July 8th

WestJet and Southwest Airlines Announce Signing of Agreement

\"Defining moment,\" says WestJet President and CEO

WestJet (TSX: WJA) today announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding to build a distribution and codeshare agreement with U.S. based Southwest Airlines. This memorandum of understanding is the first step that will see both airlines, by late 2009, have the ability to commence codeshare flights across both networks. In the near future, southwest.com will become a distribution channel for WestJet\'s existing Canadian and transborder flights. Other potential opportunities within the agreement include purchasing, ground handling, marketing and selling to corporate accounts and other areas of mutual gain. Read more: WestJet ( WJA )

July 8th

Semafo Produces 54,500 Ounces of Gold in Q2

SEMAFO (TSX: SMF) today announced that gold production for the second quarter ended June 30, 2008 totalled 54,500 ounces. Gold production was 17,200 from the newly constructed Mana mine, with 19,800 and 17,500 from the Samira Hill and Kiniero mines respectively. Total gold production for the first six months of 2008 reached 83,200 ounces compared to 59,200 for the same period last year.

Management is maintaining its previously announced guidance of 50,000 and 64,000 ounces of gold for the third and fourth quarters respectively. The third quarter gold production guidance takes into consideration the challenges of the West African rainy season and the commissioning of the 4,000 tonne-per-day ball mill at the Mana mine. Read more: SEMAFO ( SMF )

July 8th

Artes Medical Broadens Product Portfolio Through Exclusive U.S. Sales and Marketing Agreement for Elevess, a New FDA-Approved Hyaluronic Acid-Based Dermal Filler

Artes Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARTE), a medical aesthetics company, today announced that it has entered into an exclusive U.S. sales and marketing agreement with Anika Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: ANIK) for Elevess, Anika’s proprietary FDA-approved hyaluronic acid (HA) based temporary dermal filler for the correction of facial wrinkles and folds.

Through this agreement, Artes Medical’s dedicated sales force will market and sell Elevess, the first FDA-approved HA dermal filler for the temporary correction of facial wrinkles that is formulated with an anesthetic for patient comfort, as well as the company’s flagship product, ArteFill, the first and only FDA-approved non-resorbable wrinkle filler for long-lasting correction of smile line wrinkles. Read more: Artes Medical Inc ( ARTE )

July 8th

Altair Nanotechnologies Announces Successful Grid Interconnection and Operation of Two-Megawatt Battery System

Grid-Scale Validation Expected to Open New Markets in the Utility Sector for Altair\'s Battery Technology

Altair Nanotechnologies Inc. (NasdaqCM:ALTI - News), a leading manufacturer of safe, high-performance lithium-titanate battery and energy storage products, announced today the successful completion of a demonstration and validation program for a two-megawatt 500 kilowatt-hour battery system purchased by AES Corporation (NYSE:AES - News).

The program was developed and validated by KEMA, Inc. and executed by AES personnel and subcontractors. KEMA\'s testing showed the battery system successfully met the program\'s milestones, which was conducted to demonstrate the applicability of Altair\'s large platform technology to frequency regulation, a key service currently provided by power plants to the electric grid. This demonstration also suggests that the technology could be used for several other utility applications. Read more: Altair Nanotechnologies Inc ( ALTI )