Pepsico to cultivate seaweed in coastal Gujarat, India

Pepsico India Holdings Pvt Ltd, makers of the Pepsi-range of soft-drinks and snacks products, would soon start cultivating seaweed along the coastal areas of Gujarat and set up a plant next year to extract its by-products like jelly and some organic growth nutrients to increase the growth of crops in rain-fed farms in India.

This is going to be the second such plant in India, the first one being at Mandapam in Tamil Nadu.

As in Tamil Nadu, the Gujarat project would also be a woman-dominated activity. They would get jobs in their local habitat with flexible working hours and may earn Rs 4,000 to Rs 6,000 a month.

Seaweeds are used in many maritime countries for industrial applications and as a fertiliser. The major utilisation of these plants as food is in Asia, where seaweed cultivation has become a major industry.

Seaweeds are found throughout the world's oceans and seas and none is known to be poisonous.

This is a case of Pepsico making money while discharging a social responsibility to the community in which it operates.

Yusuf Islam returns to music

Yusuf Islam formerly known as Cat Stevens with wife Faezia at the "Adopt A Minefield" Benefit Gala at Swissotel Neuss in Dusseldorf, Germany. (05/30/2005). Photo Credit: Splash News


Yusuf Islam has given a comeback live performance at the launch of The Fortune Forum Club in London on September 26.

The singer-songwriter, who was influential in the folk rock movement of the ‘60s and ‘70s, has played for an audience that includes former US president Bill Clinton, Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson as well as the famous acting couple, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The Fortune Forum club raises money for global poverty.

Yusuf later said that he would never have agreed to the gig if Bill Clinton was not involved. He had quit the music industry two years after he embraced Islam in 1977.

"Bill Clinton is one of the good things we miss about America. I remember being little and dreaming of the things this world offers. I promised myself if I got them I was going to give back," Contactmusic quoted him as saying.

On his return to the music world, the world's most famous convert to Islam said in a press release, “I feel right about making music and singing about life in this fragile world again.”

He will release his first pop music album in 28 years in November this year.

The first blogger from space

Her name is Anousheh Ansari, an American businesswoman, who has become the first female space tourist. Previously there have been male tourists to space, but she's the first person to blog from space.

Ansari who holds a master's degree in engineering has given some candid insights about her space adventure through her space blog.

On September 12, she writes, She was born in Iran and at the age of sixteen had migrated to the United States with her family. She had a dream.. She's certainly living the American dream in the land of dreams which provide the best opportunities to realize your dreams. She's worked hard and is an inspiration to anyone who sees the sky as the limit.

The price of her 10-days dream is $20 million. Only a privileged few are going to realise this dream but as Ansari has experienced it is truly an amazing journey, unfathomable when you grounded on this earth.

Clinton takes a coffee break

In London for a speaking engagement, former US president Bill Clinton who is a regular visitor to the Starbucks chain in his home town of Chappaqua, New York, may have been feeling the need for a little taste of home.

For as well as his coffee, he enjoyed one of the US chain’s sandwiches. Dressed in a bright red polo shirt and a zip-up bodywarmer, the 60-year-old statesman looked relaxed while two security guards kept watch outside.

Earlier he delivered a lecture to political enthusiasts who had paid up to £300 per ticket to hear him speak at the Royal Albert Hall. Bill Clinton charmed his audience in a wide-ranging talk ranging from climate change and global poverty to the unifying power of the internet while presenting his vision of political leadership in the 21st Century.

Greenhouse gas scare rises again

Scientists have put up the red flag. Research published in "Nature" this week, shows that the levels of the greenhouse gas methane will rise sharply in the next few years, warming the planet faster than previously expected.

Since 1999, levels of methane from human activity have been rising in Asia, consistent with a surge in coal usage in China.

Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide and is estimated to have been responsible for a fifth of the enhanced greenhouse effect over the past 200 years.

Cultures clash in custody battle

The 12-year-old girl at the centre of an international custody battle, must grow up in a country where the preservation of her chastity will not be jeopardised, a court in Pakistan was told yesterday.

