UPDATE 1-BAE Systems H1 earnings up 14 pct, sees FY growth

LONODN, July 29 (Reuters) – BAE Systems (BAES.L) reported a 14 percent rise in first-half earnings and said it expected to deliver growth in the full-year despite expected lower sales at its land vehicle unit and cuts in European defence budgets.

Europe’s largest defence contractor on Thursday posted underlying earnings before interest, taxes and amortisation of 1.11 billion pounds ($1.73 billion) on sales 9 percent higher at 10.64 billion pounds for the six months to the end of June.

The company, which on Wednesday signed a 500 million pounds deal to supply India with 57 Hawk jets, increased the interim dividend by 9 percent to 7 pence per share but said it “anticipates a challenging trading environment” ahead.

BAE wants to grow its customer support and services business to offset expected cuts in UK defence procurement as Britain moves to cut a massive budget deficit.

Shares in BAE, which have fallen 10 percent in the last three months on concerns about potential cuts to European defence budgets, closed at 317 pence on Wednesday, valuing the company at around 10.80 billion pounds.

Despite the looming cuts, BAE, which derives around a fifth of its sales from Britain, said it saw unprecedented levels of interest from Middle Eastern and Asian governments at last week’s Farnborough airshow. [ID:nLDE66K206]

(Reporting by Rhys Jones; Editing by Matt Scuffham)

($1=.6402 Pound)

Virgin Casino Launches White Orchid by WagerWorks

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, Jun 25 (MARKET WIRE) —
Virgin Casino, part of the leading online gaming company – Virgin Games,
has today launched White Orchid, adding a brand new slot game to the
Casino’s extensive product suit. Provided by the online casino games
supplier, WagerWorks, White Orchid is a 5-reel, 40-payline slot that has
a host of exciting features for Virgin Casino’s customers to enjoy.

Players can use a multi-way option to bet on singular reels instead of
betting on all paylines. So White Orchid gives the flexibility to wager
on any combination of reels across the 5-reels, giving players 1,024
betting choices. White Orchid’s MultiwayXtra increases players winning
chances from 243 to 1,024.

With twenty independent reels, players can reap awe-inspiring pays for
big clusters of matching symbols. Get two or more Bonus symbols and
discover exotic wins in the White Falls(TM) Free Spins Bonus. Enjoy 10,
15, or 20 free spins on extra-rich bonus reels with the opportunity to
retrigger the bonus multiple times.

Warren Eloff, Product Manager at Virgin Games, commented:

“WagerWorks games have always been very popular with our players
and, with its unprecedented levels of slot action and superb graphics, we
believe White Orchid will be no exception. The introduction of White
Orchid is in line with our commitment to offer our customers more choice
from quality game producers to make us one of the most content rich
online casinos available.”

Founded in 2004, Virgin Games has over 1,000,000 players and nearly 200
games on its site. Through the introduction of a custom built Virgin
Games platform in 2008, Virgin Games seeks to provide its players with
the widest possible choice of online casino games. A growing selection of
games can be found at Virgin Games from a number of producers including
Microgaming, WagerWorks, Cryptologic, Freemantle, Endemol and Ash Gaming.

Notes to editors:

About Virgin Games:

Virgin Games (www.virgingames.com) launched in June 2004 and has quickly
established itself as one of the leading gaming websites in the UK.
Virgin Games comprises three distinct offerings:

– Virgin Casino, offers content from a range of games suppliers including
WagerWorks, Cryptologic, Freemantle and Ash Gaming, bringing consumers
classic casino games like Blackjack and Roulette, as well as great
feature slots like Monopoly, Rubik’s, X-Factor and the highly popular
MegaJackpots progressive games, with a current jackpot value of over GBP
2,500,000

– Virgin Poker, part of the Boss Media network, offers a huge array of
games and content for beginners through to experienced pros – as well as
the most generous loyalty scheme in the industry

– Virgin Bingo, part of the Virtue Fusion network, offers cash prizes
worth thousands of pounds in the progressive jackpots, as well as Virgin
prize bingo and a range of unique Virgin Games bingo games.

