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Sir Philip throws £6m birthday party

The 55th birthday party of one of the world's richest men was always destined to be a lavish affair.But Sir Philip Green's five-day celebration on a private island in the Indian Ocean will perhaps go down in history as among the most extravagant of all time.The culmination of the all-expenses-paid extravaganza was a private concert last night by George Michael and the Latino stars Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin.The billionaire retailer has spent an estimated £6 million on the event, flying some 200 of his closest friends to a luxury spa resort in the Maldives. They had been given a "travel wallet" containing instructions to pack shorts and to be prepared for a long flight.The bill for securing George Michael to perform for an hour on Thursday night was said to be several hundred thousands of pounds.Guests were believed to have included Allan Leighton, the chairman of the Royal Mail Group, Richard Desmond, the owner of Express Newspapers, and Bill Kenwright, the theatre impresario.The revellers were also serenaded by Roberta Flack, best-known for her 1973 hit Killing Me Softly, the American soul singer James Ingram, and the jazz singer Patti Austin.Jilly Johnson, the former Page 3 girl, Eddie Jordan, the Formula 1 boss, and Charles Dunstone, the Carphone Warehouse owner, who were pictured at Stansted airport, were also thought to be amongst the guests.The location was kept a tightly-guarded secret, but Sir Philip is thought to have hired out Soneva Fushi, a resort on the island of Kunfunadhoo, where prices range from £600 a night to £2,000 for a suite.Yesterday evening on the island was declared "White Night" and guests were instructed to wear no other colour. One guest said: "It's amazing, how elegant and beautiful the party has been."The resort, where the motto is "no news, no shoes", offers an award-winning spa, a private beach for each guest and a variety of water sports.Much of the decor is made from recycled products and there is an organic vegetable garden where residents can pick ingredients for their evening meal.It is part of a chain founded by Sonu Shivdasani, an Old Etonian friend of David Cameron's, and his Swedish wife Eva, a former model.Other facilities include a vintage wine cellar, a private cinema showing Hollywood classics, and the opportunity to be dropped off on an uninhabited island with nothing but a picnic.Sir Philip has never been shy of exuberant displays of wealth and generosity to his friends.He flew 200 revellers to Cyprus for his 50th birthday, where they were treated to private performances by Sir Tom Jones and Rod Stewart. At a toga party on the final day, he appeared dressed as the Emperor Nero, and his wife, Tina, gave him a solid gold Monopoly set featuring his own acquisitions. Three years later, he spent £4 million on his 13-year-old son's bar mitzvah in the south of France.The retailer, who has his own Learjet and a yacht, was fifth on the Sunday Times Rich List of 2005, which estimated his wealth at just short of £5 billion. Sir Philip, largely credited with the recent success of the Arcadia Group, recently signed a deal with Kate Moss, whose fashion collection for Top Shop will be launched in May."We ran into each other and she says, 'I'm a Croydon girl and you're a fella from Croydon, we should do business'," he told the latest edition of Vogue.Sir Philip struck gold when he was 33, making several million pounds profit from the sale of the Jean Jeanie denim chain. He bought Arcadia, which includes the high street chains Top Shop and Dorothy Perkins and Bhs, in 2002.

Topshop billionaire's £20m 'garden party'

Billionaire Sir Philip Green, the stunning party venue and guest J-lo
The two great deities sat facing one another, each a colossus, gazing serenely down at the mortals in their midst. At one end was a solid granite statue of the Buddha, 35ft-tall, smiling benignly over the party guests as they drank vintage Pol Roger champagne and helped themselves to lobster thermidor.
At the other end was Sir Philip Green, resplendent in a crisp white linen Thai tunic trimmed with silver brocade. If the Buddha was serene and mysterious, Sir Philip was rather more ebullient.
The billionaire tycoon was in fine fettle hosting his most jaw-droppingly showy party yet - a five-day extravaganza on a tropical island which he has taken over in the Maldives for himself and 100 friends to celebrate his 55th birthday. It is impossible to say just how much it has cost, but £20 million cannot be an outlandish estimate.
Some 500 cases of vintage champagne - that's 3,000 bottles, 30 per guest - caviar, lobster; dancers flown in from around the world; fireworks shooting upwards to form the shape of palm trees before melting into the night sky; supercharged searchlights which seemed to touch the stars.
The star turn is George Michael, who is believed to have received £750,000 to go on stage. And, if the rumours are to be believed, the American singer and actress, Jennifer Lopez.
The birthday boy surpassed himself this time, and it wasn't even a major milestone.
But while the guests guzzled champagne and danced the night away in paradise without a care in the world, the Maldivian islanders were not quite so taken with the spectacle.
The construction of the Buddha, in particular, has troubled the locals, who are devout Muslims.
"The islanders are obviously used to tourists, and Christianity as well, but they are not used to such overt signs of Buddhism and this has unsettled them," said one local source.
"The blocks of granite were shipped over from somewhere and the locals had to construct the Buddha with their own hands, which they were not at all happy about, but they didn't want to complain."
It does make you wonder: if you want to have a Thai-themed evening with Thai attire, pad Thai noodles and a giant Buddha on display, why not have the party in Thailand? But that would probably be cheaper than this lavish playground of the rich, and you certainly can't accuse Sir Philip of hanging on to his pennies.
As well as the controversy over the Buddha, there has also been consternation among the locals at the more decadent displays over the past few days, in particular a troupe of topless dancers.
For while going topless isn't banned in the Maldives, it is frowned upon by the Muslim community and all tourist literature asks holidaymakers to refrain from removing their tops.
A source said: "The staff were told before the party that they might see things that might shock them but they must not take offence.
"The women who drive the buggies around the island were told that if they came across any of these topless women, they must avert their eyes to protect their modesty, turn the buggy around and go in the opposite direction."
There are dark mutterings among the deeply suspicious Maldivians all over Baa Atoll (there are 19 atolls stretching across 800km) that Sir Philip's birthday party has brought a curse to the region north of the capital, Male, where the Soneva Fushi Resort stands on the island of Kunfunadhoo.
But Sir Philip, who owns the Arcadia fashion group comprising Topshop, Bhs and Miss Selfridge among others, and employs 38,000 staff, is oblivious to such talk. Having received a £1.2 billion dividend in 2005 - adding to the £4.85billion fortune he was estimated to have before the windfall - he wanted to make sure this party was even more monumental than his 50th.
On that occasion he flew out 200 friends to an exclusive resort in Cyprus for a £5 million toga party. Green was dressed as the Roman Emperor Nero in an embroidered toga and gold laurel leaves. Rod Stewart - £1 million for a 45-minute set - and Tom Jones provided the entertainment.
As a surprise, his wife Tina, 57, hired Michael Aspel who appeared with his red This Is Your Life book to look back at the entrepreneur's life. Her present to him was a solid gold Monopoly board, made by Asprey's to represent all his real High Street assets.
There was even a follow up-party in Monaco to watch the video of the Cyprus beano.
There have been other flash dos, such as the barmitzvah he threw for his son Brandon on his 13th birthday in 2005, which reportedly cost £4million, and was held in one of the swankiest hotels in the Cote d'Azur. The family had their own synagogue built in the grounds.
Sir Philip and his wife Tina, who were married in 1990, definitely enjoy the finer things in life. They own an £8 million villa in Monaco overlooking their £7 million yacht (being resident in Monaco cuts down the tax bill considerably, of course).
They have a private jet and 'his and hers' Bentleys. His office is a beige and black penthouse in the West End where he works from 6am to 10pm weekdays. His weekends are spent in Monaco often playing tennis with Prince Albert.
And besides, there was another cause (or excuse) for celebration this week - the knighthood he received last year. If you've earned all this money by old-fashioned graft - and Sir Philip is a workaholic - why not spend it?
So it was that Green, who was raised in Croydon and North London by his electrical retailer father, Simon, and mother, Alma - who owned and ran a launderette chain - decided to take over Soneva Fushi.
Villas cost up to £2,000 per night, and Green has hired the entire resort for five days. The resort motto is: 'No news or shoes - you're here to chill out.'
