Pooja Bhatt set to launch Maldives singer

Bollywood actress-turned-filmmaker Pooja Bhat, who introduced Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan in Bollywood with her 2004 movie Paap, is now set to launch Mariyam Unoosha, a singer from the Maldives.

“After introducing Rahat Fateh Ali Khan to India through Man Ki Lagan I will now unleash the sheer brilliance of Unoosha from the Maldives,” Pooja posted on micro-blogging site Twitter.

“Soon, Unoosha from the Maldives will create the same impact as Rahat did. This is not mere assumption. It is absolute conviction + belief,” she added.

Rahat became a household name after singing Man Ki Lagan in John Abraham and Udita Goswami starrer.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com

Maldives wants emissions cuts but not from tourism

By Melanie Lee and Neil Chatterjee

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The Maldives, worried about rising seas from climate change, wants steeper cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions but is unwilling to curb its tourism industry, which is reliant on polluting international flights.

President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, in Singapore promoting his book "Paradise Drowning" at an environmental business summit, said cutting back on tourism was not the answer even though the country's survival was more important than development.

"I don't think it's a viable option for us to cut down on tourism because it's the mainstay of our economy," Gayoom told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.

Tourist arrivals grew 12 percent last year to a record in the Maldives, a chain of Indian Ocean islands known for luxury resorts, expensive honeymoons and world-class scuba diving.

Tourism contributes about 5 percent to global emissions of greenhouse gases, but this is expected to rise as more people take international flights.

Scientists say emissions from jet engines have a much greater heat-trapping effect when released high in the atmosphere than when released at ground level.

This irony was not lost on Gayoom, facing the same problem as major developing countries that do not want any global agreement on emissions to constrain economic growth. The United Nations is leading talks to try to agree a new pact to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, whose first phase ends in 2012.

With the United Nations forecasting aviation emissions to rise by two to five times by 2050, the European Union aims to make all airlines buy pollution permits whether they fly into or out of the bloc.

VICTIMS

"It's up to the business community, the corporate community, to look at alternatives to air travel as it is now -- to have more efficient fuel, alternative methods of fuel consumption, safer methods, greener methods -- we are the victims," Gayoom said.

"For a country like the Maldives, development comes after survival," he said. "I'm not happy at all, because what the international community has agreed so far is not enough to save our country and other low-lying area countries."

A U.N. climate panel has forecast world sea levels are likely to rise by up to 59 cm by 2100 due to global warming.

Gayoom said some of his people could be moved to islands with higher ground but adaptation was not enough and it would cost $6 billion to build sea defences around the tiny Indian Ocean islands -- more than the Maldives could afford.

He said the country was not planning a levy on international tourists to help fund such a scheme, but was considering a trust fund combining government revenues and money from international donors.

The economy, which Gayoom said would grow between 6 and 7 percent in 2008, derives about 30 percent of revenues from tourism. Officials previously forecast 9.5 percent growth this year after 6.6 percent last year and a 19.1 percent post-tsunami boom in 2006.

Gayoom, 70, who has led the Maldives for three decades, said he planned to run in October presidential elections and was confident of adding to his tenure as Asia's longest-serving ruler.

"The introduction of a multi-party liberal democracy in the Maldives is going to be my legacy."

Source: http://in.reuters.com/article/southAsiaNews

Maldives: “Paradise Drowning”, partly due to tourism?

The Maldives has a dilemma — it fears that rising seas caused by global warming could wipe the country off the map but it doesn’t want to restrict tourists who visit the Indian Ocean coral islands in aircraft whose emissions are a cause of climate change.

Read Melanie Lee and Neil Chatterjee’s story about the problem faced by President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who is writing a book about ”Paradise Drowning” but wants to keep the tourist-dependent economy going.

What should countries like the Maldives do?

Ending poverty is the overriding goal for developing nations, but how far should they take part in fighting global warming, caused by people in rich nations on the other side of the world?

Would high green taxes on visitors help? Or would that be just a symbolic pinprick in the problem of global warming that could drive holidaymakers to pick another tropical destination?

What do you think?

Source: http://blogs.reuters.com/environment/

Supermodel pictured as she returns home from Maldives

Kate Moss has been showing off a pair of very knobbly knees.

