<a href=www.directionsmag.com>Company: Orbisat Remote Sensing May 13, 2003

The Airborne Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar system (InSAR), OrbiSAR-1 of Orbisat da Amazônia, integrated in an aircraft Turbo Aerocommander has successfully terminated the aerial survey of the States of Bolivar and Delta Amacuro in Venezuela (263 000 sqkm) in the beginning of April 2003. The operational flight survey started in January 2003, overcoming all logistic problems during this time period and successfully produced a huge dataset of superb RADAR raw data. The simultaneous acquisition of two RADAR bands (X- and P-band) allows the production of 518 high quality Ortho-SAR-Maps in a scale of 1:50 000, including contour lines and various land cover elements such as forest types, water bodies and streams, roads, building density, roads, land use etc.

The collected data is now being processed in a processing center, which has been established especially for this project in the Centro Profesional del Este in Caracas. About twelve Venezuelans, who have been specifically trained by Orbisat da Amazônia, work on the required data processing in three shifts for 24 hours a day. They are supported by representatives of Infoterra from Germany and Orbisat, Brazil.

The InSAR processing software, developed by Orbisat da Amazônia S/A is generating each day Ortho-SAR-Images and the respective digital ground and surface models, to allow a production of several value added cartographic maps per day, which is performed by additionally developed software through Infoterra and Orbisat. It is now the daily task of the purchaser of this project, the Geographical Institute of Venezuela Simon Bolívar (IGVSB), to control and catalogue the 518 maps in their database, which are being produced in the scale of 1:50.000.

Orbisat da Amazônia S/A is already preparing its equipment for the next national and international projects, which will require higher resolution and height precision than requested within the Venezuelan project. The updated OrbiSAR-1 system will therefore offer a spatial resolution of up to 50 cm and a vertical accuracy of up to 30 cm in a full operational mapping mode.

This unique Brazilian InSAR mapping system was developed and manufactured in Campinas, Manaus and Sao José dos Campos Brazil, by the kind support of Softex and BNDES (Brazilian Development Bank). By today, BNDES extend their support towards the financing of the exportation of the products generated by OrbiSAR-1.

CINCINNATI, May 13 /<a href=www.prnewswire.com>PRNewswire/ -- Procter & Gamble Company's snacks manufacturing plant in Jackson, Tenn. began production late last night, only one week after the plant was struck by a tornado. The Plant was forced to shut down production after suffering significant damage from a level IV tornado on May 5. Additional water damage was sustained from continued rain in the days following the tornado.

The first priority of the Company has been to insure all employees were safe, and they are.  All personnel have been accounted for and are in good health.  However, some employees did suffer damage to their homes ranging from minor damage to total destruction.  Emergency loans are being made available to employees.  The Company is committed to helping its employees get their lives back to normal as quickly as possible.

Pringles(R), the original stacked crisp, will be returning to consumers so they can "pop" once again.  Orders will resume on May 15, with shipping beginning the following week.  The first production will be the most popular flavors -- Original, Sour Cream & Onion, and Reduced Fat Original.  There continue to be round-the-clock efforts to return the facility to full operation.

"Getting production up and running on this short timing is a heroic feat that would not have been possible without the spirit and dedication of our P&G people.  It's a testament to the values of leadership and ownership that they possess," said Jamie Egasti, Vice President, North American Snacks. "Tremendous support from the Company, our contractors, suppliers, and customers has also helped to make all this possible."

Specific examples of how this work was accomplished includes:
* On-Site engineering and construction support went from less than 100 people to over 700 in seventy-two hours.
* Technical support from corporate experts and P&G plants around the country responded to the need for engineering, information systems, shipping and warehouse support.
* Over 10 retired P&G employees came back to help with the recovery efforts.

P&G is donating excess capacity in utilities and technical expertise to support the rebuilding of the community.  Extra fuel from temporary generators has been donated to non-profit organizations and to the fire department to aid in community recovery efforts.  P&G has also donated $100,000 to the American Red Cross to support current Midwest disaster relief efforts.  In addition, P&G donates $25,000 to the American Red Cross annually for their disaster relief fund.  Truckloads of P&G products are en route to the Jackson community to provide everyday essentials for people affected by the tornado.  P&G product donations are being coordinated by the America's Second Harvest local affiliate.  This affiliate is working with other social services in the area like the American Red Cross to distribute products.

Recovery efforts will continue over the next weeks and months, with the focus on getting the plant fully operational so that consumers can enjoy their favorite Pringles(R) and Torengos(R) snacks.

All statements, other than statements of historical fact included in this news release, are forward-looking statements, as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  In addition to the risks and uncertainties noted in this news release, there are certain factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by some of the statements made.  These include:  (1) the achievement of expected cost and tax savings associated with changes in the Company's organization structure; (2) the ability to achieve business plans, including growing volume profitably, despite high levels of competitive activity, especially with respect to the product categories and geographical markets in which the Company has chosen to focus; (3) the ability to manage and maintain key customer relationships; (4) the achievement of growth in significant developing markets such as China, Turkey, Mexico, the Southern Cone of Latin America, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the countries of Southeast Asia; (5) the ability to successfully manage regulatory, tax and legal matters, including resolution of pending matters within current estimates; (6) the ability to successfully implement, achieve and sustain cost improvement plans in manufacturing and overhead areas; (7) the ability to successfully manage currency (including currency issues in Latin America), interest rate and certain commodity cost exposures; (8) the ability to manage the continued political and/or economic uncertainty in Latin America (including Venezuela) and war in the Middle East, as well as any political and/or economic uncertainty due to terrorist activities or war (including Korea); and (9) the successful acquisition, transition, integration, and operation of the Wella business.  If the Company's assumptions and estimates are incorrect or do not come to fruition, or if the Company does not achieve all of these key factors, then the Company's actual results might differ materially from the forward-looking statements made herein.

