Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

The Indian link to the Paris Olympic torch

ArcelorMittal, led by Indian entrepreneur Lakshmi Mittal, is behind the manufacturing of the Paris Olympic torch.

The Indian link to the Paris Olympic torch

THE PARIS 2024 Olympic torch, designed by Mathieu Lehanneur, features a notable Indian connection.

ArcelorMittal, led by Indian entrepreneur Lakshmi Mittal, is behind the manufacturing of the Paris Olympic torch.


The Luxembourg-based multinational steel manufacturing corporation announced two weeks ago that its XCarb, made from recycled and renewable sources, is used in the Olympic torches, the Olympic Rings on the Eiffel Tower, and the Paralympic Agitos symbol on the Arc de Triomphe.

ArcelorMittal was established in 2006 after Lakshmi Mittal’s Mittal Steel merged with Arcelor.

Aditya Mittal, CEO of ArcelorMittal, said, “Being an official partner of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games and supplier of the Torch gives ArcelorMittal an incredible opportunity to showcase the beauty, flexibility, and potential of steel.”

The Paris Olympics is also setting a new trend by reusing the torches for the first time, with a significantly reduced carbon footprint. “We think the Games are about sport, but they transcend sport,” Ian Louden, the Head of Brand for ArcelorMittal, told reporters in Paris.

The company previously tied up with the London 2012 Olympic Games, resulting in the ArcelorMittal Orbit designed by British Indian artist Anish Kapoor, reported PTI.

According to Architectural Digest magazine, in designing the torch, Lehanneur drew inspiration from three main themes: equality, water, and peacefulness, reflecting the values inherent in the Olympic spirit.

The torch stands at 70 centimetres tall and weighs 1.5 kilograms. It features a golden ring that separates its smooth top from the undulating bottom.

Lehanneur, a prominent French designer, describes creating the Olympic torch as “a designer’s dream: a dream that only comes true once in a lifetime, like a miraculous encounter with history.”

A total of 2,000 torches have been produced by the world’s second-biggest steel producer for the Paris 2024 Games.

More For You

Brothers deny assaulting police during Manchester Airport brawl

Photo for representation. (iStock)

Brothers deny assaulting police during Manchester Airport brawl

TWO brothers accused of assaulting a man inside a Starbucks and later attacking police officers at Manchester Airport are standing trial, with the prosecution arguing they used "unlawful and extreme violence".

Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, and his older brother Muhammad Amaad, 26, both from Rochdale, are said to have acted aggressively on July 23 last year while at the airport to pick up their mother, who had arrived on a flight from Qatar.

Keep ReadingShow less
Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case
Bhim Kohli

Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case

THE seven-year prison sentence handed to a 15-year-old boy convicted of the manslaughter of 80-year-old Bhim Sen Kohli is to be reviewed under the UK’s Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.

The Attorney General’s Office confirmed on Friday (5) that the teenager’s sentence will now be considered by the Court of Appeal.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama attends a prayer meet held for his long life at the Dalai Lama temple in the northern hill town of Dharamshala, India, July 5, 2025. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

THE Dalai Lama said on Saturday (5) he hopes to live until he is more than 130 years old, two decades longer than his previous prediction, following his assurance to followers that he would reincarnate as the spiritual head of the faith upon his death.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner was speaking during a ceremony organised by his followers to offer prayers for his long life, ahead of his 90th birthday on Sunday (6), and as China insists it will choose his successor. The Dalai Lama told Reuters in December he might live to 110.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK heatwave by mid-July

Daytime temperatures meeting or exceeding set thresholds of 25°C

iStock

Met Office warns of potential third UK heatwave by mid-July

Key points

  • Met Office forecasts rising temperatures by mid-July
  • Possible third heatwave after record-breaking June
  • High pressure system likely to bring hot air from the Atlantic
  • Yellow rain warning and flood alerts issued in parts of Scotland and Cumbria

Possible heatwave to return by mid-July

The UK could experience its third heatwave in a month by mid-July, the Met Office has said. Forecasters expect rising heat and humidity during the second weekend of July, following two weekends of unusually warm weather in late June.

June was officially the hottest on record in England, and the return of high temperatures could mean another heatwave for parts of the country. However, the Met Office cautioned that it is too early to confirm how hot conditions will get.

Keep ReadingShow less
crypto

Two men have been jailed for defrauding investors of £1.5 million through a fake crypto investment scheme. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Two jailed over £1.5m crypto investment scam

TWO people who duped investors of £1.5 million by selling fake investments in crypto have been jailed for 12 years, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said.

Raymondip Bedi, of Bromley, and Patrick Mavanga, of Peckham, conned at least 65 people by cold-calling them between February 2017 and June 2019. They operated companies including CCX Capital and Astaria Group LLP.

Keep ReadingShow less