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S.Korea NHN says considers buying Japan’s Livedoor

April 6, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

SEOUL, April 5 (Reuters) – NHN Corp (035420.KS), South Korea’s top Internet portal and Web search service, said on Monday it was considering buying Japanese Internet portal Livedoor Co to strengthen its operations in Japan.

“We are considering various business opportunities in Japan including M&As but nothing has been decided,” NHN told the Korea stock exchange in response to media reports that it was about to buy Livedoor for about 7 billion yen. [nTOE63200H]

LDH Corp, which put up Livedoor for sale, also said it was considering selling Livedoor but decision has yet to be made.

A Livedoor deal will boost NHN’s foray into the Japanese Internet search market that it re-entered in July 2009 after leaving in 2005. NHN also runs Hangame online game portal in Japan.

NHN dominates the Web search traffic in South Korea, one of the world’s most wired countries, leading by far foreign rivals such as Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O) and Google Inc (GOOG.O).

In South Korea, its portal service Naver has 34 million registered users, while users for its gaming portal Hangame reach 30 million.

Livedoor runs a portal site attracting 30 million users a month and earned 1 billion yen operating profit in the last fiscal year ended in September on 9.4 billion yen revenue.

LDH Corp, formerly Livedoor Holdings, was delisted in 2006 in the wake of an accounting scandal.

Shares in NHN rose 2.4 percent to 189,500 won by 0300 GMT, outperforming a 0.4 percent drop in the broader market .

(Reporting by Rhee So-eui in SEOUL and Nathan Layne in TOKYO; Editing by Valerie Lee)

((soeui.rhee@thomsonreuters.com; +82 2 3704 5650; Reuters Messaging: soeui.rhee.reuters.com@reuters.net))

((If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com)) Keywords: NHN LIVEDOOR/

(C) Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution ofReuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expresslyprohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuterssphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group ofcompanies around the world.nTOE63400J

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Four Nepali women being sent to Muscat detained at Gorakhpur

September 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Gorakhpur, Sept 19 (ANI): Volunteers of a social service organisation and the personnel of the Anti-Human Trafficking Cell of Uttar Pradesh Police at Gorakhpur detained four Nepalese women.

Reportedly, as per the statement of the women who were taken into custody at the Gorakhpur Railway Station, they were intending to go to Muscat.

These women had entered India through the Sanauli border post.

Although all the four women had their respective passports with them, only two of them could show their endorsed visas for Muscat.

“Our team visited the railway station along with a Nepali counsellor. When she saw these women and spoke to them, they gave some wrong information, which in turn sounded fishy and made us to suspect something was amiss. When we asked them where they were heading, initially they said Oman and again changed their statement saying, New Delhi. When our counsellor asked them for their passports, some said they had it while others said they didn’t. So, we found them suspicious,” said Gyan Kumar, co-ordinator, Maanava Sewa Sansthan, Gorakhpur.

Amidst such confusing utterances by the women, the police believe that one of the women named Dilmaya was trying to send the other three to Muscat by bringing them from Nepal.

She claimed that they were going to Muscat because they had their relatives residing and working there.

“These people held us for interrogation. We asked them either to let us go to Nepal or else allow us to go to Muscat. We have our relatives there,” said Dilmaya.

A couple of months ago, police officials of Gorakhpur had detained five women who were allegedly being trafficked to Gulf countries for flesh trade.

Reportedly, a pimp was escorting these women to Mumbai from where they were to be sent to certain destinations in the Middle East. (ANI)

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‘Dirty Dancing’ town planning memorial for Patrick Swayze

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Sep 19 (ANI): Locals of a North Carolina community, where Patrick Swayze’s film ‘Dirty Dancing’ was shot, are planning a memorial service for the late star.

The ‘Ghost’ star died on Monday evening after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

The town of Lake Lure will pay homage to the 57-year-old during a memorial service on Saturday evening at Firefly Cove, a housing development that was Camp Chimney Rock when ‘Dirty Dancing’ was filmed.

Many outdoor scenes in the film were filmed there, as was the cabin of Johnny Castle, Swayze’s character.

While the memorial service is free, visitors will be asked to donate to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

Rev Everette Chapman, who will be speaking at the memorial service, said that the town’s residents remember Swayze as a kind family man.

Chapman, who lived at Lake Lure when the movie was filmed but did not meet the actors, said he would talk about Swayze’s determination to live each day to the fullest.

