MUMBAI: The US car manufacturer Ford Motor will pull the plug on all its manufacturing plants in Australia by October 2016, after having produced vehicles for over 85 years ?Down Under?.

About 1,200 workers are expected to lose their jobs from the Broadmeadows and Geelong plants, in the state of Victoria.

Ford said its Australian operations had lost 600 million Australian dollars ($580m; ?385m) over the last five years.

The strength of the Australian dollar has made manufacturing more expensive, while sales have been under pressure.

"Our costs are double that of Europe and nearly four times Ford in Asia," Bob Graziano, the chief executive of Ford Australia, said. "The business case simply did not stack up."

He added that "manufacturing is not viable for Ford in Australia in the long-term".

Ford said that it would still import its cars into Australia.

Leigh Diehm from the Australian Manufacturers Workers Union (AMWU) told ABC News that its members in both sites were "devastated by the news".

"We will be sitting down with Ford this afternoon working our way through and talking to our members on the two sites over the coming months and years."

The Australian government last year announced a $5.4 billion fund to support the car industry, including $34 million to Ford to continue production until at least the end of 2016.

Ford began manufacturing in Australia in 1925 with the Model T cars in Geelong.

MUMBAI: Australia?s Flame Distribution is launching a raft of documentaries at the television trade event MipTV next month.

?First Footprints? is a ZDF/Arte/ABC Australia production that tells the previously untold story of the original pioneers of all humankind, a history that began in Australia 50,000 years before modern humans reached America and Europe.

?The Story of Australia? is a Bearcage Production for CCTV 9 China that captures the stunning Australian landscape and people of contemporary Australia. Each aspect of Australian life will be seen through the lives of people like the wildlife ranger in Kakadu, the rodeo rider in NSW and the marine biologist on the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland.

Bearcage has also produced ?Dinosaurs of the Outback? which uses live action and 3D animation to create reconstructions that tell the story of the grand creatures who used to roam the Australian Outback.

?Nothing on Earth?, Jerrycan Film?s follow-up to ?Salt?, follows artist Murray Fredericks on an adventure of extremes in one of the most breathtaking environments on earth - atop a melting glacier on the Greenland Icecap under the solar storms of the Aurora Borealis.

The company?s sales, acquisitions director Fiona Gilroy said, "We have been working closely with these producers over the past few years on all these projects and we are incredibly proud to be bringing them to the international marketplace. To have content of this calibre in our catalogue is a real coup for us."

In addition to these Australian productions, Flame is also distributing content from UK independents. Highlights include BBC?s ?The Farm Fixer? which Flame has already sold to SBS Australia, Choice TV New Zealand and TV2 Denmark.

MUMBAI: Former Australian cricket player Brett Lee will help push Australian tourism in India as a part of the ?Friends of Australia? advocacy program by Tourism Australia.

As part of his first stint as a Friend of Australia, Lee welcomed more than 70 of India?s leading travel agents in Melbourne with a personalised tour of the Melbourne Cricket Ground and dinner at the cricketing stadium to share his career highlights. The agents participated in a six?day India Mega Familiarisation and Workshop (IMFW) being hosted in Australia until 6 September.

The programme was jointly hosted by Tourism Australia and Tourism Victoria and it was the second time this business event was held in Australia. India represents a major visitor market for Australia and Victoria in particular. The participants will also visit a number of other Australian states as part of the familiarisation visit.

Lee who recently retired from international cricket is a popular figure in Indian sports and culture, during both his cricketing career representing Australia and playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL), in addition to his music pursuits and growing his Mewsic Foundation in India.

Tourism Australia managing director Andrew McEvoy said, "India is a market that continues to deliver steady growth for Australian tourism and we are delighted to have someone of Brett Lee?s calibre to further raise the profile of Australia in India and to help us best align to our year 2020 target to secure higher visitor growth from this rising market."

India is currently Australia?s 10th largest tourism market, worth Australian $0.8 billion in 2011 and delivering 152,000 visitors in the last financial year to 30 June 2012.

McEvoy said, "India has great long term potential for Australian tourism and we continue to support its development via our recently launched India Strategic 2020 Plan to grow the Indian visitor market to Australia. Brett Lee has a huge profile in India, but also possesses deep credibility by demonstrating a high level of engagement and embracing Indian culture, as a result of his stellar cricketing career and ambassadorial and charity work in country. We are thrilled to have his support to tell more Indians why they should visit Australia for their next long haul holiday."

Lee said, "Having travelled to India some 60 plus times, I now look forward, as a Friend of Australia ambassador, to encouraging Indians to visit this wonderful country and experience all that Australia has to offer."

The travel agents and tour operators participating in the familiarisation visit are among the top sellers of Australian holidays in Mumbai, Delhi and other major secondary cities in India. During their time in Australia they have already experienced Sydney and the Hunter Region (NSW), the Gold Coast (Queensland), Perth and Fremantle (Western Australia), and will now disperse throughout Victoria.

Following the Melbourne leg of their visit, where they are meeting with Australian tourism product suppliers, a number of agents will also visit The Whitsundays, Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef (Queensland), Adelaide, the Barossa Valley and Kangaroo Island (South Australia).

MUMBAI: The Indian Premier League (IPL) player auction, which will see 183 players from countries like England being auctioned to franchises, will take place in Bangalore on 4 February.

The proceedings, to start at 11 am, will air live on Max, the official broadcaster of the IPL.

The IPL Governing Council has shortlisted 183 players for the upcoming auction, including 25 Zimbabweans. England off spinner Graeme Swann has the highest reserve price of $400,000.
 
James Anderson and Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson were placed in the $300,000 bracket. Former Australian spinners Brad Hogg and Stuart MacGill and former Pakistan all rounder Azhar Mahmood have attracted reserve prices of $100,000.

The auction will be conducted by Richard Madley, a professional auctioneer from England who has conducted each of the previous IPL player auctions.

IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla said, ?Fans of the sport, based in India and elsewhere, will be following the happenings with a lot of interest. The auction sets the stage for what promises to be an absorbing fifth season of the tournament. The developments during the first trading window have given us an idea of the varied pproaches that the teams have adopted for the forthcoming season. The Auction will give us a deeper insight into the same.?

The opening match of IPL 2012 will take place on 4 April in Chennai.

MUMBAI: The travel and lifestyle channel TLC is set to launch a new cookery show, Donna Hay: Fast, Fresh, Simple with Australian cookbook author Donna Hay on 1 January.

The 13-part series will air every night at 10 pm.

Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific - South Asia Sr VP and GM Rahul Johri said, "TLC has always pioneered unique concepts in food programming, whether it is with Nigella Lawson or Kylie Kwong. This new series with Donna Hay will add a new dimension to food shows on television and we are sure that our viewers will love it."

In the programme, the cook will show how her approach to preparing meals can deliver big results in the minimum amount of time. Putting a new spin on old favourites with a mix of fresh and store bought ingredients, Donna will share with viewers her tips and tricks for creating fast and simple dishes.