-- Unilever NV has awarded Accenture Ltd. a seven-year contract to provide application development, implementation and support services to its European operations. The deal expands on an earlier pact under which Hamilton, Bermuda-based Accenture provides consulting and IT services to Rotterdam, Netherlands-based Unilever.

-- China United Telecommunications Corp., the second-largest mobile network operator in China, has introduced a push e-mail service called RedBerry -- a name that echoes Research In Motion Ltd.'s (RIM) popular BlackBerry service. RIM is in talks with China Unicom's main rival, China Mobile Communications Corp., about launching the BlackBerry service in China. RIM officials didn't comment on the brand name chosen by Hong Kong-based China Unicom.

-- Sumner Lemon, IDG News Service

Global Fact

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