Mariner of the Seas to Start Maiden Asian Season From Singapore in June

Report by Santanu Ganguly: Royal Caribbean International’s Mariner of the Seas® will become the largest ship to be based in Asia, when it enters the region later this month. At 138,000 gross registered tons (GRT), Mariner of the Seas® can carry 3,807 guests and stretches more than a thousand feet in length. Passing through the Indian ports of Goa and Kochi on 24th and 26th May respectively, this ship will begin her much anticipated maiden Asian season from Singapore on 1st June 2013.

Construction of new cruise terminals has paved way for bigger and more innovative ships to homeport in Asia, thereby fuelling consumer demand for cruises in the region. Speaking about the Asian cruise market, Ratna Chadha, Chief Executive, TIRUN Travel Marketing, India Representative of Royal Caribbean International, said “In the past one year, Royal Caribbean International’s guest capacity in Asia has witnessed a threefold increase and our regional cruise offering has been augmented with the arrival of Mariner of the Seas® and Voyager of the Seas®. We are pleased to bring more opportunities for WOW! closer to home for our Indian guests”.

Mariner of the Seas 

Mariner of the Seas® brings 15 decks of activity, first-at-sea innovations, luxurious staterooms, entertainment and dining options. In June the ship will offer a 3 and 4 night sailing from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi in Malaysia. Subsequently, it will move to China and offer a choice of 4/5/7 Night and longer North Asia sailings from Baoshan (Shanghai). Later in the year, Mariner of the Seas® will return to Singapore and offer a variety of exotic sailings till March next year, adding Penang to the list of the Malaysian destinations as well as Phuket, Thailand to her itineraries.

Mariner of the Seas® is bringing many unique experiences and innovations including:

Ice Skating Rink – An ice skating rink for guests that doubles as a sensational 900-seat venue for ice show productions with world-class figure skaters.
Eight Dining Venues including Main Dining Room with complimentary, multi-course dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner. More complimentary options including Windjammer Café, Jade Sushi’s and Asian-fusion cuisine, Café Promenade for coffee and pastries/snacks, and 24-hour room service; Chops Grille Steakhouse and Giovanni's Table, where for a cover charge you can choose any items off the menu from appetizers to desserts.
Unparalleled sports facilities including a jogging and inline skating track, Royal Caribbean International’s signature rock-climbing wall, a mini golf course, a full size sports court with basketball court, three swimming pools and six whirlpools.
Adventure Ocean Youth Program - offers complimentary supervised activities for children of all ages including play areas, a diner, disco and video arcade just for kids.
Entertainment and Shopping - Broadway style entertainment in the main theatre which seats 1,362 guests, Complimentary ice-skating shows in Studio B. Vegas-style Casino Royale®, 15 bars, clubs and lounges, and more.

Shopping Spree- Variety of name-brand, duty-free shopping on the Royal Promenade including jewellery, perfumes, apparel and shopping for teens and kids.

Range of Staterooms- From the Royal Suite to balcony staterooms, ocean view and the unique Promenade staterooms at price points to meet all budgets.

DreamWorks® Experience: Featuring spectacular shows, 3D screenings, parades, meet and greets and character dining opportunities, this entertainment extravaganza is all about holidaying with characters from Shrek®, Madagascar®, Kung Fu Panda® and more.

Barbie: The experience starts in your stateroom with a decorated vanity area and special Barbie package including a Barbie doll, three fashion accessories, blanket, pillowcase and toiletries. There are events throughout the cruise designed exclusively for children in the program that include a tea party, dance class, fashion design experience and fashion show.

Kids & Family: Complimentary Adventure Ocean® Youth Program, Royal Babies® and Royal Tots® programming featuring specially designed Fisher Price activities; Teen lounge areas and disco; Family-friendly activities including games, contests, enrichment classes and lectures; Royal Babies & TotsSM Nursery

Mariner of the Seas® Asia Sailings:

