Tag Archives: Dubai

New cricket ground in Al Dhaid inaugurated

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Al Dhaid and its seven grounds were first started in November 2006 and its hard-wicket ground has been operational for two years. The first turf ground has taken six months to complete, and apart from a slightly uneven outfield is in perfect playing condition.

The four-acre site, 65 kilometres outside of Dubai, has been a personal project for Emirates Cricket Board Administrator, Mazhar Khan. There was and is a constant need for cricket pitches considering the level of activity in the UAE, said Khan. The ground at Al Dhaid will also host the MCC and a Bangladesh Port Cricket League next year.

Bukhatir, a prime mover behind Dubai Sports City said: Even though sports infrastructure projects are not profit-making centres, the purpose of a multi-sport project like this at Al Dhaid is to give youngsters a chance to play, get noticed and get ahead. It takes people, organisations and institutions for support and this is what we are hoping for the future. And we hope it benefits the society in Dubai and the whole world.

The business plan has not been worked out for this, we are still in the process of forming a same. Al Dhaid is just starting but like the youngsters who will play here, it is full of promise. There are enough grounds here to have major tournaments at any point of time, he added.

For more information, click h

Source: ICC

Tanvir ready to fight for place in Pakistan team

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Tanvir said he has regained his fitness and is now eyeing a place in the Pakistan squad in spite of the fact that the team already has the in-form pace trio of Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer and Umar Gul.

Tanvir, who was a star of the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) last year, said that he is pleased with his recovery from the back injury that affected his form over the past six months.

The Rawalpindi-based player was a regular with the Pakistan limited-overs sides in 2008 but has struggled to hold down his place in 2009.

A damaged disc in my lower back caused me great discomfort, he was quoted as saying.

It was a frustrating time for me and the injury could not be diagnosed during the tournament. My body wasnt right in England and the injury had affected my self-belief. It affected me mentally too.

Tanvir said that for the past few months he has been training at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. The strength building sessions at the NCA have helped me and Ill be back there next week to continue my work with the medical staff there.

Tanvir made his comeback for the two Twenty20 Internationals in Dubai earlier this month and was able to deliver steady spells. I felt no recurrence of the back injury. The ball was coming out of the hand nicely, I felt I had good rhythm against New Zealand and bowled pretty

Source: ICC

Whats your AQ?

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An initiative by the US$ 6.3 billion Mahindra Group, Mahindra Auto Quotient (AQ) is a chance for auto enthusiasts to measure and prove their passion. The first flag-off in Auto Quotient, is India’s first auto quiz. A quiz that will have engineering students from across the country revving up their auto knowledge to overtake each other in this high stakes challenge.

November 26, 2009 /India PRwire/ — Whats your AQ? A question that most people are asking,

Mahindra Auto Quotient is India’s first automotive quiz .The Pan India quiz was conducted in various engineering colleges and had a large number of engineers participating to test their AQ.

A written test was conducted in 16 different cities followed by a live quiz.

The winning teams from each of these cities have qualified to the zonal level i.e. the semi finals. Four teams from each zone are now competing with each other to get to the Final Quiz.

The winners of Mahindra AQ get tickets to the Geneva Motor show 2010, a dream come true for all l auto fans.

The first runners-up will be sent for the exhilarating experience of dune bashing in Dubai.

The second and third runners-up will be sent to the thrilling Mahindra Great Escape, India’s favourite 4X4 off road rally.

The show is being telecast on NDTV Profit. The timings of the telecast is as follows

Mahindra AQ – NDTV Telecast Timings

West Zone Regional Finals 21-Nov 8.30 PM
22-Nov 12 PM

East Zone Regional Finals 28-Nov 8.30 PM
29-Nov 12 PM

North Zone Regional Finals 5-Dec 8.30 PM
6-Dec 12 PM

South Zone Regional Finals 12-Dec 8.30 PM
13-Dec 12 PM

National Finals 19-Dec 11am – 12 noon
20-Dec 9pm – 10 pm

Watch the auto heads of the East battle it out to reach the finals on the 28th of November at 8:30 PM only on NDTV Profit.

Log on to the website to participate in the guess the winner contest www.mahindraaq.com.

Get regular updates on the official fan page www.facebook.com/mahindraaq

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

Notes to Editor

The US$ 6.3 billion Mahindra Group is among the top 10 industrial houses in India.

For more information, please contact:
Sweta (T.AE) (L) 022-66664435

The deVere Group welcomes its 1000th client on its growing online trading platform

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The deVere Group is pleased to announce that they have recently gained their 1,000th client on their online trading platform. Since the launch of the platform earlier this year, financial advisors and clients worldwide have expressed their delight at the range of independent investment funds, user friendly interface and immediate access to portfolio valuations.
deVere introduced the online platform to address their clients’ investment needs and give them direct ownership of their investment decisions. The fund platform offers access to more than 5,000 mutual funds from some of the world’s leading investment houses and provides a daily data feed from Morningstar, a global independent investment research provider. “The deVere Fund Platform was developed to give our clients control over their investments for them to be monitored and managed more effectively.” commented Nigel Green, CEO deVere Group. “We are very pleased with the success of the platform to date and will continue to encourage our new and existing clients to use it as much as possible”.
The deVere Fund Platform offers a safe and secure trading environment for investors worldwide. The back office structure of the platform is provided by Moventum, a Luxembourg-based organisation, which supplies a full suite of services, including access to institutional investment funds, extensive ‘back-office’ support, marketing and asset allocation tools.
For more information on the deVere Fund Platform, please visit www.deverefundplatform.com
About the deVere Group:
The deVere Group is the world’s largest firm of independent financial advisers. We help international investors and expatriates find financial services products that suit their medium to long term requirements for insurance, investments, savings and pensions. With in excess of US $7 billion of funds under administration and management, the deVere Group has more than fifty thousand clients in over a hundred countries. Our independence and ability to offer financial products that are tailor-made to fit an individual’s needs are behind our success. As a result we now have offices in over forty countries. You can find us in Abu Dhabi, Brussels, Dubai, Geneva, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London, Mexico, Moscow, Shanghai, Tokyo and Zurich, amongst others. Please visit http://www.devere-group.com for more information about the deVere Group

