Microsoft has acquired UK-based European online mapping service provider Multimap for an undisclosed sum.

Multimap provides online maps, point-to-point driving directions and geo-spatial (”where’s my nearest?”) searches to businesses and consumers in Europe.

Besides free mapping services for consumers, Multimap offers location-based services such as mapping, proximity searching, routing, aerial images with map overlay, local information and weather to businesses.

Microsoft executives hope that besides complementing the company’s existing offerings such as Virtual Earth, Live Search, Windows Live services, MSN and the aQuantive advertising platform, the new location and mapping technology can also integrate with other Microsoft products and platforms.

Multimap will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft, as part of the Virtual Earth and Search teams in the Online Services Group.

Historically weak on the online side of its business as compared to its operating system and Office software, Microsoft has been desperately playing catch up with more nimble players like Google, Facebook and MySpace.

In an effort to gain greater traction in the Internet space, Microsoft recently invested $240 million for a tiny stake in Facebook.

Indians are growing into a powerful force at Citigroup, the world’s largest financial services company by assets.

Besides the new CEO Vikram Pandit, there are several other Indians holding key positions at Citi.

Here’s an alphabetically-drawn list of the Indian Mafia at Citigroup:

Shirish Apte
Chief Executive Officer, Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa, Citi Markets & Banking
Head, Corporate Bank, Europe, Middle East & Africa
Institutional Clients Group

Vikram Atal
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Citi Cards
Global Consumer Group

Suneel Bakshi
Head, Global Commercial Bank
Citi Markets & Banking
Institutional Clients Group

Ajay Banga
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Global Consumer Group – International

Sanjeeb Chaudhuri
Chief Marketing Officer
Europe Middle East & Africa
Chief Executive Officer, Central & Eastern Europe
Global Consumer Group Continue Reading…

Titillating magazine and adult video pioneer Penthouse Media Group has spent $500 million to buy a bunch of social networking web sites with its acquisition of Various Inc and its subsidiaries.

Various operates 25 online communities including adultfriendfinder.com, which supposedly has 18 million members.

All together, Various is said to have a membership base of 260 million consumers.

Penthouse folks crowed that with combined 2007 projected revenues of $340 million Penthouse Media Group was the largest adult entertainment company in the world.

Social networking web sites are sizzling hot with a motley crew of players including Google, Microsoft, News Corp and even the bumbling CIA wading into this space.

India’s Supreme Court issued a notice to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for justifying during his recent election campaign the staged killing of a Muslim Sohrabuddin Sheikh in a police encounter.

Modi has already received a notice from India’s Election Commission for his inflamatory campaign speech on December 4 in Mangrol that justified the staged killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh in an Indian-style encounter with the police.

The Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case is now before the Supreme Court.

A phrase used more in the U.S. than elsewhere, skid row refers to a run down part of a large city.

We were horrified the first time we saw the skid row in downtown Los Angeles one early morning in the late 1990s - the whole area was in a dilapidated condition and filled with a lot of homeless folks sleeping on the sidewalks, some people seemed to be drunk and a few were definitely mentally ill.

We were too stunned and for a moment doubted whether we were in the United States.

Other big cities in the U.S. like Continue Reading…

Bollywood entertainment house T-Series is frustrated that YouTube (owned by Google) has failed to take cognizance of the Delhi High Court’s interim order in November restraining YouTube and Google from infringing its content and plans to file a contempt petition.

T-Series has filed a suit against Google and YouTube for a permanent injunction and the case is slated to come up for hearing in February 2008. 

Super Cassette Industries (parent company of T-Series) VP Neeraj Kalyan told The Economic Times: 

In the interim, we plan to move a contempt petition against Google on the same. The company seems to have little regard for the law of the land as our content is still displayed on YouTube.

Google India Managing Director Shailesh Rao told The Economic Times:

The case is still subjudice and I would not like to comment on its details. In general, on the issue of copyright infringement, Google maintains that it will bring down the link of a particular page as soon as a lawful copyright owner files a complaint against it.

Founded by the late Gulshan Kumar, T-Series claims to own 2,000 video and 35,000 audio titles.