5 Night Fukuoka & Jeju Cruise from Baoshan (Shanghai), China 20th August; Sep 2; Oct 15 2013

5 Night Best Of South Korea Cruise from Baoshan (Shanghai), China 2nd September, 2013

4 Night Mid - Autumn Festival Cruise from Baoshan (Shanghai), China 19th September, 2013

4 Night Best Of Malaysia Cruise from Singapore June 4th; 16th December, Jan 7, 16 & 29, 2013

5 Night Spice of South East Asia-Holiday Cruise from Singapore Nov 10; 23rd December; Jan 2; Feb 7, 2013

5 Night Phuket & Malaysia – ‘New Year’ Cruise from Singapore 28th December 2013

6 Night Spice Of Se Asia Cruise from Singapore 23rd January, 2014

4 Night Chinese New Year Cruise from Singapore 29th January, 2014

3 Night Valentine's Day Cruise Cruise from Singapore 12th February, 2014

5 Night Bangkok Cruise from Singapore 2nd March, 2014

With 21 innovative ships including the world's largest calling on more than 270 destinations in 77 countries across six continents, Royal Caribbean International brings the WOW this year. This conveys the feeling that guests experience either when one of their crew has done something to “Deliver the WOW” or the natural expression of guests when they walk into the Royal Promenade on Oasis or see an ice show or zip line or see their first Broadway show or experience the FlowRider®, or interact with one of the Dreamworks® characters.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE/OSX: RCL) is a global cruise vacation company that owns Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Pullmantur, Azamara Club Cruises and CDF Croisières de France, as well as TUI Cruises through a 50 percent joint venture. Together, these six brands operate a combined total of 41 ships with three under construction.

TIRUN Travel Marketing is the exclusive India Representative for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. with a portfolio of 3 of its cruise brands including Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises. A leading travel marketing company, TIRUN Travel Marketing has been representing Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. in the country since 1993 and continues to successfully undertake exclusive marketing and sales for the various brands while also providing operational support pan-India. Headquartered in New Delhi, the company has proprietary offices in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Chennai as well as representative presence in Hyderabad and Kolkata.

Recognized as India's premier cruise counsellors, in 2013, TIRUN Travel Marketing celebrates 20 years of its partnership with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. in India.

For more information or to book your cruise holiday, please contact TIRUN Travel Marketing, India Representative for Royal Caribbean International, at 011 4906 1000, e-mail:cruise@tirun.com or log onto www.tirun.com‏

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Sanchit Art Witnesses Record Sales at Singapore Show

Report by Santanu Ganguly, New Delhi: Sanchit Art, an art gallery with a difference, is proud to announce that it witnessed a record sale at its recent show held at The Arts House in Singapore from April 17–21, 2013.

Talking about the response of art lovers in Singapore, Sunil Joshan, promoter of Sanchit Art says, “We received tremendous response from the art lovers and buyers in Singapore. On the opening day itself, more than 500 people visited the show, and we sold approximately 80% of the works. Even once the exhibition had ended we got several calls from people in Singapore to hold certain works for them!”

Paresh Maity at Singapore Art House

A well-known name in art circles, Sanchit Art organized ‘Kala Sutra: Continuity and Fluxus’, which displayed the best of Indian contemporary art by a number of renowned artists. The event aimed at fostering Indian art in the fastest growing South Asian markets, outside India.

Kala Sutra was a great experience for Singapore art lovers as here they not only got an opportunity to see, buy and appreciate a wide range of Indian contemporary art but also the show gave them an invaluable chance to interact face-to-face with the creators of these artworks. There were various interactive talks and discussions organized with different cultural organizations in Singapore and the event was much loved by everyone. Jayasri Burman, JogenChowdhury, Neeraj Goswami, Paresh Maity, Thota Vaikuntam and curator Arun Ghose were present in Singapore to partake in the various activities.

The highlight of the preview was a giant hot air balloon, painted live, by Paresh Maity to celebrate the occasion. It drew a lot of attention from the audience and everyone made sure to get a photograph with it. Gracing the occasion for the launch of the preview was H.E. Dr. T.C.A. Raghavan, the Indian High Commissioner to Singapore, who himself is a keen art lover and appreciated the presence of the artists in Singapore.

Conceptualized by leading Kolkata based curator Arun Ghose, the show displayed iconic works of acclaimed artists such as Late Ganesh Pyne, Jayasri Burman, Jogen Chowdhury,K. Laxma Goud, Lalu Prasad Shaw, Neeraj Goswami, Paresh Maity, Satish Gujral and Thota Vaikuntam– artists known for their exploration and celebration of the old art practices of India which influence their work.

