Jo Johnson

Stories by Jo Johnson

Bharti poised for MTN signal

Bharti poised for MTN signal

Rediff.com   3 May 2008

Bharti Airtel, India 's leading mobile operator, said it could "move pretty quickly" if the board of MTN, the South Africa-based telecoms group, puts itself up for sale on Monday.

Camel demand up as oil price soars

Camel demand up as oil price soars

Rediff.com   3 May 2008

Farmers in the Indian state of Rajasthan are rediscovering the humble camel.

Bharti eyes emerging markets

Bharti eyes emerging markets

Rediff.com   30 Apr 2008

Bharti Airtelis looking to buy assets in emerging markets - the latest sign that India 's biggest mobile phone operator could broaden its base. One would see Bharti, which has a market value of $44bn, make a partial tender offer for a 51 per cent stake in MTN. This would allow MTN to retain its listing in Johannesburg and reduce the debt Bharti would need to take on to finance a deal.

India follows China's path with Africa overture

India follows China's path with Africa overture

Rediff.com   9 Apr 2008

India will unveil on Wednesday a "blueprint" for its intensifying engagement with Africa, a symbolic step that reflects New Delhi's anxiety over China's growing influence on the continent and its desire to mimic the close economic and commercial ties forged by Beijing in recent years.

Mills & Boon sets its cap at Indian market

Mills & Boon sets its cap at Indian market

Rediff.com   12 Feb 2008

Mills & Boon has launched its own publishing operation in Mumbai in the expectation that India will rapidly become the world's largest market for romantic fiction outside North America.

Delhi's tentative step into the 21st century

Delhi's tentative step into the 21st century

Rediff.com   1 Feb 2008

The changes afoot in the capital may herald the beginning of the end of India's long infrastructural nightmare.

Gold loses its lustre for Indian families

Gold loses its lustre for Indian families

Rediff.com   17 Jan 2008

"Demand for gold is virtually zero," said Suresh Hundia, president of the Bombay Bullion Association. "People are taking profits and selling their gold back to jewellers for 2.5-3 per cent less than international market prices."

Mattel in war of words over Scrabulous

Mattel in war of words over Scrabulous

Rediff.com   17 Jan 2008

Launched in July 2006 by Rajat and Jayant Agarwalla, brothers in their 20s from Calcutta, Scrabulous has become one of the most popular games played by Facebook members and boasts nearly 600,000 daily active users.

Green activists concerned over People's Car

Green activists concerned over People's Car

Rediff.com   11 Jan 2008

Ratan Tata, chairman of India's sprawling Tata Group, on Thursday will pull the covers off a car that is dividing his country

Faces of enterprise: Ratan Tata

Faces of enterprise: Ratan Tata

Rediff.com   2 Jan 2008

A shy man, he rarely features in the society glossies, drives himself to work in a Tata car and has lived for years in a book-crammed, dog-filled bachelor flat in Mumbai's Colaba district.

Indian IT gears up for US backlash

Indian IT gears up for US backlash

Rediff.com   19 Dec 2007

"It will be a potent combination of a weak economy and an election year," warned Nandan Nilekani, co-chairman of Bangalore-based Infosys Technologies.

Discrimination rife in Indian economy

Discrimination rife in Indian economy

Rediff.com   4 Dec 2007

Male graduates applying for private sector jobs in India are far more likely to progress to the next round if they have high-caste Hindu names than if they have surnames associated with dalit (formerly untouchable) or Muslim origins.

Musharraf must exit both politics and the army

Musharraf must exit both politics and the army

Rediff.com   30 Nov 2007

To salvage what remains of his legacy, Musharraf should as soon as possible let the chairman of the senate take over as an interim president and withdraw from politics

Brands target India's 'orange' men

Brands target India's 'orange' men

Rediff.com   30 Nov 2007

The use of henna as hair dye may be waning as western tastes sweep through the malls and markets of urban India, but it is far from dead in towns and villages.