Entries by V T Narendra

6 Jun, 2014

Sprint to acquire T-Mobile

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Sprint agrees to buy T-Mobile in a $32 billion deal. The consummation of the deal would merge the third and fourth largest mobile network operators in the US. Sprint’s owner Japan’s Softbank and T-Mobile’s majority stakeholder Deutsche Telekom need to finalize the terms of the deal. The deal could hit a bottleneck with the US regulators but the parties are ready to challenge in court if the deal gets blocked.

5 Jun, 2014

Plans Namo Media acquisition

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Twitter announces plans to acquire Namo Media, a technology firm specializing in native advertising for mobile devices. Twitter intends to dovetail Namo’s technology into MoPub, the ad serving platform the company acquired last year. The merged platform would deliver promotional material that blends into mobile websites and mobile apps, improving their ability to monetize for users, app publishers and marketers.

Launches Street View in Greece

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Google launches its Street View map service in Greece after it receives approval from the Data Protection Authority of the country. The privacy authority had objected to the service in 2009 and after protracted negotiations accorded approval for the service. Greece becomes the 56th country where the map service is available. Greece expects Google’s service to benefit the country’s beleaguered tourism industry.

Modi denied visa

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The US denies visa for Modi saying he violated a provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act that makes any government official who was responsible for or directly carried out at any time, particularly severe violations of religious freedom, ineligible for a visa.

Turkey lifts ban

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Turkey’s constitutional court rules Turkey’s telecoms authority’s two-week-old ban on Twitter breached freedom of expression and lifts ban on the site. Following the court’s decision, President Abdullah Gul, who has opposed the bans, was quoted as saying both websites should be made available in Turkey once more. The Company said in a tweet that it welcomed the ruling. Within minutes of the ban being lifted, thesite was flooded with messages.

4 Jun, 2014

Spied on during 1990 US visit

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The FBI releases files comprising 334 pages of FBI records from June 1990 that relate to Nelson Mandela’s visit to the US in 1990 immediately after his release from prison. The files reveal that FBI spied on Mandela to ensure his safety during the visit, which was accompanied by numerous threats to Mandela’s life. The US government had named African National Congress, Mandela’s political party, as a terrorist organization and when Mandela visited the US in 1990, the party continued to be regarded as a terrorist organization. Memos from released files reveal that Mandela was in contact with Coretta Scott King and was supposed to meet Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam leader.

New Mac, iPhone features

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Apple unveils new Mac and iPhone features at the annual developer’s conference. Tim Cook, CEO, explains new features for Yosemite Mac platform and iOS8  including Healthkit, a mobile application developed with Nike and Mayo Clinic, that pools and analyzes health and home data, interactive notifications and enhanced group messaging.

Apple WWDC 2014: 6 Biggest Moments | Mashable

Seeks asylum in Brazil

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Snowden seeks asylum in several countries, including Brazil. In December 2013 in an open letter he had praised the government in Brazil for its stance against spying practices. If granted asylum, he had also offered to assist the government in its investigation of NSA spying tactics.

If Brazil offers me asylum, then I’ll gladly accept it. I would like to live in Brazil.

Snowden’s asylum in Russia ends in August this year. The Brazilian authorities say that have not received an asylum request.

Clinton live town hall announced

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Clinton will promote her new memoir, Hard Choices, at CNN’s town hall on June 17. Christiane Amanpour moderates the show. CNN expects Clinton to take questions from the audience and Amanpour with “nothing off limits”. The town hall will offer Clinton an opportunity to clarify her position during the events surrounding the Benghazi attack.

3 Jun, 2014

Second richest actor in world

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Wealth-X’s Hollywood and Bollywood Rich List lists Indian film actor Khan in second place ahead of Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Clint Eastwood and Adam Sandler. Only Jerry Seinfield ranks above the Indian actor. While Seinfield tops the list with an estimated net worth of $820 million, Khan follows with an estimated net worth of $600 million.

Middle East worker bottle cap campaign

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Coca-Cola bottle cap machineThe Company a creates a PR campaign that helps workers in the Middle East make phone calls to loved ones in India by creating unique phone system that uses the bottle cap as currency. The system helps alleviate the high cost of calls home for workers who are often away for more than a year. Workers accumulate caps from bottles and use them at a special booth to connect to their loved ones.

Invests $700 million in media

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Ambani invests $700 million to take controlling interest in two of India’s top media companies– Network18 Media & Investments Ltd and TV18 Broadcast Ltd. The investment follows a global trend where telecommunications companies are snapping up content firms. The deal gives Reliance access to a huge library of video content and websites as TV18 owns and operates news stations CNBC-TV18, CNN-IBN, IBN7 and CNBC-Awaaz. TV18 also partners in a joint venture with Viacom Inc to run entertainment, music and children’s stations in India.

 

2 Jun, 2014

Forbes: Top 10 business people

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Forbes Magazine features Nooyi as one of the top ten business people living today:

[She] has not only led her company to record financial results but is making strides to move PepsiCo in a healthier direction, leading the courageous charge to shed traditional fast food properties and to replace them with initiatives to supply healthier foods. She is deeply caring and committed as a senior executive. She is a fun-loving executive as well—she played lead guitar for an all-woman rock band in college, loved to play cricket, and is known to sing karaoke and perform at corporate gatherings to this day.

1 Jun, 2014

Book reveals Benghazi response

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Clinton reveals in Hard Choices, her yet to be released book, that she accepts responsibility for lives lost in the attack but refuses to enter into debate on her actions as she believes “a regrettable amount of misinformation, speculation and flat-out deceit” is floating in the air. Clinton said she ordered an investigation within nine days of the attack and has implemented all 29 recommendations by the Accountability Review Board.

Clinton insists that the event is blown out of proportion by some media persons and political opponents She refuses to react to the criticism as she believes America needs to stop politicizing issues related to dead Americans.