Featuring a diverse range of styles and artistic explorations, the exhibition featured 72 artworks in Singapore.

Sanchit Art, at present, is operating with a major gallery space in the city of Agra. Its second gallery will open soon in New Delhi along with all modern facilities for display and appreciation of conventional as well as new age mediums.

Sanchit Art represents the best of contemporary Indian art and it specializes in showcasing quality artworks by artists of various age groups. It also aims to bridge the gap between artists working in India and abroad by establishing a platform to show contemporary European art in India while reciprocating the same with curated shows of contemporary Indian art abroad.

Sanchit Art, at present, is operating with a major gallery space in the city of Agra. Its second gallery will open soon in New Delhi along with all modern facilities for display and appreciation of conventional as well as new age mediums. This will be a gallery with a difference, aimed primarily to offer a panoramic review of contemporary Indian art.

Sanchit Art also has a dedicated team of researchers with a matching publication program and believes in perfection, mutual trust and fairness as the cornerstones of all its interactions and dealings.

Late Ganesh Pyne,Jayasri Burman, K. Laxma Goud, Lalu Shaw, Neeraj Goswami, Paresh Maity, Satish Gujral, Sakti Burman, Sanjay Bhattacharya, Thota Vaikuntham and Yusuf Arakkal are some of the artists represented by Sanchit Art.

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NTPC Ties up a Term Loan Facility of $250-Million

EFT Bureau, New Delhi: National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has tied up a term loan facility of USD 250 million with State Bank of India, New York Branch and Mizuho Corporate Bank, Limited., Singapore Branch as Arrangers and Lenders. The loan agreement signed in New York by Mr. AK Singhal, Director (Finance), empowers NTPC for utilization of the proceeds of the loan towards capital expenditure for procurement of goods and services for the ongoing and new projects, renovation and modernization of stations of the corporation. The loan carries a floating rate of interest linked to LIBOR and has a door to door maturity of 7 years.

NTPC 

With the execution of the facility, NTPC has raised USD 750 million in the current financial year, the maximum amount permitted under the Automatic Route of the ECB guidelines issued by the RBI.

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Malaysia, Singapore to Build High-Speed Rail Link

EFT Report, Singapore: Malaysia and Singapore have agreed to build a high-speed rail link between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur by 2020, the prime ministers of the two countries announced on Feb. 19, 2013.

The rail link will allow people to travel from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur within 90 minutes, said Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Malaysia, Singapore to Build High-Speed Rail Link

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Najib, who is in Singapore for an informal meeting with his Singaporean counterpart, both described the high-speed rail link as a "game changer," reported Xinhua.

The rail link will dramatically improve the connectivity between the two countries and "usher in a new era of strong growth, prosperity and opportunities for both countries", they said in a joint statement.

"It will facilitate travel between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, enhance business linkages and bring the peoples of Malaysia and Singapore closer together," the statement said.

"Ultimately, this project will give both countries greater stakes in each other's prosperity and success."

Lee said the high-speed rail link will change the way the two countries see each other, much like what happened when a high-speed railway was built between Britain and France.

The rail link is expected to be completed by 2020.

There are currently three trains daily departing from Singapore for Kuala Lumpur, with a travel time of six to seven hours.

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Air India Cancels Mumbai-Singapore Flight; 260 Passengers Stranded

The Mumbai-Singapore flight AI342 with 260 passengers on board was canceled due to non-availability of commander.

The flight, which was scheduled to take-off at 5 am on Jan. 2, is now expected to depart for its destination tonight.

Air India has provided hotel and other facilities to the stranded passengers. Some of the passengers have been booked on other flights.

The airline is facing acute shortage of pilots, particularly commanders, as a good number of them have quit the carrier for better prospects.

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Pope Posts His First Tweet; Gets Over 1 Million Followers

Pope Benedict XVI posted his first tweet on social networking site Twitter today (Dec. 12) under his confirmed handle @Pontifex, as he hit the 1 million Twitter follower mark.

The 85-year-old inaugural tweet read: Dear friends, I am pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. I bless all of you from my heart.

The Vatican had opened eight Twitter accounts in the pope's name, in eight languages: English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Italian, French and Arabic.

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Krispy Kreme to Open Stores in Singapore

Doughnut lovers in Singapore will soon no longer have to bring home boxes of Krispy Kreme doughnuts whenever they return from overseas.