Contacts:
Virgin Games
Rebecca Clark
PR Consultant
07909 918478
rebecca@virgingames.com

Copyright 2010, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

Virgin Casino Launches White Orchid by WagerWorks

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, Jun 25 (MARKET WIRE) —
Virgin Casino, part of the leading online gaming company – Virgin Games,
has today launched White Orchid, adding a brand new slot game to the
Casino’s extensive product suit. Provided by the online casino games
supplier, WagerWorks, White Orchid is a 5-reel, 40-payline slot that has
a host of exciting features for Virgin Casino’s customers to enjoy.

Players can use a multi-way option to bet on singular reels instead of
betting on all paylines. So White Orchid gives the flexibility to wager
on any combination of reels across the 5-reels, giving players 1,024
betting choices. White Orchid’s MultiwayXtra increases players winning
chances from 243 to 1,024.

With twenty independent reels, players can reap awe-inspiring pays for
big clusters of matching symbols. Get two or more Bonus symbols and
discover exotic wins in the White Falls(TM) Free Spins Bonus. Enjoy 10,
15, or 20 free spins on extra-rich bonus reels with the opportunity to
retrigger the bonus multiple times.

Warren Eloff, Product Manager at Virgin Games, commented:

“WagerWorks games have always been very popular with our players
and, with its unprecedented levels of slot action and superb graphics, we
believe White Orchid will be no exception. The introduction of White
Orchid is in line with our commitment to offer our customers more choice
from quality game producers to make us one of the most content rich
online casinos available.”

Founded in 2004, Virgin Games has over 1,000,000 players and nearly 200
games on its site. Through the introduction of a custom built Virgin
Games platform in 2008, Virgin Games seeks to provide its players with
the widest possible choice of online casino games. A growing selection of
games can be found at Virgin Games from a number of producers including
Microgaming, WagerWorks, Cryptologic, Freemantle, Endemol and Ash Gaming.

Notes to editors:

About Virgin Games:

Virgin Games (www.virgingames.com) launched in June 2004 and has quickly
established itself as one of the leading gaming websites in the UK.
Virgin Games comprises three distinct offerings:

– Virgin Casino, offers content from a range of games suppliers including
WagerWorks, Cryptologic, Freemantle and Ash Gaming, bringing consumers
classic casino games like Blackjack and Roulette, as well as great
feature slots like Monopoly, Rubik’s, X-Factor and the highly popular
MegaJackpots progressive games, with a current jackpot value of over GBP
2,500,000

– Virgin Poker, part of the Boss Media network, offers a huge array of
games and content for beginners through to experienced pros – as well as
the most generous loyalty scheme in the industry

– Virgin Bingo, part of the Virtue Fusion network, offers cash prizes
worth thousands of pounds in the progressive jackpots, as well as Virgin
prize bingo and a range of unique Virgin Games bingo games.

Contacts:
Virgin Games
Rebecca Clark
PR Consultant
07909 918478
rebecca@virgingames.com

Copyright 2010, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

Azul Systems Achieves Record First Quarter Bookings and Revenue

Revenue Increased 64% Compared to the Prior Quarter
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.–(Business Wire)–
Azul Systems, the award-winning leader of enterprise server appliances for
business critical Java applications, today announced record first quarter
bookings and revenue for its fiscal year 2011 ending April 30, 2010, with
revenue up 64% over the prior quarter. Customers purchasing Azul appliances and
services in the quarter included Farmers Insurance, Success Factors, Saks.com,
TD Securities, Juniper Networks, Global Collect and many other Global 2000
companies.

“We are extremely pleased to announce that in our first quarter we achieved both
the largest bookings and revenue results in the history of the company,” said
Scott Sellers, President and CEO of Azul Systems. “Enterprises are choosing Azul
in record numbers knowing that our products solve the scaling and response time
challenges seen in Java applications, often times offering orders of magnitude
in benefits. Our growing customer base of Global 2000 companies is continued
validation that Azul is the platform of choice for transaction-intensive Java
applications.”

“Our customers are looking for a solution that will deliver computing resources
with the strict SLAs needed for business critical applications,” said Patrick
Conte, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Field Operations for Azul Systems.
“They are seeing immediate benefits in deploying Azul`s server appliances in
their production environments. We are excited about our continued success in
global finance, media, and ecommerce markets, as well as our continued strong
growth internationally.”

Azul Compute Appliances enable business-critical Java-based applications to
achieve unprecedented levels of scalability, throughput and response times
without the complex setup, management, or high operational costs associated with
traditional computing models. Designed and optimized for memory and
transactional-intensive Java workloads, such as web portals, business analytics,
trading platforms, and financial and risk analysis applications, Azul appliances
eliminate performance issues caused by Java-related challenges such as garbage
collection pauses, memory limitations, and compute bottlenecks.

About Azul Systems

Azul Systems (www.azulsystems.com) is an enterprise compute appliance vendor
providing unsurpassed scalability, manageability, and real-time monitoring for
Java-based applications. By providing unparalleled compute and memory resources
for throughput-intensive and QoS-sensitive Java applications, Azul enables
organizations to dramatically simplify deployments, consolidate Java instances,
increase capacities with predictable response times, and dramatically improve
operating costs over traditional deployment models.

Azul Systems and Azul are registered trademarks, and the Azul arch logo is a
trademark of Azul Systems, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All
Java-based trademarks and their logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Other marks are
the property of their respective owners and are used here only for
identification purposes.

Azul Systems, Inc.
Susan Pak, 650-230-6544
Marketing Communications Manager
susan@azulsystems.com

Copyright Business Wire 2010

G-20 is the appropriate forum to resolve global meltdown: BRIC leaders

Brasilia (Brazil), Apr.16 (ANI): Reaffirming the central role of the Group of 20 (G-20) member nations in combatting and neutralising the impact of the global fiscal crisis, leaders of Brazil,Russia, India and China (BRIC) on Thursday said the grouping is the right forum for resolving the crisis.

A joint statement issued by the BRIC leader said: “We stress the central role played by the G-20 in combating the crisis through unprecedented levels of coordinated action. We welcome the fact that the G-20 was confirmed as the premier forum for international economic coordination and cooperation of all its member states.”

“Compared to previous arrangements, the G-20 is broader, more inclusive, diverse, representative and effective. We call upon all its member states to undertake further efforts to implement jointly the decisions adopted at the three G-20 Summits. We advocate the need for the G-20 to be proactive and formulate a coherent strategy for the post-crisis period. We stand ready to make a joint contribution to this effort,” the BRIC leaders added.

Expressing their strong commitment to multilateral diplomacy with the United Nations playing the central role in dealing with global challenges and threats, they said they reaffirmed “the need for a comprehensive reform of the UN, with a view to making it more effective, efficient and representative, so that it can deal with today’s global challenges more effectively.”

“We reiterate the importance we attach to the status of India and Brazil in international affairs, and understand and support their aspirations to play a greater role in the United Nations. We believe the deepened and broadened dialogue and cooperation of the BRIC countries is conducive not only to serving common interests of emerging market economies and developing countries, but also to building a harmonious world of lasting peace and common prosperity,” the joint statement quoted the BRIC leaders, as saying.

Expressing their satisfaction over the improving world economic situation since their first meeting in June 2009, in Ekaterinburg, the BRIC leaders said: “We welcome the resumption of economic growth, in which emerging market economies are playing a very important role. However, we recognize that the foundation of world economic recovery is not yet solid, with uncertainties remaining. We call upon all states to strengthen macroeconomic cooperation, jointly secure world economic recovery and achieve a strong, sustainable and balanced growth.”

“We reiterate our determination to make positive efforts in maintaining domestic economic recovery and promoting development in our own countries and worldwide,” the BRIC leaders added.

They also underlined the importance of maintaining relative stability of major reserve currencies and sustainability of fiscal policies in order to achieve a strong, long-term balanced economic growth.

“We are convinced that emerging market economies and developing countries have the potential to play an even larger and active role as engines of economic growth and prosperity, while at the same time commit to work together with other countries towards reducing imbalances in global economic development and fostering social inclusion,” they said. By Ravinder Singh Robin (ANI)

G-20 is the appropriate forum to resolve global meltdown: BRIC leaders

Brasilia (Brazil), Apr.16 (ANI): Reaffirming the central role of the Group of 20 (G-20) member nations in combatting and neutralising the impact of the global fiscal crisis, leaders of Brazil,Russia, India and China (BRIC) on Thursday said the grouping is the right forum for resolving the crisis.

