Rs40bn crops go down the d-rain

 MIRPURKHAS: Chairman Farmers Organization Council (FOC) Sindh Javed Ahmed Junejo said agriculture of district Mirpurkhas has been destroyed during recent flood while farmers suffered Rs 40billion losses on this account.

This he said, while presiding over a meeting of FOC here on Saturday.

He further said that cotton crop over 105000 acres was destroyed. As the farmers had spent on an average Rs 30000 per acre the total amount is worked out at Rs 31billion.
He said that similarly growers had spent millions of rupees on cultivation of banana, sugarcane, onion, and tomato crops etc. in the district, which were also washed away.

On the other hand, he said that owing to inundation of farmlands and villages, farmers were staying along roads and relief camps.

He demanded of the government to drain out the stagnant rainwater from the villages and farms otherwise wheat crop could not be cultivated.

He also demanded of the government to immediately waive off agriculture loan of the growers and provide agriculture loan without interest. (APP)

FBS shakes up SPI touchstones

 ISLAMABAD: The Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) has changed the base period for monitoring of the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) besides making several other modifications in the index keeping in view the overall changes in incomes since 2000-2001-the earlier based period.

Till the week ended on September 15, the SPI was being computed on base period 2000-2001 which has been replaced with base 2007-2008=100, covering 17 urban centers and 53 essential items for all income groups and combined.

Similarly, the range of lowest income group has been increased from Rs.3,000 to Rs.8,000 besides making changes in the ranges of other income groups monitored for SPI.

Earlier, SPI was being computed on income groups ranging from Rs.3001-5000, Rs.5001-12000 and Rs.12000. But as per the new scale, the range of income groups has been increased and set as from Rs.8001-12,000, 12,001-18,000, 18001-35,000 and above Rs.35,000.

According to new scale three items including coarse latha, voil(printed) and electricity bulb have been removed from the list where as three things including energy saver, long cloth and georgette have been included in it.

Similarly, changes have been made in two items as wheat flour (average quality) has been replaced by wheat flour (bag) and gas charges (up to 3.3719 MMBTU) replaced with gas charges (upto 100 m3). (APP)

KSE stands fast during week

 KARACHI: Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) had a bullish week as its benchmark 100-Index crossed 12,600 points, Geo News reported Saturday.

Market managed a green opening on Monday, which stood somewhat strong through the week even in the face of rumours regarding a cut in the discount rate, but fell to the rising Pak-US tensions. As a result profit-booking ensued.

By the end of the week 100-Index had gained 254 points to close at 11, 607 points.

Average volume went up by 70 percent to stand at 700 million shares.

Fauji Fertilizer Bin Qasim turned out to be the most traded scrip.

KSE-30 Index before closing reached 11,096 points with a weekly gain of 179 points.

This rollercoaster ride is likely to last for some more sessions, analysts said

Pakistan Railways to rent Indian locomotives

 LAHORE: Pakistan Railways will rent engines from India, Geo News reported.

A meeting chaired by Railways minister Ghulam Bilour evaluated acquiring engines on rent from India. According to the Railways Ministry, the engines will be rented to increase performance and initially 50 engines will be acquired.

Europe shoots for a fortified crisis fund

 WASHINGTON: Europe is working to ramp up the firepower of its bailout fund, top officials said on Saturday, as the United States, China and other nations raised the alarm about its debt crisis hurting the world economy.

Financial markets plunged last week on fears that Greece's near-bankruptcy could spread to other euro zone countries, heaping pressure on European policymakers to prevent a repeat of the chaos that swept the world in 2007-2009.

The European Union's top economic official, Olli Rehn, said as soon as the region's governments confirm new powers for their 440-billion-euro fund, known as the EFSF, attention will turn to how to get more impact from the existing money.

"We need to find a mechanism where we can turn one euro in the EFSF into five, but there is no decision on how we could do that yet," another senior European official said on condition of anonymity.

The rescue fund would need to be at least 2 trillion euros to safeguard Italy and Spain if the crisis were to spread, financial analysts estimate.

The United States and other nations have urged Europe to leverage up the fund, possibly with support from the European Central Bank.

But officials from the ECB and from Germany, the region's paymaster, remained wary of using the central bank, which has a strict mandate to pursue low inflation.

"We should not think of leveraging a public pot of funds as a free lunch," said ECB Governing Council member Patrick Honohan.

Nonetheless, arming the euro zone with a bigger warchest to lend to governments or shore up banks was the focus of top finance officials from around the globe who met in Washington for semiannual meetings of the International Monetary Fund.