“I’ll ask people their memory of him and just talk about him as every woman’s heart-throb and every man’s envy,” said Chapman.

Although organisers have no idea how many people to expect, they have still arranged for police officers to help with parking. (ANI)

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Pak inks 220-million-dollar satellite deal with China

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Sep. 19 (ANI): Pakistan has signed an agreement with China to provide a 220-million-dollar financial grant to help the Islamic country launch a communication satellite.

The operational life of Pakistan’s existing satellite PAKSAT-1 will be over in November 2011.

Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Luo Zhaohui and Pakistan’s Economic Affairs Secretary Farrukh Qayyum signed the contract.

“China has agreed to fund the project through a soft loan with low mark up for a period of 20 years,” the Daily Times quoted Qayyum, as saying.

The Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Organisation (SUPARCO) and the China Great Wall Industry Corporation have agreed to develop the new satellite PAKSAT-1R, which would replace PAKSAT-1 in September 2011, he added.

The satellite will support all conventional and modern fixed satellite service (FSS) applications.

The satellite will have 30 transponders, 18 in the Ku-band and 12 in C-band (ANI)

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Rihanna does a poppet on string in see-through net dress

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, September 19 (ANI): Singer Rihanna did a poppet on a string while sporting a see-through black net dress.

The R-B lady was seen maintaining her balance on a trapeze with ease as she hung in mid-air.

Meanwhile, the 21-year-old’s former beau Chris Brown has been juggling life after starting community service for assaulting her, reports the Sun.

Brown assaulted Rihanna after getting into an argument as they left a pre-Grammy party in Los Angeles this February.

The shamed star was ordered 180 days community labor for the brutal attack, a year of domestic violence counselling and put on probation for the next five years. (ANI)

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Braless Rihanna shows off pierced nipples in New York

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Melbourne, Sept 18 (ANI): Rihanna has flaunted her pierced nipple whilst out and about in the Big Apple.

Hitting the streets yesterday in denim shorts, hooded cardigan and a see through black top- showing off a silver nipple ring, the singer seemed embracing the Janet Jackson Super Bowl look, reports The Daily Telegraph.

Meanwhile, her ex-beau Chris Brown has started community service for assaulting her.

He was snapped picking up rubbish.

Brown has to complete 180 days community service for the attack and will also be on probation for the next five years. (ANI)

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Kerala church in hosts iftar party

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Kottayam (Kerala), Sep 18 (ANI): An ancient church in Kerala became the perfect setting for communal harmony, hosting an iftar party on Thursday.

The iftar was organised in St. Mary’s Forane church Athirampuzha.

People from all faiths took part in the iftar that aimed to spread the message of love.

“The world is witnessing communal divide. Everyone should live as the children of the same parents. Communal strife will lead to destruction of the world order,” said Kunju Mohammad, Muslim cleric at nearby Athirampusha mosque.

Father Mani Puthyidam, parish priest at Athirampuzha church said, “It’s easy to divide but difficult to unite. The aim of this community iftar is to spread the message of love and brotherhood in this,” said Puthyidam.

T. S Gopinanthan Nair, secretary of Nair Service Society, a Hindu outfit, termed the iftar as a good example of communal harmony.

“We want to spread the message of love and unity in this place, Athirampuzha is a classic example of communal harmony,” Nair added. (ANI)

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Spitzer’s call girl Ashley Dupre walks runway at NY Fashion Week

September 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Melbourne, September 17 (ANI): Ashley Dupre, the former high-class call girl at the centre of the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal, walked the runway during New York Fashion Week.

The 24-year-old made the appearance at Bahar Shahpar’s fashion show, according to Jill Fehrenbacher at Ecouterre.

“It’s a rare rare thing when the tabloid world crosses into the world of eco-fashion, and one that might bring a little more attention to Bahar’s already-provocative line than would normally have been the case,” the Courier Mail quoted Fehrenbacher as saying.

Dupre was dubbed as an ‘informant’ during the scandal that saw the politician patronising a prostitution service that subsequently led to his resignation from the post of New York Governor.

Eighteen months after the storm, Dupre has been recording pop songs and wooing a record deal. (ANI)

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Jharkhand man begs for alms to run orphanage

September 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Dampara (Jharkhand), Sept 17 (ANI): Kantha Singh, a former motor mechanic, plays good samaritan for 42 orphans from tribal communities and runs an orphanage by begging for alms at Dampara village in Jharkhand.

Started in 2007, the orphanage had just 15 children. These children have been rendered homeless due to reckless alcoholism and polygamy prevalent in the area.

