News Broadcasting
Paris likely to host 2012 Olympics
LONDON: Paris is the current favourite to win the race to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. The next edition of the greatest sporting spectacle in the world takes place in Athens, Greece in August 2004. Then China will play host in 2008.
A major survey of leading sports industry executives was conducted by consulting and research company ArkSports. 30 per cent of the global respondents favour the French bid, closely followed by London (26 per cent) and New York (16 per cent). Rio de Janeiro was in fourth place with 11 per cent favouring the Latin American city’s bid.
The survey results are included in a new report Bidding & Hosting: The Guide to Successful Sports Events. Madrid and Moscow both garner five per cent of the vote, with Havana and Leipzig securing three per cent. Istanbul is considered to be the least likely to win the event, attracting just two per cent.
The report adds that the cost of bidding for the top 50 sports events globally will be worth $261 million by the end of this year. The figure will grow to $356 million by the end of 2007. By the end of 2012, the cost of bidding for the top 50 sporting events will be worth $385 million.
33 per cent of the respondents believed that the awarding of the 2010 Winter Olympics to Vancouver in Canada will mean that New York wont be awarded the 2012 Olympics. 75 per cent of respondents believed that smaller sports lose out to major events when it comes to fighting for both recognition and television airtime. 51 per cent consider funding to have the greatest impact on the future of sports events. 24 per cent stated that security issues would be most important.
News Broadcasting
India Today Group debuts AI anchor ‘Sutra’ at AI Impact Summit 2026
Sutra aims to simplify live policy debates using sovereign AI models
NEW DELHI: India Today Group has unveiled Sutra, an AI-driven news anchor designed to deliver real-time, contextual reporting, marking the group’s latest push to integrate artificial intelligence into mainstream journalism.
The AI anchor was introduced at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi and developed in collaboration with BharatGen, with the initiative showcased by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
India Today Group said Sutra is built to navigate complex policy discussions and fast-moving developments by synthesising information into concise, accessible insights, aimed at narrowing the gap between high-level debates and public understanding. The AI anchor was used to surface live takeaways from key sessions at the summit.
India Today Group chief AI officer Nilanjan Das, said the project was focused on clarity and accessibility without diluting editorial rigour. He added that working with BharatGen aligned the group’s AI ambitions with India’s broader push towards sovereign technology capabilities.
BharatGen CEO Rishi Bal, said the partnership reflected a shift from basic automation towards deeper contextual intelligence in media. He emphasised the importance of indigenous, multimodal AI models capable of understanding Indian languages, regional dialects and cultural nuance, particularly as AI-driven news formats gain traction.
The launch positions India Today Group among the first major Indian media houses to deploy an AI anchor backed by home-grown technology, underscoring a growing convergence between journalism, public policy and sovereign AI infrastructure.
