Other Briefings
India Wins its First Individual Gold !!!
Aug. 11 – Indian shooting champion Abhinav Bindra won India's first gold medal for the 10m air rifle competition at the Beijing Summer Olympics on Monday morning. He defeated China's Zhu Qinan, the defending Olympic champion and Finland's Henri Hakkinen, who clinched silver and bronze respectively.
This is India's first gold in 28 years, and first ever individual gold medal.
Indian Politicians and Business Barons Head to the Olympics
Aug. 7 – Indian politicians and business barons are expected to fly into Beijing today in time for the Opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics at 08-08-08-08-08-08. Amongst the politbureau, ruling party leader, Sonia Gandhi will be in Beijing with her family; son Rahul Gandhi, daughter Priyanka Vadra, son-in-law Robert Vadra and their two children. Sports minister M. S. Gill will also be present.
Business tycoon, and India's richest man, Mukesh Ambani will also be present during the opening ceremony. Flying in on his own jet, he will be arriving in Beijing with his family, wife Nita Ambani and their two children, to witness the Olympic ceremony.
Indian Contingent Arrives in Beijing
Aug. 6 – Indian athletes have arrived at Beijing's Olympic Games village with the first batch of shooters, boxers and swimmers, along with their coaches, arriving in Beijin on Monday.
Deputy Chef de Mission Baljit Singh Sethi told the Hindu that all nine shooters, five boxers and four swimmers have reached the village while the remaining of the 57-member contingent and its support staff of 42 will reach there in separate batches before the opening ceremony on 08-08-08.
Indian hopes are pinned on Athens Olympics Silver medalist shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and world champion Manavjit Singh who were the first Indians participants to enter the village to practise. The Indians are chiefly resting their hopes on shooters, boxers and the star tennis duo of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi for Olympic glory.
Bollywood Takes the London Stock Exchange by its Horns
Aug. 4 – Do you like Bollywood movies? Why not buy shares? Hindi film companies being traded on the London Stock Exchange's AIM (Alternate Investment Market) are realizing multi-million dollar returns on investments.
Three Bollywood majors — Eros, UTV Motion Pictures and Indian Films — have already had a huge success in their initial run on the AIM. And now many more Bollywood biggies are looking to raise funds through this route, the Economic Times reported.
New Delhi’s Third Runway Takes Off
Aug. 1 – New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport will inaugurate its third runway on Indian Independence day (August 15). The second busiest airport in the country is ramping capacity in preparation for the Commonwealth Games which New Delhi will host in 2010. The new runway will increase the airport’s capacity from the present 36 landings and takeoffs an hour to 65.
According to the Times of India, the trial runs will take place for a few days and the runway will be made operational for commercial flights by the end of August or beginning of September. ‘‘Almost all civil and technical work has been completed and trial runs should begin soon,’’ an airport official said.
Aviation Industry Won’t Face Turbulance for Too Long
July 24 – Even as major airlines across the world plan to cut air routes to low load destinations, in the face of rising fuel costs, Dinesh Keskar, Senior Vice-President – Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, feel that after this turbulant time, India's aviation industry will see smooth sailing.
The current downturn in the Indian aviation industry would end in the next 10 to 12 months as the sector reduces flights and resolves overcapacity issues, said the US-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing told the Hindu Business Line.
India’s Diamond Traders Have Their Work Cut out For Them
July 14 – A little known fact states that India polishes about nine in every ten diamonds, mostly tiny stones less than a carat. None the less, the country's diamond traders have their eyes set on brighter tragets – the trade of rough diamonds.
"We're trying to make India the largest trading centre and manufacturing centre for diamonds," said Sanjay Kothari, the chairman of India's Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) told Reuters. "Why should we go to Antwerp?"
A bullish confidence is common among Indian businessmen these days. Nonetheless, even if few see Antwerp being eclipsed any time soon, the ambition of Kothari and his colleagues is giving pause to at least some Antwerp traders.
What a brilliant idea!
June 26 – Ending months of speculation, concluding in one of India's largest telecom deals, A V Birla controlled Idea Cellular acquired a 40.8% in Spice Communications Ltd for Rs 2,720 crore (US$636 million).
The mobile-phone operator will add Spice's 4.5 million subscribers to its current base of 26.14 million users, taking it close to the No. 4 — state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. — in India's telecom market.
