Anant Ambani: World's rich in India for tycoon son's pre-wedding gala
Some of the world's most influential people have arrived in India's Gujarat state to attend a wedding party thrown by Asia's richest man.
Mark Zuckerberg, Rihanna and Bill Gates are among the guests at the pre-wedding gala hosted by Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani for his son.
Anant Ambani, 28, is set to marry Radhika Merchant in July.
Bollywood stars including Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan are also at the three-day event in Jamnagar city.
Mukesh Ambani, 66, is currently the world's 10th richest man with a net worth of $115bn, according to Forbes. Reliance Industries, founded by his father in 1966, is a massive conglomerate that operates in sectors ranging from refining and retail to financial services and telecom.
Anant Ambani is the youngest of his three children, all of whom are on the board of Reliance Industries. The 28-year-old is involved in Reliance's energy businesses and is on the board of Reliance Foundation.
The extravagant pre-wedding event is in keeping with the Ambani family's record of hosting lavish wedding parties.
In 2018, pop sensation Beyoncé performed at Mr Ambani's daughter Isha Ambani's pre-wedding festivities held in Udaipur city. Former US Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry were among the guests at the event.
A Bloomberg report at the time cited sources who put the cost of Isha's wedding at $100m - this was denied by a "person close to the family" who said the bill was around $15m.
The current festivities kicked off earlier this week with an event where the Ambani family served food to the local people in Jamnagar.
Image caption,
Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant at the dinner organised for locals
Some 1,200 guests are attending the pre-wedding party, which is being held in a township in Jamnagar near Reliance's main oil refinery.
Reuters reported that the guest list includes Indian billionaires Gautam Adani and Kumar Mangalam Birla. Disney CEO Bob Iger is also expected to be at the party, which comes days after his company announced a merger of its India assets with that of Reliance.
Zuckerberg, who is on a busy Asia trip, reached Jamnagar on Thursday. Bill Gates, who arrived in India a couple of days ago, had earlier posted a video of himself having tea made by a local vendor - it later went viral.
Others spotted arriving on Friday include cricketers Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo, and BP CEO Murray Auchincloss.
Other guests expected at the Ambani event include BlackRock co-founder Larry Fink, Alphabet chief executive Sundar Pichai, former Canadian PM Stephen Harper, former Australian PM Kevin Rudd and Ivanka Trump.
IMAGE SOURCE,ANI NEWS AGENCY
Image caption,
Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla after arriving at Jamnagar
"The guest list appears to have more RSVPs from global corporate titans than the weddings of Mr Ambani's two older children in 2018 and 2019, underscoring Reliance's growing clout and role as a conduit to the Indian economy for global tech, media and energy giants," Bloomberg wrote.
Among the entertainment on offer are performances by Rihanna and illusionist David Blaine.
Guests are also expected to visit a rescue centre in Jamnagar, which is reportedly home to more than 2,000 animals. According to a planning document seen by Reuters, the dress code for this visit is "jungle
Two Sessions: China says it's open for business - do we buy it? As China's annual parliamentary sitting came to a close after a hectic week of meetings, a glaring void loomed on Monday's final agenda. The National People's Congress is usually capped off by the premier's press conference. But this year, and for the rest of the term, the tradition was mysteriously nixed. Officials said there was no need for it given there were other opportunities for journalists to ask questions. But many observers saw it as another sign of consolidation and control, in what became a running theme for the congress, even as top officials preached openness. The cancellation of the press conference - for the first time in 30 years - effectively diminishes Premier Li Qiang's profile. Though the event was scripted, it was a rare chance for foreign journalists to ask questions and gave the country's second-in-command some room to flex his muscles. In years past, it even yielded so...
Israel Gaza: China condemns US veto of call for immediate ceasefire at UN China has sharply criticised the US for vetoing a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Beijing said the move sent the "wrong message" and effectively gave a "green light to the continued slaughter". The White House said the Algerian-proposed resolution would "jeopardise" talks to end the war. The US has proposed its own temporary ceasefire resolution, which also warned Israel not to invade the city of Rafah. There has been widespread condemnation of the US decision to block Algeria's resolution as fighting continued in Gaza. It was backed by 13 of the 15 members of the UN Security Council - with the UK abstaining. In response to the veto, China's UN ambassador Zhang Jun said the claim the motion would interfere with ongoing diplomatic negotiations was "totally untenable". "Given the situation on the ground, the conti...
US vetoes call for immediate Gaza ceasefire at UN By Nada Tawfik and James FitzGerald The US has vetoed a resolution at the UN demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza after proposing its own draft urging a temporary ceasefire. Washington said the Algerian-proposed resolution would "jeopardise" talks to end the war. In its own resolution the US warned Israel not to invade the city of Rafah. The US has previously avoided the word "ceasefire" during UN votes on the war, but President Joe Biden has recently made similar comments. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Washington's ambassador to the UN, said it was not the right time to call for an immediate ceasefire while negotiations between Hamas and Israel were continuing. Thirteen countries on the on the 15-member body backed Algeria resolution, while the UK abstained. More than a million displaced Palestinians, who represent about half of Gaza's population, are crammed into Rafah after being forced to seek shel...
Comments
Post a Comment