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Corporation has signed an agreement with Star360 Group to bring its doughnut shops to Singapore.

Under the agreement, 15 Krispy Kreme franchise locations will be set up in Singapore over the next five years.

And Star360 Group, which represents a collection of brands in Asia, will be its licensed franchisee in Singapore.

Krispy Kreme has a total of over 700 locations selling its doughnuts in 21 countries.

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iPhone 5 Hits Stores

The most anticipated phone of the year, the Apple iPhone 5 finally went on sale around the world on Sept. 21, 2012. From London to New York to Tokyo, fans camped outside Apple stores to get their hand on Apples’s latest baby.

The phone is already a best-seller, with over two million pre-orders around the world in just 24 hours. The smartphone is being launched in Australia, US, UK, Canada, France, Germany Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan. It will go on sale in 22 more countries a week later.

According to sources, Apple will be shipping as many as 10 million iPhones 5 by the end of September. The iPhone 5 is thinner, lighter, has a taller screen, faster processor, updated software.

For Indian customers, they have to wait till December.

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Singapore Airlines to Start Daily Myanmar Flights From Oct. 28

Singapore Airlines (SIA) will launch daily flight services to Yangon from Oct 28 in a bid to fulfill the growing passenger demand in Myanmar.

Using 323-seat Boeing 700-200 aircraft, SIA will operate the daily flights.

SIA is the latest among international carriers that stretches wings to Yangon.

Meanwhile, seven airlines—Korean Air, Dragon Air, EVA Air, All Nippon Airways, Qatar Airways, Condor Airlines and Trans Asia Airways—are prepared to commence flights to Yangon in October.

In addition to the 64-year-old state-operated domestic Myanma Airways (MA), there are also five other private-run domestic airlines in Myanmar, namely Air Mandalay, Yangon Airways, Air Bagan, Asian Wings and Air Kanbawza.

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Singapore Food Festival in Mumbai Till Aug. 31

Singapore, the gastronomic haven for food lovers, is known for its Singaporean-Chinese delicacies. Presenting the local favorites to you will be Chef Joo Kiang NG of Emperor’s Court at the Singapore Food Festival right here in Mumbai at Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel.

Choose your favorites from an array of dishes such as Chicken rice—Singapore style, Mee Goreng (Noodle preparation), Otak Otak (Fish cake) or the Noodle station with Fish and Prawns. There will also be a buffet with delicious items like Chilli Crab, Prawns Sambal, Pork Chops (Singapore style), Braised Chicken with Dried Chili, Braised Lohan Vegetable, Pineapple Fried Rice, Nasi Goreng and Lamb Curry Potatoes. Do try the Ice Kachang (Singapore style Gola), Teh Tarik (Singapore Chai) and Nyonya Kuih (Singapore dessert). Come to Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel to relish the delicacies of Singaporean-Chinese cuisine.

Menu & Price:

Meal package with soft beverages: Rs 1499+
Alcohol inclusive meal package (IMFL brands): Rs 2000+
Premium alcohol inclusive meal package: Rs 2500+

For reservations, contact: 022/66927561.

Date & Time:

Upto Aug. 31, 2012; 7–11.45 pm

Venue:

Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel, 2/3 B Near Chinmayanand Ashram, Powai, Mumbai

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Tiger Airways to Start Hyderabad-Singapore Flights From Sept. 28

Singapore based low-cost carrier, Tiger Airways will start a five times a week service between Hyderabad and Singapore from September 28, 2012.

This is the sixth new destination for Tiger Airways. It already flies to Bangalore, Chennai, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Tiruchi.

The Hyderabad-Singapore flight (TR 2625) will be on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Departing from Hyderabad at 1.40 am, the flight arrives in Singapore at 8.50 am. The Singapore-Hyderabad flight, on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, will depart at 10.30 pm and arrive at 12.40 am.

As a promotional, the airline is offering fares from $165 one-way (Hyderabad-Singapore) all inclusive and $ Singapore 190 one way, all inclusive. The Hyderabad-Singapore fare is in US dollars and return in Singapore dollars. They will be available for sale till July 13 for travel between September 28 and October 31.

Mr Steward Adams, Managing Director, Tiger Airways Singapore, said the airline would offer value fares, with friendly, on-time service.