“They do not have any guardian. Some of them were even working, while others were living with relatives. We started the orphanage with 15 children, now we have 42. They are all taken care of and they are all studying,” said Singh.

Singh has voluntary workers at the orphanage, who beg for alms in the surrounding villages. The offerings by the people are not always enough. At times, the children have to make do with just salt and rice.

“We go from village to village begging for alms,” said Ramchandra Hembrum, a worker.

Singh’s service has earned him an invitation from the President. He and the other workers at the orphanage are now hopeful that the President would do something for the children.

The unexpected development has left them all overwhelmed.

“He will meet the President and talk to her about how difficult it is to run the orphanage. He will also talk about the needs of the children and all we need to run the orphanage well. He will also talk about their educational and other needs,” said Pather Saran, another worker.

Singh has also been taking care of the education of the orphans. He runs a school within the orphanage and hopes that the President will extend help, in his efforts to educate the children and ensure a good life for them. By Girija Shankar Ojha (ANI)

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Dial auto service launched in Chandigarh

September 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Chandigarh, Sept 17 (ANI): In a bid to provide quick, hassle free and reasonably charged mode of transportation, a dial-an-auto service equipped with GPS navigation system has been launched for the first time in Chandigarh.

The neat and clean pink coloured motor rickshaws, known as Tuk Tuk, are changing the way people travel in the city.

The fleet of 10 dial-an-auto-rickshaw, which is only a phone call away, also boasts of two lady drivers, the first in Chandigarh.

Women passengers, who feel safer traveling with lady drivers, are appreciating their services.

“Chandigarh is one city where people are safe anyway. We have been told we are safe with the service,” said Alka Thapar, a lady auto driver.

One has to just dial 4242424 for calling an auto rickshaw to get it at your doorstep.

The autos are equipped with tamper proof fare meters to assure passengers of not being overcharged.

“We maintain our call center. Whenever any individual requires an auto he rings up and the call centre picks up the call. They record the call and then convey to the driver by selecting the vehicle nearby to pick up the customer. That’s the procedure and customer has to pay from the pick up point to the drive point only,” said VS Dhillon, Managing Director of the Tuk Tuk Auto Rickshaw Company.

The service aims at providing a quick, reliable and safe journey to people who can relax and sit back without the fear of getting fleeced by drivers.

“I’m using it for the first time It’s reasonably priced and I’m really liking it,” says Charanjit, a customer.

The new service is a welcome change for commuters. With the new service in place, passengers can hope for a change in the attitude of traditional auto drivers who are often accused of fleecing customers. By Sunil Sharma (ANI)

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Men worry more about mates’ beliefs rather than partners’ when it comes to size of penis

September 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Melbourne, September 16 (ANI): An Australian study suggests that men seem to be more concerned about what their mates think rather than their partners, when it comes to the stature and size of their penis.

Annabel Chan, a PhD student at Melbourne’s Victoria University who obtained penis measurements from more than 500 men worldwide, describes this phenomenon as the “locker room syndrome”.

She has revealed that the men also answered questions designed to probe the link between penis size, male body image and mental health.

“It’s the locker room syndrome,” the Courier Mail quoted her as saying.

“That’s when they feel they should be bigger whereas when they are on their own they are actually quite happy with themselves,” she added.

During the study, the researchers asked the men, aged 18 to 76, to indicate their ideal body size, and compare that to what they believed other men would nominate.

About 65 per cent of the participants said that their ideal male body size would be smaller than the ideal size suggested by others.

The men were also asked whether they believed they would be a better sexual partner if they had a bigger penis.

Chan said: “(The men were) more concerned about how their overall body-size compared to the perceived male ideal than they are about how their size might impact on their sexual relations.”

The online survey asked men to measure their erect penises.

Chan said that she expected to receive some overstated measurements, but the self-reported data fell within the normal range of about 10 to 15cm.

“I thought people would report themselves as being very big, but they have been quite average,” she said.

The study showed that men with larger than average penises also reported higher levels of self-esteem, better general health and higher overall body satisfaction.

It further revealed that men who were happy with the size of their penis were also less likely to have used an online dating service, or to have used Viagra.

Overweight men had lower self-esteem, higher body dissatisfaction and greater use of the Internet for socialising, said the researchers.

“We have relatively little data about the body image of men because most of the research in this area concentrates on women,” Chan said.