But over the past week, things have been frenetic on the island. More than 500 people were brought in to deal with the construction of Buddhas, pagodas and three stages. Hundreds more have been working on the catering, flowers flown especially into the Maldives, security and fireworks.
Sir Philip wanted the location to be a surprise for his guests and told them simply to pack their beachwear and go to Stansted Airport on Tuesday evening.
There has been much speculation as to who was on the guest list. Kate Moss, Simon Cowell and Jemima Khan were mentioned, but did not show up.
Elizabeth Hurley and her husband, Arun Nayar, are believed to be honeymooning in the Maldives after their own marathon wedding celebrations, but there was no sign of them, either.
The actress Jenny Seagrove and her theatre producer partner, Bill Kenwright, are among the guests along with former model Jilly Johnson. The Scottish millionaire Sir Tom Hunter is here; Formula One boss Eddie Jordan is also believed to be on the list of attendees.
But if A-list celebrities were invited, they appear not to have been tempted by the freebie to beat all freebies.
For when the three private jets carrying the guests arrived at Male airport on Wednesday morning, there were hardly any famous faces to be seen. The 'VIPs' - most of them pushing Louis Vuitton luggage - were then taken by seaplane to the resort.
That night, Sir Philip treated his guests to a pre-party bash with a performance by a group of Indonesian dancers flown in especially, as well as traditional Maldivian dancing by performers from another island.
On Thursday, as Sir Philip's guests sunbathed on the terraces of their luxurious villas, the final preparations began. Checks were made on the three concert stages - yes, three - on the northern and southern tips of the island, and in the middle of the resort.
At a right angle to the side of the main stage stood the largest Buddha, on either side of which were two pagodas. Two smaller Buddhas were erected nearby.
Vases filled with exotic flowers flown in from some far-flung destination were placed all over the island. Meanwhile, teams of chefs were busy in the kitchen. There was one team for the seafood buffet, another for the Thai buffet.
A separate team put the final touches to Sir Philip's 8ft by 4ft dark and white chocolate and cream birthday cake, thought to have been inscribed simply: 'Philip Green 55'.
More guests arrived by seaplane including a group of men in white linen suits. A fevered rumour began circulating that Britney Spears was on the island, but this was not confirmed.
According to one source, J-Lo was seen wandering around the resort surrounded by her burly entourage. It's thought she was planning to give a performance last night.
Moored a little way out were two 100ft sailing yachts and a 150ft motor yacht. You could smell the money.
It is one of those strange paradoxes that a man determined to stage one of the most ostentatious spectacles on the planet should be seemingly obsessed that the details remain a secret.
Thirty security cameras were installed around the island on Thursday; three security boats patrolled the island.
Aboard one of them was a high profile police chief, a sort of Sir Ian Blair in shades and funky T-shirt.
The staff on the island were also tightly controlled. The stage crew and security staff all wore T-shirts with a 55 logo, and staff were told they must not reveal a thing, and to switch their mobiles off so no contact could be made with the outside world.
The main party of the week began at 8pm on Thursday, when spotlights - powered by generators shipped in for the occasion - were turned on, stretching up and out for miles across the Indian Ocean.
All the guests - men included - wore the same white linen Thai tunics, embossed with the 55 logo. The number 55 was also emblazoned across the stage.
You would have to have been really dim - or the worse of all that champagne - to forget which birthday Sir Philip was celebrating.
There were more dancers - including the topless ones who had affronted the modesty of the locals - more Pol Roger bubbly, caviar, lobster any which way you could choose. Also on the bill was heartthrob singer Ricky Martin.
George Michael came on last of all, singing old favourites such as Careless Whisper and, finally, Freedom, which seemed to go down very well with the mostly 30 and 40-something guests.
Sir Philip is said to have issued strict instructions that George wanted to leave the island as soon as he came off stage, but then these days he is a bit of a recluse.
After George's performance, Stevie Wonder's Happy Birthday To You came blaring through the speakers and Sir Philip's enormous birthday cake was wheeled to the front of the stage.
Shy and retiring are not words in this man's vocabulary. Once he had cut the cake, the fireworks began, launched from two barges anchored a couple of hundred yards from the shore, and greeted with gasps of admiration.
Then it was time for the disco and, loosened up by all the free booze, most of the guests took to the dance floor and partied until well after 4am.
The following day the revellers stayed in bed till late, emerging around lunchtime to get ready for Sir Philip's bikini party in the afternoon.
Again, the bikini dress code is felt to be in bad taste by the locals - due to their Muslim beliefs. Happily for them, Sir Philip and his pals are due to fly back to Britain tomorrow.
What they and everyone else would now like to know is: what on earth is he going to do with his giant granite Buddha? Not even his office is big enough to accommodate this.