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IIFA Awards 2012 in Singapore From June 7–9; Ranbir, Bipasha, Shahid to Perform

The forthcoming International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards night will be held in Singapore From June 7–9, 2012. The father-son duo of Rishi and Ranbir Kapoor might share the stage together for the first time.

The awards night will also see performances by Sonakshi Sinha, Bipasha Basu, Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra.

Ranbir says he will enthrall his fans in Singapore by performing on hits like "Sadda haq" and "Tai tai phish," as well as "one surprise."

The flamboyant actor rarely performs at award functions, but the fact that ace dancer Prabhu Deva was choreographing his IIFA act drew him.

"It is not that I don't perform. I did not have the confidence to come on stage and perform. This time Prabhu Deva is choreographing and I love his choreography.

"So I wanted to perform. Prabhu is a dancing star not only of India, but of the world. He is better than Michael Jackson," Ranbir said.

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Singapore to Invest More in Myanmar's Tourism Sector

Businessmen from Singapore are keen to invest in the hotel and tourism sector in Myanmar. A 15-member delegation of the International Enterprise Singapore Business Department Trip to Myanmar, led by Tan Soon Kin, group director of the Southeast Asia Group, has held discussions with officials of Myanmar's ministry of hotels and tourism.

Singapore is the biggest foreign investor in Myanmar's hotel and tourism industry, running the Sedona Hotel and Park Royal Hotel in Yangon and the Sedona Hotel in Mandalay.

Other major foreign investors come from Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Britain.

According to the report, the US was also keen to invest in Myanmar's tourism sector.

At present, Myanmar has 22 foreign-invested hotels, nine government-owned hotels and 678 private hotels.

To create more job opportunities for the locals, the Myanmar government is expected to launch more than 50 hotels across the country over the next two years.

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Shahid Kapoor to Host IIFA Awards 2012

Bollywood actors Riteish Deshmukh and Boman Irani have been entertaining viewers their wit and coming timing as the hosts of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards for the past four years. But this year, Shahid Kapoor might be taking the mantle away from them.

According to a source, Shahid is being roped in to anchor the 13th edition of IIFA, to be held in Singapore from June 7–9, 2012.

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan are also likely to host certain segments of the ceremony. Both actors are in the run for the best actor in a leading role award for their performances in "Don 2: The King Is Back" and "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara," respectively.

The three-day cine event, organized by Wizcraft International Entertainment, will see a host of Indian celebrities. It will feature fashion shows and a musical extravaganza, with all celebrations culminating into a glittering awards presentation ceremony.

"Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara" is leading the nomination pack as it features in 14 categories.

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American Band Dream Theater to Perform in Singapore on May 2

American progressive metal band Dream Theater will play at Kallang Theater in Singapore on May 2, 2012 in support of their 2011 studio album ‘A Dramatic Turn Of Events.’ This will be their fourth visit to Singapore, having played there before in 2006, 2008 and 2011.

Last year, the band received their first ever Grammy nomination for their single ‘On The Backs Of Angels’ in the category for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance. Since the band inception in 1985, the band has gone through many lineup changes. So the lineup coming to Singapore is James LaBrie (vocals), John Petrucci (lead guitarist), John Myung (bassist), Jordan Ruddess (keyboards) and Mike Mangini (drummer).

Tickets are available online and priced at $168, $148, $128, and $98 ($3 booking fee applies). For more ticket details, go to http://www.lamcproductions.com/dreamtheater12 .

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CommunicAsia's 23rd Edition to Begin in Singapore From June 19-22

CommunicAsia, an annual information and technology exhibition held in Singapore, will begin its 23rd edition from June 19-22, 2012.

Over 1,300 exhibitors from across the world, including India, are projected to participate in the event.

"India participation is doing very well. Last year 86 companies participated from here compared to 77 in 2010. We expect to see a similar growth this year," said Senior Product Manager (Communications Events) at Singapore Exhibition Services, which organizes CommunicAsia.

The Telecom Equipment and Services Export Promotion Council (TEPC), set up by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Ministry of Communications and IT, to promote export of telecom equipment and services, will participate in the event for the third time.

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Singapore Arts Festival From May 18–June 2; Tickets on Sale

Singapore Arts Festival — scheduled to be held from May 18 to June 2, 2012 — will celebrate its 35th year. Over 500 local and international artists are expected to take part during the 16-day arts festival.