The sovereign debt crisis threatens to throw the euro zone into recession and has placed a troubling drag on an already slow U.S. economy. It could come to weigh on emerging economies too.

"Brazil's experience with past crises suggests you have to confront the problems in a fast, consistent manner," said Brazilian central bank chief Alexandre Tombini.

"The longer it takes, the higher the cost, the more contagion spreads. You have to act with overwhelming force."

The IMF's steering committee said in a statement that the euro zone was committed to whatever was needed to resolve the single currency bloc's crisis.

It warned that the global economy had "entered a dangerous phase, calling for exceptional vigilance, coordination and readiness to take bold action" to cope with Europe's financial stress and prevent it infecting others.

European officials were scrambling to put in place a comprehensive crisis-fighting plan by the time leaders from the Group of 20 nations meet in France in early November.

Greece is at the epicenter of the crisis but it has threatened to spread to several other euro zone countries. Italy, the third-biggest economy in the currency bloc, has also struggled to retain investor confidence, but Italian Economy Minister Giulio Tremonti said on Saturday its financial house was "in order."

Treasury chief Timothy Geithner, in his most explicit warnings to date, said the ECB should take a more central role in fighting the crisis. "The threat of cascading default, bank runs, and catastrophic risk must be taken off the table," he said.

CALMING NERVES

Investors took some comfort on Friday from signs of new resolve by European officials, after nearly two years of what many saw as half-hearted action.

"It is encouraging that ... European officials are signaling a better appreciation of the depth and potential consequences of the crisis," Mohamed el-Erian, co-chief investment officer of bond giant PIMCO, said on Saturday after further signals that Europe was bolstering its defenses.

"Now they need to translate this into decisive actions underpinned by a common vision of what they want the euro zone to look like in five years time."

Some policymakers now talk openly of a possible Greek default and the need to move much more aggressively to prepare for it.

"Decisions as to how to conclusively address the region's problems cannot wait until the crisis gets more severe," Geithner said.

His warning was echoed by China's central bank governor, Zhou Xiaochuan, who urged quick action to bring greater financial stability to the Europe.

Canada's central bank governor, Mark Carney, told Canadian radio that the euro area's bailout fund should be more than doubled to "the neighborhood of a trillion euros."

BATTENING THE HATCHES

A default by Greece could cause a domino effect in other highly indebted euro zone countries, putting at risk European banks which hold their debt.

Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said Athens was determined not to default and would stay in the euro zone.

"Greece will always be in the euro and Greece will never go bankrupt because this would be destructive for the euro zone and for many other countries beyond the euro zone," he said.
Athens is in tense talks with the IMF and European authorities to secure a new 8 billion-euro installment of its rescue package.

In return, it has pledged deep austerity measures but negotiators are frustrated at what they say is Greece's slow reform pace. A loan payment, however, is still expected to be made in October. The next installment is due in December.

Venizelos was quoted by two newspapers on Friday as saying an orderly default with a 50 percent "haircut" for bondholders was one way to resolve the heavily indebted euro zone nation's cash crunch. European banks have agreed to take a 21 percent loss on their Greek bonds in a restructuring deal.

To battle the crisis, Geithner called for more cooperation between European policymakers -- who set their own tax and fiscal policy -- and their central bank.

One option to increase the potency of the EFSF would be for the ECB to commit large amounts of funding, with the temporary bailout fund putting forward money to cover potential losses.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said he was open to the idea of leveraging Europe's rescue fund but said that did not necessarily mean the ECB should provide the extra firepower.

In another sign of new thinking by Europe, Schaeuble said Germany backed bringing forward the launch of the euro zone's permanent rescue mechanism, which is currently scheduled for mid-2013. The new mechanism would give policymakers powers to impose losses on private bondholders in a default and could be leveraged more easily than the temporary version of the fund.

Germany, as the strongest economy in Europe, needs to play a central role in any effort to curb a debt crisis, but public opinion there has turned against further big bailouts for fellow euro zone countries. (Reuters)

Commanders tear apart US chargesheet

 RAWALPINDI: A Corps Commanders’ over-the-top meeting with Chief of the Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani in chair Sunday hashed out the latest Pak-US rift at length, brushing aside all the blames US slapped on Pakistan, Geo News reported.

The meeting, which lasted for several hours, zoomed in on security affairs vowing a befitting retaliation to any cross-border incursion.

