Maldives' Nasheed arrested, India calls for 'restraint'

New Delhi, Wed Mar 06 2013

Just 10 days after former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed left the Indian high commission after seeking refuge there for 11 days to evade detention, he was arrested on Tuesday. New Delhi, which was caught unawares by the sudden turn of events in Malé, said it "expects due process and rule of law would be followed".

"Nasheed has been arrested. He will be in police custody and will be presented before the court at 4 pm tomorrow," Masood Imad, press secretary to President Mohamed Waheed, told PTI.

Nasheed was taken into custody after the Hulhumale magistrate's court ordered the police to produce him in court for a hearing Wednesday for his trial over the arrest and subsequent detention of chief criminal judge Abdulla Mohamed during his presidency.

Nasheed was picked up from his house by several dozen police wearing balaclavas and black riot gear, with some armed with rubber bullet guns. The arrest led to protests by Nasheed's supporters who also indulged in violence.

Read more at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/weak-india/1083783/

India Announces Its First Solar City To Protect Taj Mahal

cleantechnica.com, March 6, 2013, Chris Milton

The Indian city of Agra, former capital of the Indian subcontinent and home of the Taj Mahal, is to become the country’s first solar city.

The Indian government’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has approved plans to build 2,000 kWp of capacity in the city, around 10% of it’s current consumption, which will come from a variety of sources. These include over 1.5 million gallons of heated water per day, 6400 solar street lights, 4600 solar cookers, and 20 solar traffic lights.

The overall budget for creating India’s first solar city is estimated at $100 million, of which 70% will be shouldered by the private sector and 27% by the government. This includes both the installation of renewable energy technologies and the introduction of complimentary energy efficiency schemes.

Over 30% of the planned energy savings will come from installing solar water heating into homes while another 35% will come from domestic energy efficiency measures like phasing out incandescent light bulbs and upgrading air conditioning and refrigeration units.

Read more at http://cleantechnica.com/2013/03/06/india-announces-its-first-solar-city/#MFCMRfwLZKjbARXi.99 

Prakash Padukone with daughter Deepika

A great father with his daughter.

Beti B gets 54 Cr gift from parents

 
The Bachchan toddler seems to have all the luck in the world. After her parents bought her a MINI Cooper, Aaradhya's latest acquisition is located in Dubai and is a property worth Rs. 54 crore. Wonder what's next on the list for this young 'un. Her own private island perhaps?

Source link: http://in.omg.yahoo.com/photos/aaradhya-s-first-birthday-to-be-private-slideshow/

Westland gives Amish Tripathi Rs 5 crore as advance

In what is being touted as the biggest advance paid to an Indian author by a home-grown publishing house, Westland has given Amish Tripathi, author of the Shiva trilogy, Rs 5 crore — close to $1 million — as an advance for his next series. 

With five lakh copies of his mythological fantasy 'The Oath of the Vayuputras' sold within a day of its release earlier this week, Amish has become the new "literary popstar" as Shekhar Kapurdescribed him. Westland, which published the trilogy, is paying up the big fat advance even though the writer hasn't decided what his next book will be about. 

"We made the deal based on Amish's sales record," says Gautam Padmanabhan, CEO of Westland. "It's a pre-emptive bid of Rs 5 crore for the book, audio and e-publishing rights to his next series for the south-Asian region. It's the largest advance we've ever paid, and the largest Indian deal." 

Amish was a banker before the success of his second book prompted him to quit and become a full-time author. "It's been a crazy last few days," said the writer, during a break between book-signing events that had queues of delirious fans dressed up as Shiva and chanting 'Har Har Mahadev'. 

Previous advances that made waves are a reported £1million (approx Rs 8 crore) for the worldwide rights to Vikram Seth's sequel to 'A Suitable Boy', and a Rs 97 lakh-payout for seven of historian Ramachandra Guha's books, both by Penguin. In 2007, Amitav Ghosh reportedly received about Rs 55 lakh for his Ibis Trilogy, and Nandan Nilekani Rs 25 lakh for 'Imagining India'. Last year, Random House India is said to have paid more than Rs 50 lakh for cricketer Yuvraj Singh's autobiography. Celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar, entrepreneurship expertRashmi Bansal and thriller writer Ashwin Sanghi are also rumoured to get high advances. Rupa's Chetan Bhagat, with sales of more than one million copies for each of his titles, is another high earner. 

"Amish's advance is only for the south-Asian rights, which means it could turn into a $4 million deal by the time we finish with film, foreign and translation rights," says Amish's agent Anuj Bahri of Red Ink Literary Agency. Incidentally, Bahri helped publish the first of the trilogy 'The Immortals of Meluha' after it was rejected by more than 20 publishers. He admits the advance is large but says it makes sense considering the Shiva Trilogy has sold more than one million copies over two years and notched up gross retail sales of Rs 22 crore. 

Calculated risk 

Most authors receive a chunk of money before the manuscript is delivered and it is set off against royalties. Kapish Mehra, MD of Rupa, which publishes Chetan Bhagat, says advances have risen because the possibility of sales has. "An advance is a direct multiple of expected sales," he says. "It's a calculated risk a publisher takes based on the author." 

