SYDNEY, Oct. 11--AsiaNet/InfoQuest NZ IDOL... SYDNEY: Nik Carlson is Centrebet's NZ Idol favourite while aKiwi is its new Australian Idol market leader. Centrebet, theonly bookmaker taking NZ Idol bets, favours Carlson (1.70) overRosita Vai (2.00). http://www.centrebet.com IT INFRASTRUCTURE... TOKYO: Raritan, a leading provider of solutions for managingIT infrastructure, has unveiled the next release of itsCommandCenter management software appliance, along with a newglobal branding campaign. Raritan also introduced four newDominion SX serial-over-IP secure console servers. TAIYO FUND... TOKYO: The Taiyo Fund has announced that it has increasedits holding in Nifco Inc. to more than 9 per cent. The TaiyoFund is known for its cooperative investment style working withsenior management to enhance shareholder value. TAIYO FUND... TOKYO: The Taiyo Fund announced that it has accumulated aposition in excess of 9 per cent in Topcon Corp, becoming itssecond largest shareholder, and a position of over 7 per centin Horiba LTD, making the Fund the third largest shareholder. PAN-ASIAN DERIVATIVES... SINGAPORE: CME, the most diverse global financial exchangeand dominant marketplace for equity derivatives trading, hasannounced plans to launch a new futures contract based on theS&P Asia 50 Index, the only Pan-Asia equity index that tracksthe 50 largest stocks traded in Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore andTaiwan. http://www.cme.com http://www.cme.com/spasia50 http://www.standardandpoors.com VENTURE FINANCING... PALO ALTO: Sensory Networks Inc., a leader in networksecurity acceleration technology, has announced that it hassuccessfully closed US$10 million in new financing led by theIndividuals' Venture Fund and the Xilinx Technology GrowthFund. www.indventurefund.com. www.xilinx.com www.sensorynetworks EXECUTIVE CAREERS... LOS ANGELES, Calif: More than half (51 per cent) of more than 1,700global executives surveyed would likely choose a differentfield could they start their career over again, according tothe latest Executive Quiz from Korn/Ferry International, thepremier provider of executive search, outsourced recruiting andleadership development solutions. http://www.ekornferry.com http://www.futurestep.com http://www.kornferry.com MENTAL HEALTH... WASHINGTON, D.C: The 13th World Mental Health Day (WMHD)was celebrated yesterday in many countries and this yearexamined the close relationship between mental and physicalhealth across all life stages. http://www.wfmh.org http://www.wmhd.net GLOBAL SURVEY... CHESHIRE: Most people with bipolar disorder believe thatsuccessful treatment would significantly improve their qualityof life and that treatment satisfaction is achieved by efficacyand tolerability, according to final results from the largescale Thinking Ahead survey. www.astrazenecapressoffice.com. www.psychiatryinpractice.com STAR-STUDDED CELEBRATION... PARIS: Louis Vuitton returned to the Champs-Elysees in grandstyle, marking the reopening of its historic house on the mostfamous avenue in the world with a glittering celebration formore than 1,000 guests. http://www.vuitton.com (AsiaNet is a consortium of leading news agenciesdistributing unedited, translated news releases for worldwideclients. Visit www.asianetnews.net for full-text versions.)