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Now you can use Gmail for free phone calls to US and Canada. Earlier you could use the Gmail voice and video chat feature but that required both people to be at their computers, signed into Gmail at the same time. Now you can call any phone right from Gmail!
Then…

and now…

Gmail Phone Call Rates

Google promises calls to the U.S. and Canada will be free for at least the rest of the year and calls to other countries will be billed at very low call rates, when compared to local operators —for as little as $0.02 per minute.

Get started with Gmail Phone Calls

The feature is rolling out to U.S. based Gmail users over the next few days. When active, you will see the “Call Phone” link in Gmail Chat. Just click “Call phone” at the top of your chat list and dial a number or enter a contact’s name. Remember you need to install the voice and video plug-in to get this to work.

If I were a millionaire, I will surely invest in gold bullion, which is a good hedge against inflation compared to currencies. But, alas, I am no millionaire nor million hair. Just a normal working executive working in her home office for a sports surfacing company while moonlighting in writing articles and blogging. My goal is to save up enough money for retirement later on so that I will enjoy my golden years and not woeful years in life begging for money. As an aside, it was published in the newspapers recently that beggars in Malaysia make about RM1,000 – RM10,000 per month from the generosity of the Malaysians. They collude with syndicates here who brought them in from China with the promise of a job, but instead forced to beg on the streets. And after realizing how easy it was to get money from begging, they want to continue to do so.

Allianz has gone overweight Chinese property stocks, betting that higher sales volumes even at lower prices will boost profits at real estate companies.

China’s real estate market has cooled in recent months under the weight of a package of government policies to rein in soaring prices, though latest figures show that prices have yet to fall significantly.

Curbs on mortgage lending and bank loans to developers, along with other steps to cool China’s economy, have weighed on local stocks this year, while the Chinese property sub-index is down 23 per cent in 2010.

But Guido Stiel, who helps to manage ?3.5 billion (?1 = RM3.96) in emerging equities at Allianz, said he had initiated a position in the past month with China Overseas Land, the largest listed developer by market value.

His other picks are Shimao Property and Guangzhou .

“Analysts are focusing on the net asset value (NAV) and wanting to revise it down … but the market has not reacted and didn’t fall so we think it is reaching the bottom,” Stiel said.

In the case of property firms, NAV reflects the market value of real estate properties held by the firm.

“The other point is that at the end of August, early September, there will be lots of new supply which should give developers the opportunity to bring down prices. It will be a volume game from now but they will make money on new sales.”

“These companies are beta plays and their balance sheets are not so strong but if the volume game kicks in they will outperform,” Stiel added.

Recent years’ price surge has made buying a home out of reach for ordinary Chinese, so despite the clampdown on property speculation, the government also plans to build 5.8 million housing units for poorer citizens this year.

Analysts see this programme, estimated at up to 400 billion yuan, as a potential lifeline to developers.

Stiel said cooling the economy and markets is positive for China and ultimately for developers as well.

“That’s why we remain positive,” he said, adding that curbs on home loans would not be crippling as only 20 per cent of Chinese housebuyers rely heavily on mortgage borrowing.

Companies too are optimistic. Hong Kong-listed China Overseas for instance reported a 67 per cent jump in net income for the first half of 2010 and said it was confident of 20 per cent net income growth this year.

KUALA LUMPUR: Axis Real Estate Investment Trust (Axis-REIT) has proposed to acquire the Tesco JB hypermarket complex for a total lump-sum cash consideration of RM75.6mil from Bukit Indah (Johor) Sdn Bhd.

The latest acquisition would increase the assets under management to over RM1.2bil, Axis-REIT said in a filing with Bursa Malaysia yesterday.

Axis-REIT trustee, OSK Trustees Bhd, has entered into a sale and purchase agreement with Bukit Indah Johor for the proposed acquisition.

The proposed acquisition will be funded with existing bank borrowings of Axis-REIT. Axis REIT Managers Bhd, the management company of Axis REIT, intends to utilise a debt facility of RM75.6mil from Axis-REIT’s existing credit lines.

The proposed debt financing will increase Axis-REIT’s gearing ratio to 39% of audited total assets as at Dec 31, 2009, which is below the gearing limit of 50% prescribed by the REIT guidelines.

Axis REIT Managers expects the proposed acquisition to contribute positively to the fund’s earnings for the financial year ending Dec 31, 2010.

The proposed acquisition is expected to be completed on or before Oct 31.

The Tesco JB hypermarket complex is located within the main commercial precinct of Setia EcoCity in Taman Bukit Indah, a comprehensive mixed development project.

SUBANG: IJM Land Bhd expects to launch new properties with a total gross development value (GDV) of RM1bil to RM1.2bil in the financial year ending March 31 (FY11), said chief executive officer and managing director Datuk Soam Heng Choon.