“It means men don’t really get much help in terms of therapy, and options out there to get help,” she added. (ANI)

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Facebook crosses 300m users mark, cites rapid growth in profits

September 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, September 16 (ANI): Facebook has announced that it has crossed a benchmark of 300 million active monthly users from across the world and also started raking in profits ahead of schedule.

Founder of the world’s largest social networking site Mark Zuckerberg said the company had not expected to begin reaping financial benefits until sometime next year.

“This is important to us because it sets Facebook up to be a strong independent service for the long term,” The BBC quoted Zuckerberg as saying in a blog post.

“We are succeeding at building Facebook in a sustainable way. We are just getting started on our goal of connecting everyone.

“We face a lot of fun and important challenges that require rethinking the current systems for enabling information flow across the web,” he added.

Mike Schroepfer, Facebook’s vice president of engineering, also said: “Passing these milestones to me means we can continue to fund our development and our innovation and be self sustaining as we grow this network.

“We think 300m is a just a step on the way to get as much of the entire world on the social network communicating with the friends and family and the people they want to communicate with.”

Nick O’Neill of AllFacebook.com added: “That Facebook is able to continue this growth and build a “cash flow positive” business is an impressive feat.

“If the company can cover the cost of scaling to 1 billion users and still manage to break even, there’s no doubt that the company will have a great opportunity to rake in billions.”

The news that the company had crossed the two benchmarks was made at TechCrunch 50 in San Francisco. (ANI)

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Aussie police command wobbled by sexual harassment claims

September 15, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Sydney, Sep. 15 (ANI): Female police officers at an Australian police command have alleged that they were sexually harassed and intimidated by their male counterparts apart from being told that their place was in the home.

According to a complaint filed by a senior female constable at the Goulburn Local Area Command, five of her male colleagues sent sexually explicit emails to her and asked her to join a threesome.

Another three officers at the same command’s Bowral station have told their local MP they were “demeaned” due to pregnancy or because they were mothers, the Daily Telegraph reports.

The alleged harassment of the senior constable and sergeant began two years ago.

During one sleazy exchange in the police station, a senior colleague told the female constable that a threesome was “every man’s dream” and then suggested she “have a go” with the girlfriend of another officer.

The policewomen have also alleged that a local man was assaulted during an arrest in the middle of 2007 and that it was never investigated, despite his family attempting to make a complaint.

The senior constable said the arresting officer told her: “That guy’s a piece of s…, he was carrying on like a f…..t and mouthing off, he got what he deserved, we flogged him, he got pile-driven into the ground head first.”

A police spokesman said the women were the subject of a 181D action and faced a loss of confidence of the Commissioner.

“Their reward for a combined 37 years of dedicated front-line service is to be subjected to systematic bullying by male officers because of their gender and because they had the courage to stand up and complain about their treatment,” Hodgkinson said.
The two women have paid dearly for their service, with the senior constable needing surgery to fuse her spine last year and the sergeant suffering a broken back on duty. (ANI)

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Ambika Soni reaffirms commitment to Public Service Broadcasting Trust

September 15, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sept 15 (ANI): The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has renewed its commitment of financial support to the Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT), a Delhi-based NGO.

Under the plan scheme component for production of documentaries through NGOs, the Films Division would grant funds to the PSBT, which has been short-listed for production of documentaries for the current financial year.

In the past also, the Doordarshan and the PSBT have had a successful public-private partnership.

Over the past nine years, a large number of documentary films have been funded by the Doordarshan.

Among the National Non-Feature Film Awards-2007, at least four of such joint productions of the Prasar Bharati and the PSBT have won accolades.

Speaking on the occasion of ‘Commemorating 50 years of Public Television In India’, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ambika Soni invited suggestions from the luminaries of PSBT Trustees for making the Public Service Broadcaster-Doordarshan more vibrant and interesting while retaining its commitment for healthy entertainment suitable for family viewing.

Soni also reiterated that her Ministry would continue to strive to encourage creative skills so long as they honour the sensibilities of all single television viewing families.

The Minister exhorted the young filmmakers – particularly those who are the beneficiaries of the PSBT-Ministry fellowships, to take up the challenge of making relevant programmes for particularly the marginalized strata of society.

“The Doordarshan is the only channel with the widest terrestrial reach which caters to the remotest and border areas often neglected by the commercial interests of other channels,” she added.

She also invited stalwarts like Shyam Benegal (a PSBT Trustee), who had made the memorable ‘Bharat ek khoj’ serial for Doordarshan in the past, to contribute meaningfully to Doordarshan again.

