NBA’s Sacramento Kings break ground on new stadium (AFP)

After a decade of uncertainty, the NBA's Sacramento Kings broke ground Wednesday on a new stadium that Indian owner Vivek Ranadive vowed would be a state-of-the-art showpiece. He and Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson -- a former NBA player who championed the team's place in the city -- scooped up ceremonial shovels full of dirt to mark the start of construction on the downtown arena scheduled to open in 2016. "Today is about more than just digging shovels into the ground -- it's about celebrating the start of a new era for this city, the Sacramento Kings and the entire region," Ranadive said. Backers say the project will serve as a major catalyst for economic development for the Sacramento region, generating an estimated 4,000 permanent jobs, 1.6 million new annual visitors to downtown and $11.5 billion in regional economic impact over the next 35 years.