The girl,Molly, who prefers to be known by her Muslim name, Misbah Iram Ahmed Rana, vanished last month from her mother’s home in the Outer Hebrides, prompting an international police hunt.

She has resurfaced in Lahore, Pakistan and she is reunited with her father. She claims to have left her mother, her legal guardian and went to Pakistan voluntarily.

Her Pakistani father Sajad Ahmed Rana said that people in Britain lived a lifestyle that “condones and even encourages sexual promiscuity. This is repugnant to the injunction of Islam.”

Islamic convention meant that a girl who was “near puberty” must be placed in a social environment where the preservation of her chastity could be ensured, he said.

In response to remarks by Misbah's mother that she was taken to Pakistan illegally,Mr Rana has sought to portray the dispute as a battle between cultures, and has pointed to his former wife’s alleged drinking and drug taking. He has also criticised her for having a baby with a man to whom she is not married.

Tobacco firms come under fire

A case charging tobacco firms of misleading smokers into believing that low tar or "light" cigarettes are not as adverse as regular cigarettes has proceeded into a class action suit in the United States.

Insiders surmise that the tobacco industry could incur an up to $200 billion expense.

The defendants include Philip Morris, RJ Reynolds and British American Tobacco joined by Lorillard Tobacco and Liggett Group.

Tobacco investors are closely watching the suit as it is one of the industry's more important remaining legal risks.

The tobacco companies are being forced to cut out the spin and come clean on the dangers of smoking.

A US District Court decision on August 17, 2006, ruled that tobacco companies could no longer use terms like "'low tar,' 'light,' ultra light,' 'mild' or 'natural'", which they declared to be misleading. Beginning in January 2007, these product names can no longer be used.

The dangers of a 'light' cigarette is no less than any other. This is a phony method to lure younger and unsuspecting customers into taking up this deadly habit. The tobacco companies knew the link between smoking and lung cancer since it was first confirmed in 1954.

Liberalism and Conservatism-

Liberalism is trust of the people tempered by prudence. Conservatism is distrust of the people tempered by fear.

William E. Gladstone

Islamic finance is riding high

Islamic Finance is based on interpretations from the Qur'an. Its two central tenets are no interest can be earned on loans and socially responsible investing.

In the Western financial tradition there are many investors who invest in "socially responsible" means, but the socially responsible concept of investing is not as wide spread as it is within the Islamic tradition.

Islamic finance is rapidly prospering around the world owing to an influx of oil money from the Middle East and increasing demand by investors, both Muslim and non-Muslim.

The Islamic finance sector, compatible with Sharia law based on the Koran, is now worth between US$300 and US$500 billion (237 and 394 billion euros), economists estimate, compared with US$200 billion two years ago.

Islamic retail banks and investment funds now increasing and financial institutions in non-Muslim countries, including Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Lloyds TSB and UBS, are choosing to offer products that are compatible with Sharia law.

Here is BBC's Q&A about islamic finance, for a better understanding.

Essentials of entrepreneurship

• So what is entrepreneurship all about?

1-It is all about hard work and applying your mind properly.
2-It needs complete dedication to your ideas and putting your best efforts into them.
3-It is going to bed thinking about the idea and waking up in the morning thinking about it.
4-It is a field where you need constant attention at every detail.
5-It is about driving yourself: If you are a professional, your boss will remind you that you are not working, if you an entrepreneur you have to remind yourself.
6-It is about convincing others about your ideas too: You have to get the full support of your family and friends to succeed.
7-It is about networking: Being an entrepreneur also means that you have to be constantly in touch with clients, customer and business partners at close quarters.
8-It is about leadership: You should know how to be a leader and add value to the leadership with your ideas.
9-It is about confidence: You have to live with the conviction that even if things don't work out in the initial stages, later on everything will be in place and you will emerge a winner.

The Clinton summit continues to shine

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton secured nearly $2 billion in commitments on Wednesday during meetings which took place on the sideline of the United Nations general assembly.

This is the second year that president Clinton has invited world leaders, business leaders and other prominent individuals seeking their commitment and inspiring action in his Clinton Global Initiative.

The CGI is attempting to tackle a variety of global problems after brainstorming with some of the world's richest and most influential people.

