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Sarath Sathkumara has joined Taiyo Pacific Partners as a Managing Director and will help evaluate and capitalize on new investment opportunities in Asia for Taiyo Pacific Partners.

Sarath has over 25 years of experience in international capital markets and investing. Most recently, Sarath was the Chief Investment Officer of SBI Venture Capital in Singapore, the overseas arm of the SBI Group, a Japanese private equity/venture capital firm with assets under management of $5 billion. From 2002 to 2008, Sarath was a Senior Portfolio Manager with the State Street Global Advisors’ Emerging Markets Group in Boston, with assets under management of $12 billion, focusing on Asian and Middle Eastern markets. Prior to that, Sarath spent seven years with Capital International in Singapore as part of Capital International’s Emerging Markets team, with assets under management of $20 billion, investing in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Prior to Capital International, Sarath spent 10 years with the HSBC Group in corporate finance and banking in Dubai, San Francisco and New York. (continue reading…)

US has arrested 10 individuals including eight “deep cover” agents on charges of spying for Russia; reminding the espionages episodes of the cold war era.

The arrests were made on Sunday and yesterday in Boston, New York, New Jersey and Virginia, the Department of Justice announced today alleging that the group dubbed the “Illegals” was tasked by the Russian intelligence agency SVR to enter the US, assume false identities and carry out espionage activities. (continue reading…)

Bangladeshi court today issued an arrest warrant against fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Motiur Rahman Nizami and three others for disobeying its order in a case against them for defaming Prophet Muhammad.

Metropolitan magistrate Mehdi Ahsan Talukdar issued the warrant against the four leaders of the country’s biggest Islamist political party as they “failed to appear” before the court to face hearing on a charge, accusing them of hurting the Muslim religious sentiment by defaming Prophet Muhammad, court officials said. (continue reading…)

27th March is the Earth Day on which we celebrate world over Earth Hour. “Earth Hour” is an unique global event to create awareness on climate change and also to send a strong message for collective action. Let us ‘switch on’ our minds and ‘switch off the lights’ on March 27, 2010 from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm and join the entire world on this unique effort. (continue reading…)

We all have our own special way of celebrating new year but there are some traditional and unique ways which are found in some special areas only.Here are few of them:-

Twelve grapes at midnight (Spain)

In Spain, they eat twelve grapes at midnight, one for good luck for each month of the New Year. It is traditional to eat them as you hear the clock from Puerta del Sol in Madrid chiming. This tradition started in Spain because one year when there was a big grape harvest, the king of Spain decided to give grapes to everybody to eat on New Year’s Eve!

First-footing (Scotland)

Shortly after midnight in Scotland, people pay a visit to their neighbours - a practice called first-footing - often bearing small gifts. It’s considered especially lucky if your first guest of the New Year is a tall, dark, and handsome man. So when you are house-hunting in Scotland, make sure you have a good-looking neighbour! (continue reading…)

An apparently deranged woman knocked Pope Benedict XVI to the ground after vaulting over security barricades in a dramatic start to Christmas Eve mass at St Peter’s Basilica. (continue reading…)

We wish you all
A Very Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year 2010

Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.
Hal Borland

So keep on enjoying this season of holiday and may your coming year be filled with new joys and hope.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was rushed to hospital covered in blood with a broken nose and teeth after a man with mental problems hurled a statuette at him at a rally. (continue reading…)