only in the end and are seen rushing toward the Congress.

The blindfold is a metaphor for false propaganda and an autocratic regime, which restrains the innocent people from seeing the truth, said a Gujarat Congress leader.

The third song is based on a poem by famous Gujrati poet Narmad, who had penned it even before the Congress came into existence.

The central theme of our campaign is that we want to build a new Gujarat, state Congress chief Arjun Modhwadia told HT.

The party has also started collecting applications forms for the 100-yard plot scheme in all the 26 districts of the state. State Congress leaders claim that around 5 million forms had been distributed among women after the party announced the sop, if it comes to power in Gujarat.

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Delhi - [ Min 23.7 °C

Ahmedabad, Oct. 9 -- In a carefully crafted strategy for the coming elections in Gujarat, the Congress is avoiding personal attacks on chief minister Narendra Modi. Instead, the party will target him on development issues.

As part of its campaign material, the party has come out with a CD in which it seeks to reach out to the "innocent" people with a subtle message - they are being taken for a ride by the BJP government in the name of development.

Titled Gandhi Navu Gujarat (Mahatma Gandhi's Gujarat), the CD has three songs - uncho uthavo haath (raise your hands), bholu Gujarat (innocent Gujarat) and ma gurjari no haath (mother Gujarat).

While the first song features the party's symbol hand, the second tries to corner the BJP on governance and development issues, besides growing unemployment in the state.

The video shows people of Gujarat with blind-folds and they remove it only in the end and are seen rushing toward the Congress.

"The blindfold is a metaphor for false propaganda and an autocratic regime, which restrains the innocent people from seeing the truth," said a Gujarat Congress leader.

The third song is based on a poem by famous Gujrati poet Narmad, who had penned it even before the Congress came into existence.

"The central theme of our campaign is that we want to build a new Gujarat," state Congress chief Arjun Modhwadia told HT.

The party has also started collecting applications forms for the "100-yard plot scheme" in all the 26 districts of the state. State Congress leaders claim that around 5 million forms had been distributed among women after the party announced the sop, if it comes to power in Gujarat.

Published by HT Syndication with permission from Hindustan Times.

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Cong to target Modi through music CDs

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Dallas-based FITCO, a $20 million distributor of elite fitness equipment and solutions for corporations across the U.S., announced today the launch of a new service offering called CultureFIT, designed to help companies bridge the gap between personal development and corporate goals. Led by CEO Jason Kos, this new series of intense workshops and corporate coaching was created for entrepreneurs and executives of small- to mid-sized businesses to learn how to spur corporate growth from the inside out.

I have been fortunate enough to sit under people like Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, and learn how their unique internal values contributed to corporate success, said Kos. I have seen how our own culture at FITCO has led us toward growth. Simply put, as we aligned our day-to-day activities with our core values, we became a better company that worked harder to make our customers happy. CultureFIT is a way to equip small- and medium-sized business owners with those same tools for success.

The idea was birthed from Jasons unique vocational and personal experience. A holder of a masters in psychology, he watched the details of how companies like Zappos used customer service to mold its culture. He appreciated the human touch to service, as he does with a personal dedication to a life of wellness. Thats when it dawned on him to establish something he wished he was given a culture changing workshop that would help the entrepreneur or executive from the inside out.

CultureFIT was made to be scalable, cost-effective and easy to implement for small- and medium-sized businesses. It focuses on changing internal practices in hiring, communication and collaboration, as well as the way an organization is positioned as a brand by establishing core values and balance within self, family and work. In short, CultureFIT helps business owners unlock the potential from within their organizations.

Jason combines a unique skill set of being both an extremely visionary leader and a rock-solid understanding of business, said Gregory Florez, CEO of The Vitality Group. The real proof of business success is in the numbers, and [Jason] is one of the very few in any industry who has experienced growth in a very difficult economy. I believe the tools in CultureFIT are why.

CultureFIT provides three different phases of interaction, involvement and investment:

Most executives have read all the great books and have been to the important conferences, but no one seems to have cracked the code to create change, said Kos. CultureFIT is that change for a dynamic working atmosphere, immediate productivity and a change that lasts.

