MUMBAI: The first official broadcast of a FIFA World Cup(tm) match in Swahili has taken place in South Africa, with BBC World Service broadcasting live in Swahili from the Serbia v Ghana match on 13 June.

In this historic first, the commentary team of Charles Hilary and Salim Kikeke commentated live from the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria to cover the Serbia v Ghana game. The match was broadcast to Africa via the BBC‘s FM partner relays.

As a result of an agreement with FIFA and the African Union of Broadcasters (AUB), the BBC Swahili team will for the first time ever, provide live Swahili commentary on a wide range of games during the tournament, including the semi-finals and finals.

As well as broadcasting in Swahili, BBC World Service will also be running live commentary in English on FM relays across Africa - on each of the qualified African teams‘ games during the tournament as well as the climax of the competition - including the semi-finals and the final.

Working with FIFA and the AUB, BBC World Service‘s team will be joined in the commentary box for the duration of the tournament by three sports journalists from across the continent - Arjun Vidyarthi, a Sports Editor with Radio Africa in Kenya; Malik Jones, a journalist at Gambia Radio and TV Service, and Stanley Katsande, a commentator and analyst on both radio and television for the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation. These three journalists will act as additional commentators and pundits during the tournament.

"This deal embodies FIFA‘s endeavour to make the FIFA World Cup accessible to as many fans as possible in Africa and across various types of media. It truly marks another milestone for this historic tournament and we are thrilled that together with

the AUB and the BBC World Service we could make it happen," said Niclas Ericson, FIFA Director of TV.

"Africa‘s first FIFA World Cup has just marked another milestone -- the first-ever official Swahili radio broadcast of a FIFA World Cup match.

The AUB is pleased to be able to break new ground together with FIFA and the BBC," said Larry Atiase, CEO/General Director of the AUB.

Jerry Timmins, Head of Region for Africa and the Middle East, BBC World Service says:

"For BBC World Service, this live Swahili commentary marks a historic first. I am particularly pleased that sports journalists from African FM stations have been able to join the BBC teams. The first World Cup in Africa
 

MUMBAI: After the tremendous success of ‘Malishka ko Bataun Kya‘ last year, Red FM Mumbai is now urging its listeners to become undercover agents for RJ Malishka. This campaign is aimed at providing a platform to Mumbaikars enabling them to share gossip, communicate insider information and report relevant issues which will be Bajaaoed wholeheartedly by this station for expression.

A series of on-ground and on-air activities have been planned to bring alive the true Jasoos amongst Mumbaikars A dedicated mobile number is provided for listeners to speak to Malishka and report their Jasoosi stories. Every day on Morning No.1, Malishka will be bajaaoing the most interesting pieces of information reported by her trusted Jasoos‘. While every Friday, the station will be giving away the Best Jasoos Award to the listeners who come up with the best secrets. The listeners can also expect their favourite Bollywood stars like Abhishek Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, imesh Reshamiya and many more revealing many well kept secrets.

Senior VP of Projects and Programming Red FM Nisha Narayanan said, "The Morning No.1 show has been the No.1 show in reach as per RAM over the past 2 years and has also won 4consecutive India Radio Forum awards for Best Breakfast show. If there is one jock who can pull off something like this than it has to be Malishka."

She further added, "Malishka ka Jasoos is our attempt towards taking listener generated content and interactivity to another level. We are asking the people of Mumbai to become the eyes and ears of Malishka and report on secrets which they feel should get a larger platform."

‘Malishka ka Jasoos‘, will be supported by a 360 degree campaign across outdoor, print, online, on-air innovations and various on-ground promotions at direct consumer touch points merging interactivity for the listeners.
 

MUMBAI: A Forbes India perspective on the maverick CEO?s moves on reshaping a conglomerate and an industry.

18th June 2010, Mumbai: The cover story in the latest issue of Forbes India explains how Y.C. Deveshwar is moving into a decisive phase in his mission to transform ITC from a cigarette maker to fast-moving consumer goods company. The article delves into how he has raised the stakes in the FMCG business with a series of bold moves to acquire market share and raising revenue targets from Rs. 3,700 crore to Rs.12,000 crore. It finally goes on to conclude that with less than two years to go before his term as chairman ends, Deveshwar would need to show success in achieving viable growth to secure the company‘s future. Success which might even earn him the extension at the helm which he really wants.

Summaries of Other Key Stories in the Issue:

Learning Curve

Government schemes have succeeded in getting more children into school, but have failed in ensuring that they get quality education. Many companies have launched philanthropic initiatives to bridge this gap, but the two that have succeeded best are the Azim Premji Foundation and the Bharti Foundation. The story delves into what they are doing right.