Source: WEBWIRE

deVere Group graduates successfully complete first graduate training and development programme

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Further to the launch of its graduate training scheme in June 2009, the deVere Group, the world’s largest financial consultancy group is pleased to announce that the first course was completed successfully.
The graduates, who received in-house training over a period of four months, recently became fully-qualified professional advisers.
The first in a series of graduate programmes kicked off earlier this year in order to train graduates to full financial planner status. The scheme aims to provide young professionals with in-depth knowledge of the industry and equip them with the adequate skills to become trusted and well-informed financial advisers. “We enjoyed having the graduates on board and believe it was a positive experience for the company as a whole. We look forward to rolling out many more successful courses in the future” commented Nigel Green, CEO for the deVere Group.
Graduates obtain the industry-recognised Certificate in Financial Planning. Upon completion of the course, they are offered the opportunity to join one of the group’s forty offices worldwide. The next graduate course is due to start in Q1 2010.
About the deVere Group
The deVere Group is the world’s largest independent international financial consultancy group. International investors and expatriates employ us to find financial services products that suit their medium to long term requirements for investments, savings and pensions. With in excess of US$7 billion of funds under administration and management, deVere has more than fifty thousand clients in over a hundred countries. Our independence and ability to offer financial products that are tailor-made to fit an individual’s needs are behind our success. As a result we now have offices in over forty countries. You can find us in Abu Dhabi, Brussels, Dubai, Geneva, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London, Mexico, Moscow, Shanghai, Tokyo and Zurich, amongst others.
Please visit http://www.devere-group.com for more information about the deVere Group.

Source: WEBWIRE

Two Individuals Sentenced to Prison for Offering to Bribe U.S. Army Contracting Official in Afghanistan

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WASHINGTON—Rohullah Farooqi Lodin and Hashmatullah Farooqi were each sentenced today in Alexandria, Va., to four years in prison for their roles in a scheme to offer $1 million in bribes to a U.S. Army contracting official in Afghanistan, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride of the Eastern District of Virginia.

U.S. District Court Judge Liam O’Grady also sentenced Lodin, 48, from Irvine, Calif., and Farooqi, 38, from New York City, to each serve three years of supervised release following their prison term and ordered each to pay a $30,000 fine. Lodin and Farooqi, both dual Afghan/U.S. citizens, each pleaded guilty on Aug. 7, 2009, to one count of offering to bribe a public official.

The U.S. Army in Afghanistan is responsible for the Commander’s Emergency Response Program (CERP), which enables U.S. Army commanders in Afghanistan to use U.S. monies to fund humanitarian relief and reconstruction projects, including road construction, in that country. According to court documents, in 2009, the U.S. Army solicited bids from contractors to design and build a road in Logar Province, Afghanistan (the Logar Road Contract). The U.S. Army received numerous bids on the Logar Road Contract, including $18 million bids each from National General Construction Company (NGCC) and Hamed Lais Group (Hamed Lais), both general contracting firms in Afghanistan that Lodin and Farooqi claimed to represent.

Lodin and Farooqi admitted that on at least four occasions in May 2009, they met with an Army captain who was the public official responsible for managing the CERP in Logar Province. Lodin and Farooqi admitted they told the Army captain that they represented NGCC and Hamed Lais and were interested in securing the Logar Road Contract. Lodin and Farooqi admitted they offered the Army captain $1 million in bribes if he agreed to assist in disqualifying lower bidders on the Logar Road Contract and influence the award of the contract to NGCC and Hamed Lais.

Lodin and Farooqi admitted they stated they had political connections, and that to facilitate the award of the Logar Road Contract to NGCC and Hamed Lais, they could arrange for the blacklisting of lower priced bidders currently ranked ahead of their bid. Lodin and Farooqi admitted they had numerous conversations with the Army captain and discussed the following options for paying him to influence the award of the Logar Road Contract: they stated they could wire the Army captain $1 million through Dubai or Bangkok to a bank account; they offered to pay the Army captain $500,000 out of the first payment under the contract and $500,000 at the conclusion of the contract; and they offered to pay the Army captain $200,000 of the $1 million in cash before the award of the contract.

The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve A. Linick, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, and Fraud Section Trial Attorney James J. Graham. The investigation is being conducted by the FBI; the U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Division; the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR); the Defense Criminal Investigative Service; and members of the National Procurement Fraud Task Force and the International Contract Corruption Task Force (ICCTF).

The National Procurement Fraud Task Force, created in October 2006 by the Department of Justice, was designed to promote the early detection, identification, prevention, and prosecution of procurement fraud associated with the increase in government contracting activity for national security and other government programs. The ICCTF is a joint law enforcement agency task force that seeks to detect, investigate and dismantle corruption and contract fraud resulting from U.S. Overseas Contingency Operations, including in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kuwait.