A joint statement issued by the BRIC leader said: “We stress the central role played by the G-20 in combating the crisis through unprecedented levels of coordinated action. We welcome the fact that the G-20 was confirmed as the premier forum for international economic coordination and cooperation of all its member states.”

“Compared to previous arrangements, the G-20 is broader, more inclusive, diverse, representative and effective. We call upon all its member states to undertake further efforts to implement jointly the decisions adopted at the three G-20 Summits. We advocate the need for the G-20 to be proactive and formulate a coherent strategy for the post-crisis period. We stand ready to make a joint contribution to this effort,” the BRIC leaders added.

Expressing their strong commitment to multilateral diplomacy with the United Nations playing the central role in dealing with global challenges and threats, they said they reaffirmed “the need for a comprehensive reform of the UN, with a view to making it more effective, efficient and representative, so that it can deal with today’s global challenges more effectively.”

“We reiterate the importance we attach to the status of India and Brazil in international affairs, and understand and support their aspirations to play a greater role in the United Nations. We believe the deepened and broadened dialogue and cooperation of the BRIC countries is conducive not only to serving common interests of emerging market economies and developing countries, but also to building a harmonious world of lasting peace and common prosperity,” the joint statement quoted the BRIC leaders, as saying.

Expressing their satisfaction over the improving world economic situation since their first meeting in June 2009, in Ekaterinburg, the BRIC leaders said: “We welcome the resumption of economic growth, in which emerging market economies are playing a very important role. However, we recognize that the foundation of world economic recovery is not yet solid, with uncertainties remaining. We call upon all states to strengthen macroeconomic cooperation, jointly secure world economic recovery and achieve a strong, sustainable and balanced growth.”

“We reiterate our determination to make positive efforts in maintaining domestic economic recovery and promoting development in our own countries and worldwide,” the BRIC leaders added.

They also underlined the importance of maintaining relative stability of major reserve currencies and sustainability of fiscal policies in order to achieve a strong, long-term balanced economic growth.

“We are convinced that emerging market economies and developing countries have the potential to play an even larger and active role as engines of economic growth and prosperity, while at the same time commit to work together with other countries towards reducing imbalances in global economic development and fostering social inclusion,” they said. By Ravinder Singh Robin (ANI)

G-20 is the appropriate forum to resolve global meltdown: BRIC leaders

Brasilia (Brazil), Apr.16 (ANI): Reaffirming the central role of the Group of 20 (G-20) member nations in combatting and neutralising the impact of the global fiscal crisis, leaders of Brazil,Russia, India and China (BRIC) on Thursday said the grouping is the right forum for resolving the crisis.

A joint statement issued by the BRIC leader said: “We stress the central role played by the G-20 in combating the crisis through unprecedented levels of coordinated action. We welcome the fact that the G-20 was confirmed as the premier forum for international economic coordination and cooperation of all its member states.”

“Compared to previous arrangements, the G-20 is broader, more inclusive, diverse, representative and effective. We call upon all its member states to undertake further efforts to implement jointly the decisions adopted at the three G-20 Summits. We advocate the need for the G-20 to be proactive and formulate a coherent strategy for the post-crisis period. We stand ready to make a joint contribution to this effort,” the BRIC leaders added.

Expressing their strong commitment to multilateral diplomacy with the United Nations playing the central role in dealing with global challenges and threats, they said they reaffirmed “the need for a comprehensive reform of the UN, with a view to making it more effective, efficient and representative, so that it can deal with today’s global challenges more effectively.”

“We reiterate the importance we attach to the status of India and Brazil in international affairs, and understand and support their aspirations to play a greater role in the United Nations. We believe the deepened and broadened dialogue and cooperation of the BRIC countries is conducive not only to serving common interests of emerging market economies and developing countries, but also to building a harmonious world of lasting peace and common prosperity,” the joint statement quoted the BRIC leaders, as saying.

