Borders and Waldenbooks Sell Over 250,000 Copies of 'Breaking Dawn' on First Day of SalesMore than 225,000 fans attended midnight book release parties at Borders and Waldenbooks stores nationwide

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Aug. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Borders Group, Inc. today announced that its approximately 1,000 Borders and Waldenbooks stores throughout the U.S. and its Borders.com site sold more than a quarter million copies of Stephenie Meyer's "Breaking Dawn" in total on its first day of sales, Saturday, Aug. 2. The book was so hotly anticipated that the number of pre-orders the retailer received for "Breaking Dawn" was second only in its history to the Harry Potter books. "Breaking Dawn" is the fourth and final installment in Meyer's "Twilight" saga. It officially went on sale beginning at 12:01 a.m. Saturday and was snapped up by eager fans, hundreds of thousands of whom attended special midnight release parties to get the book the moment it became available. The first-day "Breaking Dawn" sales total is nearly 10 times what the retailer's first-day sales were for "Eclipse," the third book in the series, illustrating the saga's fast-growing popularity.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080803/CLSU003-a ) (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080803/CLSU003-b ) (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060208/BORDERSLOGO )

Borders Group estimates that more than 225,000 fans attended midnight release parties at its Borders and Waldenbooks stores nationwide that lasted until the early morning hours, where fans of Stephenie Meyer and the popular "Twilight" series participated in costume contests, trivia competitions, debates and a host of other fun activities:

-- At Borders in New York City's Penn Plaza, up to 1,000 fans crowded the two-level store, many arriving after attending a publisher-held concert and author event at the nearby Nokia Theater. One special fan-Sydney Noel, 13, of Seattle-won a publisher sweepstakes and had the thrill of attending and meeting Stephenie Meyer in person at the Nokia Theater. She then came to Borders where she received the royal treatment including a bouquet of red roses and the highly coveted first spot in line to purchase the book at midnight. Throughout the evening at Borders she and her best friend joined other fans to receive "undead" make-overs and they participated as judges in the store's lively "Twilight" series debate, costume contest and a trivia challenge presided over in person by the founders of the #1 "Twilight" saga fan Web site "Twilightlexicon.com."

-- At Waldenbooks in Brownsville, Texas, even cleanup from last week's Hurricane Dolly couldn't dampen fans' enthusiasm for "Breaking Dawn." Customers were already standing in line when the store manager arrived at 8:30 a.m. Friday, and by midnight the store was crowded with hundreds of fans clamoring to buy the book.

-- It was not just teenage girls getting into the spirit. At Borders in Gurnee, Ill., store employees teamed up with fan group "Twilight Moms" to visually transform the store into Forks, Wash., where the "Twilight" saga is set. They made scenery including a forest of trees and replicas of protagonist Bella's house, car and high school. At Borders in Roseville, Calif., a local chapter of "Twilight Moms" conducted a podcast regarding the often heated debate about whether Bella should chose to spend her life with vampire Edward or werewolf Jacob.

"We are thrilled that so many fans came to Borders and Waldenbooks not only to buy this book but also to share the experience of joining together at our parties to have fun and express their love for Stephenie Meyer and this phenomenal series," said Borders Group Chief Executive Officer George Jones. "While there are many places customers can buy bestsellers today, Borders and our dedicated store teams make the release of books like this an event in our customers' lives. It's just an example of why Borders is truly a headquarters for knowledge and entertainment."

About Borders Group, Inc.

Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., Borders Group, Inc. , is a leading retailer of books, music and movies with more than 28,000 employees. Through its subsidiaries, the company operates more than 1,100 stores worldwide primarily under the Borders(R) and Waldenbooks(R) brand names and recently launched Borders.com for online shopping. For more information, visit http://www.borders.com/aboutus.