Source: FBI

As fighting escalates in Yemen, UN agency repeats call for humanitarian access

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The United Nations refugee agency said today it is extremely concerned about the recent escalation of the conflict between Government forces and rebels in northern Yemen, and once again appealed for access to those displaced by the fighting.

“We again appeal for the protection of civilians and secure and unhindered access for humanitarian workers to deliver much needed assistance,” Andrej Mahecic, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told reporters in Geneva.

UNHCR now estimates that some 175,000 people have been affected by the conflict with Al Houthi rebels since 2004, including those displaced by the latest fighting which began in August.

Some 2,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) arrived from embattled Saada governorate to the Al Mazrak camp in Hajja governorate over the past few days, the agency reported.

The Al Mazrak camp, now hosting some 8,700 IDPs, has been reorganized and extended to accommodate the new arrivals, while another 11,000 IDPs are sheltered by host families and communities.

Over the weekend, UNHCR airlifted a shipment of emergency relief items from its central emergency stockpile in Dubai, including large tents and prefabricated warehouses that will help to improve aid delivery.

Meanwhile, the agency’s office in Riyadh was informed yesterday by the Saudi authorities that the situation at the Alp border is stable, allowing UNHCR to continue its cross-border aid activities.

“We are hopeful that we will receive the security clearances from the Saudi authorities for the next aid convoy in the coming days,” said Mr. Mahecic.

deVere Group announces strong Q3 results

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For immediate release
London, United Kingdom – 11th November 2009
The deVere Group, the world’s largest independent financial consultancy group announced today strong Q3 results driven by an increase its client base, improved customer service levels and has introduced many innovative new services as a result of the company’s ongoing global expansion.
The group which announced strategic expansion plans earlier this year acquired a number of companies and opened new offices worldwide throughout 2009. deVere ensures that ongoing training and adequate support is provided to new and existing offices, thereby providing them with the right tools and knowledge from the start. New alliances such as the strategic partnership with Jupiter Asset Management, who provide in-house training to deVere consultants, add to the company’s strength. The infrastructure set up by deVere has enabled the teams to offer better service to their clients and delivered sound financial results in Q3.
“Building on momentum from the second quarter, most of our operations posted higher results than anticipated for Q3” commented Nigel Green, CEO deVere Group. “We are extremely pleased with our latest figures. The third quarter is typically the building block for a fourth quarter and we now have a very solid foundation to build on”.
deVere Group has its head office in Zurich, Switzerland and opened a recruitment office in London earlier this year. The group recently confirmed the opening of a new office in Central London, reinforcing the company’s commitment to meet its clients’ demand and provide them with professional advice and local expertise.
About deVere Group
deVere Group is the world’s largest independent international financial consultancy group. International investors and expatriates employ us to find financial services products that suit their medium to long term requirements for investments, savings and pensions. With in excess of US$7 billion of funds under administration and management, deVere has more than fifty thousand clients in over a hundred countries. Our independence and ability to offer financial products that are tailor-made to fit an individual’s needs are behind our success. As a result we now have offices in over forty countries. You can find us in Abu Dhabi, Brussels, Dubai, Geneva, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London, Mexico, Moscow, Shanghai, Tokyo and Zurich, amongst others.
Please visit http://www.devere-group.com for more information about deVere Group.

Source: WEBWIRE

Jinny’s VoiceSMS takes off in Africa

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Major new revenue streams being sought by Mobile Network Operators through additional, affordable VAS
CAPE TOWN, Nov. 10th, 2009 – Jinny Software, a leading global supplier of messaging and media platforms to mobile network operators, today announced it has a number of VoiceSMS trials underway with several Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) across Africa in countries, which include: Kenya, Tanzania and Burkino Faso. The company expects many other operators across the region, and beyond, to further their interest in its VoiceSMS offering during 2010 onwards.
To implement Jinny’s VoiceSMS as an additional application on the Jinny Media Resource Server requires minimal additional investment. For an operator who has already implemented other Jinny voice services, such as Missed Call Notification and Voicemail, or personalisation services such as Ringback Tones, VoiceSMS is just another application that is hosted on the application servers. With this low CAPEX start, operators can expect a fast return on investment from VoiceSMS services, with messages offering a similar price point to standard texting.
The potential of VoiceSMS can be seen from the example of one group operator’s network in Northern Africa, where a VoiceSMS service had accounted for around 5% of the blended ARPU less than two years after service launch. With an average of 8-10 VoiceSMSs sent per user per month, at a price of US$0.05, the monthly VoiceSMS revenue by the start of 2009 was close to US$1 million (1), fully justifying the operator’s investment in the service.
The African market is well suited for this additional and more affordable VAS, offering an alternative to voice at a reduced rate. An approach to pricing the service being considered by some group operators in Africa is to offer the same tariffs for VoiceSMS across all their African networks. In this scenario, a message sent between two different countries, e.g. Kenya and Tanzania, but within the same operator group, is charged at one rate, regardless of origin and destination, with first retrieval included in the price.
A further major advantage of VoiceSMS over text for the African market is it offers everyone, irrespective of language, alphabet, literacy level or handset, the chance to send a short personal message to the recipient. It also educates the customer base about voice-related services, still the primary and strongest revenue stream for MNOs in Africa and the rest of the world.
“The VoiceSMS service relies on fundamentally the same technology as voice mail, but is marketed and priced as an event-based messaging service like SMS. VoiceSMS Centre interconnection over IP provides a cost-effective way of delivering this voice messaging service both between local and international MNOs,” said Ludovic Patraud, Head of Product Management, Jinny Software. “VoiceSMS, while providing a significant revenue stream with quick ROI when marketed correctly, enables the operator and its customers to embrace new voice services at attractive price points.”
Aniket Deuskar, Sales Director Africa, Middle East & Asia for Jinny, added, “As part of our Call Completion proposition roll-out, Jinny is looking forward to successfully completing the VoiceSMS trials currently underway and seeing these operators reap the rewards from these new voice and call-related services in terms of increased ARPU and network revenue, once commercially launched.”