The military top brass also agreed upon letting the political leadership of the country in on the decisions taken for which General Kayani will very soon hold meetings the President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

Corps Commanders gave all the national security issues a 360-degree reckoning

Jackson killed by greed, medic's fault: brother

 LOS ANGELES: Michael Jackson was driven to his death by a mix of greed, power and money, one of his brothers claimed Thursday, while saying the star's doctor "had no business" giving him the drug that killed him.

Speaking before the manslaughter trial of medic Conrad Murray kicks off this month, Jermaine Jackson said those surrounding his brother failed to look after him, as they pushed him to play a lucrative series of comeback gigs.

He described how his brother's health had clearly deteriorated in the months leading up to his death -- when he was rehearsing intensively for the This is It shows in London -- but those around him had not told the family.

"Why didn't somebody call me or Jackie or Tito or Marlon or his family, to say, 'Come down here, your brother is not acting normal?' Had we been called, he would be alive today. We would have taken him to the hospital," he said.

Asked why he thought they didn't, he told CNN interviewer Piers Morgan: "Because they wanted the show to go on... It's all about -- this is a story about greed and power and money. And not looking at the person in Michael."

Murray is due in court on September 27 for the long-awaited manslaughter trial over Jackson's death in June 2009 from an overdose of the powerful drug propofol, prescribed to help him sleep.

Jermaine Jackson said the doctor's lawyers would try to paint his brother as a drug addict, but dismissed a suggestion that Jackson -- who suffered from chronic insomnia -- could have forced Murray to give him more propofol.

The drug is so powerful that it is used as an anaesthetic during surgery, he noted, adding that as a cardiologist and not an anesthesiologist, Murray "had no business giving my brother propofol."

"Being a doctor, you take an oath to care for your patient not to kill
them," he added.

Jackson's death, on the eve of the planned series of comeback concerts at London's O2 Arena aimed at reviving his reputation and finances battered by child sex allegations, stunned fans around the world.

Murray's defense team is expected to argue that Jackson gave himself an excessive dose of the drug while the doctor was out of the room at the singer's mansion in the affluent Holmby Hills neighborhood west of Los Angeles. (AFP)

Salman Khan’s new Romanian interest

 MUMBAI: While Salman Khan is busy shooting for his next film with Katrina Kaif in Dublin, a Romanian magazine has linked him up with a local TV news presenter named Iulia Vantur.

According to the report, Iulia met Salman last year when she came to India for a holiday. She met him through a producer friend. At that time, she was dating her long-time boyfriend Marius Moga. However, she made another trip to India this year after breaking up with Moga. Salman helped her get over the break up and she stayed in touch with him after she returned to her country.

The magazine reveals that Iulia has now adopted an Indian lifestyle. So much so, that she even observes traditional festivals, visits temples and reads the scriptures. Her sense of dressing has also changed, with her wearing the shalwar-kameez and even saris!

Talking to the magazine, she admitted that meeting Salman was a turning point in her life and that the two are very much in touch via IM on their phones. The TV presenter is now planning to make another visit to India after Salman returns from his overseas shoot.

Amanat Ali Khan remembered on Saturday

ISLAMABAD: The popular classical singer Amanat Ali Khan is being remembered on Saturday with tributes paid to his memorable songs in the Pakistan music industry.

He was born in 1932 in Sham Chaurasi, Hoshiarpur, Punjab. He was a Pakistani classical/ghazal singer from the Patiala gharana and soon after independence he moved to Pakistan.

His concerts on Radio Lahore became quite popular and he toured South Asia becoming the representative of Patiala gharana in Pakistan. The late 1950s and early 1960s saw the rise of seraphic singer Ustad Amanat Ali Khan.

The prestigious Patiala Gharana, the family that sworn to carry on the traditional and classical aura of Hindustani music, saw another immaculate and faultless singer adding more shine, prestige and prosperity to their name.

His memorable songs include "Aa Mere Pyaar Ki Khushboo", "Yeh Arzoo Thi", "Mausam Badla", "Yeh Na Thi Hamari Qismat", "Insha Je Utho" and "Kab Aao Ge".

Ustad Amanat Ali died at aged 42 years in Lahore in 17 September 1974. He was honored with the 'Pride of Performance' award by the government of Pakistan

Lebanese war film wins top Toronto film fest award

 TORONTO: A film about the struggles of a village in war-torn Lebanon took the People's Choice award at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday, an audience trophy that has often been a harbinger of Oscar glory.

"Where Do We Go Now", by Lebanon-born Nadine Labaki, tells the story of village inhabited by both Muslims and Christians. When a wider inter-religious conflict threatens to seep into the village, its women go to inventive and sometimes extreme ends to prevent violence.

