Securities and Exchange Commission October 6, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We are adopting a number of amendments to our rules relating to foreign private issuers that are intended to enhance the information that is available to investors. These amendments are part of a series of initiatives that seek to effect changes in our disclosure and other requirements applicable to foreign private issuers in light of market developments, new technologies and other matters in a manner that promotes investor protection and cross-border capital flows. We are adopting amendments that would enable foreign issuers to test their eligibility to use the special forms and rules available to foreign private issuers once a year, rather than continuously. We also are adopting amendments to change the deadline for annual reports filed by foreign private issuers and to eliminate an option under which foreign private issuers are permitted to omit segment data from their U.S. GAAP financial statements, and an amendment to the rule pertaining to going private transactions to reflect the new termination of reporting and deregistration rules for foreign private issuers. In addition, we are adopting amendments that would revise the annual report and registration statement forms used by foreign private issuers to improve certain disclosures provided in these forms.