Adoor Gopalkrishnan (Chairman PSBT)’s new film “Oru Pennum Randaanum”, funded by Doordarshan was screened on the occasion. (ANI)

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Faster visa to US under Delhi consular section

September 15, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep 15 (ANI): The US Ambassador to India, Timothy Roemer on Monday inaugurated the US Embassy’s new Consular (visa) section in New Delhi.

The new facility is the result of a multi-year, 10 million dollar expansion that would permit the embassy to provide faster and better consular service to the Indian community, particularly catering to northern India.

James Herman, Minister Counsellor for Consular Affairs at the United States Embassy, told reporters that new consul section doesn’t mean that more visas would be issued, but it would help clear the backlog.

“The new facilities designed here are to allow us the capability to process more visas. It doesn’t mean that we are issuing more visas. It is simply a matter of making sure that we can process all the visas applicants who want to apply for visas in India,” he added.

“Three years ago the average waiting time in India for a visa appointment was a little bit over six months, that is now down to a well under two weeks. In some place like Chennai for example it’s just a two-day wait. So the point is to give us the capability of processing as many visas as there are applicants,” Herman said.

The new facility doubles the waiting area, triples customer seating, adds a modern queuing system to guide customers through the visa process and adds many interviewing windows to ensure that visa applicants and American citizens can speak to an officer more quickly and in a convenient, modern environment.

The demand for consular services in India has surged to new levels, mirroring the deepening strategic partnership. Over the past five years, the issuance of U.S. non-immigrant visas in India have more than doubled from approximately 275,000 in 2003 to approximately 560,000 in 2008.

Speaking on the recent travel advisory issued to the Americans travelling to India, Herman said that it is routine and just meant for the safety of US citizens.

“The travel alert is for a wider audience. It’s basically says the same things as last two warden messages. So if you look at it it’s the way we communicate with Americans who travel…it’s a fair assessment,” he added.

The travel alert recently posted on US embassy website states that last years Mumbai terror attacks provides a vivid reminder that hotels and other public places being attractive targets for militant groups.

The advisory ask US citizens to maintain heightened situational awareness and a low profile. (ANI)

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Polling begins for Bihar by-election

September 15, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Patna, Sept 15 (ANI): Voting has begun for the by-election to 11 of the 18 assembly constituencies in Bihar this morning.

The polling will decide the fate of 99 contestants, including nine women.

The Janata Dal (United) is contesting from Bagha, Nautan, Dhoraiya, Triveniganj, Fulwari, Ghosi, Simri Bakhtiarpur and Munger constituencies while the BJP is from Bodh Gaya, Begusarai and Araria.

The RJD and the LJP has fielded its candidates from Bagha, Nautan, Dhoraiya, Fulwari, Munger, Simri Bakhtiarpur, Ghosi; and Bodh Gaya, Begusarai, Araria and Triveniganj respectively.

The Congress is contesting from all the constituencies.

Around 25,15,474 electors are expected to cast their vote at 2,620 polling stations spread over Bagha, Nautan, Begusarai, Triveniganj, Simri Bakhtiarpur, Araria, Dhoraiya, Munger, Fulwari, Ghosi and Bodh Gaya.

Central paramilitary force personnel have been pressed into service to avoid any kind of untoward incident. (ANI)

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SunTec, Seachange partnership offers integrated IPTV billing solution

September 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Amsterdam (Netherlands)/ Trivandrum (Kerala), Sep 14 (ANI/Business Wire India): SunTec, the leading provider of convergent transaction pricing and billing solutions for the Communication, Media and Entertainment industry, has partnered with video-on-demand, IPTV and advertising software and systems leader SeaChange International to offer television service providers globally automated provisioning of IPTV consumers and accounts in ‘near real time’, while supporting complex revenue sharing business rules.

The SunTec and SeaChange partnership has already resulted in the integration of SunTec’s convergent billing solution, TBMS-T, with SeaChange’s TV Navigator IPTV middleware for the Smart Digivision’s MyWay (http://www.myway.in) IPTV service. Available in 54 cities across India on Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (http://www.bsnl.co.in) (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd. (http://www.mtnl.net.in) (MTNL) broadband networks, MyWay is expected to reach three million subscribers in the first five years.