Source:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=442805&in_page_id=1879
Copyright © 2004 Ibrahim Mohamed! Inc. All rights reserved.e-mail:ibumohd@gmail.com

Maldives eyes expansion of tourism sector

BERLIN (eTN) - The Maldivian government has announced plans to build five new airports as part of an expansion of tourism to remote islands in the Indian Ocean। Speaking at world travel fair ITB Berlin, Tourism Minister Mahamood Sougee said 2006 had been a very good year for the Maldives and 2007 would be a further landmark year.“We want the benefits of tourism to go to all Maldivian people, particularly women and they need easy access to their home islands. We have put out tenders for five new domestic airports to supplement the two main international hubs, the capital Male and a new international airport to be opened later this year on the island of Gan in the south of the country.“Confidence in the Maldives is very strong and people are ready to invest. 35 new resort islands are being developed and each of the new airports will have a resort associated with it. This will make it easier to travel to all resorts. Along with this, we a developing a transport grid for the whole country, bringing resorts closer to the people, creating jobs and encouraging interaction between tourists and Maldivian people.Minister Sougee said the expansion of tourism services was part of a new five-year master-plan, due to be unveiled in full later this year. He said the Maldives had recovered well from the effects of the Indian Ocean tsunami and resorts attracted over 600,000 visitors last year, a better result than expected. Even outside the main seasons, resorts were experiencing over 90 percent occupancy which indicated that there was potential for expansion.Maldives’ main source markets are Italy, Great Britain, Japan and Russia, with an increasing amount of interest from China. “Maldives was built originally for Europeans and we are celebrating 35 years of tourism” the tourism minister said. “We are proud of our homeland and have 800 uninhabited islands still. We do not intend to develop them all, of course. Development must be sustainable. All our resorts are green, environmentally friendly, and we offer a wide range of products including water sports, diving, cruising and live-aboard yachts. We are seeing an increasing interest from the MICE market, for meetings and conferences to be held in Maldives resorts,” he said.Answering questions from journalists at ITB Berlin, Minister Sougee said inter-island boat travel in the Maldives was not sufficient and the government would be working with the private sector to develop scheduled services that would allow island-hopping and more efficient transport for tourists and workers. Phase one is under way in Addu Attol, at the southern tip of the Maldives archipelago, which is being developed as a new tourist zone. This is the site of the former British air force base, Gan, which is being transformed into Maldives’ second international airport, scheduled to open in November.“Tourism in Maldives is very resilient. The tsunami was a shock but its impact on tourism was very limited. We recovered very quickly. Our safety measures and emergency plans worked well. We hope nothing like this ever happens again, but we must be prepared.”