For more information about CultureFIT, fitness room design and premier fitness equipment, visit http://www.FITCOFitness.com or call 888.516.2086.

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Dallas-Based FITCO Launches CultureFIT for Small Business Growth from the Inside Out

London, 9 October 2012, at noon

Solvay and SIBUR form a joint venture to produce surfactants and oilfield process chemicals

New production plant to meet region`s growing demand for surfactants in the home & personal care and oil & gas markets

Solvay and Russian petrochemical company SIBUR have signed an agreement to establish Ruspav, a 50/50 joint venture for the production of surfactants and oilfield process chemicals in Dzerzhinsk, Russia. The agreement was signed in presence of the Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation, Alexander Novak, during the 26th Gastech Conference in London today by Dmitry Konov, CEO of SIBUR, and Emmanuel Butstraen, Head of Solvay`s Global Business Unit Novecare.

Ruspav will be located near SIBUR`s petrochemicals operations, 400km east of Moscow, and is expected to be operational in 2015. Demand for surfactants in the CIS is growing at more than six percent annually. The surfactants are used mainly in home & personal care products, oil & gas as well as in other industries.

SIBUR will contribute its raw materials, production and logistics capabilities to the joint venture. It will also, given its longstanding experience of the Russian petrochemicals market, support the development of the surfactants business in oil and gas markets in Russia and the CIS. Solvay`s Novecare, a worldwide leader in surfactants, will provide its expertise in surfactant technologies, its knowledge of formulations and market applications and its customer network, particularly in the home & personal care and oil & gas markets, including global key accounts with a strong presence in the region.

"Solvay`s strong experience in the surfactants business combined with SIBUR`s unique raw materials base and market knowledge will enable us to strengthen our leading positions in the CIS market," said Dmitry Konov, SIBUR`s CEO. "Thanks to this venture with our longtime and well-established Russian partner SIBUR, we can bring our experience and technology to this dynamic region and help our customers tackle the challenge of developing performance products for the Oil & Gas and Home & Personal Care markets," explained Emmanuel Butstraen, Head of Solvay`s Novecare.

"This joint venture supports SIBUR`s ambition to expand commercialization of its core products into carefully selected fast growing markets. We look forward to deliver value added products to our future customers," commented Valery Andosov, Director of SIBUR`s Plastics and Organic Synthesis Division. "Novecare is now able to support its key customers in all fast growing countries," concluded Emmanuel Butstraen.

SIBUR is the largest integrated petrochemical company in Russia, in the CIS, Central and Eastern Europe by revenues. The company purchases associated petroleum gas and liquid hydrocarbon feedstock from major Russian oil and gas companies and processes them into energy products, including liquefied petroleum gases, natural gas, and naphtha, and further into various petrochemical products, including basic polymers, synthetic rubbers, plastics, products of organic synthesis, intermediates, and other chemicals. SIBUR sells to more than 2,000 customers in the energy, automotive, construction, retail, and other industries in more than 60 countries. As at 31 December 2011, SIBUR owned and operated 22 production sites across Russia and employed 30,453 people. Since September 2011, Leonid Mikhelson, CEO and founder of NOVATEK, has been the ultimate controlling shareholder of the Group. 100% of the share capital of OAO SIBUR Holding is owned by Sibur Limited. Novecare, one of the major Global Business Units of Solvay, provides high-performance products and solutions to a wide range of industries including cosmetics, detergents, agrochemicals, oil & gas, coatings and industrial applications. Thanks to its worldwide industrial presence and a global R&D and tech-support network, Novecare holds front-ranking positions in surfactants, amines, phosphorus derivatives, natural & synthetic polymers and monomers technologies, and eco-friendly solvents-based formulations. Thanks to its expertise in protection, surface modification, rheology, and active delivery, Novecare provides its customers with solutions enabling them to improve their formulations and processes and to protect human health and the environment.

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Solvay and SIBUR form a joint venture to produce surfactants and oilfield process chemicals