TRAI starts review of intra-operator charges, mobile tariffs likely to fall in 2009

NEW DELHI: Mobile tariffs may fall in the coming year, as the telecom regulator TRAI on Wednesday started review of various intra-operator charges including for calls landing in each other's network.

Issuing a consultation paper on "Review of Interconnection Usage Charge", TRAI has sought information from all stakeholders on various charges payable by operators to one another for carriage and termination of domestic and international calls.

The new telecom operators, who are yet to start offering mobile services, had opposed the high rate of termination charge of 30 paise a minute and had demanded that it should be lowered to a maximum ceiling of 10 paise.

Termination charge is money paid by an operator to another on whose network the call ends.

TRAI has, however, maintained that termination charge cannot be reviewed in isolation. The whole of IUC, which comprises origination, termination, carriage and transit charges, needs to be looked at.

The new telecom players have said that since most of the calls originate from their networks would be terminated on the network of existing players, payment of 30 paise a minute would leave very little scope for them to offer innovative tariff schemes to their subscribers and would also put pressure on their margins.

Even Department of Telecom had indicated that termination charges need to be lowered, as the cost of building up networks has come down considerably over the last 4-5 years.

Sensex ends in red; traders hope for better 2009

MUMBAI: Snapping a two-day pull-back rally, the Indian stock market benchmarks ended the last trading day of 2008 in the red. Profit booking in banks, oil&gas and realty stocks in later part of the day put pressure on the indices while healthcare, auto and capital goods resisted further fall.

Bombay Stock Exchange’s Sensex closed at 9647.31, down 68.85 points or 0.71 per cent from Tuesday’s close. The index touched a low of 9587.92 and high of 9825.90 intraday. National Stock Exchange’s Nifty ended the day at 2958.10, down 21.40 points or 0.72 per cent from previous close. It touched a high of 3002.65 and low of 2937.35 intraday.

Secondline stocks outperformed the benchmarks. BSE Midcap Index was up 0.59 per cent and BSE Smallcap Index moved 1.31 per cent higher. Among sectors, the BSE Bankex fell 1.29 per cent, BSE Oil&Gas Index slipped 0.98 per cent and BSE Realty Index moved down 0.41 per cent. BSE Auto Index moved 0.95 per cent up, BSE Healthcare Index was up 0.62 per cent and BSE Capital Goods Index moved 0.49 per cent higher.

Biggest Sensex gainers were Satyam Computer (5.95%), Ranbaxy Laboratories (4.43%), Tata Motors (1.89%), Hindalco Industries (1.87%) and Mahindra & Mahindra (1.63%). HDFC (-2.75%), HDFC Bank (-2.02%), ICICI Bank (-2.12%), Reliance Industries (1.5%).

Source: Economics Times

Fashion 2008 2008, AT A GLANCE

Source: The Telegraph

40 years of Ritu Kumar

The grand dame of fashion Ritu Kumar completed 40 years in the business in 2008. From a simple start in Calcutta with two printing tables and some blocks, the House of Ritu Kumar just grew and grew. To celebrate, she came back to where it all began for The Telegraph Weddings in September, and then went on to rock the ramp (picture left) at the HDIL India Couture Week later that month. Priyanka Chopra as the smashing showstopper shared the spotlight with yesteryear supermodels Anna Bredmeyer, Shyamoli Verma and Sonalika Oberoi, all of whom Ritu managed to bring back to the catwalk. The landmark was made even sweeter with the launch of her made-in-France perfume Tree of Life in October. “And the Chevalier Des Arts et des Lettres award from the French government further made 2008 very special for me,” Ritu told t2.

DLF Emporio

The shopping skyline in India hasn’t been the same since August 2008. That’s when DLF Emporio, “Asia’s finest luxury destination” opened doors (picture below). Sprawled over 3.5 lakh sq ft in Vasant Kunj, this mall houses the world’s top design houses. Dior, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo, Versace, Just Cavalli, Canalli, Kenzo, Paul Smith… the luxury list goes on and on. Giving the international biggies company are India’s crème designers: Tarun Tahiliani, Rohit Bal, Suneet Verma, Signature by Satya Paul and many more. If precious price tags aren’t your scene, try a bite at Café E on the mall’s ground floor during your next Delhi trip.

Couture Week

India celebrated haute couture as the country saw the debut of an India Couture Week, supported by Fashion Design Council of India in September this year. It was all about “celebrating Indian crafts and kaarigari” said everyone in unison. Eleven style stalwarts of the country including Rohit Bal, Manish Malhotra, Tarun Tahiliani and Calcutta’s Anamika Khanna were invited to participate in the six-day fashion fest. Hosted in Grand Hyatt, Mumbai, it saw the best of the bling brigade from every camp of the country come together. On the left is a magical moment from Varun Bahl’s show.