“With the outlook of the property market looking more positive this year, we expect to launch a list of new properties during this financial year. Since April, we have already launched properties with a GDV of RM500mil.

“Next month, we expect to launch new residential properties with a combined GDV of RM120mil in Sandakan, the Klang Valley and Johor Baru,” he told reporters yesterday after the group’s AGM and EGM.

On the decision not to declare a final dividend to shareholders for FY10 and the payment of only a single-tier dividend of 2% on Aug 18, Soam said the group needed to continue propelling its property projects after chalking higher sales of RM1.6bil during that financial period.

“However, we will do our best to pay dividends although the group does not have the policy on that matter,” he said.

With the property market expected to be quite robust this year and banks still providing competitive interest rates, Soam believes the group’s property sales would continue to be as strong as seen in its first-quarter results, which are scheduled to be announced today.

On a possible hike in the real property gains tax (RPGT) to curb increasing speculative buying, Soam said whatever the decision, the Government needed to be firm on its policy.

“The Government needs to stand firm on its policy or else it would give a bad impression especially to investors,” he said.

Recently there has been speculation that the Government might impose an additional 5% for RPGT, thus decreasing the returns on property sales within the five-year period as it would be subjected to the higher exit gain tax.

Paul (hatched January 2006) is a common octopus living in a tank at a Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen, Germany, who is an animal oracle and now retired predictor of football matches, usually international matches in which Germany was playing. He came to worldwide attention with his accurate predictions in the 2010 World Cup.

During a divination, Paul was presented with two boxes containing food in the form of a mussel, each marked with the flag of a national football team in an upcoming match. He chose the box with the flag of the winning team in four of Germany’s six Euro 2008 matches, and in all seven of their matches in the 2010 World Cup. He correctly predicted a win for Spain against the Netherlands in the World Cup final on 11 July by eating the mussel in the box with the Spanish flag on it. His predictions have thus been 100% (8/8) correct for the 2010 World Cup and 86% (12/14) correct overall. Paul was retired after the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Paul’s career as an oracle began during the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament. In the lead-up to Germany’s international football matches, Paul was presented with two clear plastic boxes, each containing food: a mussel or an oyster. Each container was marked with the flag of a team, one the flag of Germany, and the other the flag of Germany’s opponent. The box which Paul opened first (and ate the contents of) was judged to be the predicted winner of the game.

Paul’s apparent success was comparable to a run of luck when tossing a coin. This connection has been made by Professor Chris Budd of the University of Bath, Professor David Spiegelharter of Cambridge University, and Etienne Roquain of Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris.

Under the hypothesis that Paul was equally likely to choose the winner or the loser of a match, and neglecting the possibility of a draw, he had a 1/2 chance of predicting a single result and a 1/256 chance of predicting eight in a row. Spiegelharter and Roquain point out that there are “other animals that have attempted but failed to predict the outcome of football matches”; it is not remarkable that one animal is more successful than the others (including humans), and only the successful animals gains public attention after the fact. However, if Paul or other octopuses felt attracted for whatever reasons to the flagged boxes of Germany or Spain, their predictions would be much more exact than tossing a coin.

Paul the octopus correctly predicted that Spain will win by choosing its food or clam from the correct box with the Spanish flag. Many bookies by now will hate Paul for the correct predictions all the time and have lost money. While those who chose Spain would be laughing all the way to the bank for listening to Paul the octopus, many bookies would love to cook Paul for dinner or murder the psychic octopus. Spain won by 1-0 and it is the first time in history that they won the coveted World Cup, that is run once in every 4 years.

Likewise, I wonder is there another Paul or some other psychic animals that can predict for horse betting and select the winner. Well, Mani the parakeet selected Netherlands which lost in the final against Spain. In this case, Paul the octopus wins again time after time. Horse racing betting is just as popular as soccer but not as hot as the World Cup which is every 4 years.

Facebook is partnering with a Malaysian company to sell credits at retail outlets across Asia for the first time, aiming to make it easier for millions of people to purchase virtual goods and play games on the social networking site while boosting revenue for developers.

Electronic payments company MOL _ part of the business empire of tycoon Vincent Tan _ will offer the online currency from Aug. 1 at more than 500,000 outlets including 7-Eleven stores, Internet cafes and online banks in five Southeast Asian countries, India, Australia and New Zealand, company spokesman Nor Badron said Friday.

The move is targeting people who don’t have a credit card, particularly younger Facebook users, and those who don’t want to take the risk of making electronic payments online.

“Asia has a huge gaming community, and it’s typically young people,” Nor said. “The penetration for credit cards is very low… so the developers are not making money and missing this opportunity.”

Nor said MOL already sells prepaid credits for other online games at its established network of stores, but it will be the first time that consumers can buy credits for Facebook’s applications, including such popular games as Mob Wars and FarmVille, without credit cards.

MOL, which last year bought social networking site Friendster, announced the partnership with Facebook in a press release Thursday.