-End-
(1) Source: Analysys Mason, Can SMS services succeed in growth markets? February 2009.

Notes to Editors
About Jinny Software – www.jinny.ie
Jinny Software enables mobile network operators to drive revenue, manage costs, retain customers and shorten time-to-market through a range of messaging and media solutions and services and a fully managed mobile advertising service. Jinny’s product suite includes highly efficient, future-proof core messaging platforms and ARPU-enhancing applications built on open and common architectures.
Jinny’s mobile advertising managed services team offers a fully-managed service to operators to implement their mobile advertising strategy. Jinny delivers the technical solution to implement mobile advertising, the commercial solution to handle relationships with agencies and brands, and comprehensive support on campaigns for design, management, and reporting.
Implementation, project management, support and training is provided by Jinny’s service teams located in Brazil, Ireland, Kenya, UAE, Panama and Malaysia.
Jinny Software operates from its headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, regional headquarters in Dubai, UAE, and sales offices in Sao Paulo, Nairobi and Kuala Lumpur. Jinny Software is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Acotel Group S.p.A, headquartered in Rome, Italy and traded on the Milan stock market (ACO.MI).

For further information please contact:
Eithne Hynes/Barbara Murphy,
Marketing Department,
Jinny Software Ltd.,
29 North Anne Street,
Dublin 7, Ireland.
Tel: +353 1 887 2626
Email: info@jinny.ie

Source: WEBWIRE

CREDAI to discuss on ‘Affordability’ – the development opportunities and challenges at NATCON 2010 – its 9th National Convention

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Impact of affordable housing on economic growth, technology in building affordable houses and affordability in retail sector to gain importance among the key issues to be discussed at the Convention

November 10, 2009 /India PRwire/ — The Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI) shared today, an outline of the key issues to be discussed at India’s premier real estate development conference NATCON 2010 – its 9th National Convention. NATCON 2010, which will commence on and from January 23, 2010 at Dubai, will continue till January 25 and will witness wide participation by industry leaders from India’s top developer organisations, finance institutions, fund managers, bankers, researchers, real estate professionals and reputed international experts who will converge at this prestigious convention to discuss on ‘Affordability’ which is the new paradigm for the Indian Real Estate.

The Convention will also aim at understanding the dynamics of affordable housing in India, the issues involved and probable solutions in the presence of the Chief Guest at the Convention, Mr. Deepak Parekh, Chairman of Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited (HDFC), who also headed the high level task force formed by the Government of India on ‘Affordable Housing for All’. Mr. Parekh will be sharing his valuable insights and knowledge on the scenario of affordable housing in India and the way forward in this sector.

The phenomenal demand for affordable housing to the tune of 25 million housing units in Indian Urban areas alone make affordable housing a focused market for real estate developers. With the government’s steady emphasis on addressing the critical housing needs of the country, CREDAI, which is committed to serve the industry at large is thus organising NATCON 2010 aiming to bring in the stakeholders of the real estate industry from all over India who will put in their views and opinions, discuss and debate and work towards solutions to address critical issues such as costs-technologies-escalations, financing to customers, markets, effective systems of post possession maintenance, building volumes without diluting quality and many such issues which all lead to the growth of affordable housing in India. NATCON 2010 seeks to be a melting pot of opinions and views regarding critical aspects of the industry. Through debate, research findings and solution-oriented discussions, NATCON 2010 seeks to take stock of recent developments and outline directions for the future of real estate.

Speaking on NATCON 2010, Mr. Kumar Gera, Chairman, CREDAI said, “Affordable housing today is the most effective possible solution available to address the crucial housing needs of the country. For the long-term success of affordable housing, issues need to be viewed not just from the objective of planning and execution, but from the points of sustainability and ownership as well. This is the time for us – developers, financers, technical experts and policy makers – to educate ourselves, debate over the problems and understand the opportunities waiting for us while we face the challenge and overcome all the hurdles in promoting affordable housing.”

NATCON 2010 will also touch upon important facets such as technological solutions for building affordable houses, financing, and valuable learnings and case studies from stalwarts representing the banking and financial institutions like Ms. Chanda Kochchar, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, ICICI Bank and others.

Mr. Santosh Rungta, President, CREDAI, stated “CREDAI is relentlessly advocating the need of affordable housing in India and at NATCON 2010 this objective is only to be re-emphasized upon to usher more sustainable economic growth of our country. By organizing NATCON, we wish to provide a platform to all the stakeholders of the real estate industry and bring in the best minds together from the sector to debate on practical initiatives and find solutions to the hurdles we face in creating home for everyone in our nation.”

