The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz
The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz |
| Japan’s Universal sues Reuters over Philippine payments reports Posted: 04 Dec 2012 07:48 AM PST TOKYO, Dec 4 — Japan's Universal Entertainment Corp today sued Thomson Reuters and three of its journalists for defamation over news articles relating to millions of dollars in payments Universal made to an ex-consultant to the Philippine gaming authority. Universal, majority owned by Japanese billionaire Kazuo Okada and his son through a family trust, said in a statement it had filed the lawsuit with a court in Tokyo. The Reuters stories, published on November 16 and November 30, detailed a series of payments made to Rodolfo Soriano, a close associate of the former head of the gaming authority, between January and May of 2010 when Universal was lobbying for concessions for a casino resort on Manila Bay. The November 30 story said Universal channelled at least US$30 million (RM90 million) to companies controlled by Soriano, citing company records and people with knowledge of the transactions and related investigations. "We have not seen the lawsuit but we stand by our reporting," said Reuters spokeswoman Barb Burg. Soriano is now at the centre of an investigation by the Philippine Department of Justice. The payments are also being probed by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, the regulator for Universal's businesses in the United States. Universal said in an earlier statement that its compliance committee had already reported on its business in the Philippines to Nevada gaming authorities and that it was "certain that the facts of this case will be brought to light in the near future". Universal has filed lawsuits against three former employees of the Universal group for US$15 million of the payments, claiming they made the transfers without proper authorisation. The company said it was seeking 200 million yen (RM7.39 million) in damages from Thomson Reuters and three of its journalists. It said it would seek 100 million yen for Universal and the remainder for Okada Holdings, the Okada family trust. — Reuters |
| Posted: 03 Dec 2012 09:59 PM PST  Psy played down his chances of topping that chart. – Reuters pic Speaking at a news conference in Singapore ahead of a free performance for fans, the 34-year-old —clad in a black suit and his trademark sunglasses — was modest about his fame and said he was just another person doing his job. "Sometimes, honestly, yes I get tired or I get sick of it because I got so many requests to teach them, you know, like average let me say 50 requests per city, per country," said Psy, whose full name is Park Jae-Sang. "I already taught the dance to so many people, so many times but still the dance makes me here, to make a press conference in Singapore, so of course sometimes I'm tired about it, but I got to do it, it's my job," he added. He later performed the dance in front of cheering fans outside a Singapore landmark, the high-rise Marina Bay Sands casino complex. But Psy said that despite the many times he has performed the number, "I really like the dance still." The chubby K-pop veteran made his debut in South Korea in 2001 but it was only 11 years later that he shot to global fame with "Gangnam Style", which a week ago made history by becoming the most watched video on YouTube. The video has so far notched up more than 860 million views, overtaking "Baby" by Canadian teen heart-throb Justin Bieber, on more than 807 million. "Gangnam Style", which parodies the extravagant lifestyles of residents of an upmarket Seoul neighbourhood, has inspired thousands of online imitations, and flash mobs of tens of thousands in Paris, Rome and Milan. The song has also earned Psy a nomination in the "People's Choice" category of Time magazine's "Person of the Year 2012" contest together with other newsmakers such as US President Barack Obama, China's Communist Party head Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. But Psy played down his chances of topping that chart. "I feel really strange and weird why I'm there," he said. "It's not going to happen, I think, and I don't deserve that much. I just did my job." Psy is currently fourth in the online rankings out of 40 candidates. The North Korean leader was well ahead in the poll on Saturday. – AFP-Relaxnews |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan