SYDNEY--17 Mar--AsiaNet/InfoquestCALIFORNIA MICRO... MILPITAS, Calif.: California Micro Devices has announcedthat it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquireprivately held Arques Technology, a fabless manufacturer ofinnovative analog semiconductor devices. The acquisition of theSanta Clara, California firm adds white LED drivers for mobilehandsets and DDR memory voltage regulators for digital consumerelectronics products to the CMD product portfolio. http://www.calmicro.com TOPCODER ANNOUNCES... GLASTONBURY, Conn.: TopCoder, Inc., the leader in onlineprogramming competition, skills assessment and competitivesoftware development, announced that AMD, a leading globalprovider of innovative microprocessor solutions, has been namedthe title sponsor of the 2006 TopCoder Open. http://www.topcoder.com http://www.topcoder.com/tco06 http://www.amd.com/devcentral UNIVERSAL STUDIOS... UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif.: Marc Shmuger has been namedChairman, and David Linde Co-Chairman, Universal Pictures,effective immediately, it was announced by Ron Meyer, Presidentand Chief Operating Officer, Universal Studios. COMPETITIVE ALTERNATIVES... TORONTO: KPMG LLP will release its eighth CompetitiveAlternatives study ranking the competitive business costadvantage of nine countries and 128 cities on March 21 at 0930EST, 0630PST, 1430 GMT via a news conference, conference calland webcast. The announcement will be made in Toronto,Canada. www.CompetitiveAlternatives.com www.kpmg.ca BUSINESS VISION... NEW YORK: Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer outlined thecompany's vision for how people, armed with the right software,are the key to driving business success. Called "People-Ready,"this vision for business is the backdrop for a series ofinnovative solutions in new and existing categories thatMicrosoft will bring to market over the next year. http://www.peopleready.com http://www.microsoft.com SCOTCH WHISKY... AUCKLAND: One of the most valuable bottles of Scotch whiskyin the world has been sold in Auckland for US$30,000. Thebottle of Royal Salute 50 year old, made by Scotch whiskyproducers Chivas Brothers, was bottle Number One from a batchof 255 produced in 2003 to celebrate the anniversary of theCoronation of Queen Elizabeth II and the 50th birthday of RoyalSalute Scotch Whisky. http://www.himalayantrust.co.uk http://www.himalayan-trust.org.np/ http://mediacom.nzpa.co.nz/attachments/6992_md9487.jpg (AsiaNet is a consortium of leading news agencies distributing unedited,translated news releases for worldwide clients. Visit www.asianetnews.net forfull-text versions.)