Kerala to have India's largest mosque

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kozhikode in Kerala will soon have India's largest mosque where 25,000-30,000 devotees can pray at a time. Estimated to be built at Rs 40 crores, the structure measuring 2.5 lakh square feet will push Delhi's Jama Masjid to a distant second when it takes shape.

"The mosque is planned on a 12 acre plot. Eight acres will be set apart for landscaping and host a Mughal-style garden. The main structure will be confined to 4 acres," Shaar-i-Mubarak Grand Masjid architect Riyaz Mohammed told TOI.

The mosque is part of Muslim organisation Markazu-Ssaquafathi-Ssunniyyah's knowledge city complex at Karanthur near Kozhikode. The group's head and Islamic scholar Kanthapuram Aboobacker Musliyar has planned the mosque.

" Markaz Knowledge City will come up on 600 acres of land and will also have an engineering college, medical college and township. It will be based on Islamic traditions," said Mohammed. The mosque will also have a library for Islamic research and conference hall and will adopt the green building concept.

TOI

Sensex falls 135 points in opening trade

MUMBAI: The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex shed 135 points in opening trade on Wednesday amid sustained foreign capital outflows and a mixed trend on other Asian bourses.

The 30-share index, which fell by 261.49 points in Tuesday's session, lost 134.44 points, or 0.76%, to 17,641.26 points in opening trade today.

In a similar fashion, the wide-based National Stock Exchange Nifty index dipped below the 5,300 points level after shedding 39.25 points, or 0.73%, to 5,273.30 points.

Brokers said continued capital outflows by foreign funds and selling by retail investors in the absence of any positive cue dampened the trading sentiment.

In particular, realty, auto, consumer durables and metal stocks were under pressure, which dragged down the broader market.

TOI

India has ordered 37 Boeing Dreamliners

BANGALORE: Boeing said it has a robust order book of 107 commercial planes in India. Out of this, 37 is for the 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

The company did not specify the delivery timeline for the aircraft. However, the company will deliver the first of the 787 Dreamliner aircraft to Air India this year and the date of delivery will be formally announced at the Aero India show that begins in Bangalore on Wednesday. A miffed Air India had slapped a fine of $850 million for delay in the delivery.

The company is betting big on India's defence market, estimated at $31 billion over the next ten years. "Fighter and attack aircraft, missiles and maritime patrol are a big component of this addressable market," Boeing India president Dinesh Keskar said. In addition to offering the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet as part of the medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) offering, Boeing is exploring opportunities to bring C-17 Globemaster III, Apache, Chinook and P-81 to India.

The Seattle-based company predicts 15% annual passenger growth in the country over the next 5 years. "Indian air carriers turning profitable, growth of tier 2 and 3 airports and India becoming a key military spender are the growth drivers," Keskar said. But he raised concerns about spiralling fuel prices and inflation that could be a dampener. "If the fuel price goes up to $110, we are going to have a situation where airlines will have to increase prices. If prices go up, the growth may come down from 15% to 12%," Keskar added.

TOI

Rupee gains 13 paise against dollar in early trade

MUMBAI: The rupee appreciated by 13 paise to Rs 45.35 a dollar, continuing its rising streak for the sixth- -straight session, at the Interbank Foreign Exchange market on Tuesday, supported by higher opening on the stock market and dollar's weakness against other Asian units.

Forex dealers said dollar's losses against other Asian currencies overseas and better opening at the stock markets kept the rupee's sentiment firm.

The rupee had gained 11 paise to close at Rs 45.48/49 a dollar in the previous session on persistent dollar sale by banks and corporates on the back of a weak greenback overseas.

Meanwhile, the Bombay Stock Exchange index Sensex was up by 104.32 points, or 0.58 per cent, to 18,141.51 points in opening trade today.

tOI