The Year of India in Russia - as 2009 is officially known - has helped India Inc get into a long bear hug with the Russian consumer. They are lapping up everything - from Ratan Tata's marquee cars to Vijay Mallya's whisky.
Danish beer giant Carlsberg is all set to commence production from its 2 greenfield breweries - one each in Aurangabad & Kolkata. Carlsberg together with beer major Heineken is part of the $11 bn global takeover of British brewer Scottish & Newcastle, which has 37.49% stake in Mallya's United Breweries. Heineken is also planning to launch its flagship beer brand Heineken in association with Asia Pacific Breweries. Total beer market in India is valued at 8 million hectolitres.
A communication goof-up between Vijay Mallya-promoted Kingfisher Airlines and its banker saw a cheque of Rs 12,975 bounce, much to the embarrassment of the country's largest private carrier, which promptly arranged a bank draft for the recipient.
These pilots have completed their probation and all endorsements, but the company has decided not to renew their service contracts in view of the huge losses and capacity reduction.
In 2003, the 200-year-old sword was bought with much fanfare by liquor baron Vijay Mallya.
Adrian Sutil, one of the key drivers of the Vijay Mallya-owned Force India, is expecting a top ten finish in this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.
The Rs 3.6-crore (Rs 36-million) payable by Kingfisher in the court would cover the dues for three months -- July, August and September.
Vijay Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines has decided to change its earlier fleet acquisition plan. Though it aims to more than double the size from 66 to 137 aircraft by 2015-16, it does not now plan to induct Airbus 380s.
The employees gathered at terminal-1B and chanted slogans against the airlines' chief Naresh Goyal and Vijay Mallya, the chairman of Kingfisher Airlines. They also vented their ire against the government for not taking any action against the Jet Airways for sacking nearly 1,900 of its employees, mostly probationers and trainees.
Force India will introduce a significant aerodynamic upgrade, including an interim diffuser, in Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix, its chairman Vijay Mallya said. After the double-decker diffuser of Brawn, Williams and Toyota were cleared by FIA, Formula One outfits are in a hurry to ape them and Mallya said Force India too would have an interim diffuser in Bahrain.
Vitantonio Liuzzi has been among the points right from the start of the season and Force India chairman Vijay Mallya now wants the other driver, Adrian Sutil, to follow suit.
Vijay Mallya remembers the raised eyebrows that greeted his decision to retain Vitantonio Liuzzi as the race driver for the 2010 season and the Force India chairman is now pleased as punch after the Italian lived up to expectations within the first two races this year.
Former Red Bull driver David Coulthard on Friday said Force India's stunning show in the second half of the 2009 Formula One season is no fluke and the country should be proud of the Vijay Mallya-owned outfit's spectacular achievements.
Barely a fortnight after it launched international operations and integrated low-cost carrier Simplify Deccan with it, Vijay Mallya-promoted Kingfisher Airlines plans to lay off at least 300 employees, official orders for which are to be conveyed on Monday.
A consortium of Indian public sector banks led by SBI sought a bankruptcy order against embattled liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya during a high court hearing in London on Wednesday as part of efforts to recoup around 1.145 billion pounds in unpaid loans. Mallya's legal team, led by barrister Philip Marshall, argued for the bankruptcy petition to be dismissed because their client was being unfairly pursued by the banks in India and the UK on opposing grounds.
The induction of England batsman Kevin Pietersen and New Zealand's Jesse Ryder, besides Banaglore lad Robin Uthappa, has helped Indian Premier League franchise Bangalore Royal Challengers shed its tag of 'Test outfit' in Twenty20 cricket, says team owner Vijay Mallya. 'Last year our team was called a Test team, but with players such as (Kevin) Pietersen, (Robin) Uthappa and (Jesse) Ryder in the squad now, no one calls it a Test team anymore,' Mallya said.
The double finish in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Sunday ticked all the boxes barring aerodynamics and Force India is just a few refinements away from its maiden Formula One points, owner of the Silverstone-based outfit Vijay Mallya said. Mallya said reliability was his main concern coming into the 2009 session but the Australian Grand Prix dispelled all fears and aerodynamic development is all the VJM02 needed to break the duck.
Chawla was introduced to Hansie Cronje, the late South African cricket team captain, in January-February 2000. It was suggested to Cronje, by Chawla and another person, that he could make significant amounts of money if he agreed to lose cricket matches.
John Beard, a former chief executive of Bacardi Brown Forman, replaces Ashwin Malik, who has led the Glasgow-based company since its takeover.
