MAM
Beijing launches 2008 Olympic marketing programme
BEIJING: China has already commenced preparations in the marketing and broadcasting of the Olympic Games which it will host in five years.
The marketing programme for the 2008 Olympic Games was launched in Beijing by IOC President Jacques Rogge and representatives of the city of Beijing and the Organising Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG) recently. The marketing launch, attended by more than 600 Chinese and international business leaders, officials, potential sponsors and the media, was staged to outline the benefits of Olympic sponsorship and to explain the opportunities that exist to support the 2008 Olympic Games.
During the ceremony, Rogge and BOCOG President Liu Qi used an ancient Chinese key to unlock a door, symbolising the Beijing 2008 marketing opportunities for Chinese and international companies. After the official ceremony, the day continued with working sessions to explore the sponsorship and licensing programmes which will provide opportunities for sponsors from now until the end of the 2008 Olympic Games.
In addition, an agreement was signed by Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) and BOCOG to put into place the establishment of the Beijing Olympic Broadcasting (BOB) as the host broadcaster for the 2008 Games. OBS is a company created by the IOC to oversee the host broadcaster function for the Games, beginning in 2008.
The main responsibility of BOB as the host broadcaster is to provide the pictures and images of the Olympic Games as a service to all broadcast organisations around the globe which have purchased television and radio rights. For the 2008 Olympic Games, BOB will provide more than 3,500 hours of coverage to more than 200 rights-holding broadcast organisations.
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Trump announces $300bn Texas oil refinery with Reliance, calls it the biggest in US history
First new US refinery in 50 years planned at Brownsville port with Reliance
WASHINGTON: The United States may soon see the first brand-new oil refinery built on its soil in half a century.
Donald Trump announced a proposed $300 billion refinery project in Texas, calling it a landmark moment for American energy production and jobs.
Posting on Truth Social on 10 March, Trump said the facility would be built at the Port of Brownsville and developed by a company called America First Refining, with major investment from India’s Reliance Industries.
The announcement frames the project as a centrepiece of the administration’s push for “energy dominance”, with Trump claiming it would deliver thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity to South Texas.
If realised, the plant would mark the first all-new major refinery constructed in the United States since the 1970s. In recent decades, oil companies have largely chosen to expand existing facilities rather than build new ones, citing high costs, regulatory hurdles and environmental scrutiny.
Trump described the proposed investment as the “biggest in US history”, positioning it as proof that policy changes such as streamlined permits and lower taxes are drawing large-scale energy investments back into the country.
The refinery is planned for the Port of Brownsville, a strategic Gulf Coast location that provides easy access to shipping routes and export markets.
A key partner in the project is Reliance Industries, controlled by billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani. The company already runs the world’s largest refining complex in Jamnagar, India, making it one of the most experienced operators in large-scale petroleum processing.
The Texas venture would mark a significant step for the group into America’s domestic refining sector, potentially strengthening industrial ties between the US and India.
The proposed refinery is being promoted as a next-generation facility capable of processing American shale oil while maintaining high environmental standards. Trump said it would be “the cleanest refinery in the world”, although the specific technologies behind that claim have not yet been detailed.
Industry observers also note that the $300 billion figure is unusually large for a refinery project, and analysts are waiting for more clarity on whether the number reflects total construction costs, long-term infrastructure investment, or broader economic impact estimates.
As of 11 March, Reliance Industries had not publicly confirmed the investment size or the structure of its involvement.
For now, the announcement has sparked equal parts excitement and curiosity in energy markets. If the plan moves from promise to pouring concrete, the refinery could reshape the Gulf Coast energy landscape, and reopen a chapter in American refining that has been quiet for nearly fifty years.