Third Fashion Week

First there was one. December 2005 saw the split that gave birth to the second. July 2008 saw another break-up and the coming of a third, when, after a month of rumours, allegations, scandal and suspense, Sumeet Nair and Co announced Delhi Fashion Week at DLF Emporio. For good or bad, it’s too early to tell. But what one can say for sure is that 2008 made sure that the country’s fashion industry would never be the same again. Rival camps, divided buyers, testing loyalties… to heat up matters more, Delhi Fashion Week’s dates coincided with Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week. More designs, much more drama…

It’s been a happy 2008 for the city’s style set. Here are some reasons we smiled:

While the first half of the year was dull, the fashion action rose with the mercury in June. The first big event on the city’s style calendar was on June 20 when drape master Tarun Tahiliani was invited by Ladies Study Group for a talk. And what a talk it was. From how to twist a sari to how not to fall for mass-tige (prestige for the masses), it was a lesson Calcutta needed to learn.

MAC gave Forum a new lease of life in August 2008. The international make-up giant that the world swears by came to Calcutta and has been buzzing since its first day in business on 8.8.2008. After the store’s soft launch, make-up magician Mickey Contractor arrived for its formal opening and shared his top trade tips. Abhijit Chanda and Don have been manning MAC superbly since. The store also saw the launch of Cult of Cherry and Manish Arora’s collections. The Calcuttan’s beauty box has not been the same since.

Lifestyle exhibition Cherry Orchard, also in the same month, went a step ahead to give Calcutta an unforgettable shopping experience. A quick fashion walk-through, hosted by Nina Manuel, showcased the season’s look and kickstarted a mini-shopping fest. The USP: Salvatore Ferragamo. The Italian luxury label’s success in the city proved that Calcutta is ready for more.

August also saw the return of Bridal Asia to Calcutta after a gap of five years. Apart from many Calcutta labels, the marriage mart saw some emerging talent in fashion and jewellery.

The Telegraph Weddings, the one-stop matrimonial solution, took bridal bling to another level in September. The extravagant fashion show that was opened by Ritu Kumar and closed by Manish Malhotra was only a teaser to the shop-till-you-drop experience over three days.

November was as good as August when it came to fabulous fashion. The month began with a bang with Chivas Fashion Tour 2008. While Day One saw a Calcutta connection in Kiran Uttam Ghosh, Day Two belonged to Varun Bahl, Raghavendra Rathore and Shantanu & Nikhil.

November 6 was another important style date for the city. Some of the country’s best talent like Nitin Bal Chauhan, Anuj Sharma, Nachiket Barve and Samant Chauhan took centre-stage at Soho for a fashion show by Inner Wheel Club of Central Calcutta. India’s GeNext loved the taste of the city.

Stylefile 2008 at the Old Bungalow sealed the year. Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Anamika Khanna, Kiran Uttam Ghosh, Shantanu Goenka, Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna, Pankaj Ahuja, Prashant Verma…. The best of the best were there.

Creator of unisex fashions dies

French fashion designer Ted Lapidus, who pioneered the unisex look and safari suit in the 1960s, has died from leukemia, aged 79.

Edmond Lapidus, known as Ted, was the son of a Russian immigrant tailor. He opened his fashion house in 1958.

French film stars Brigitte Bardot and Alain Delon were among the celebrities who popularised his fashions. Military epaulettes were also a Lapidus feature.

His son Olivier Lapidus now runs the label, which includes many accessories.

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy said Ted Lapidus had "democratised French elegance", calling him "the poet of high fashion".

Lapidus died on Monday at a hospital in Cannes, in the south of France.

Source: BBC NEWS

I'm making a film with Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai'

Source: Indiatimes

You seem to have quietly signed a Pakistani actor called Imran Abbas for 'Heera Mandi'.
So quietly that even I don't know about it. I haven't signed anyone called Imran Abbas. I'm not making 'Heera Mandi' right now. It may happen much later. I'm now directing another film with Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai. I'm very excited about the film, and so are they.

What prompted you to sign Hrithik Roshan?
Hrithik and I have been wanting to work together for a very long time. I've always been impressed by his sincerity as an actor. I was waiting for the right opportunity to sign him. Working with Hrithik would be a new and rewarding experience.

You and Aishwarya Rai created magic in 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' and 'Devdas'. Time for a hattrick?
Aishwarya is very special to me. She suits the role in my new film to perfection. When she read the script she was deeply moved. Of course the true friend that she is, she told me she would've agreed to work with me even if I didn't send her the script.

Will this Hrithik-Aishwarya film be your first for an international market in English?
'Black' was in English, too. It's important for me to make my films for our market. But we must take our cinema to the remotest corner of the world. Today the spoken language is no barrier. The spoken language in our country is as much Hindi is as English. I want to capture that feeling of everyday conversations.

You continue to be fearless in spite of 'Saawariya'?
This is the time when filmmakers need to be fearless and experiment with themes. Fearlessness is my biggest asset as a filmmaker. I will continue to make films that come from deep within me. My very first film "Khamoshi: The Musical" didn't do well at all. A lot of people think it's my best work.

There were reports that some actors, like Ranbir Kapoor, don't wish to work with you?
People are writing tragic tales about me every day. They are even deciding what film I'm making and also casting actresses in them... Maybe stories about me sell. But when the misrepresentations go beyond my tolerance, it's time to speak up. The truth is Ranbir and Sonam would be there for me whenever I need them. However, at the moment I'm making a film with Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai.