New Miss Earth, Nicole Faria from India

MUMBAI: It's a first for India in the ten-year history of the Miss Earth beauty pageant. On Saturday, Pantaloons Femina Miss India (PFMI) Earth 2010 Nicole Faria was crowned Miss Earth at a sparkling ceremony in Vietnam. The 20-year-old from Bangalore had been tipped as a favourite even before she arrived. Nicole could barely contain her excitement. "I'm ecstatic!" she gushed. "It feels wonderful to have won from among 84 contestants, but more than that I will cherish the experience of having met some wonderful girls from a confluence of cultures. It was especially nice to have my parents and other familiar faces by my side during the time it was all unfolding." While the former student of Mount Carmel College, Bangalore — who won the PFMI Earth 2010 title on April 30 this year — walked away with the Miss Earth crown, Jennifer Stephanie Pazmino of Ecuador came in second, winning the Miss Air title. Miss Water went to Miss Thailand Watsoporn Wattanakoon while Miss Fire was won by Miss Puerto Rico Yeidy Bosques. Nicole wore a white gown with Swarovski crystals for the pageant. "I didn't try anything jazzy for the night — I kept it simple but elegant," she said. Adding modestly, "Anybody would have looked gorgeous in what I wore." The clincher came in the final round of questions where the judges asked Nicole what hour of day she preferred. Sunrise, she answered, given that she was young and keenly awaited the hope that each new morning brings. "Or something to that effect," she laughed. "I am so excited I can hardly remember the exact words." A hectic round of felicitations awaits her in Mumbai but it will be a week before she returns. "There is so much to do, interviews and ceremonies in Vietnam in the next few days," her parents said. Faria, who was a model before she won the Miss India title, holds the cause of environment close to her heart. Her profile lists her desire to help conserve fossil fuels and natural resources. "Once I get back to Bangalore next week, I want to start a campaign for the cycle rickshaw," she said. "It not only creates jobs for the jobless, but will cut down pollution. I want to do my bit for global warming. Bangalore has lovely weather and it pains me to see air conditioners being used in cars and at homes." Understandably, the modelling fraternity in Bangalore is thrilled. "I am over the moon," said Prasad Bidappa. "It was I who introduced Nicole to fashion when she was 13. She is my daughter's close friend." Bidappa recalls Nicole as a very focused model, who had participated in all his major shows and had walked the ramp for all the fashion weeks in Delhi and Mumbai.

Indo-French connection goes nuclear

NEW DELHI: Is nuclear the way to India's heart? For both France and India, it's fast becoming a natural tie, if you heard French president Nicolas Sarkozy in Bangalore on Saturday. With India getting the all-clear for global nuclear commerce, Sarkozy wants to leverage France's civilian nuclear expertise to marry economic and strategic relations with India. "Nuclear energy will now be the focus of our cooperation. We all know how critical it is for India to ensure its energy security," Sarkozy said in Bangalore.

France became the second country after the US to support India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). In Vienna, the US has already approached the NSG committees to push India's membership. Although this will be formally taken up during the NSG plenary in 2011, getting more hands for India will make the process easier. India itself should be doing advocacy for itself in the NSG outreach group in preparation for the plenary. But the Indian government has twice postponed meetings with NSG officials, which means this will now be addressed in 2011.

For this new engagement to get teeth, France and India will need to come to some sort of understanding on India's liability law which, despite a lot of polite talk from the French side, is emerging to be an obstacle.

In an interview recently, the chief of Areva, Anne Lauvergeon, said France would only decide how much of a problem the law would be after the implementation rules are drafted. The government is expected to put out the rules by the end of the year — 90 days after the bill became law. Given Sarkozy's emphasis, this issue is bound to dominate discussions with the PM on Monday, but equally, Manmohan Singh's current difficulties might make any forward looking decision difficult.

At Isro, Bangalore, on Saturday, Sarkozy spent 25 minutes to set out the new terms of engagement — science, space, nuclear, technology. "France, the US, Russia and the UK have already signed agreements with India. Others will join them soon," Sarkozy said.