Beleaguered liquor baron Vijay Mallya on Wednesday announced he will retire as chairman of Sanofi India and will not seek reelection as a director of the drug maker.
Harsh Jain, founder of Dream11, a portal offering world's first fantasy cricket game dwells on his entrepreneurial experience.
Chennai-based Indian driver Karun Chandhok is getting ready to try Force India's driver simulator and is confident of proving his mettle for a Formula One debut next year.
Force India should have chosen an Indian driver to replace Giancarlo Fisichella when the Italian switched to Ferrari to help boost the build up for the nation's inaugural grand prix in 2011, Bernie Ecclestone has said.
Mahatma Gandhi's items, including his pocket watch, a pair of sandals, a plate, a bowl and his rimmed glasses, were sold at an auction by New York-based Antiquorum Auctioneers on Thursday. UB Group Chairman Vijay Mallya reportedly bought the items for $1.8 million.Preliminary reports suggested that Mallya may hand over the items to the Indian government.
The VJM02 will remain the same blindingly fast car, with or without Giancarlo Fisichella, and Adrian Sutil is good enough to score points in the remaining five races of the 2009 season, said Force India chairman Vijay Mallya.
Force India chairman Vijay Mallya says his team's maiden podium finish in the Belgian Grand Prix ranks alongside Royal Challengers Bangalore's final appearance in the Indian Premier League II as two of his best sporting moments.
'Let the bankers take all steps to recover their money.'
Vijay Mallya-owned Force India named 23-year-old Scot Paul di Resta as its test and reserve driver for the 2010 Formula One World Championship. Di Resta, who outshone his American opponent JR Hildebrand in the young driver test at Jerez in December, was unveiled on Tuesday at the Glasgow headquarters of Force India's principal sponsors Whyte & Mackay.
Low-cost carrier Deccan and Vijay Mallya-led Kingfisher Airlines on Wednesday decided to merge and create a single corporate entity to cut down operational costs and accelerate their journey to profitability.
Ranibai Rajaram Chhabria, mother of late Manohar Rajaram Chhabria, has challenged the merger of Shaw Wallace with the UB Group saying she was entitled to a fifth of her deceased son's estate.
Although a merger with low-cost carrier SpiceJet would have made the Kingfisher-Deccan combine the largest carrier in Indian skies, it would have put a huge burden on the Vijay Mallya-controlled carrier's financials, feel experts. SpiceJet's losses have almost doubled to Rs 133 crore (Rs 1.33 billion) this year -- of which Rs 123 crore (Rs 1.23 billion) were incurred in the March quarter -- as compared with last year.
The Vijay Mallya-promoted private airline also reported a decline in its income from operations at Rs 1,352.45 crore (Rs 13.52 billion) for the December quarter, from Rs 1,447.83 crore (Rs 14.47 billion) in the same period previous fiscal.
Low cost carriers have 55 per cent of the market, up from 45 per cent in Q1 last year, and 30 per cent two years back. Does it mean India really is an LCC market? The performance of the airlines also seem to suggest that. While budget carrier Spicejet announced a small profit for Q1, all the big boys in the industry seem to be in trouble.
In a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange, the Vijay Mallya-led firm said its board would meet on July 28 to 'consider issue of further share capital up to Rs 500 crore and matters consequential thereto'.
With a whopping Rs 303.15 crore profit they earned in the year 2007-08, the Indian cricket Board (BCCI) tops the SportzPower Money List rankings for being the most influential sports entity. The rankings have been made on the basis of the entities' financial clout and their influences on sporting arena.
The Silver Jubilee celebrations of the historic 1983 World Cup win will kick-off on Sunday with the re-union of the champion team members for a series of programmes, including a grand felicitation by the BCCI. The BCCI will felicitate the heroes of the nation, who had grounded the mighty West Indies to clinch the coveted Cup at Lord's on June 25 in 1983.
Wants details of Vijay Mallya transactions over 4 years
Bharti Airtel and United Breweries have expressed interest in acquiring, respectively, the Delhi and Bangalore or Mumbai teams in the impending Indian Premier League for Twenty20 cricket matches.
Deepika Padukone, who made her Bollywood debut with Om Shanti Om last year, will lead the annual India Day parade in New York on August 17.
Kingfisher Airlines' plans to raise $400 million are on track and private equity players have showed keen interest in investing in the airline, its chairman Vijay Mallya said on Friday after the annual general meeting in Bangalore.