A party like no other? Asia’s richest man celebrates son’s prenuptials with a star-studded bash
NEW DELHI — What happens when the son of Asia's richest man is about to get married?
His father throws a three-day prenuptial bash four months before the actual ceremony.
Tycoons from around the world, heads of state, as well as Hollywood and Bollywood stars descended on the small western Indian city of Jamnagar on Friday where billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani is kickstarting a big fat wedding celebration for his youngest son.
The nearly 1,200-person guest list includes pop superstar Rihanna, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Sunder Pichai, Ivanka Trump and Bollywood celebrity Shah Rukh Khan.
All eyes are on Anant Ambani, 28, and his long-time girlfriend Radhika Merchant, 29, who will tie the knot in July. Radhika is the daughter of Viren Merchant, CEO of Encore Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., and entrepreneur Shaila Merchant.
Such festivities keep up with the Ambani family's tradition of lavish and over-the-top parties while displaying the Indian billionaire's economic and political clout
Here is everything you need to know about the family and the bash that captivated the country.
Mukesh Ambani, 66, is currently the world's 10th richest man with a net worth of $115 billion, according to Forbes. He is also the richest person in Asia.
His Reliance Industries is a massive conglomerate, reporting over $100 billion in annual revenue, with interests ranging from petrochemicals, and oil and gas to telecoms and retail.
Under Ambani's leadership, Reliance — founded by his father in 1966 — sparked a telecom price war with the launch of the 4G phone and broadband service Jio in 2016. Today, it has more than 420 million subscribers and offers 5G services. Earlier this week, Disney struck an $8.5 billion deal to merge its India business with Ambani's Reliance Industries, forming a new media giant.
The Ambani family owns, among other assets, a 27-story private apartment building, named Antila, worth $1 billion in Mumbai. It has three helipads, a 160-car garage, a private movie theater, a swimming pool, and a fitness center.
Ambani's critics say his company has flourished mainly because of political connections during the Congress governments in the 1970s and 80s and subsequently under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rule after 2014. They say “crony capitalism” in India has helped certain corporations, such as Ambani's, thrive.
Mukesh Ambani, 66, has started passing the torch to his two sons and daughter. The oldest son, Akash Ambani, is now chairperson of Reliance Jio; his daughter, Isha, oversees retail; and the youngest, Anant — who will wed in July — has been inducted into the new energy business.
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LONDON — The estate of Sinead O’Connor on Monday asked Donald Trump not to play her music at campaign rallies, saying the late singer considered the former president a “biblical devil.”
Trump has played O’Connor’s biggest hit, “Nothing Compares 2 U,” at events as he campaigns for the Republican presidential nomination.
In a joint statement, O’Connor’s estate and her record label, Chrysalis, demanded Trump “desist from using her music immediately.”
It said the Irish singer, who died last year aged 56, “lived by a fierce moral code defined by honesty, kindness, fairness and decency towards her fellow human beings.”
“It was with outrage therefore that we learned that Donald Trump has been using her iconic performance of Nothing Compares 2 U at his political rallies,” the statement said.
“It is no exaggeration to say that Sinead would have been disgusted, hurt and insulted to have her work misrepresented in this way by someone who she herself referred to as a ‘biblical devil.’ As the guardians of her legacy, we demand that Donald Trump and his associates desist from using her music immediately.”
Fiery and outspoken, O’Connor was a critic of the Roman Catholic Church well before allegations of sexual abuse were widely reported, and was open about her mental health struggles.
She was found unresponsive at her London home in July and pronounced dead at the scene. A coroner ruled that she died of natural causes.
O’Connor joins a growing list of artists who have objected to Trump using their songs, including Rihanna, Neil Young, Linkin Park, the late Tom Petty and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler.
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DETROIT — Former NFL player Braylon Edwards stepped in and saved the life of an 80-year-old man who was being attacked in the locker room at a suburban Detroit YMCA, police said Monday.
“If it wasn't for that intervention, we could very easily be talking about someone’s death,” said Jeff King, the police chief in Farmington Hills.
Authorities, meanwhile, filed an attempted murder charge against a 20-year-old man for the incident Friday at the recreation center.
Edwards, 41, said he was “just minding my business” when he heard a dispute about loud music.
“The noise escalates, and then you can hear some pushing and shoving, so you know what fighting sounds like,” Edwards told WDIV-TV. “But once I hear a thud, that’s when I got up and turned around.”
Edwards stopped the assault of an elderly man, who had a severe head injury. The 20-year-old suspect fled on foot before he was captured by police.
“He absolutely saved that man’s life,” King told the Associated Press. “I've been a police officer going on 29 years. When these assaults are ongoing, really bad things can happen.”
The chief said the victim was in critical but stable condition at a hospital Monday.
Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald didn't mention Edwards by name but said: “I commend the witness who intervened, and we will seek justice for this victim.”
McDonald called it a “vicious, senseless attack.”
The alleged attacker appeared in court Saturday and remains in custody on $250,000 bond.
“At the end of the day that’s what you do,” Edwards said of his decision to get involved.
Edwards, a star receiver at Michigan, was a first round draft pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2005. He played eight seasons in the NFL, mostly with Cleveland and the New York Jets.
By Associated Press