About CREDAI: It is the apex body of the organized real estate developers/builders across India, representing pan-India associations of real estate and housing developers. Since its inception in the year 1999, the association has grown manifold with allegiance from 20 state/city level associations viz. Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi-NCR, Goa, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal with over 5000 individual member developers encompassing over 60% of the organized private sector real estate development activity in member states/cities in the country. CREDAI has been instrumental in rallying the cause of the Real Estate sector by presenting the issues and concerns of real estate developers to the Government. For more information log on to – www.credai.org

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

Notes to Editor

About CREDAI

It is the apex body of the organized real estate developers/builders across India, representing pan-India associations of real estate and housing developers. Since its inception in the year 1999, the association has grown manifold with allegiance from 20 state/city level associations viz. Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi-NCR, Goa, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal with over 5000 individual member developers encompassing over 60% of the organized private sector real estate development activity in member states/cities in the country. CREDAI has been instrumental in rallying the cause of the Real Estate sector by presenting the issues and concerns of real estate developers to the Government. For more information log on to – www.credai.org

For more information, please contact:

  • Ankush Chavan
  • Senior Media Executive
  • (L) 09869785684

Verimatrix Offers Solutions that Create a Competitive Edge at IPTV World Forum Middle East & Africa 2009

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Steve Oetegenn to Discuss Compelling Content for Growth of IPTV Services
WHO: Verimatrix enhances the value and security of pay-TV networks with advanced technologies designed to address the content protection challenges of today, and those of tomorrow. The Verimatrix 3-Dimensional Content Security approach provides a framework to enhance operator competitiveness and the consumer experience in the new world of pay-TV.
WHAT: Conference Track:
Steve Oetegenn, chief sales and marketing officer, will be contributing to a panel session discussing how IPTV operators can gain a competitive edge with launching time-shifted and catch-up services.
The panel, which includes partners from Harmonic and ADB, will address:
• Exploiting the USPs of IPTV: time-shift and catch-up as “killer applications”
• Enriching the user experience with a compelling catch-up service
• Assessing service possibilities for PVR and full NPVR, beyond just “start-over” TV
WHEN: Sunday 15 Nov., 2009 at 4:10 p.m.
Product Focus:
VCAS 3 – Verimatrix’s next-generation Video Content Authority System (VCAS™) platform broadens the domain of traditional conditional access. The core value proposition for VCAS 3 shifts beyond content protection alone towards the broader perspective of revenue security. The initial release of VCAS 3 supports emerging video delivery formats and new consumption models through a single content authority architecture.
Multi-device Adaptive Rate Streaming – As an important extension to the revenue envelope of pay-TV deployments, Verimatrix will be promoting its ability to secure adaptive rate streaming services to the PC, iPhone and other devices. In its latest whitepaper, “Adaptive Rate Streaming: Pay-TV at an Inflection Point,” the company highlights advances with this emerging technology are likely to alter the current framework of managed network vs. OTT delivery.
WHEN: During exhibition hours; 15 – 16 Nov., 2009
WHERE: IPTV World Middle East & Africa, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai, Booth #2
About Verimatrix
Verimatrix sets the standard for content and revenue security solutions for pay-TV networks, with a global customer base of premier service providers. The Verimatrix Video Content Authority System (VCAS™) offers a suite of independently audited, next-generation solutions and is consistently ranked as the global leading IPTV content protection solution. The company’s 3-Dimensional Content Security approach, built around VCAS and its ViewRight® client device technologies, enables the business of content delivery to screens of all types, across multiple networks, while using multiple layers of protection techniques to achieve the widest security perimeter. Maintaining close relationships with major studios, broadcasters, industry organizations and a progressive partner ecosystem helps address the challenges facing the pay-TV industry of today, and anticipate the challenges of tomorrow. For more information, please visit www.verimatrix.com or our Pay TV Views blog to join the conversation.

Source: WEBWIRE

Biggest Pan India Shopping Festival to start on 7th Nov 09 By IBSF

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IBSF Promos and Events Pvt. Ltd. announces the opening of Indian Shopping Festival, the nation wide shopping festival from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, from 7th Nov.09.

November 10, 2009 /India PRwire/ — IBSF Promos and Events Pvt. Ltd. announces the opening of Indian Shopping Festival, the nation wide shopping festival from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, from 7th Nov.09. The festival is on the lines of Dubai Shopping festival. India would be promoted as a Shopping destination for the International Tourist in the coming years.

The shopping festival commences with a grand inaugural musical evening on 7th Nov.’09 at The Great India Place, Noida and ends with Retail Awards in the month of January 2010. This festival is the only entity which will involves organized and un-organized retail sector. It will cover 21 states. During the festival the consumer would be encouraged to shop with the participating outlets and portals. To ensure the consumer identification of the right outlet, the participating outlets would be branded with POS materials / banners pertaining to the festival.

Customers can avail various offers & schemes through scratch n win; cash back offer, monthly bumper prizes, and other promotional offers from 1st Dec 2009 to 20th Jan 2010. The Indian shopping festival guarantees instant and assured gifts to the consumers like Gold coins, cars, bikes, residential flats, international holiday packages, electronic items like digital cameras, LCD, wellness vouchers, etc. This festival comprises of 6 events held in 6 different cities like a Grand Opening ceremony in Delhi followed by events in Ludhiana, Ahemdabad, Cochin, Bangalore and end with Retail Awards in Mumbai.

Says Mr. Abhishek Nanda, CEO, IBSF, “The main goal of IBSF is to promote India as a shopping destination. It is the best opportunity for customers to grab the quality products from India. This will also help the un-organized sector to grow into a more professional set up and expand operations nation wide. As IBSF we are helping these companies by giving them free promotional SMS/email, free website, hosting, retail software, and also advertisements in the business directories, both online and print, free business consultancy etc.”

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

Notes to Editor

ABOUT IBSF:

IBSF Promos & Events P.Ltd is a fairly new company which started in 2009 with the aim of bringing a pan India shoping festival and retail awards both for the organized and unorganized sector.The technology partner is OTC Software P.Ltd a group company which is also the investment partner for IBSF for the initial phases.