“Integrating SunTec’s convergent billing system with SeaChange’s middleware opens a compelling opportunity to the IPTV Service Provider to roll out innovative services and programs for its consumers. SunTec is happy to have a strategic association with SeaChange and I see this partnership complement both the companies’ growth in the emerging IPTV markets,” said Rajesh BL Narashimha, Vice-President and Sales Head APAC and MEA, SunTec.

SunTec’s convergent billing solution, TBMS-T interfaces in near real time with SeaChange’s, TV Navigator middleware, electronic program guide, video-on-demand systems and set top box applications. The flexibility of TBMS-T, coupled with SeaChange’s open middleware, allows the service provider to design innovative services and pack programs/content to attract more usage and consumers. In addition to this, SunTec’s TBMS-T supports the service provider with complex revenue sharing business rules and settlement with IPTV service carriers and content providers/aggregators.

“IPTV operators require open solutions that allow flexibility to choose best of breed vendors and components,” said, Lincoln Owens, Director Broadband Sales, APAC, SeaChange International. Our TV Navigator middleware is rooted in this open approach, which has given way to beneficial alliances across markets. Our tie-up with SunTec has helped create one of the most promising IPTV efforts in Asia and we anticipate further success.” (ANI)

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Spitzer call girl Ashley Dupre wants to make a comeback

September 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New York, September 14 (ANI): Ashley Dupre, the former high-class call girl at the centre of the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal, is tired of hiding and wants a comeback.

The 24-year-old was dubbed as an ‘informant’ during the scandal that saw the politician patronising a prostitution service that subsequently led to his resignation from the post of New York Governor.

And eighteen months after the storm, Dupre, who is recording pop songs and wooing a record deal, is seeking to get her life back on track.

“Everyone likes an underdog story, and everyone likes a comeback. I’m the poster child for redemption,” the New York Post quoted her as saying.

Dupre, who is also working on a book she calls a “cautionary tale,” further laughed at the idea that she was after the limelight.

She added: “I didn’t ask for it, but now that I have it, it’s up to me to take advantage of this platform and do something amazing. I have a voice now.” (ANI)

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50,000 American Muslims to attend prayer meeting on Washington Mall on Sep.25

September 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sep.13 (ANI): At least 50,000 American Muslims will participate in a national prayer gathering for September 25 in Washington, D.C.

According to a report filed by The Star-Ledger, the gathering is taking place in the city’s National Mall area and is being organised by representatives of a mosque in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

The paper quoted Hassen Abdellah, president of the Dar-ul-Islam mosque and an event organizer, as saying: “Most of the time, when Muslims go to Washington, D.C., they go there to protest some type of event…This is not a protest. Never has the Islamic community prayed on Capitol Hill for the soul of America. We’re Americans. We need to change the face of Islam so people don’t feel every Muslim believes America is ‘the great Satan,’ because we love America.”

The Star-Ledger reports that “A permit from the Capitol Hill police, granted July 28, allows access to the area by the West Front of the Capitol building from 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. on September 25, but the main gathering will occur at 1 p.m., for the Friday prayer service.

Abdellah said he expects 50,000 people to attend, from mosques around the country, though non-Muslims are welcome, too.”

Abdellah stated the idea germinated after President Obama’s inaugural speech, and was reinforced by this summer’s Cairo address: “For the first time in my lifetime,”

Abdellah said, “I heard someone of his stature speaking about Islam and Muslims not in an adversarial sense, but in the sense of being welcome and acknowledging we are integral citizens in the society-that we’re gainfully employed, we’re educated.”(ANI)

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US marks eighth anniversary of 9/11 terror strike

September 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New York, Sep 11(ANI): The eighth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center twin towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, which killed nearly 3,000 people, was observed here on Friday.

On September 11, 2001, four hijacked planes crashed into the twin Towers, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania.

Memorial ceremonies are to be held at these sites and four moments of silence are observed, at 8:46 a.m., 9:03 a.m., 9:59 a.m. and 10:29 a.m. ET, as these were the timings when the attacks took place.

President Barack Obama attended the wreath-laying ceremony at the Pentagon, where 184 people died.

The names of more than 2,700 victims from the site were also read by family members and volunteers at the New York ceremony, which was attended by U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden.

For the first time, the anniversary was designated as a National Day of Service. On Thursday, Obama issued a proclamation honouring those who died and had urged Americans to mark the anniversary with acts of community service.

Remembering those who lost their lives on the tragic day, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, said: “It is the sacred duty of the living to carry within us the memories of those we lost. While there is pain in remembering the loss, there is sweetness in remembering their lives.” (ANI)

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