MAM
Makita expends sponsorship deal for Asian football by 4 years
MUMBAI: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced that Makita has extended its commercial engagement with Asian football for a further four years.
The Japanese power tool company, which has worked with the AFC since 2005, has extended its commercial relationship with Asian football’s governing body through the AFC National Programme until 2016.
Makita’s sponsorship includes all AFC national competitions including the AFC Asian Cup – Asia’s top sporting event – as well as the qualifying tournaments for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games.
AFC acting president Zhang Jilong said, “Asian football has provided great value in recent years to its sponsors. We hope that our relationship with Makita will allow football in our continent to continue to flourish.”
The agreement was sealed by World Sport Group, the AFC’s exclusive marketing and media partner in conjunction with Dentsu.
Makita president Masahiko Goto said, “We are proud to continue our partnership with AFC as we have been a part of Asian football family since 2005, We have been working hard to succeed together with Asian football for many years and we intend to continue working together with the Asian Football Confederation.”
Digital
India leads global adoption of ChatGPT Images 2.0 in first week
From anime avatars to fantasy covers, users turn AI visuals into culture
NEW DELHI: India has emerged as the largest user base for ChatGPT Images 2.0, just a week after its launch by OpenAI, underlining the country’s growing influence on global internet trends.
While the tool was introduced as an advanced image-generation upgrade within ChatGPT, Indian users are quickly reshaping its purpose. Instead of sticking to productivity-led use cases, many are embracing it as a creative playground for self-expression, storytelling and online identity.
From anime-style portraits and cinematic headshots to tarot-inspired visuals and fictional newspaper front pages, the model is being used to create highly stylised, shareable content. Features such as accurate text rendering, multilingual prompts and the ability to generate detailed visuals with minimal input have helped drive rapid adoption.
What sets the latest model apart is its ability to “think” through prompts, generating multiple outputs and adapting to context, including real-time web inputs. But the bigger story lies in how users are engaging with it.
In India, trends are already taking shape. Popular formats include dramatic studio-style lighting edits, LinkedIn-ready headshots, manga-inspired avatars, soft pastel “spring” aesthetics, AI-led fashion moodboards, paparazzi-style visuals and fantasy newspaper covers. Users are also restoring old photographs, creating tarot-style imagery and experimenting with futuristic design concepts.
Local flavour is adding another layer. Prompts such as cinematic portrait collages and Y2K-inspired romantic edits are gaining traction, blending global aesthetics with distinctly Indian internet culture.
The surge reflects a broader shift in how AI tools are being used in the country, moving beyond utility to creativity. As younger users, creators and social media enthusiasts experiment with new visual formats, AI-generated imagery is increasingly becoming part of everyday digital expression.
If early trends hold, ChatGPT Images 2.0 may not just be a tech upgrade but a cultural moment, giving millions a new visual language to play with online.