About OTC:

OTC Software Pvt. Ltd. [OTC] was incorporated in 2005 as an Indian subsidiary of Orion Technology Inc. a Canada based GPS solutions provider. In 2007 Orion Technology was acquired by Rolta India Ltd. an Indian I.T major and as a consequence of this acquisition, OTC was sold and was acquired by the promoters of IBSF.

OTC Software Pvt. Ltd. is an STPI registered firm is now engaged in developing smart card based software with the help of Sunyard System Engineering Co. Ltd. (Hangzhou-China). As a launch pad of smart card solution, OTC is helping IBSF as a technology partner as well as by providing its initial infrastructure for this project. OTC also serves some local and international clients by providing services including web hosting, domain registration and software development.

For more information, please contact:

  • Alok Raman
  • Executive

Preparation begins for Dubai qualifier

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With the formalities now over and the draw finalized, the seven nations competing in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2009 Qualifier Dubai, 7-11 November, can now begin preparing for their first group match on Saturday afternoon at Jumeriah Beach, Umm Suqeim.

The team seeded number one, Japan, has been pitted against 2006 Asian Champions Bahrain and Uzbekistan in Group A, while an inexperienced Australian team will be tested when it faces Iran, China and Oman in Group B. The draw was held earlier today at the Zabeel Hall at the Dubai Sports Council in front of dozens of spectators, including the Australian and Oman squads, as well as delegates from the Japanese team.

Among the special guests were Salah Tahlak, LOC Tournament Director, FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Dubai 2009; Joan Cusco, FIFA Beach Soccer General Manager; and United Arab Emirates Head Coach Marcelo Mendes, whose team will play two friendly matches during the qualifier against the resting team in Group A. Eric Cantona€s French team will play the third friendly match on 9 November.

Because Group A has only three teams, during the group phase one team at a time will be resting. To ensure that all the teams play an equal number of matches during the group phase, friendly matches have been scheduled for the resting teams. These three friendly matches will not count in the final Group A standings.

The top two nations in each group will progress to the semi-final. The two finalists will then represent the region at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Dubai 2009. The winner from Asia 1 will face Spain, Cte d€Ivoire and El Salvador in the group stage, while Asia 2 has the tough task of taking on the current world champions, Brazil, as well as Nigeria and Switzerland in Group D.

Although Australia took part in the inaugural FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Brazil in 2005, this is the first time the team from down under has competed in a Beach Soccer qualifier. In fact, the Australian team has never played together competitively. It was pulled together in a short time and given a crash-course in playing Beach Soccer. Five members of the team played at Rio de Janeiro 2005, while the rest of the players come from New South Wales and South Australian football clubs.

&We didn€t have the chance to play any competitive matches before we came here,& said Australian coach Airton Andrioli. &Because we don€t play beach football competitively in Australia, what we did, we went all over Australia and selected players who we felt could adapt to beach football. After we finalized the team, we went to a few camps in which we explained the rules. We didn€t have the chance to play any games so far.&

Aussie friendlies

The Australian team has managed to organize two friendly matches, one against Nigeria this afternoon and the other on Wednesday against Bahrain, a team that shocked the Asian Beach Soccer community in 2006, when it won the Asian qualifier against Japan. Bahrain shares a similar story with Australia; in 2006 it had pulled a team together just for the tournament.

Joan Cusco says not to rule out the Aussies: &The first time Bahrain built a team, they came just like Australia, scouting players, making camps and building a team and they won the tournament in 2006.& As a result, three players from that team went on to play for Bahrain€s national football team.

&I have a good group of players here and have been working hard for the last few weeks and we€re confident that we can qualify,& Andrioli said during a press conference. Australia will play Iran in its first qualifier match on Saturday afternoon.

Oman coach Talib Al Thanawi believes his team is under pressure to qualify, after the team won the Beach Soccer title at the Asian Beach Games in Bali last year. However, this is the first time the team makes an appearance at a FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup qualifier. Oman takes on China in the first qualifying round on Saturday.

Source: FIFA

Axis Bank Organizes Home Loan Expos at major locations across the country

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Offers loans at attractive interest rates, no processing fee and on-the-spot processing

November 5, 2009 /India PRwire/ — Axis Bank is organizing the HOME FOR ALL Expo at major locations across the country. This follows the tremendous success of a similar Expo organized last year. These expositions will showcase a wide array of properties, across price points (Rs. 5 lacs to Rs 5 Crs) and category of properties (site, flats, row houses and villas).

The first of these expositions will be organized at Bengaluru from 6th to 8th November 2009, at the Koramangala Indoor Stadium. Over 45 of Bengaluru’s top developers will be participating in the expo which will showcase over 250 projects. With over 25,000 units on sale, this is the largest ever property expo of its kind organized in Bengaluru.

Coinciding with the Expo bank has extended the repayment period of the standard home loan to the maximum tenure of twenty five years. In another variant of the home loan product called the step down product, the customer will pay a higher EMI when the combined family income is higher and a lower EMI when the family income has reduced over a period of time. Moreover the customer can close the loan before its maturity with no prepayment penalty being charged by the Bank.

Similar expositions will be organized by the Bank at major locations across the country and this special offer on interest rates for home loans will be for a limited period till December 10, 2009 only. Home Loan takers can avail of Power Plus Home Loans at an interest rate of just 8% for the first year. From the second year onwards these loans will carry a floating rate of interest based on the Bank’s Mortgage Reference Rate. Based on the current MRR, the rate for the second year and thereafter would be 8.75% for loan amounts up to Rs.30 lakhs and 9.25% for loan amounts above Rs.30 Lakhs.