"That's why it makes sense for India to now participate fully in the work of the multilateral bodies responsible for drafting and ensuring compliance with the non-proliferation regime, starting with the Nuclear Suppliers Group. France supports India's candidacy to join these groups," he added. It will be India's membership to groups like the Wassenaar and Australia Group that will make it easier for this new economic relationship to bear fruit because it will enable trade in dual-use technologies that India keenly desires.

iPAD Reviews

To the critics, fanboys and sceptics who have been waiting for Apple iPad for months, today’s first impressions ranged from elation to exasperation. Writing at Slate.com, Farhad Manjoo said the iPad is the second computer he’s been looking for. “I wanted a flat, portable, easy-to-use machine that I could use for e-mail and reading the Web,” he writes. “The iPad is that device. Jobs described it as the perfect hybrid of a laptop and a phone, and I agree. Everything about it—its size, shape, weight, and fantastically intuitive user interface—feels just right.” As an object, the iPad also won early praise. “It’s substantial but surprisingly light. Easy to grip. Beautiful. Rigid. Starkly designed,” writes Mark Wilson at Gizmodo. “In the hands, it feels great—not too heavy at all.” Though Apple didn’t spend much time talking about it, those who had a hands-on with the device definitely noticed the iPad’s speed. “The speed of the CPU is something to be marveled at,” writes Joshua Topolsky at Engadget. “It is blazingly fast from what we can tell. Webpages loaded up super fast, and scrolling was without a hiccup. Moving into and out of apps was a breeze. Everything flew. With its focus on reading and the new iBooks store, the iPad also makes a compelling alternative to the current crop of eReaders on the market. “When you look at iPad in comparison to other e-readers available today, it is now clearly the best device on the market for those who enjoy reading,” writes Nick Bilton on Bits. “Although the Kindle made amazing headway in the digital book market, helping push the boundaries on digital reading devices and the acceptance of these technologies, Apple’s iPad is a tectonic shift to the e-reader and e-book marketplace.” Many, however, focused on the iPad’s shortcomings. The absence of a camera, in particular, left many critics baffled. “The lack of a camera on the iPad is a serious problem,” writes Mike Melanson at ReadWriteWeb. “Are we really going to have to carry a separate camera with us and connect it to the iPad to get it onto the Internet? And what about Skype . . . Video chatting is out of the question.” Nor does the iPad have Flash, a key component to rich web experiences. “If Apple wants this to be a serious computing device (i.e., an alternative to your laptop, at least in some situations), [the lack of Flash] is a pretty big drawback,” writes Anthony Ha on DigitalBeat. “While I’m willing to tolerate that on my iPhone, it would be awfully frustrating to see on a larger, more powerful device.” And while Mr Jobs showed off the iBooks store, there was no mention of other media deals that would make the iPad a truly disruptive offering. “There was no immediate word on any of the rumored subscription content deals with Hollywood and other content providers that might make the iPad a must-have gadget that moves beyond niche markets such as education, health and graphics arts,” writes Cliff Edwards at Business Week. “Much has been made about Apple’s attempts to revive the markets for various forms of media, but little was said at the Apple event to clarify just how the iPad will do that.” Over at CrunchGear, Nicholas Deleon said he just doesn’t need a new category of devices. “It’s not an iPhone replacement because it’s not a phone (duh); it’s not an iPod touch replacement because it’s not portable; and I already have enough “real” computers that I don’t need a tablet,” he writes. “The iPad seems to fill a void that I simply don’t need filled.” The truth is, it’s too early to draw conclusions about the iPad. David Pogue points out that if history is any guide, the launch of the iPad will follow a predicable three-part routine. Phase 1 was the rampant speculation. Phase 2 involves a bit of a letdown and a focus on the product’s perceived flaws. Then, when the iPad goes on sale in April, “Phase 3 will begin: positive reviews, people lining up to buy the thing, and the mysterious disappearance of the basher-bloggers.”

BARBARA MORI KITES

Mexican actress Barbara Mori is making her Bollywood debut with Kites, and her brother Kintaro too is looking forward to making his mark in the industry - though as a musician.

"Music is my passion. I have been staying here in Mumbai since a year now and have been creating music. One day I would love to compose some fusion music for Bollywood because I just love Indian music," said Kintaro.

As of now, Kintaro is in the process of cutting his own album, and being by his sister's side to support her for Kites, in which she features alongside Hrithik Roshan.

He says he has also penned a few Spanish lines that have been used in Kites, and plans to stay in India's entertainment capital until he comes up with something big.

"Right now it is time for interviews for my sister. My time will come. It will one day," he said.

Meanwhile, Barbara also hopes that Kintaro lands a good project soon.

"My brother has been trying hard here. I hope he gets good opportunities. But I don't have plans to stay in India. He can stay here as long as he wants and I can always keep coming back to see him and for other shootings," she said.

Barbara is on her third trip to India for the promotion of her film, to be released by Reliance BIG Pictures, May 21.

The movie has been produced by Rakesh Roshan and directed by Anurag Basu.