Singapore Arts Festival will present 14 ticketed and 66 non-ticketed productions. The city will come alive with an infusion of performances of theater, dance, film and multidisciplinary works at the Festival's hub — the Festival Village at Esplanade Park and other key venues.

The Festival will showcase local and international acts, collaborations and projects that take audiences into exciting new venues, pushing the boundaries of traditional performance. This year's festival completes a trilogy with the theme "Our Lost Poems," which began two years ago with "Between You and Me" in 2010 and "I Want to Remember" in 2011.

The Festival Village at Esplanade Park is a key emphasis of the festival this year. It will feature eight performance spaces and play host to more than 300 free performances. Audiences will enjoy free performances from a wide range of artists and arts groups, ranging from the T'ang Quartet and Budak Pantai, to special showcases by professional traditional arts groups as well as children.

Highlights such as Bridge Cafe Project by Japanese artist, Kim Itoh, and Dream Country by Marion d'Cruz will bring a strong local community participation component to its program, which audiences will enjoy.

The village will open daily during the festival from 4 pm to midnight on weekdays and till 1 am on weekends.

Tickets go on sale from March 15.

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New Apple iPad to Go on Sale on March 16

Apple’s third-generation iPad will arrive at Apple's retail stores and its online store on Friday, March 16, 2012 in the United States and nine additional countries and regions.

According to the company, the new iPad will hit the store on March 16 at 8 am in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, Britain, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Customers who buy a new iPad at an Apple retail store will be offered free personal setup service. Customers in the US could shop and buy the device anywhere they are and pick up their purchase at any Apple retail store.

In the US, the new iPad will also be available at Best Buy, Radio Shack, Sam's Club, Target and Walmart.

Starting March 23, the new device will be available in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

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HTC to Launch 3 Android Smartphones in Singapore on March 30

Taiwanese handset manufacturer HTC is set to launch three new Android Ice Cream Sandwich based smartphones One X, One V and One S in Singapore on March 30, 2012. These smartphones will make their way to India within a week after the official launch. HTC has showcased these smartphones during Mobile World Congress 2012.

HTC is also in talks with Airtel to bundle data plans with the One series smartphones. HTC One smartphones will feature Android 4.0 and HTC's new Sense 4 user interface along with a new suite of camera and imaging features known as HTC Image Sense.

With Image Sense, HTC claims that the One series will rival traditional digital cameras with improvements in every part of the camera including the lens, sensor, software, and even a new integrated custom HTC image chip. Some noted improvements include the camera being ready in just 0.7 seconds; the 0.2 seconds autofocus; and enhancements in image capture quality even in adverse conditions such as low light, no light or with bright backlighting.

A new feature called Video Pic will enable users to capture a photo and shoot video at the same time. So, while you're shooting HD video with your HTC One smartphone, all you have to do is tap the shutter button and it snaps a high resolution still photo while the video continues to shoot.

HTC has also integrated Dropbox with HTC Sense, and offers 25 GB of cloud storage for two years. Normally a user only gets 2.5 GB of storage from Dropbox.

On the sound front, HTC now has access to Beats Audio technology, which it acquired recently and is using in its smartphones to improve its dwindling market share. Beats Audio will offer better bass and richer detail.

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Kerala's Federal Bank to Open Singapore, Middle East Offices

Kerala-based Federal Bank, which currently has just one representative office outside the country in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, is working to open two more offices abroad.

VR Madhavakumar, additional zonal head of Federal Bank, said they are working to open two more branches. "One is being planned in the Middle East and another one in Singapore. At the moment, we have one representative office in Abu Dhabi, which has 25 of our employees, who currently operate in the Middle East market," said Madhavakumar.

Federal bank is currently one of the top banks in India in terms of capital base and boasts a capital adequacy ratio of 15.90 per cent.

"Our net worth is now Rs 5,600 crore, the highest among all banks in the state and is higher than that of the State Bank of Travancore," said Madhavakumar.

The total deposits of the bank grew by 26.63 percent, from Rs 36,913 crore as on December 2010 to touch Rs 46,742 crore as on December 2011.

With regard to non-resident Indian deposits, it grew by 35.41 percent to touch Rs 10,546 crore during the same period.

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