Expressing their satisfaction over the improving world economic situation since their first meeting in June 2009, in Ekaterinburg, the BRIC leaders said: “We welcome the resumption of economic growth, in which emerging market economies are playing a very important role. However, we recognize that the foundation of world economic recovery is not yet solid, with uncertainties remaining. We call upon all states to strengthen macroeconomic cooperation, jointly secure world economic recovery and achieve a strong, sustainable and balanced growth.”

“We reiterate our determination to make positive efforts in maintaining domestic economic recovery and promoting development in our own countries and worldwide,” the BRIC leaders added.

They also underlined the importance of maintaining relative stability of major reserve currencies and sustainability of fiscal policies in order to achieve a strong, long-term balanced economic growth.

“We are convinced that emerging market economies and developing countries have the potential to play an even larger and active role as engines of economic growth and prosperity, while at the same time commit to work together with other countries towards reducing imbalances in global economic development and fostering social inclusion,” they said. (ANI)

Alldean Moves to SES WORLD SKIES

NSS-12 satellite tailored to meet big demand for connectivity, content across
East Africa
THE HAGUE–(Business Wire)–
Delivering on its global fleet strategy, SES WORLD SKIES, a division of SES S.A.
(Paris:SESG)(LuxX:SESG), today announced Alldean Satellite Networks (K) LTDhas
signed a multiyear satellite capacity agreement aimed at providing advanced
communications solutions to metropolitan and remote businesses across East
Africa.

A leading enterprise services provider based in Nairobi, Kenya, Alldean has
secured a full Ku-band transponder (54 megahertz) aboard SES WORLD SKIES` new
NSS-12 satellite. Alldean will utilize the payload to support the connectivity
and content delivery needs of Pan-African banks, NGOs, telecom companies,
retailers, network operators, broadcasters and other organizations serving Kenya
and the region. The deal represents Alldean`s strategic move from its previous
satellite platform to NSS-12, one of the largest, most powerful satellites in
the world and the latest addition to the global fleet operated by SES WORLD
SKIES.

“Alldean now has the tailored, extensive satellite coverage we must have to meet
the specific demands of businesses and broadcasters throughout Kenya and the
East African region,” said Shay Ohaion, Alldean CEO. “SES WORLD SKIES and NSS-12
offer the reach and reliability in the right place at the right time, as African
businesses require unprecedented levels of quality connectivity regardless of
their location,” Ohaion added, noting additional deals between the two companies
are in the works.

“Alldean is playing a vital role in the emergence of East African business
markets, as it delivers everything from broadband and voice-over-IP to
videoconferencing and broadcast-quality content across the region,” said Nicolas
Baravalle, Regional Vice President of SES WORLD SKIES. “SES WORLD SKIES` global
fleet strategy is always focused on putting capacity where it`s needed most.
We`re honored that Alldean has selected the people and technologies of SES WORLD
SKIES to help enable the new wave of growth across Africa.”

About NSS-12
NSS-12 is one of the largest and most powerful communications satellites in the
world, featuring 88 C- and Ku-band transponders in 36 MHZ equivalent units. From
the premier orbital slot 57° East, NSS-12 covers an area stretching from Europe,
the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa, all the way to the Indian Ocean Region
and Northwestern Australia.

NSS-12 delivers DTH power and performance through four regional Ku-band spot
beams. NSS-12`s coverage of East Africa will complement Ku-band services
currently available at 338° East, allowing customers to introduce new services
and expand into new markets.

About SES WORLD SKIES
SES WORLD SKIES is the new division of SES, created through the combination of
the former SES NEW SKIES and SES AMERICOM. The company operates a fleet of 25
satellites – part of the 41 spacecraft of the SES group – delivering services as
diverse as television distribution and broadcast, internet access, data
transmission and business and government communications to customers worldwide.
SES WORLD SKIES currently has five additional satellites under construction. The
company`s unique customer-focused approach allows it to offer the best satellite
solutions for a host of business and government requirements, with a view toward
helping customers meet their short-term challenges and realize their longer-term
goals. SES WORLD SKIES comprises a world-class team of customer care and
technical professionals located in Princeton (NJ), The Hague, Washington, D.C.,
Singapore, Beijing, London, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, Sydney, Accra and
Johannesburg. Visit www.ses.com for more information.