India’s silent tragedy

Maternal Mortality: India’s silent tragedy

In a remote village in Madhya Pradesh, Banku and his family are mourning the death of Sushma, his 25 year-old wife, who passed away during child birth.
Sushma, who was at the mercy of a local quack died before being taken to the nearest hospital about 15 kms away from her house.
"I don't know what he did to my daughter-in-law. The quack kept me outside the room and later, after almost two hours, he said she had to be taken to a hospital," said Banku’s mother Pushpa Devi.
The stories of women like Sushma who die during pregnancy, delivery or from post-partum complications largely remain untold. It would be startling to know every fifth women in the world dies of poor medical care available during childbirth. Though the situation is changing and India is trying to pull itself out of the bottom-of-barrel a lot needs to be done in this area.
The Indian Government estimates that 301 women die annually for every 100,000 live births. In some states the maternal mortality ratio is even higher - 358 in Orissa, 371 in Bihar and 379 in MP. Many deaths happen in the anonymity of women’s homes or on the way to seek help at a medical facility, they often go unrecorded.
An estimated 80,000 pregnant women or new mothers die each year in India often from preventable causes including hemorrhage, eclampsia, sepsis and anemia, a study conducted by UNICEF said.
“The tragic reality is that too often maternal deaths are not visible. They don’t leave any trace behind, and their deaths are not accounted for,” said UNICEF India’s Deputy Director of Programmes, Chris Hirabayashi said.
The figures illustrate how poor women in rural India have largely been left behind by India's economic boom which has lifted millions of people out of poverty.
India's maternal mortality rate currently stands at 450 per 100,000 live births, against 540 in 1998-1999. The figures are way behind India's Millennium Development Goals which call for a reduction to 109 by 2015, according to UNICEF.
According to UNICEF's 2009 State of the World's Children report, “India's fight to lower maternal mortality rates is failing due to growing social inequalities and shortages in primary healthcare facilities. Millions of births are not attended by doctors, nurses or trained midwives, despite India's booming economy which grew at nearly 9 percent in each of the past three years.
Around two-thirds of Indian women still deliver babies at home. Women from the lower castes suffer the most as they are often denied basic healthcare facilities. Medical records only capture part of the story, documenting the biological causes of death. In rural India traditional midwives are often the only help available for women in labour in remote areas. With little or no training these midwives only know how to cut the cord with a blade and this accounts as a major factor behind maternal deaths. With the help of skilled health personnel, adequate nutrition, better medical facilities and family planning such incidents can be drastically reduced.

But poor women, especially in rural India where fertility rates are higher and teenage marriages are common, it is an uphill battle to overcome lack of access to medical care.
Women get pregnant very early with no preparedness to cope with childbirth, at times failing to recognise the signs when they should go to a hospital , the report said.
"Nutrition and anaemia are other major factors in the MMR (maternal mortality rate)," the report said adding,"Inside the homes, women are the last to get food. They are much more vulnerable and that is why they are dying."
But with the advent of a powerful new tool called Maternal and Prenatal Death Inquiry and Response (MAPEDIR ) the situation could improve. The tool plays an important role in analysing medical and social reasons behind maternal death.
MAPEDIR empowers communities by demystifying maternal mortality. The accumulated evidence can help communities understand the root causes behind these deaths so they can take effective, local action and advocate for improved services to prevent future deaths. In addition, MAPEDIR informs health officials about the challenges local women face in accessing reproductive health care, the report said.
The MAPEDIR innovation is currently in use across select districts in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh (MP), West Bengal, Jharkhand, Orissa and Bihar and is providing an ongoing, systematic collection of data to reconstruct and analyze the cases of 1,600 women -- the highest number of audited maternal deaths in the world.
Unless we know the main reasons for maternal deaths we cannot take effective measures to tackle them. The traditional system did not deal with the issues adequately,” said Director of Medical and Health Services in Rajasthan, Dr S.P. Yadav. “Now using MAPEDIR, we can know if the deaths are due to delays in decision making at household level or lack of transport or delay at the facility or a cumulative of all three.”
MAPEDIR follows a six step process:
1. Sensitizing communities on maternal and prenatal health issues, including birth preparedness and complication readiness; 2. Reporting and investigating maternal deaths; 3. Interviewing all families with a maternal death to determine the biological and social causes; 4. Analyzing and interpreting the data (embed data sheet); 5. Sharing the finding with communities to develop appropriate, high-impact, local interventions; 6. Monitoring the interventions with ongoing maternal death inquires and developing new evidence-based interventions as needed.
Meanwhile, National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and states have begun work at war footing and are offering incentive to health workers and expectant mothers to register and deliver at the nearest Government clinic. Under NRHM, the health worker trained in the community is offered financial incentive to encourage the family of expectant mother to visit health clinic at least thrice during the pregnancy. Money is also given to the health workers to meet incidental expenses like transportation costs in case any complication arises. Progressive States are offering additional incentive to encourage institutional deliveries.

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