Advances range from Rs 30,000 to tens of lakhs, depending on the author's writing, experience, brand value, and sales record. The calculation is usually a multiplication of MRP, royalty percentage and expected sales, but the amounts have been rising rapidly in the last five years with debut authors demanding — and getting — up to a lakh due to competitive bidding. By regular market standards, Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh are high advances. 

Saugata Mukherjee, publisher, Pan Macmillan India, which was also offered the series, describes Amish as a "safe bet" but says the amount is "mind-boggling" by Indian standards. "I thought it was unwise and too much of a risk. The market hasn't been the best over the last few years, so Rs 5 crore is astronomical. Agents have been working hard to get publishers to pay upfront, but advances put a lot of pressure on the publishing house," he says. Sales of Amish's books would have to be more than double for the publishing house to make its money. 

Putting a lot of money on an author is a gamble, but publishing houses often take it to retain a star author, poach one, or buttress its list. The risks sometimes come a cropper: A couple of years ago Penguin paid a seven-figure advance for the rights to debut author Sarita Mandanna's TigerHill but it bombed and got lukewarm reviews. "Sometimes you don't recover your advance but you have faith in the author or you want them on your list so you sign," says Mukherjee. 

Publishers are quick to say large advances are not a trend. "Amish is a breakaway and Meluha is an exception," says Karthika VK, publisher and chief editor of Harper Collins India. "The Indian market is not booming because one author has got such a large advance. The reality is that it's a tough market though it is growing steadily in a few segments," she says. 

Padmanabhan of Westland says large advances are a sign of a market maturing. "We couldn't have dreamt of such sales figures three years ago," he says. "But the market is expanding and we don't know the top end yet."

Story link: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Shiva-grants-author-Amish-Tripathi-1-million-boon/articleshow/18770497.cms 

Zambian open window gave restaurant lift-off

Sylvia Banda is one of Zambia's most enthusiastic champions of local food and has been using her business, Sylva Professional Catering, to promote her cause. By purchasing her ingredients from regional, small-scale farmers, she showcases the country's bounty to the upscale clientele who employ her catering services.

Based out of the University of Zambia's Great East Road campus in Lusaka, the capital, Mrs Banda is promoting healthy eating, and all the while training a new generation of food service professionals who she teaches the merits of quality, ethical behaviour, professionalism, innovation, service orientation, and personal drive.

She started her business from scratch 27 years ago. At the time, she was employed by the government as a teacher.

She asked for 10 days' leave without telling her boss what she was going to do. "I did not want to tell my husband, Hector, that I was going to start a business because I did not want him to discourage me," she told the BBC's series African Dream.

"When we talked about it a bit before, he was suggesting that I look for someone to employ, and then me, I can just be going there to supervise and see how that person is working, and I didn't want that," she explained.

So, after her husband left for work next morning, she packed some food that she had at home, took her cooking utensils and cutlery, and called a taxi to go to the place where she had decided to open her first restaurant. "After sweeping and cleaning the place, I switched on the two-plate cooker and I got my new pan, I put the cooking oil, then I chopped the garlic, the onions, the green beans… then I started frying them, bit by bit."

Instead of going around the neighbourhood to advertise her new business, she left that to the food's aroma. "I opened the windows and I opened the door, and I could see the smoke fighting, going out, the steam… a few minutes later, people started coming."

Read on following the BBC Africa Dream story link below.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21551608 

Dog 'saved life' of missing Polish girl

  

Firefighters in Poland say a small dog probably saved the life of a three-year-old who went missing from her home overnight in freezing temperatures.

The child, Julia, vanished on Friday and was found lying in marshes several kilometres from her house on Saturday morning, with the dog by her side.

She is now in hospital in western Poland, suffering from frostbite after temperatures fell to -5C (23F).

Firefighter Grzegorz Szymanski said the dog kept the child warm enough to live.

"For the whole night the animal was with the girl, it never left her. Remember, it was 5 degrees below zero and the child was wet," he said, adding that the animal was the most important factor in the girl's survival.

More than 200 people had searched for the child overnight. It is thought she spent hours wandering through the forest near her home in the village of Pierzwin.

Her parents had last seen the three-year-old playing in the backyard with the small black mongrel.

She was eventually discovered by firefighters after she was heard crying for her mother.

Story link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21643100 

Louisiana man claims ex-girlfriend 'stole sperm'

A man is suing a clinic in the US alleging his ex-girlfriend stole his sperm and used it to get pregnant, according to US media reports.

Layne Hardin says Texas Andrology Services handed over the vials to Toby Devall without his permission.

Mr Hardin's lawyer said Ms Devall had "bluffed" her way to getting the sperm before being inseminated at a fertility clinic. The clinic has not commented.

The child is now two years old and Mr Hardin may have to pay child support.

He told local TV he wanted "to throw up, cry, pass out" after finding out.

The case is not the first of its kind. In 2011, Joe Pressil of Texas sued his ex-girlfriend and a fertility clinic, claiming she used his sperm to get pregnant without his permission.

Story link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-21641073 (2 March 2013)

The babies who nap in sub-zero temperatures

 3 March 2013

Daytime temperatures this winter in Stockholm have regularly dropped to -5C (23F) but it's still common to see children left outside by their parents for a sleep in the pram.

Wander through the snowy city and you'll see buggies lined up outside coffee shops while parents sip on lattes inside...

Read more at BBC: The babies who nap in sub-zero temperatures (22 Feb 2013)