The supermodel was out for lunch in Soho, London, yesterday with her boyfriend – The Kills star Jamie Hince, 39 – when she was snapped with her bony legs.

The couple have just returned from a holiday in the Maldives.

Kate celebrated her 34th birthday earlier this year. Could it be that age is finally taking its toll on her figure?

Source: nowmagazine.co.uk

Energy Minister welcomes first gas-powered car in Maldives

The Minister of Environment, Energy and Water Ahmed Abdulla has welcomed the fact that Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) was being used to power a taxi for the first time in Maldives.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry, the Minister had met with the owner of the taxi, Gasim Latheef, and the people who had converted the taxi’s engine to be able to use gas, Ahmed Naeem and Mumin Areef of Auto Gas. At the meeting the Minister had said that their work had opened the doors towards producing environment friendly energy and reducing fossil fuel consumption.

The statement said that the Minister had said that the fact that private parties were interested in such endeavors was a very positive and important contribution and promised that the Government would offer whatever aid was needed to develop such actions. The Minister said that Naeem and Areef’s work was of historical significance and would be very beneficial to the Maldives, according to the statement.

The Energy Ministry’s statement also said that they were researching ways to increase the use of gas-powered vehicles and regulate its use.

“The number of gas-fuelled vehicles is increasing all over the world,” the statement said. “This will also have the additional benefits of lowering the cost of oil and bring air-pollution by exhaust fumes to a complete stop. Countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and even other developed countries are now using gas to power their vehicles.”

The Ministry also said that boats and other such sea-going vessels can use LPG.

Source: haveeru.com.mv

Allen dumped by boyfriend

Boyfriend Ed Simons has dumped British singer Lily Allen following her miscarriage.

Allen was devastated after losing their unborn child, and the couple went on a holiday to the Maldives to deal with the grief. But they could not work through their problems and Simons decided to end the relationship, reports said.

A friend of Allen said, "They tried to make things work but couldn't. The miscarriage was a horrible experience for both of them and in recent weeks the mood between them had been really strained. Lily is really upset things haven't worked out for her and Ed. She had talked about settling down for good and having a family."

Source: ndtvmusic.com

Body renaissance: Denise van Outen unveils her bikini body after shedding the pounds

Denise van Outen stripped off for some winter sunshine and revealed her enviable new figure on a beach in the Maldives, after fighting the flab and shedding the pounds.

And she's set to gain a rumoured £1million more when she joins her old presenting partner Johnny Vaughan as his Capital Radio breakfast show co-host.

The Any Dream Will Do judge has undergone something of a physical renaissance after being snapped bulging out of her bikini in Los Angeles over a year ago.

A saggy Denise was snapped with rolls of spare flesh as she lounged poolside, in unflattering photos which clearly spurred her into action.

Now a superslim Denise, 33, sports a taut stomach with not a spare inch of fat on her torso as she frolicked on a beach in the Maldives.

A determined Denise worked hard to get herself back into shape and her efforts soon paid off, as she landed the role of raunchy bisexual Maureen in the West End musical Rent last October after returning from Hollywood.

Her run ended in triumph just before Christmas. But it a new role as a judge in the BBC1 reality show to find a new Joseph, 'Any Dream Will Do', might also account for Denise's radiant new look.

The former Big Breakfast presenter is now dating handsome winner Lee Mead after splitting from actor James Lance, 32, last August.

Denise van recently spoke about her romance with Joseph star Mead, and of her surprise that it has taken so long for everyone to find out that they're an item.

"We kept it quiet – but not that quiet. We were kissing and walking down the street holding hands. He was coming to see me on stage when I was in Rent.

"I couldn't believe no one found out earlier."

She also revealed that her relationship with actor James Lance had come to a rather unceremonious end.

She admits: "I was dumped, I'm not going to lie about it, it happens to everyone."

Denise admitted she made little attempt to hide the fact that she fancied Lee during the series. However she is keen to make it clear that the pair didn't get together until Lee had ended his previous relationship of three years with dancer Kerry Stammers.

Denise said: "I rarely spoke to Lee during the series. There is quite a divide between the judges and the contestants, you have to be professional.

"Also, he had a girlfriend who was at the studio and I would never have gone there, I'm old fashioned like that. They were broken up for three months before anything happened between us.

