Red Fort on World Heritage List

UNESCO listed the Red Fort Complex, built for Mughal Emperor Shahjahan, who ruled between 1628 and 1658.

The palace, which gets its name from massive enclosing red sandstone walls, was designed to imitate paradise, as it was described in the Koran.

"The Red Fort is considered to represent the zenith of Mughal creativity which, under the Emperor Shahjahan, was brought to a new level of refinement," UNESCO said.

Built by Shah Jehan in the 17th century, the Red Fort has much more to offer than the influence of his obsession with perfection. With its own special place in modern Indian history, the Red Fort is a collage of different periods from the Mughal to the British. The World Heritage Committee also inscribed three other cultural sites — the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape in Japan, the Parthian Fortresses of Nisa in Turkmenistan, and the Sydney Opera House in Australia.

It was not the first time that the Red Fort was brought before the World Heritage Committee; the case for the site was earlier submitted in 1992. One of the things that went against the Red Fort at that point was the fact that the Committee did not feel that there was an adequate management plan for the site. “Ownership is not an issue for the World Heritage Committee, but they do take the management of the site seriously. The members had felt that this had not been defined well by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at that time,” said a UNESCO source.

The Army handing over the Red Fort to the ASI in December 2003 was an important step in enabling the nomination to the World Heritage List as that ensured that it was not a military target anymore – another aspect that is taken into consideration. The handing over also gave the ASI total control of the fort.

While the inscription of the Red Fort on the UNESCO list is a moment of pride for the country, for the ASI it is especially satisfying. It has been given a chance finally to put behind the bitter controversy that its “restoration” had stirred a few years ago, and the ASI will now be able to close that chapter with a sense of achievement. But it may be still too early for the Survey to get complacent: it will face the toughest challenge now.

However, Delhi now joins Agra---which boasts of Taj Mahal,Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri---as only the second Indian city with three World Hertage Monuments,except Red Fort, Humayun Tomb and Qutab Minar are the monuments that are already present in UNESCO's World Heritage List.

Compiled by: Saurav Chakraborty
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Bye Arsenal, hello Barcelona

Thierry Henry confirmed on Saturday he is leaving Arsenal to join Barcelona. "I still must pass a medical on Monday but yes, I have chosen Barcelona," the France striker told French sports daily L'Equipe on Saturday. "I will sign there for the next four seasons."

The 29-year-old, who also spoke to British newspaper The Sun , will sign a four-year contract with Barca for an estimated transfer fee of $32 million (Rs 131 crores), sources closes to the Primera Liga said on Friday.

"Nothing has been signed yet but both sides reached an agreement on Friday," Henry told L'Equipe . "I have chosen Barcelona for the football they play, for their history and their stadium. I am sad to leave Arsenal. I would have stayed there for life. I didn't want things to happen that way but I'm also ready for a new challenge."

Henry said the fact that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, his mentor, would not extend his contract with the London club, running until 2008, had influenced his decision. "The fact that Arsene Wenger has decided not to extend his contract was another very important factor," he said.

Henry pointed to his age, the Wenger factor and the departure of director David Dein in April as his reasons in an open letter to readers of The Sun. "It's now or never for me — sadly it has to be now," Henry was quoted as saying.

Arsene Wenger has said that at this moment he will not commit to the club past the expiration of his current deal, which finishes at the end of this coming season. "I respect his decision and honesty but I will be 31 at the end of next season and I cannot take the chance to be there without Arsene Wenger and David Dein. Dein is no longer there, and there is no denying the fact this has destabilised the team and the manager," said Henry.

The prolific forward has been sidelined by a groin injury but said he would soon be back in action. "I will be back in training in 15 days," he told. "Barcelona resume around July 20. That leaves me with three weeks to prepare myself well."

Wenger's future in the balance

London: Thierry Henry has delivered a devastating double blow to Arsenal by choosing to join Barcelona and indicating that manager Arsene Wenger could also follow him out of the club next year.

Henry made it clear his exit was only the latest repercussion of a boardroom row which led to the departure of director David Dein in April.

More than just a skilled operator in the football business, Dein was close to the players and to Wenger, with whom he had transformed the club since the Frenchman arrived in 1996. The prospect of losing Wenger is one to chill Arsenal fans to the bone.

Source:The Times Of India
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F1 Race in Delhi by 2009

India has won the right to host its first Formula One race in 2009, officials announced Thursday.

The deal was struck to hold the event in the capital New Delhi, said Suresh Kalmadi, president of the Indian Olympic Association, which will promote the race.

"We have received a letter in this regard from Bernie Ecclestone, CEO of Formula One," Kalmadi told reporters.

Funds will be raised from the government and the private sector to build a new F1 track and stadium for the race, said Kalmadi.

"We are looking to identify suitable land for a world-class track," he said.