For prospective buyers signing up at the HOME FOR ALL Expos, the bank would provide on the spot approvals and wave the loan processing fees.

Mrs. Manju Srivatsa, President, Retail Banking, Axis Bank said, “The HOME FOR ALL Exposition provides a platform to bring the buyer and seller together and to offer prospective home buyers easy financing all under one roof. We are confident that the expositions will get a tremendous response for home buyers”.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

Notes to Editor

About Axis Bank:

Axis Bank is the third largest private sector bank in India. We offer a vast spectrum of services encompassing Large and Mid-Corporate Banking, SME Banking, Agri-Business Banking, Retail Banking and International Banking. The Bank’s network in India spans more than 900 offices and over 3800 ATMs. The Bank has embarked on creating a footprint in Asia and today has a presence in the major financial cities of Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai and Shanghai. In addition, the Bank has also entered into strategic tie-ups and alliances with partner banks in UAE, Doha, Muscat (to be launched) to reach out to the NRIs in these geographies.

The Bank has set up five wholly-owned subsidiaries, Axis Sales Limited, Axis Private Equity Limited, Axis Trustee Services Limited, Axis Asset Management Company Limited and Axis Mutual Fund Trustee Limited.

The Bank carries out its corporate social responsibility initiative through Axis Bank Foundation set up in 2006 as a registered public trust. Each year the Bank transfers 1% of its net profit for the previous year to the Foundation (the maximum, which the RBI permits).

For more information, please contact:

  • Tayyab
  • Consultant

Cyprus Tourism targets Indian outbound tourists by launching a series of promotions

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Cyprus, a year-round Mediterranean island destination with a population of close to 800,000 is eyeing the lucrative Indian outbound market. It announced its foray in the Indian market today.

November 5, 2009 /India PRwire/ — Cyprus, a year-round Mediterranean island destination with a population of close to 800,000 is eyeing the lucrative Indian outbound market. It announced its foray in the Indian market today.

Addressing the press in Mumbai, Vassilis Theocharides, Director, Middle East and Gulf, Cyprus Tourism Organisation said, “Cyprus is the closest European destination for Indian travellers. Though a modern island nation, it retains an essentially Mediterranean character.”

He further adds, “English is widely spoken in Cyprus as it was a former British colony and it has more than 19 Indian restaurants, which makes it even more comfortable for the Indian traveller.”

Cyprus is part of the European Union and Indians need a visa to visit Cyprus. They can also visit on a Schengan visa provided they have entered a Schengan country preceding a visit to Cyprus.

Speaking at the launch, Karan Anand, Head-Relationships and Supplier Management, Cox and Kings India Ltd, (CKIL), said, “We are launching a slew of marketing initiatives with Cyprus using our vast network of offices, agents and our franchisee stores across India and we believe that this would provide a platform in promoting Cyprus in the Indian market.”

CKIL is launching a FREE Holiday offer for 100 people through a print and television campaign. The television campaign will provide highlights of the destination and viewers will have to answer questions on the destination via an SMS. The winners will be selected on the basis of this contest. The aim is to generate interest in Cyprus as a destination among Indians. This campaign will be launched shortly.

CKIL has also released an exclusive Cyprus brochure with information on various destinations and itineraries.

Speaking on the launch of the brochure, Ashutosh Mehere, Vice-President, FIT, CKIL, said, “This brochure is a collection of destinations and itineraries for both leisure and corporate travellers and caters specifically to the taste of the Indian traveller.”

In terms of tourism figures, the total number of visitor arrivals to Cyprus in 2008 stood at 2.630.547 and revenue from tourism in 2008 was estimated at 1.810 million Euros. The top five tourism generating markets for Cyprus are UK, Germany, Greece, Sweden and Norway. The average length of stay of a tourist is around 10 nights.

Geographically, its 9,251 square kms (3,572 square miles), encompass citrus and olive groves, pine forested mountains reaching heights of 1,950 metres (6,400 feet), and some of Europe’s cleanest beaches. The island has a mild, typically Mediterranean climate, with abundant warm sunshine and little rain. Nicosia is the capital of Cyprus and the international airport in the city of Larnaca is well connected by Etihad and Emirates.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

Notes to Editor

About the Cyprus Tourism Organisation

Cyprus Tourism Organisation operates offices both in Cyprus and abroad. The Head Office is based in Lefkosia (Nicosia) while there are Regional Offices in other cities and areas across the island – Lefkosia (Nicosia), Lemesos (Limassol), Larnaka (Larnaca), Agia Napa, Protaras, Pafos (Paphos), Kato Pafos (Kato Paphos), Larnaka Airport (Larnaca Airport), Pafos Airport (Paphos Airport), Lemesos Port (Limassol Port), Germasogeia, Platres and Polis Chrysochous.

There are also six inspector’s offices operating in Lefkosia, Lemesos, Larnaka, Pafos, Agia Napa and Polis Chrysochous.

Moreover, Cyprus Tourism Organisation has active offices in twenty two major cities worldwide – London, Dublin, Frankfurt, Berlin, Paris, Stockholm, Helsiniki, Athens, Milan, Zurich, Brussels, Amsterdam, Vienna, New York, Moscow, Tel Aviv, Budapest, Prague, Salonika, St. Petersburg, Warsaw and Dubai.

About Cox and Kings

Cox and Kings (India) Ltd. is one of the oldest and recognised holiday brands in the Travel and Tourism industry today, that caters to the overall travel needs of the Indian and International traveller. The brand of Cox and Kings has evolved over a period of 250 years.

