BUSINESSSaturday, October 28, 2017 9

New Delhi

Sonia Gandhi, the leader of India’s opposition Congress party, cut short a visit

to a northern hill town and was admitted to a hospital in New Delhi yesterday.

The 70-year-old Gandhi is suffering from a stomach upset and has been admitted for observation, the chairman of the Ganga Ram Hospital, D.S.Rana, said in a statement. The Press Trust of India news agency said Gandhi was brought to New Delhi in an air-ambulance from Shimla, where she had been vacationing.

Gandhi has faced past health problems, but her party has long kept a veil over her personal health. She flew to the United States for surgery

in 2011, but the party never provided more than cursory information about her condition.

She has been visiting the United States for regular checkups since then.

In March 2016, she cut short a political rally in northern India due to a high fever and was hospitalized in New Delhi for several days.

Gandhi is the Italian-born widow of slain former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. After his death, she entered politics reluctantly, but led the party to successive election triumphs in 2004 and 2009. Her party lost power to current Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party in 2014. (AP)

- Emmanuel Macron,

India’s opposition leader hospitalized I have one partner in Spain, that’s Prime Minister Rajoy... the rule of law prevails in Spain, with constitutional rules. He wants to ensure they are respected and he has my full support,”

French President

Richard Branson during a discussion with Saudi Crown Prince

© GRAPHIC NEWS* known as Famicom in Japan † Widely derided – Rotten Tomatoes score: 3.7/10Sources: Nintendo, Apple, Super Mario Wiki, wire agencies Pictures: Nintendo, AP

Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo Switch) sees the eponymous Italianplumber return to an open world format for the first time since 2002

MARIO’S ODYSSEY (selective history)

One control: Tap to jump(Mario auto-runs)

Inspired by comic stripcharacter Popeye,

Shigeru Miyamoto(left) creates Donkey

Kong arcade game forNintendo of Japan

featuring Jumpman,later renamedMario in U.S.

Release of Super MarioBros for NES (NintendoEntertainment System)*. Firstside-scrolling 2D platformgame to featureMario

SuperMario Land,launch gameand firstMario title, forGame Boyhandheld

Super MarioBros movie†,starring Bob

Hoskins, JohnLeguizamoand Dennis

Hopper

Mind-bending3D landscapesto explore inSuper Mario3D Landfor 3DShandheld

Mario’s first forayon smartphone.Reviews generallypositive, butcriticised for lackof originality

Marioreceives 3D

makeover withrelease of Super

Mario 64 on N64,his first open worldsandbox game —11.9m units sold

Super MarioSunshine forGameCube,Mario’s second3D sandboxgame — 6.3mcopies sold

ThirdSuperMario 3DsandboxadventureOut: Nov 27

In series departure, Mariogains magic hat Cappy,which he can use topossess enemies

Saudi invests $1 billion in Branson’s

companies

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia intends to invest

$1 billion in Virgin Group space companies, according to billionaire  Richard Branson’sconglomerate on Thursday.

The contract is described as a “partnership on spaceflight, satellite launch and space-centric entertainment,” backed by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. The venture will fuel three Virgin companies – Virgin Galactic, The Spaceship Company and Virgin Orbit – and includes an option for an additional $480 million.

“This partnership with Virgin Group reflects the great strides the Kingdom is making towards our vision for a diversified, knowledge-

based economy,” Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in a statement.

In a post on Virgin’s website, Branson wrote that the investment “is a sign of confidence from the international community” in the three companies, which he emphasized will remain based in the Southwestern U.S.

“We are now just months away from Virgin Galactic sending people into space and Virgin Orbit placing satellites around the Earth,” Branson said.

Branson said last week that he is focused on using  “space to benefit the Earth.”

His space company, Virgin Galactic, has yet to send a manned craft into space —

but that may soon change. He said the spaceship VSS Unity “should be in space in about four months.”

Virgin Orbit is a further endeavor by Branson, which he spun off from Virgin Galactic to build air-launched rockets to send dozens of small satellites into orbit. Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne system is still in development. The company is planning the rocket’s first test flight for early next year, with the system’s  Boeing  747-400 launcher in its final stages of flight testing.

Saudi Arabia’s investment, subject to regulatory approval, would give the country “a significant stake” in the companies, but Branson says Virgin “will remain majority shareholders.” (CNBC)