New Delhi is already preparing to host the Commonwealth Games in 2010. The city, however, lost its bid to organise the 2014 Asian Games and opted out of the race for the 2016 Olympics.

Kalmadi said he was confident the IOA will meet the financial and infrastructure proposals laid down by Ecclestone before the final contract is signed by the September 30 deadline.

"We are capable enough to raise the money. We have done it in the past. We will do it again," he said.

Asked why New Delhi was chosen as the venue, Kalmadi said: "The Commonwealth Games are coming up. So we will have the international airport, hotels and other infrastructure ready for this."

Formula One supremo Ecclestone has recently promoted India as one of the future markets for motor sport after home-grown Narain Karthikeyan drove for Jordan in the 2005 season.

"India is a country that is probably going to grow quicker than China," Ecclestone said in November.

There has been heightened interest in F1 racing in India after Karthikeyan hit the tracks on the back of Indian sponsorship reportedly worth 10 million dollars.

The 29-year-old did not race in 2006 but is signed up with Williams as a test driver.

Millions of Indians watch Formula One on television, often with the same passion they reserve for the country's most popular sport -- cricket.

There was no immediate reaction to the announcement from federal sports minister Mani Shankar Aiyar, who has opposed the holding of expensive international sporting events in the country.

Aiyer, a former diplomat and ex-foreign ministry spokesman, had described the Asian Games bid as nothing more than a misguided attempt to improve the global image of the country.

The Indian media were sceptical about the prospect of holding a race in New Delhi.

"The capital is no place to have a F1 race because it does not have a culture for motor sports," said Sharda Ugra, sports editor of the respected India Today weekly.

"Places in south India like Bangalore or Chennai, where Karthikeyan and other drivers hail from, would have been better venues.

"It's more a business decision than a sporting one. The construction lobby will have a good time."

Source: Yahoo News
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Idea, Spice talk merger

A major consolidation in the telecom sector could be on the cards. Discussions have just begun between Spice Telecom and Idea Cellular for a possible merger, whose outcome can go either way.

According to top sources, the option of both Spice buying out Idea Cellular as well as the Birlas-owned Idea Cellular buying out Spice are being considered. However, with talks being in the preliminary stages, a source said it would take anywhere between 8 and 12 months before anything could be finalised.

Adding a new dimension, sources told ET that Telekom Malaysia, which holds 49% in Spice Telecom (the BK Modi group holds 51%) is keen to expand its footprint in India and make some acquisitions to expand Spice’s operations. This is because Spice, at present, is limited to just two telecom circles, Punjab and Karnataka, and its expansion plans in the rest of the country have been held up primarily on account of non-availability of spectrum in many key circles.

Last year, Telekom Malaysia had acquired 49% in Spice for $179 million (Rs 733 crore). In June 2005, Telekom Malaysia and Singapore Technologies Telemedia had opted out of the agreement for acquiring a 47.7% stake in Idea Cellular for about $390 million as the government did not clear the deal.

Asked about both possibilities (Idea buying Spice or vice-versa), a Spice executive said, “Idea is a bigger player in India, but the dimensions change when you consider that we have Telekom Malaysia with us, who have big ambitions. If anything were to happen, it will take a minimum of nine months and will be post- our initial public offer. It is inevitable that there has to be some merger or acquisition amongst the smaller players, which implies all permutations and combinations are possible. Finally, it will depend on who will bring more money to the table, and who wants to be a long-term player.”

On the other hand, sources said Idea Cellular, which has operations in 11 circles with just under 15 million subscribers, was actively looking at Spice as one of the companies it can acquire.

Idea Cellular is also planning to demerge its cellular infrastructure and float it as a separate entity. A top company executive said, “I can neither say yes nor no, and we do not comment on speculation.”

Against Idea’s nearly 15 million subscribers, Spice has just 2.8 million subscribers. While Idea is the sixth largest cellular operator after Airtel, Reliance Communications, BSNL, Hutchison Essar and Tata Teleservices, Spice is the eighth largest.

Idea and Spice jointly have a 10.5% market share in India’s 165-million-strong mobile telephony market. If the two were to combine, they would create the country’s fifth largest cellular company.


But these are still early days and it remains to be seen how much headway these merger talks make. Meanwhile, Spice Telecom will go ahead with its IPO. Last week, Spice Telecom received Sebi approval for its Rs 600-crore IPO. The Modis own 51% in Spice, with Telekom Malaysia holding the remaining 49%, but this will fall to about 41% and 29% after the IPO.

MCorp global chairman BK Modi had earlier told ET that Spice was in talks with Idea Cellular and Reliance Telecom (the GSM arm of Reliance Communications) for forging an “operational alliance”, which will offer the combined entity a pan-India footprint in the country. However, the operational tie-up is with regard to network sharing, roaming, international arrangements and handset bundling.

Source: timesnow.tv

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