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PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Borders

CONTACT: Ann Roman, +1-734-477-1392, aroman@bordersgroupinc.com, or Mary
Davis, +1-734-477-1374, mdavis4@bordersgroupinc.com, both of Borders Group

Web site: http://www.bordersgroupinc.com/

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/106169.html

Elbit Systems to Equip Australia With Additional Skylark(R) I UAVs

HAIFA, Israel, Aug. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Elbit Systems Ltd. announced today that it was awarded yet another contract to supply the Australian Army with more Skylark(R) I UAV systems for an estimated value of several million dollars. This is the Australian Department of Defence's third Skylark(R) order, following the initial order for the Australian Army in 2005.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080408/300441 )

Haim Kellerman, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Elbit Systems UAS Division, said, "Australia's decision to equip its Army with an additional set of Skylark(R) I UAV systems underscores recognition of the UAV systems' capabilities and added value to soldiers in active war zones."

The Skylark(R) I, advanced mini-UAV system, is a unique man-pack configuration designed for day and night observation and data collection "beyond the hill" up to distances of 10-15 km. The mini-UAV system is equipped with an exceptionally quiet electric motor, totally autonomous flight and outstanding observation capabilities allowing for easy operation and orientation. The system can be launched by soldiers after a brief training period. The Skylark(R) I system enhances ground forces' tactical performance in various mission scenarios.

Skylark(R) I UAV systems are in operational use in several leading armies worldwide, such as the Israeli Defense Forces as well as coalition armies who successfully operate the UAV in various tactical arenas, including Afghanistan and Iraq.

About Elbit Systems

Elbit Systems Ltd. is an international defense electronics company engaged in a wide range of defense-related programs throughout the world. The Company, which includes Elbit Systems and its subsidiaries, operates in the areas of aerospace, land and naval systems, command, control, communications, Computers, Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance ("C4ISR"), Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) systems, advanced electro-optics, electro-optic space systems, EW suites, airborne warning systems, ELINT systems, data links and military communications systems and radios. The Company also focuses on the upgrading of existing military platforms and developing new technologies for defense, homeland security and commercial aviation applications.

Contacts: Company Contact: Joseph Gaspar, Executive VP & CFO Dalia Rosen, Head of Corporate Communications Elbit Systems Ltd Tel: +972-4-8316663 Fax: +972-4-8316944 E-mail: gspr@elbit.co.il daliarosen@elbit.co.il IR Contact: Ehud Helft / Kenny Green G.K. Investor Relations Tel: 1-646-201-9246 E-mail: info@gkir.com

This press release contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) regarding Elbit Systems Ltd. and/or its subsidiaries (collectively the Company), to the extent such statements do not relate to historical or current fact. Forward Looking Statements are based on management's expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties, which are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual future results, performance and trends may differ materially from these forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, including, without limitation: scope and length of customer contracts; governmental regulations and approvals; changes in governmental budgeting priorities; general market, political and economic conditions in the countries in which the Company operates or sells, including Israel and the United States among others; differences in anticipated and actual program performance, including the ability to perform under long-term fixed-price contracts; and the outcome of legal and/or regulatory proceedings. The factors listed above are not all- inclusive, and further information is contained in Elbit Systems Ltd.'s latest annual report on Form 20-F, which is on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release. The Company does not undertake to update its forward-looking statements.

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CONTACT: Joseph Gaspar, Executive VP & CFO, gspr@elbit.co.il, or Dalia
Rosen, Head of Corporate Communications, daliarosen@elbit.co.il, both of Elbit
Systems Ltd., +972-4-8316663, or fax, +972-4-8316944; IR: Ehud Helft or Kenny
Green, both of G.K. Investor Relations, +1-646-201-9246, info@gkir.com, for
Elbit Systems Ltd.

Negotiations Between Verizon and Unions Continue

NEW YORK, Aug. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- As of 12:30 a.m. negotiations continue between Verizon and the two labor unions representing 65,000 Verizon Telecom employees. The following statement should be attributed to Verizon.

"Verizon and the unions representing Verizon Telecom employees in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states continue to negotiate toward a fair agreement. We continue to negotiate in good faith to achieve new contracts for our employees."

Verizon

CONTACT: Eric Rabe, +1-215-913-4761, eric.rabe@verizon.com, or Alberto
Canal, +1-973-715-0908, alberto.c.canal@verizon.com, both of Verizon

Web site: http://www.verizon.com/

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