Now Denise has landed a new job alongside her former onscreen partner Johnny Vaughan, as the pair attempt to recreate their famous chemistry for London's Capital Radio breakfast show.

Denise is reported to have signed a £1million contract to join Johnny Vaughan, 41, as his co-host.

Source: Thisislondon.co.uk

Lily Allen suffers miscarriage

Pop singer Lily Allen has lost the baby she was expecting with Chemical Brothers musician Ed Simons.

The couple announced the pregnancy last December, saying they were “thrilled” but asked for privacy as “the pregnancy is at a very, very early stage”.

Today a spokesperson for Allen said: “We can confirm that Lily Allen has suffered a miscarriage. She and her partner Ed Simons will be making no further comment and we ask that their privacy be respected during this difficult time.”

Allen, 22, had just returned to London after a holiday in the Maldives with Simons, 37, when she suffered the miscarriage. The couple are reportedly devastated.

The singer made her name after posting her music on social networking site MySpace. Today, fans flooded her page with messages of support.

“I'm really sorry for your loss, my thoughts are with you,” posted Connie.

“My deepest sympathy Lily. I’m really sorry to hear the bad news, hope you pick yourself up again soon,” wrote Mike.

Allen is due to release her second album and front a new BBC TV chat show this year.

She has previously said she wants to retire after completing her second album, having watched her film producer mother, Alison Owen, work hard while raising children.

“I love her and think she’s brilliant, but I don’t want to work as hard as she did to provide for us. That’s why I’ve always wanted to make lots of money early on.”

Allen, whose father is the actor Keith Allen, scored a No 1 hit with the track Smile in 2006. Her album Alright Still made it into the top three.

Source: Timesonline.co.uk

Madonna rings in New Year in India

US pop legend Madonna and her film director husband Guy Ritchie rang in the New Year in a remote village in the northern Indian desert state of Rajasthan, reports said.

The 49-year-old singer, her husband and five friends drove to a heritage hotel in Dechu village soon after reaching the historic city of Jodhpur from the Maldives by chartered plane, the Hindustan Times said.

The world's top earning female singer was supposed to travel today to Jaisalmer, famous for its sprawling sandstone fort and undulating sand dunes, the reports said.

Rajasthan, known for its opulent palaces and magnificent forts, is popular among Western celebrities who come to see the state's royal heritage.

Last March British actress Elizabeth Hurley wed Indian businessman Arun Nayar in a traditional Indian-style wedding at an ancient palace in Jodhpur.

“The pop star will be in Rajasthan for five to six days,” the Hindustan Times said, quoting unnamed sources.

Madonna, who lives in London, was also likely to visit Udaipur which features a series of stunning lake palaces.

Her personal security guards arrived in Jodhpur three days ago and tight security was in place at the hotels and areas she was likely to visit during her stay, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

The trip comes days after British newspapers reported that Madonna was to be granted full custody of her adopted son David from Malawi following a glowing social worker's report that described the star as “a perfect mum”.

The singer has a daughter Lourdes, 11, by fitness trainer Carlos Leon and seven-year-old son Rocco with Ritchie. She is now looking to adopt a daughter from Cambodia, British newspapers say.

Source: news.com.au

Global warming linked to stronger hurricanes

Global warming might not be increasing the number of hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin, but there is evidence to suggest it is making the storms stronger.

Speaking to the attendees of the Chamber of Commerce luncheon earlier this month, Cayman Islands Senior Manager for Meteorological Services Fred Sambula said the formation of no individual tropical cyclone could be attributed to global warming.

“So far, there is no reason to believe climate change is affecting tropical cyclone activity,” he said.

There has been increased numbers of tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Basin in recent years – as evidenced by the record year of 2005 – however the increase cannot be directly attributed scientifically to global warming.

A naturally occurring and cyclical event called the Atlantic Multi–decadal Oscillation has been cited as the most likely cause of the recent increase, especially when coupled with other factors known to increase Atlantic Basin cyclone activity, like the La Niña phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean.

The effect of climate change on global tropical cyclone activity was a topic for discussion at the World Meteorological Organisation’s Sixth International Workshop on Tropical Cyclones held in Costa Rica last November, Mr. Sambula said.

A position statement put out by the participants after the workshop pointed out that there seems to be an exception to the relationship between global warming and tropical cyclone frequency in the tropical North Atlantic, where many of the Atlantic Basin storms are formed.