The Whethermen

Good monsoon or drought? Indian meteorologists often get the forecast wrong. Now the government is trying to fix that. It has put B.N. Goswami, director of the Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, in charge of trying out a new climate model. Although this sounds like a panacea, rest assured it is not. The new model is far more complex and globally its success rate is not very different from the old one.

Quotable Quotes from the Cover Story:

?We allocate capital with a venture capitalist?s mindset. We?ve made it known that cash is always available for businesses that are performing.?

K Vaidyanath, Executive Director, ITC.

?In the consumer business, you need scale to build a franchise. It is a chicken-and-egg problem. We will infuse life into these businesses so that they can stand on their own legs.?

Y C Deveshwar, Chairman, ITC
 

MUMBAI: The ecstasy associated with India?s biggest and most coveted motorsport racing event is back. Come this weekend and the 13th edition of the much awaited JK Tyre National Racing Championship 2010 begins at the Madras Motor Race Track at Irungaatukottai. This edition will mark the transition of the National Racing Championship to a higher competitive level as some new formats with exciting races have been introduced.
?With a continuing vision to make motorpsort more popular, we have been adding on new formats and categories to make the sport more thrilling and at par with International standards. From Single Seater Racing to now a complete range in Tin-Top racing segment, the championship has been consistently moving up the value chain to provide a high level of competitiveness and exposure to participants,? said Mr. Sanjay Sharma ? Head Motorsports, JK Tyre and Industries Ltd.

The most remarkable addition to the racing categories this year is the Volkswagen ? JK Tyre Polo Cup India. This year, in 2010, the Polo Cup marks its debut in India in the 13th JK Tyre National Racing Championship season.

The one make-one car Polo Cup is being organized keeping in mind the ?Touring Car School? concept of Volkswagon. This has been running successfully in countries like the USA, China, South Africa and Denmark.

Driving camps were organized in Kolhapur and Coimbatore racing tracks to select the 20 best drivers to compete in the Volkswagon ? JK Tyre Polo Cup India for the 2010 season, and it did not come as a surprise that 80% of the selected drivers had graduated from JK Tyre racing & karting programs.

JK Tyre gave a rousing welcome to its international partner, by successfully organizing the inaugural round of the Volkswagon - JK Tyre Polo Cup on the 30th May 2010, in Pune - the hometown of Volkswagen India.

History was created in Indian Motorsport, as over 20,000 people watched along the street circuit in Balewadi, along with thousands enjoying the Live telecast on a leading TV Sports Channel, as talented Indian drivers battled it out on the track, in the 1.6 litre, 130 ps common rail diesel engine driven Volkswagon Polo car.

Overall this year, there will be a total of twelve races in the Polo Cup India 2010, which will run as a part of the JK Tyre National Racing Championship
The 13th edition of the National championship is going to be a treat for all the motorsport lovers. This season for the first time, the races will be broadcast with live timings which can be accessed on PC or Internet mobile phones. The link is www.apexracing.in/time/live.html .

The notable teams on the grid this season are Amaron Pro Racing, Meco Racing, Rams Racing, Mars Racing, VA-RAD Racing, Performance Racing, N1 Racing, Prine Racing, Team TVS Girling, Team Wallace Sports, Team Aerodene Race Krafts, Team Game Over, Team Moto Rev India, & Team Hot Cars Zone.

The Formula LGB Swift Category will see a packed grid, which includes the experienced Ameya Walawalkar, Ajay Kini and the talented Goutham Parekh and K.Vinoth.

The Super Saloons - which adhere to a cc to weight ratio of 1:1.75 will also see a more competitive grid, as B. Vijay Kumar, Sailesh Bollisetti, Madhumitha Rao and Siddharth Kishore will renew battle-cries on the racetrack.

To complete the range of options in the Tin Tops segment of the National Racing Championship, another new category has been added on this season.

The Indian Junior Touring Car Class (IJTC) is the category for start up drivers, and features young drivers in Race Star Cup Cars, which are stock cars with minor Suspension and engine modifications. The carburetted engines having modified cylinder and cam shaft adjustments are provided Free of Charge to the competitors by LG Sports, in an attempt to bridge the speed difference between the Super Saloons and the IJTC cars while also keeping the category affordable for budding drivers to compete in.

Every year, the JK Tyre National Racing Championship has added new elements to raise the competitive level of motorsport in the country. The company introduced the Junior Cup to give youngsters a chance to acclimatize to Single Seater Racing. It completed the backward integration by launching the JK Tyre National Rotax Max Karting Challenge in 2004 and the Rotax Rookie Cup this year.

This year, the championship takes another step forward, as it re-launches the Formula Rolon Class. The Bodywork of the car has been revamped and given a spanking new look, by LG Sports, the makers of the car chassis. The improved aerodynamics of the car creates greater downforce, which gives the car better cornering speed.

