SYDNEY, June 21 -- AsiaNet XAVI TECHNOLOGIES... CHICAGO: XAVi Technologies, the leading provider ofbroadband access solutions, will demonstrate at SuperComm 2004how its Digital Home Solutions improve the quality ofresidential life. www.xavi.com.tw AMRAD DEMERGER... MELBOURNE: As foreshadowed at its AGM last October,Australian biotech Amrad will spin-out its advancedanti-infectives drug portfolio into a new corporate entity,Avexa Limited, according to a press release. www.amrad.com.au CHARLES RIVER... BURLINGTON, Mass. & OHTA-KU, TOKYO: Charles RiverDevelopment, a leading provider of financial software andconsulting services to the global investment managementcommunity, and Nissay Information Technology Co. Ltd., thestrategic information technology company of Nippon LifeInsurance Company, have formed an alliance to make the CharlesRiver Investment Management System available to the Japaneseinsurance and asset management markets, according to a pressrelease. ASIA-PACIFIC IT... ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill.: Businesses in the Asia-Pacific lagbehind in the implementation of IT governance initiatives,according to the recent IT Governance Global Status Report fromthe IT Governance Institute, conducted byPricewaterhouseCoopers. www.itgi.org BEYONCE KNOWLES... LONDON: Tommy Hilfiger Toiletries unveiled a new women'sfragrance collection inspired by global megastar BeyonceKnowles at an exclusive press launch party in London, accordingto a press release. BACARDI ACQUISITION... HAMILTON: Ruben Rodriguez, Chairman of Bacardi Limited, andSidney Frank, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SidneyFrank Importing Co., Inc., have entered into a definitiveagreement by which Bacardi Limited will acquire Grey Goosevodka, a media statement said. FANNIE MAE... WASHINGTON, D.C.: Fannie Mae will redeem the principalamount of securities issues amounting to a total of US$100million on June 28, 2004 at a redemption price equal to 100 percent of the principal amount redeemed plus accrued interest,according to a press release. www.fanniemae.com SPRINT & SUNET... OVERLAND PARK, Kan.: Using commercial networks and commonlyavailable computer networking hardware, a world record has beenset by Sprint and the Swedish National Research and EducationNetwork for transferring large volumes of data speedily acrossthe globe, according to a press release. proj.sunet.se/LSR2 www.internet2.edu lsr.internet2.edu www.sunet.se www.sprint.com IDIRECT HONG KONG... RESTON, Va.: iDirect Technologies, a privately held companythat designs, develops, and markets the fastest, most reliablebi-directional satellite-based broadband access solutions, hasopened an office in Hong Kong to support market share growthwithin the Asia and Pacific Rim regions, according to a pressrelease. www.idirect.net SCOTT + SCOTT... COLCHESTER, Conn: Scott + Scott, LLC, a Connecticut law firmwith offices in Ohio and California, has filed an updated classaction in the United States District Court for the SouthernDistrict of Florida on June 16, 2004 behalf of purchasers oracquirers of securities of Spear & Jackson, Inc. during theperiod between May 28, 2003 and April 15, 2004, a mediastatement said. www.scott-scott.com (AsiaNet is a consortium of leading news agenciesdistributing unedited, translated news releases for worldwideclients. Visit www.asianetnews.net for full-text versions.)