The WMO’s statement said surface temperatures in the tropical North Atlantic Ocean are well established as one of the factors impacting the number of tropical cyclones. Evidence has shown that increasing sea surface temperatures are at least partly caused by global warming.

Because of technological advances and changing reporting techniques, it is difficult to accurately compare hurricane frequency on a historical basis.

Mr. Sambula explained why just counting the numbers of storms recorded now as compared to years past could be misleading. He pointed to the percentages of recorded hurricanes or tropical storms that made landfall before and after the advent of satellites.

Prior to satellite observation of the oceans, 77 per cent of all tropical cyclones made landfall, as opposed to 58 per cent after satellite observation. That disparity could not be possible, Mr. Sambula indicated.

“It seems that before satellite, we were missing a lot of storms that stayed out to sea,” he said.

Between 1900 and 1964, Mr. Sambula estimates two to three tropical cyclones a year went unrecorded because they did not make landfall anywhere.

Prior to satellite, tropical cyclones at sea were primarily recorded by ship reports.

The rise in sea surface temperatures is more clearly affecting tropical cyclones in a different way.

“What we have seen is that when these things do form, they are stronger,” Mr. Sambula said.

One study that was discussed at the WMO workshop showed that between 1975 and 2004 there was a 100 per cent increase in the proportion of major Category 4 and Category 5 hurricanes. Another study showed a small positive trend amounting to about 10 per cent in the frequency of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes over the past 20 years.

The effects of global warming could also be felt in other ways in the Cayman Islands. Arctic polar ice has melted to record lows this summer, and it is now thought there will be no summer ice at all possibly as early as 2030.

Melting polar ice and glaciers could then cause a rise in sea levels, something the low–lying Cayman Islands cannot afford.

There are conflicting scientific opinions as to how much the polar melting would affect sea levels in places like the Caribbean. Some scientists predict a large increase in sea levels resulting from the polar melting, enough to swamp some major cities in the United States and elsewhere.

“There are some islands in the Maldives that have been lost because of rising waters,” Mr. Sambula said.

It wouldn’t take that kind of rise to be dangerous for the Cayman Islands.

“Places like Cayman that are low are at risk to any rise in sea level,” Mr. Sambula said. “If you get storm surge and the sea is already higher, you’re going to get that much more surge.”

Mr. Sambula said the climate is changing quickly.

“Never has there been such a rapid change as in this period of global warming because of the burning of fossil fuels.”

Mr. Sambula thinks all governments should factor global warming and climate change into their long–term planning.

He also thinks the Cayman Islands needs to start thinking now about how to mitigate against rising sea levels.

“I think government should have a scientific policy advisor to consider things like this,” he said

Source: Cayman Islands

Indian movies part of Maldives' first film fest

Male, May 11 (PTI): A number of Indian films including Girish Kasaravalli's 'Dweepa' and Jahnu Barua's "Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara" are being screened at Maldives' first international film festival here.

The South Asian Film Festival Maldives 2007 began on May 8 and several films including "Uttara" by Buddhadeb Dasgupta, "Cyanide" (Kananda) by A M R Ramesh and Nagesh Kukunoor's "Iqbal", are being shown in a film workshop being run concurrently with the event.

The film workshop is being conducted by filmmakers, Anwar Jamal, and Sehjo Singh, and critic Utpal Borpujari on behalf of Film Trust India, which is also curating the festival.

Inaugurating the festival, Maldives' Foreign Minister, Ahmed Shaheed, who underscored the relevance of such events in promoting a people's SAARC. "It is very important that this festival is being held just before the Maldives assumes the SAARC presidency," he said.

Shaheed appealed to filmmakers from the region to create a feeling of understanding and brotherhood by making movies that focus on issues concerning the region and its people.

The festival focusses on the South Asian experience and how it is reflected in narratives or story-telling around the region. The theme covers diversity of experience, narrative and story-line.

Among the other films being screened at the festival are "Swaraaj" (Hindi/Rajasthani) by Anwar Jamal, the documentary "Kol Kathayen" by Sehjo Singh, "Heylaa" and "Futtaru" from the Maldives, Siddiq Barmak's "Osama" from Afghanistan and "Nirontor" from Bangladesh.

Source: The Hindu News