About Procter & Gamble
Two billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world.  Some of the nearly 300 P&G brands consumers know and use with confidence in over 160 countries around the world include: Pampers(R), Tide(R), Ariel(R), Always(R), Whisper(R), Pantene(R), Bounty(R), Pringles(R), Folgers(R), Charmin(R), Downy(R), Lenor(R), Iams(R), Crest(R), Actonel(R), Olay(R) and Clairol Nice 'n Easy(R).  The P&G community consists of nearly 102,000 employees working in almost 80 countries worldwide.  Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

Posted: Monday, May 12, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Sociology student Omar Sierra has been complaining about government exchange rate policy office (Cadivi) . Writing from New York where he attends university, Sierra highlights the amount of red tape he has faced to received Cadivi dollars from his parents.

Sierra ... who is active in the New York Bolivarian Circle ... says he agrees with exchange rate controls and his first step was to go to the Venezuelan Consulate in New York to fill in applications forms and certify his documents ... which he duly sent to his family.

In Venezuela, Cadivi asked Sierra's father for the same documents again that his son had handed in at the Consulate. An angry Sierra sent the papers home, received confirmation from Cadivi via email on March 27 and he's says he is still waiting for authorization.

The money his parents send him goes towards paying university enrollment fees and Omar reveals that he also works in a restaurant to help pay university fees.

Thanks to the seeming ineptitude of Cadivi, Sierra thinks he's going to lose his summer enrollment chance and has written letters and sent emails without receiving any reply.

His family, Sierra bitterly comments, doesn't have the money to buy dollars on the black market or to fly to neighboring Curacao to make a deposit as many well-off families do.

What really made him mad was to overhear a conversation between two anti-government overseas students in the Big Apple who were complaining about the "pittance" that Cavidi sent them. He concludes: "the money is going out, so where's the hitch?"

20:57 > TERRORISM: PISANU ASKS FOR DIALOGUE WITH ARAB MODERATES

20:57 > CASINI HOPES FOR EASE IN PARLIAMENTARY TENSION AFTER ELECTIONS

<a href=www.agi.it>Special service by AGI on behalf of the Italian Prime Minister's office Today in Italy

(AGI) - Rome, May 12 - RAI International programs to give all Italians abroad immediate news from the motherland and a website for keep them in touch and updated on their problems, that can find a parliamentary solution, are two of the goals of the program illustrated to AGI by the new president of the Parliamentary Committe for Italians Abroad, Senator Riccardo Minardo.

"There are 65 million Italians abroad, more than the number living in Italy," said Minardo, who hopes to visit them in their foreign communities. "This is a commitment to contribute to the improvement of the conditions of those who moved, trying to change the policies of various countries in favour of our countrymen. For this, a reform of the Committees of Italians Abroad (Comites) will be necessary, while we will also have to perfect the conditions to give everyone the right to vote." Minardo is nearing his first trip as president, which will take place in Argentina, between the end of May and the first days of June, but the trips will then continue in all the countries that host our countrymen abroad, that is Venezuela, Brazil, the United States, and the rest of the world.

The parliamentary committee is closely following the current difficult situation in South America, where the requests for re-entry by emigrants ha increased, with proceedings that take up to seven to eight years, but "we have to think about helping them where they are. The problem will not be solved with re-entry into Italy, especially for those, like in Argentina and Venezuela, worked an entire lifetime and often constructed empires. Now it seems that their companies aren't worth anything. It is important to try to change the policies of the governments in the different host countries." And still concerning Argentina, Minardo emphasised that of the four million Italian abroad with the right to vote, the majority, 1.2 million, are in Argentina, around 2 million are in EU countries, and the remaining 800,000 are spread around the world. But "everyone, in order to have the right to vote, has to have a double citizenship," said Minardo.

He then emphasised how relations with other organisations are fine, so much so that "as a Committee, we decided to have hearings in the Senate. One of the first will be with the president of CGIE (General Council of Italians Abroad), Narducci, and then there will be Minister Tremaglia, and then meetings to realise a reform process of the Committees of Italians Abroad, the Comites." (AGI) 121944 MAG 03

The Business Journal

Bradley Richardson has been appointed vice president of finance and chief financial officer for Modine Manufacturing Co., Racine.

Modine's previous chief financial officer, Ernest Thomas, resigned in October 2002 to become CFO of automotive supplier Tower Automotive Inc. R. Steven Bullmore, Modine's corporate controller, served as interim chief financial officer.

Richardson most recently served as chief financial officer and vice president of performance management and control for BP Amoco's Worldwide Exploration and Production division. In that position, he was responsible for group forecasting, long-term planning, investor relations and financial control.

He was previously the president for BP Amoco's business in Venezuela where he led the combination of the BP Amoco and Arco businesses. In the mid-1990's, Mr. Richardson served as BP Amoco's vice president of finance and CFO for Amoco Energy Group, North America.

BP Amoco is a unit of BP plc, the London-based petroleum company formerly called British Petroleum.

Richardson now resides in the United Kingdom with his wife and three children and will be relocating to Racine.

Modine manufactures thermal management products for automotive, HVAC, industrial, refrigeration, fuel cell and electronics applications.