“We view this agreement as a major opportunity to broaden the availability of a simple, unified currency that can be used in games and applications across Facebook,” said Vaughan Smith, director of business and corporate development at Facebook, in the press release.

“Working with MOL means we can offer the benefits of Facebook Credits to millions of people in Asia using a payment system that is already widely used and trusted,” he said.

In Southeast Asia, the credits will be sold in Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines.

More than 70 percent of Facebook members use applications, and payment transactions and volume have seen a double-digit increase over the last few quarters, according to MOL.

Only Government Agency Awarded With Highest Rating

As an affirmation of its commitment towards service delivery excellence, the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) has been awarded a Five-Star rating under the Star Rating System conducted in 2009 by the Malaysian Administrative and Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU).

In a statement issued today, EPF Chief Executive Officer Tan Sri Azlan Zainol said, “We are proud to be the only front-line government agency awarded with the highest rating of Five Stars. This accreditation not only recognises EPF’s sound management of its core business but also acknowledges the dedication of EPF staff to rendering the highest service quality to customers.”

The Star Rating was introduced to assess the performance of public sector agencies to ensure efficiency of service delivery and to provide recognition to agencies for good governance and service delivery excellence.

The EPF was evaluated based on three components – management, core services and customer management – and achieved a score of 91.97 per cent, giving it the maximum rating of Five Stars.

“Nevertheless, we will not rest on our laurels and if nothing else, the Five-Star rating has inspired us to work even harder to raise the level of our service quality for the benefit of all our members,” concluded Tan Sri Azlan.

About the Employees Provident Fund (EPF)
The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) is Malaysia’s premier pension fund, providing basic financial security for retirement. The Fund is committed to preserving and growing the savings of its members in accordance with best practices in investment and corporate governance. It will always be guided by prudence in its investment decisions.

As a customer-focused organization, the EPF delivers efficient and reliable services for the convenience of its members and registered employers.

The EPF continues to play a catalytic role in the nation’s economic growth, consistent with its position as a leading savings institution in Malaysia.

It is expected to be Malaysia’s largest shopping mall REIT

PETALING JAYA: CapitaMalls Asia Ltd, one of Asia’s largest listed shopping mall developers, owners and managers by property value and geographic reach, has launched the prospectus and retail portion of what will be the largest shopping mall REIT (real estate investment trust) in Malaysia to date.

CapitaMalls Asia is part of Southeast Asia’s largest property developer Singapore’s CapitaLand Ltd.

The listing of CapitaMalls Malaysia Trust (CMMT) REIT on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia on July 16 is expected to have a market capitalisation of RM1.4bil if an over-allotment option of up to 15% of the offering of 786 million units is exercised. If this portion is not exercised, it may raise RM864mil.

Its initial portfolio of three shopping malls – Gurney Plaza in Penang, Sungei Wang Plaza in Kuala Lumpur and The Mines in Selangor – has a total net lettable area of 1.88 million sq ft and has been valued at RM2.13 bil.

Lim Beng Chee … ‘We see acquisition opportunities in Malaysia’s shopping mall sector.’ The CMMT IPO will have a total of 1.35 billion units in issue, of which 719 million units were offered to institutional investors at between RM1 and RM1.10 each in late June and 67.5 million units for individual investors at an indicative price of RM1.08 yesterday, with a forecast distribution yield of 6.9% for 2011. The final price will be determined on July 8.

CapitaMalls Asia CEO Lim Beng Chee told a press conference that occupancy and rental yields had increased for all three malls in its stable despite a weak economy in the last two years.

“We see acquisition opportunities in Malaysia’s shopping mall sector, with its fragmented ownership structure.

“CapitaMalls Asia will give CMMT a right of first refusal over any retail properties that we may acquire in future, including the extension that is being carried out at Penang’s Gurney Plaza. If acquired, Gurney Plaza extension will increase CMMT’s asset size by about 11%,” he said.

CIMB Investment Bank Bhd, JPMorgan Chase & Co and Maybank Investment Bank Bhd are jointly managing the IPO sale.

“As part of our long-term commitment, CapitaMalls Asia also plans to set up a Malaysia retail property fund to acquire and develop retail properties in Malaysia. CMMT will similarly have a right of first refusal over this pipeline of retail properties,” Lim said.

CIMB Investment Bank Bhd, JPMorgan Chase & Co and Maybank Investment Bank Bhd are jointly managing the sale. Individual investors will get a refund if the final price for institutional investors is lower than the retail price. CMMT’s sponsor, CapitaMalls Asia Ltd, will retain a stake of 41.74% in CMMT.

If an over-allotment option of up to 117 million units is exercised, CapitaMalls Asia’s stake in CMMT will be 33%.

The IPO follows the RM1.5bil raised by Sunway Real Estate Investment Trust in its initial sale last week and underscores rising investor appetite for equities in Malaysia amid an economic rebound.