The pledges to combat illness, poverty, religious and ethnic conflict and climate change were made during the first day of the second annual Clinton Global Initiative in New York, which last year raised a total $2.5 billion over three days.

When some of the world's best brains come together in order to discuss crucial issues pertaining to the development of the planet and to identify innovative solutions for the big problems of humanity, it opens the path to real progress.

Among those helping generate ideas and money at the summit were billionaire businessmen Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Richard Branson and 50 current and former heads of state, along with entertainer Barbra Streisand.

One of the first to make a pledge this year came from US First Lady Laura Bush who announced a major commitment from the US government and two private foundations to bring clean water to sub-Saharan Africa.

British billionaire Sir Richard Branson (in image) pledged to commit $3 billion over the next 10 years to help combat global warming. All profits from the airline and rail businesses of the Virgin Group (that he founded) would be spent on combating global warming, he said.

Another coup d'etat in coup-ridden Thailand

This is democracy in action in Thai style. The Thais are generally peace-loving people in this predominantly Bhuddist-dominated country.

Coups are nothing new to Thailand, but many hoped that after 14 years of uninterrupted civilian rule, the days of revolving door military regimes might finally be over.

Many believed that Thailand's economic and political maturing meant that coups were outdated in this age of globalization.

In recent months, however, mass protests and an impasse over flawed elections have thrown the country into its worst crisis since the last army takeover in 1991.

In Thailand, politics has been dominated by rival military-bureaucratic cliques headed by powerful generals. These cliques have initiated repeated coups d'etat and have imposed prolonged periods of martial law.

Parliamentary institutions, as defined by Thailand's fourteen constitutions between 1932 and 1987, and competition among civilian politicians have generally been facades for military governments.

Gen Sondhi, the first Muslim army commander in Thailand, was appointed to the army's top post last year with a mission to deal with an Islamic insurgency in the country's south. Now he has dismissed the country's prime minister and taken charge of the country as acting prime minister.

Is the World Bank itself corrupt?

Fighting corruption is an essential part of overcoming poverty, World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz said on Monday, but he acknowledged that donors should not penalise poor people for the abuses of their leaders by withholding aid.

Wolfowitz, who has championed fighting corruption since becoming chief of the bank last year, has come under fire from Britain and several African nations for blocking more than £500million in aid to either countries believed to be involved in illegal activities or such projects where there reports of graft.

According to the World Bank, £500billion in bribes change hands worldwide every year.


As this article states, the World Bank cannot really occupy the moral high ground when it comes to corruption for the World Bank is itself a fundamentally corrupt organization because it lives off taxes and taxes are extorted funds, collected coercively by governments that threaten to rob people of everything if they fail to pay up.

It appears that whatever efforts that the IMF/World Bank has made to reduce poverty has helped to enrich various crooked leaders while leaving the poor just as they were.

"Kisses for My President"

This is the 1964 film about the story of a married American woman who is elected as the US President.

This would be quite a giant leap for the feminist cause. America is a country that provides equal opportunity, regardless of whether you are a man or woman. But so far it hasn't elected a woman president and most of the corporate CEOs and politicians are still men.

The first woman commander-in-chief in "kisses for my president" gets pregnant who then decides to leave the presidential home and goes to live in her own home.

The latenight humour shows would be having a field day, rediculing and poking fun on the president.

When the president gives birth, the hospital would announce "madame president and the baby are both doing fine."

India unhappy with World Bank

India on Monday lashed out at the World Bank for over-emphasis on issues of governance and corruption, which it said cannot replace the core of the development agenda, crucial for the uplift of millions of poor and downtrodden in developing and emerging economies.

India's Finance Minister P.Chidambaram said that since the scale of the development challenge facing the world was "daunting", the Bank as an institution needed, more than ever before, to focus on where it can actually make a difference.

Mr. Chidambaram is a highly respected financial guru and he knows what he is talking. Fighting corruption in developing countries is no less a daunting task. India has to take the bull by the horns and fight to eradicate corruption.

An extraordinary mea culpa by the Pope

The pope is the spiritual head of the Catholic Church and he is also the Head of State of the Vatican City, and independent city state nation enclaved by Rome in Italy.