Source: Travel Video, By David Browne

कोप्य्रight © 2004 Ibrahim Mohamed! Inc। All rights reserved।e-mail:ibumohd@gmail.com

Russian Billionaire Prokhorov Quits as General Director of Nickel Giant

General director of the world’s largest nickel producer Norilsk Nickel Mikhail Prokhorov decided to quit his position at the company. Prokhorov came to media attention in January after he was detained in French Courchavel as part of investigation into international prostitution ring. Detention led to a split between Prokhorov and his long-time partner, one of Russia’s richest men Vladimir Potanin. Potanin and Prokhorov decided to split their assets, with Prokhorov establishing a new energy company.Prokhorov was quoted by the nickel miner’s press service as saying: “In the process of creation of a new company on the basis of Norilsk Nickel’s energy assets, it became clear that it’s impossible to simultaneously serve as Norilsk Nickel’s executive and form a new business. There is a natural conflict of interests. Since the work to create my new business has already started and is actively taking place, I made a decision to resign from my positions in Norilsk Nickel ahead of time.” Mikhail Prokhorov said that “it is very important that such solution would provide for a calm and reliable operations of the many thousands of Norilsk Nickel’s workers”. He also stressed that he will see all of the projects he’s been doing at the company to the end.Mikhail Prokhorov presented the candidacy of his deputy Denis Morozov as the new general director. The governing board of Norilsk Nickel recommended Morozov for approval of the board of directors.In addition to the Courchavel detention, Mikhail Prokhorov has lately been in the news in connection with his marriage bet. Russian media has been reporting widely that Prokhorov, who is going to turn 42 in the first days of May, made a bet that he will get married before that date. Since no suitable candidate was found to fill position of the billionaire’s wife for life, Prokhorov decided to find someone and to marry her for 5 days only in order to fulfill the debt. Russian media reported that the businessman plans to spend $10 million on wedding festivities to be held at private islands at Maldives.

सोर्स http://mosnews.com/

Flickr Explore पिक्टुरेस लास्ट 7days

The Real Meaning of Adventure

What is adventure? Some people believe that adventure is not just that extreme and dangerous experience that one could find existing. On the contrary, they believe that it is an attitude that helps us face the obstacles present in our daily routine. For example, the challenges we have to deal with, the new and different options that life offers, the unknown that is at all time waiting for us, represent an adventure in itself. And it is in this adventure that the human beings discover themselves.

The word adventure has different meanings for different people. Generally, adventure implies thrill and excitement, risks and dangers, and the unexpected and extraordinary experiences. The adventurous people are always on the look out for things that will evoke new feelings and sensations. This is the definition of adventure commonly accepted. However, there are others for whom adventure means much more than this. They associate adventure with a certain bent of mind that helps them enjoy life to the fullest, by accepting it as it unfolds before them. They see opportunities in difficulties and treat hurdles as stepping-stones. They accept everything knowing very well that there is nothing without its pluses and minuses.

Therefore, life is seen as an adventure in itself. It is the manner in which you decide to view and live your own life. And the approach you have to life will certainly affect the way you experience this mysterious journey which we are part of. Some people believe that traveling, sightseeing or hanging on a rope is what an adventure stands for. But the problem may be that they are not experiencing their life as an exploration and their boring life leads them to lookfor excitement outside themselves.

This hidden and deeper meaning of adventure can only be understood by changing one's point of view towards life. This will not only enable you to identify the raison d'etre of your life, but will also help you recognize your strengths and weaknesses, and accept yourself as a person. However, one needs to realize that one just doesn't stumble upon adventures just like that. It is only through discovering our own strengths that we can uncover these adventures, and derive wisdom from them. As human beings, we are posed in the world in such a manner that we are compulsive adventurers. And, being so, we are capable of shaping our own lives and destinies, through a positive and constructive approach.

Life is a rare opportunity. With a little faith we can change the very meaning of life. Hurdles and obstacles can be used as openings and opportunities to discover the extent of our strength and courage. The secret lies in living life as an ever-new, ever-fresh adventure and being open to accepting whatever comes our way.