About SES
SES (Paris:SESG)(LuxX:SESG) wholly owns the market-leading satellite operators
SES ASTRA and SES WORLD SKIES as well as participations in Ciel in Canada,
QuetzSat in Mexico and satellite infrastructure start-up O3b Networks. SES
provides outstanding satellite communications solutions via a global fleet of 41
satellites in 26 orbital locations. For further information: www.ses.com

SES WORLD SKIES
Yves Feltes
Media Relations
Tel: +352 710 725 311
Yves.Feltes@ses.com

Copyright Business Wire 2010

Alice crime rates reach unprecedented levels

The Northern Territory’s latest crime figures show Alice Springs is experiencing unprecedented levels of violence.

There were 1432 assaults in the town last year, 29% more than in 2008.

It is also the highest yearly total since the Government began releasing crime statistics.

The annual number of reported assaults has almost doubled since 2004, and at least 65% of them involve alcohol.

The Southern Region Police Commander, Anne-Marie Murphy said more than half were domestic violence incidents, but there had also been a rise in other assaults.

“The significant amount of the assaults are among people who are drinking together,” Ms Murphy said.

“There might be assaults that arise in licensed premises or outside of licensed premises.

“We know we’ve had some issues in terms of particular areas but there’s no specific victim profile if you like.”

She said itinerancy, domestic violence and alcohol were the main factors driving up crime rates.

The amount of violent assaults across the Territory has gone up by 17% in the past year.

There were 900 more violent assaults in the Territory in 2009 compared to last year.

Assistant Police Commissioner Mark Payne says the rise in numbers is due to more police being stationed in the bush, and new laws.

“We have introduced new policies and processes that are aligned to mandatory reporting and that’s seen more members of the public more professionals providing reports of domestic assaults to police and that’s of course affected the figures,” he said.

The number of assaults in Katherine has also increased by 47% despite the introduction of an alcohol management plan, whereas assaults only increased by 2% at Tennant Creek.

Aceh deputy governor: Killings not political

Banda Aceh, Indonesia – Recent killings of former rebels-turned-politicians in Indonesia’s Aceh province were not politically motivated, the province’s deputy governor said Tuesday.

Four members of the Aceh Party, the political wing of the former separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM), have been killed in the past two months by unknown assailants, sparking fears of further violence ahead of the April 9 general elections.

The Aceh Party is one of six local parties allowed to contest for provincial legislative seats under a 2005 peace pact between the government and GAM, which ended decades of conflict in the province.

Aceh Deputy Governor Muhammad Nazar, a former independence supporter, said he agreed with police assertions that the killings were not linked to politics.

“The events in recent months were purely criminal acts according to police, so we don’t see them as a big threat to peace,” Nazar told the German Press Agency dpa.

He urged police to thoroughly investigate the murders and a series of grenade attacks targeting Aceh Party offices since last year.

“We are optimistic that peace will prevail. All parties concerned are committed to it,” said Nazar, who leads the Aceh People’s Independent Voice Party.

In the latest incident, a member of the Aceh Party was found floating in a waste pool on Friday, with his throat slit and hands bound, local media reported.

A new report by the World Bank’s Conflict and Development Program said 16 people were killed, 47 were injured and 17 buildings or vehicles were damaged in violence in a three-month period to the end of February.

“These incidents brought tensions, in particular between the Aceh Party and security forces to unprecedented levels since [the peace pact],” the report said.

However, the report said it remained unclear whether the violence was politically motivated.

Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf is a former separatist guerilla who won the gubernatorial election in 2006, two years after the Indian Ocean tsunami devastated Aceh province.

The International Crisis Group think tank said in a report released Monday that the crux of the problem was “the mutual fear and loathing” between GAM and the Indonesian military.

Many in the military are convinced that GAM is still committed to an independent Aceh and has only changed its tactics, the report said.

Former rebels, on the other hand, see the military as its main opponent, and encourages the perception that all attacks on its members or offices are somehow linked to the military, the report said.

The Crisis Group said many attacks over the past three years had been the result of internal conflict among former rebels.

The military has been accused of gross human rights violations during the conflict in the province. (dpa)

Young woman enterpreneur launches automobile portal BIGgaddi.com

Ahmedabad, Feb 25 (ANI/Business Wire India): BIGgaddi.com, a unique and informative automobile portal, today launched by young woman enterpreneur Ms Jainee P. Gordhandas.