Under the hood, the car is powered by 1300 cc Suzuki engines, which are fully modified with a fully programmable ECU. The customized engine gives upto 140 hp thrust ? which packs quite a punch.

So with an exciting and action packed 6 rounds, the new season of the 2010 JK Tyre National Racing Championship promises to unveil new champions and racers, who will be keep the Indian flag flying high in the international arena in the days to come!

MUMBAI: The MotoGP World Championship calls on the newly-redeveloped Silverstone circuit for the first time since 1986 as the AIRASIA British Grand Prix signals round five of the 2010 season. A fantastic new Silverstone awaits MotoGP from June 18th-20th, and the track has been widely noted as one of the fastest circuits on this year?s calendar. Watch all the action from the all new Silverstone circuit, live on Ten Sports. ( please check schedule)

Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo will be looking to capitalise on the potential speed as he bids to further strengthen his hold on the top spot in the standings. The Fiat Yamaha rider, who has a 25-point lead heading into round five, will be facing the unknown, as he and his fellow premier class riders take to the track for the first time in its current form.

With Valentino Rossi beginning his recovery process from Italy, Lorenzo will be the championship-winning team‘s single representative for the Airasia British Grand Prix, held at Silverstone for the first time in 24 years. A fantastic start to the season has seen Lorenzo win twice and finish on the second step of the podium on two occasions in the four rounds so far, thus establishing his current Championship lead of 25 points.

The new Silverstone Grand Prix circuit has been designed with a fast and flowing layout, leading to the expectation that it will be one of the highest speed circuits on the calendar. It will pose to be a new challenge for all the riders and just how they adapt remains to be seen.

MUMBAI: As Africa plays host to the FIFA World Cup for the first time this June, the BBC?s international news services will offer a unique global perspective on events in the build-up to, and during, the tournament.

From within this diverse continent and beyond, special interactive programming will connect fans around the world, while the BBC?s multi-lingual services will offer comprehensive sporting analysis, a mix of news and current affairs and local, regional and international insights.

Pre-tournament programming highlights include Africa Kicks, a journey through the region of West Africa that has produced a wealth of international football talent. The Power and the Passion, a new four part series on BBC World Service English, in which writer and broadcaster David Goldblatt examines the relationship between football and fans, as he travels to four fiercely contested local derby games in Ghana, Italy, Egypt and the UK. George Weah and Didier Drogba?s exploits off the pitch are the focus of Life on the Edge on BBC World News. BBC Swahili will be producing a special series on the ?health? of football in East Africa, while BBC Hausa will examine the significance of the World Cup for Africa.

Over the course of the tournament, BBC World Service will have a special daily multimedia show, World Cup Have Your Say, which moves the football pundits aside to let fans air their views. The World Today, presented by Komla Dumor and Ros Atkins, will be live from Soweto, and special editions of Sportsworld with Russell Fuller will feature interviews, analysis and insight covering the full spectrum of international teams. World Football will have a special focus on football in South Africa and the impact of apartheid on the game.

On BBC World News, Football Focus will bring audiences contributions and analysis from four times Champions League winner Clarence Seedorf, World Cup winner Juergen Klinsmann, England legend Alan Shearer and Togolese international and Manchester City star Emmanuel Adebayor. Sport Today with Sean Fletcher will provide daily news and updates on all the stories from the tournament.

Fast Track, the flagship sports show presented by Farayi Mungazi on BBC World Service, will feature news, interviews and special reports around the tournament.

A diverse range of the BBC?s international non English-language services will be bringing the atmosphere, stories and news to audiences around the world. For BBC Arabic, Sherif El-Sherif is hosting a multimedia show, while BBC Persian will be examining the cultural, social and economic impact of the tournament on South Africa. BBC Brasil will be following the fortunes of the Brazilian team and finding out what the Brazilian organisation for the 2014 tournament can learn from South Africa. Other services offering daily news, stories and updates include BBC Hausa, BBC Swahili, BBC Hindi, BBC Para Africa and BBC Mundo.

BBC.com/worldcup is offering an extensive range of video and interactive content to ensure football fans are kept fully up to date with the competition online. Video collections will include Road to South Africa, featuring the qualifying goals that won teams their place in the tournament, as well as 32 team profile vignettes of the teams themselves.

BBC.com/worldcup will include blogs and insight, as well as live text commentary of all the games from morning to midnight. It will also include interviews, a World Cup daily gossip column and interactive areas where fans can contribute their voice to events through mobile, SMS and social media.

In addition, a search for international football memorabilia will be the focus of Fans? Football Favourites, while My First World Cup will bring together a unique international squad ? players all taking part in their first World Cup.