The pope on Sunday apologised in person for the angry Muslim reaction to his comments on Islam. Pope Benedict XVI said that his quote from a 14th century Christian Byzantine emperor did not reflect his personal opinion.

Many people have described that the pope's public apology is something unheard of in a pontiff's living memory.

Just minutes after saying he was "deeply sorry" to the Muslim world yesterday, the Pope quoted from St Paul on the meaning of the cross. Speaking in Italian he cited Paul, saying "we preach the crucified Christ - a scandal for the Jews, a folly for the pagans".

Jewish representatives expressed surprise. Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain, a member of the board of the Council of Christians and Jews, set up to counter prejudice between religions and races, said: "The Pope has every right to quote his own holy texts, but it may be unwise in the current climate to choose those which relate to other faiths."

E-coli outbreak blamed on spinach

The US Federal health officials worked Friday to find the source of a multistate E. coli outbreak linked to bagged spinach and warned consumers that even washing the suspect spinach won't kill the sometimes-deadly bacteria.

One person died and dozens of others were sickened in the nine-state outbreak, linked by Food and Drug Administration officials to bagged spinach.

The Food and Drug Administration or FDA warned people not to eat bagged spinach and said washing it wouldn't solve the problem because the bacteria is too tightly attached.

Thorough cooking can kill the tenacious bug.

The outbreak has been traced to Natural Selection Foods, based in San Juan Bautista, California, and the company has voluntarily recalled products containing spinach.

Supermarkets across the USA pulled spinach from shelves and consumers are discarding out the leafy green.

IMF predicts tough times for Asia

IMF is making all the right noises without saying that the global economy is heading for a financial crash. It is saying that Asian economic growth faces increased risks next year, including a likely slowdown in the U.S. economy, although the region will probably emerge largely unscathed amid strong growth in China and India.

The IMF also said that rising income inequality in Asia threatens to undermine the sustainability of the region's growth.

The widening income gap is becoming a political issue in the region. In Japan, the opposition blames the economic policies pursued by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for the worsening inequality between the rich and poor. South Korea's President Roh Moo Hyun has pledged to narrow the gap by spending on job creation and social welfare.

The latest burst of growth in Asia has been driven by technological change, which tends to favor skilled workers and exacerbates inequalities.

Instead of redistributing wealth via the tax system, the IMF recommended governments lift spending on education to increase the number of skilled workers able to benefit from technological change.

The IMF also called for more spending on transport infrastructure, helping to connect poor and remote regions to the market for their goods.

Skinny models going out of style

The world's first ban on overly thin models at a top-level fashion show in Madrid has caused outrage among modeling agencies and raised the prospect of restrictions at other venues.

The Madrid show is using the body mass index or BMI -- based on weight and height -- to measure models. It has turned away 30 percent of women who took part in the previous event.

This is a very interesting development. The whole of America and most the developed countries are getting fat on fast foods, so perhaps it's time to look beyond the ultra-thin models.

A whole generation of young girls have grown up looking to poster images of skinny models, and it seems unfair to impose BMI as the yardstick to permit the catwalk.

Anorexia and other health problems related to underweight is what the organisers of these catwalk contests should really worry about.

If this trend of thinking could be extended further, the chubby and the beautiful can take the centre stage of beauty. And everyone can have a good feasting time.

DDT back in business

Malaria, carried by the mosquito, kills more than a million each year.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reversed a 30-year policy by endorsing the use of DDT for malaria control.

The chemical is sprayed inside houses to kill malaria-carrying mosquitoes.

DDT has been banned globally for every use except fighting disease because of its environmental impacts and fears for human health.

Supporters of the DDT say since the ban, two million people a year have died unnecessarily from malaria, mostly children. The ban has caused more than fifty million needless deaths.

It just seems that the policy to ban DDT in the first place was poorly thought out and it had far reaching implications especially in the poorer countries that could not afford other forms of more expensive pesticides.

Why did it take WHO 30 years to realize DDT wasn't harmful to humans and infact it could save so many lives, who otherwise died from malaria? What a first class controversy this has come to. There must be many conspiracy theories floating around.