The unique portal promises to help carlovers with its novel features.

Parul Mehta,co-founder,Motif.Inc was also present on this occasion.

BIGgaddi.com is a unique automobile website catering to the A-Z of the automobile world specializing in Online Buying and Selling of used and new cars and two-wheelers.

Now, with just a few clicks you can search for used vehicle or post your vehicle for selling, for all to see.

The USP of the portal is : Buying and Selling of used vehicles made easy.

Commenting on the launch of the portal, Ms Jainee P. Gordhandas, Founder,BIGgaddi.com said, “With the rapidly increasing number of vehicles plying our streets everyday and a plethora of new vehicle launches lined up in the coming year, the used vehicle industry is expanding at unprecedented levels. According to a study, for every new vehicle bought, there is a sale/purchase of 2 used vehicles. This ratio shows the business opportunity available in the used vehicle business.”

“At present the used vehicle business is not well developed and organized. For a person who wishes to sell his vehicle the only avenue is his garage or a few relatives and friends. The issue is more difficult when you wish to buy a used two wheeler or used car. We aim to cater to the needs of used vehicle market. The portal will not only help the car buyers or car sellers,but it will also prove to be a catalyst for car lovers for technical information,comparison between different makes and models and automobile industry news and events. This is the only website which allows the seller to upload the video/photo of the vehicle he wants to sell”, she further added.

Another unique feature of this automobile portal is that it is supported by offline franchise and collection network. In India, still a large number of vehicle users are not net savvy.

The offline collection centers and franchises help such people in buying and selling of their vehicles. This data is then made available on the website to get quicker response. This is the only automobile portal which works in co-operation with used car dealers.

Parul Mehta, co-founder, Motif.Inc said, “It’s a great pride for all of us that a young woman enterpreneur has come out with such brilliant idea. We wish the portal will become a grand success.”

BIGgaddi.com has many attractions and industry firsts to its credit. (ANI)

Taliban’s bloody Kabul warning may prompt US, UK to strategically rope in India

Islamabad, Feb.12 (ANI): The Taliban claiming responsibility for the death 26 people in suicide attacks on two government buildings in Kabul, Afghanistan, suggests that the militant outfit has the potential to come up with new and more violent responses in the coming days.

Given this latest scenario in Afghanistan, it comes as no surprise that security in Pakistan, and particularly in Islamabad, has been tightened to unprecedented levels.

According to Syed Saleem Shahzad, the Pakistan Bureau Chief of the Asia Times Online, the attack on Kabul comes even as both Barack Obama (US) and Gordon Brown (UK) have announced the appointment of Special Envoys for Pakistan and Afghanistan to strengthen Pakistan’s role against the Taliban and al-Qaeda, as well as trying to bring India into the fold of their strategic partnership.

In an article for the website, Shahzad says that the Taliban has made its bloody presence felt, and the attack on Kabul, is “reminiscent of the Pakistan-linked terror attack on the Indian city of Mumbai last November”.

“The attack, the most complex and brazen in the (Afghan) capital since the Taliban were ousted in 2001, involved five armed militants”, and came a day ahead of a visit by US Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke.

According to Shahzad, it “can be seen as a clear statement that even while furious diplomatic activity is taking place involving among others Washington and Moscow, the Taliban voice will be heard.”

He further says in his article that the attack “comes as something of a surprise as it was widely believed that the Taliban would lie relatively low ahead of this year’s spring offensive.”

He says that on the battlefields in Pakistan and Afghanistan, plans are afoot to launch the strongest offensive yet against militants.

“This could begin once Pakistani army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kiani returns to Pakistan from the United States where he will discuss in detail the dynamics of the militancy and enhanced cooperation between Islamabad and Washington,” he says.

Across the border, in India, there are also murmurings of al-Qaeda terror cells exploding into action to deter India from aligning with Western forces against the Taliban-led resistance in Afghanistan.

Al-Qaeda assesses 2009 as the year in which it could fight its fiercest – if not decisive – battle: the flames of war could flare at any time, anywhere, he concludes. (ANI)