Our business can be broadly categorised as Leisure Travel, Corporate Travel, Forex and Visa Processing. We also provide value added services viz., customising travel plans for our NRI customers, travel arrangements for Trade Fairs, providing private air charter services, etc. Besides, we offer travel related foreign exchange & payment solutions. In fact, we are one of the first travel companies in India to be granted a license as an Authorized Dealer – Category II under the new licensing regime.

Cox and Kings has won several awards and recognition. The Economic Times, India’s largest business daily has named Cox and Kings as “India’s Top Rated Tour Operator – Outbound”. It has bagged Today’s Traveller Platinum Award for the “Most Innovative Travel Company of 2009″. Cox and Kings has also won the 2009 Award for the Best Domestic Tour Operator and Best Inbound Tour Operator presented by Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI).

Cox and Kings’ registered office is situated in Mumbai, India with 255 points of presence covering 164 locations through a mix of branch sales offices, franchised sales shops, General Sales Agents (GSAs) and Preferred Sales Agents (PSAs).

Cox and Kings has a global presence with its operations in 18 countries besides India through subsidiaries, branch offices and representative offices. We have subsidiaries in UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, US, UAE and Singapore and operate from Moscow (Russia), Maldives and Tahiti through our branch offices and Spain, Sweden, Germany, Italy, France, Taiwan, South America and South Africa through our representative offices. Further, we have presence in overseas markets through a network of GSAs and PSAs covering other countries enhancing our global presence.

Note

Cox and Kings (India) Limited is proposing, subject to market conditions and other considerations, a public issue of its equity shares and has filed its Draft Red Herring Prospectus (“DRHP”) with the Securities & Exchange Board of India (“SEBI”). The DRHP is available on the website of SEBI at www.sebi.gov.in and on websites of the BRLM at www.iiflcap.com.

This press release does not constitute or form part of any offer or invitation to sell or issue, or any solicitation of any offer to purchase or subscribe for, any equity shares, nor shall it or any part of it nor the fact of its distribution form the basis of, or be relied on in connection with, any contract or investment decision. Any potential investor should note that investment in equity shares involves a high degree of risk. For details, potential investors should refer to the DRHP filed with the SEBI including the section titled “Risk Factors”. The Equity Shares of the Company have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act 1933, as amended or any state securities laws in the United States. This announcement has been prepared for publication in India and may not be released in the United States. This announcement does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in any jurisdiction, including the United States, and any securities described in this announcement may not be offered or sold in the United States, except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act.

For further details contact:

Thomas C Thottathil, Head – Corporate Communications;

9820191042; [email protected]

Praneeta D’Souza, Manager – Corporate Communications;

9820958528; [email protected]

For more information, please contact:

  • Thomas C Thottathil
  • Head – Corporate Communications
  • (L) (022) 22709100, (F) (022) 22709161

Air Arabia offers exciting year-end packages for passengers across all 13 destinations in India

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Rs 12,919/ fare includes roundtrip ticket to Sharjah and one-month UAE tourist visa; Valid for bookings made before 15th December 09 for travel to / from Sharjah till? 31st December 09

November 3, 2009 /India PRwire/ — Air Arabia, the first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC) in the Middle East and North Africa, announced today the launch of a special promotion from across the airline’s 13 destinations in India to the UAE. The offer includes roundtrip tickets to Sharjah, UAE along with a one-month UAE tourist visa, for just INR 12,919

The promotion includes a UAE tourist visa that is valid for 30 days from the date of entry, subject to approval from the General Directorate of Naturalization and Residence. This offer is inclusive of surcharges and exclusive of airport taxes. This special offer is valid for bookings made before 15th December 2009 for travel to/from Sharjah till 31st December 09.

These low fares come with the additional benefit of free baggage allowance of up to 30 kilos and a hand baggage allowance of 7 kilos.

“At Air Arabia, we have always laid emphasis on making travel as convenient as possible. This special low-fares promotion has been designed to include a one month UAE visa, making it even easier for our passengers to travel. This offer underscores our commitment to our passengers in India, said AK Nizar, Head of Commercial Department, Air Arabia.

Air Arabia flies directly from its hub in Sharjah to Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Jaipur, Kochi, Mumbai, Nagpur, Coimbatore, Thiruvanathapuram, Hyderabad, Kozhikode, Delhi and Goa. This represents the most comprehensive destination network of any international airline in India, as Air Arabia continues to demonstrate its unmatched commitment to India.

New Airbus A320 aircraft, the best leg room of any economy class travel, free hotel and car assistance are just some of the benefits of flying Air Arabia. Air Arabia’s main base is Sharjah International Airport, ideally situated for customers to enjoy the benefits of quick access to Dubai, fast check-in processes, low congestion, friendly airport staff and convenient connection timings. Bookings can be easily made via the company’s website www.airarabia.com or appointed travel agents.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

Notes to Editor

About Air Arabia

Air Arabia (PJSC), listed on the Dubai Financial Market, is the Middle East and North Africa’s leading low-cost carrier (LCC). Air Arabia commenced operations in October 2003 and currently operates a total fleet of 20 new Airbus A320 aircraft, serving 58 destinations from two hubs in the UAE and Morocco.

Air Arabia is an award-winning airline that focuses on offering comfort, reliability and value-for-money air travel. For further information, please visit: www.airarabia.com

For more information, please contact:

  • Dimpee Shah
  • Sr Executive
  • (L) 22047079, (M) 9820830457