The film, which debuted at Cannes earlier this year, is already Lebanon's official entry into the Foreign Language Film category at for next year's Academy Awards.

A festival official said Labaki wrote the film in Beirut in2007 when armed clashes had broken out. Pregnant at the time, she began thinking about what she could do to change the world as a filmmaker.

"I'm running around jumping up and down at the Frankfurt airport," Labaki said in a message read to the awards ceremony audience.

Last year's winner of the People's Choice award was "The King's Speech", which went on to win the Oscar for best picture. "American Beauty," "Crash," and "Slumdog Millionaire" also won the award at Toronto before going on to Oscar glory.(Reuters)

Ra.One poster is Batman Return's rip off

 MUMBAI: The poster of the upcoming super hero movie Ra.One starring Shahrukh Khan is a complete copy of the cover of Bollywood flick Batman Returns, Geo News reported Sunday.

The Batman Returns was starred by Micahel Keaton.

In an interview Shahrukh Khan was quoted: "Ra.One is the modern, new age technology version of our mythological "Raavan", who was a mixture of ten different evil characters. I am essaying the role of G.One or better say Jeevan, a superhero who saves the mankind from Ra.One's torment. Through this film, I want to prove that Indian superheroes can also be as cool as the international ones."

If the idea of Ra.One is a rip off by courtesy of Batman, it will prove wrong the idea of Shahrujh Khan that, 'Indian superheroes can also be as cool as the international ones.'

Ra.One is set to release on October 26, an upcoming 2011 Hindi superhero science fiction film starring Shahrukh Khan, Kareena KapoorKareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal.
It is said to be currently India's most expensive film to date according to sources.

Madhuri Dixit back for good!

MUMBAI: Madhuri Dixit, the dhak-dhak girl who made the Bollywood rat race irrelevant by occupying the top slot for almost a decade in the '80s and '90s, is coming back after spending 15 years away from the hustle-bustle of Mumbai in the quiet anonymity of Denver, Colorado. Madhuri said her husband has a few options in Mumbai that he wants to explore. "I think this was going to happen one day anyway...it's pre-ordained. We are all very excited, the kids especially," she said. The mother-of-two made her comeback film in 2007 with Aaja Nachle and was recently back in India as a judge on a dance-based reality show. When asked about her decision to return to Mumbai, Madhuri said that while there were many factors involved, she and her husband would like their children, Arin and Ryan to be raised in India. “It would be a great experience culturally for them. This is where their roots are. They are at an age where they can adapt quickly. They’ll be giving up their friends here [in America], but they are looking forward to making friends there [India]. I want them to learn Hindi and Marathi. I think it will be an exciting time for them too.”

Krrish sequel sold out

 MUMBAI: The sequel to the blockbuster Krrish has been sold almost entirely. Rakesh Roshan has only maintained the rights of the film in Mumbai.

All other territories have fetched him a good price." And, also doing the rounds are rumours that the channel rights have been sold to a leading channel at a price, speculated to be higher than what even Aamir Khan's 3 Idiots received.

Roshan's resolution to sell the rights of the sequel, slated to go on floors in November, is not the only unconventional decision he has taken. Interestingly, the filmmaker has sold the film rights to multiple distributors.

"While Eros International has acquired the overseas rights, the all-India rights have been sold to individual companies," added the source.

When asked why Roshan chose to sell the rights to more than one company, the source explained, "Well, nowadays the corporates create a lot of issues, especially financial agreements, which have an adverse effect on the film. Rakesh Roshan has great business sense and he knows what is happening around him."

Apparently, even the film's music, to be composed by the filmmaker's brother Rajesh Roshan, has been up for grabs.

The source told us that the music rights have been acquired by T-Series for Rs 5 crore. Even though the music of the film is in its preliminary stage, the one song that T-Series heard, in the original film, was convincing enough for the company to buy the music rights.

When contacted, head honcho of T-Series, Bhushan Kumar, confirmed, "We are very happy to be associated with a cool franchise like Krrish."

The sequel to Krrish stars Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra Chitrangada Singh and Vivek Oberoi.

Disney, Cameron to create theme-park 'Avatar'

 LOS ANGELES: Moviegoers pining for a return to the lush moon of Pandora in James Cameron's film "Avatar" will finally get their chance -- first-hand.

Walt Disney Co is teaming with the Oscar-winning director and News Corp unit Fox Filmed Entertainment, to mimic the thriving green landscape depicted in the highest-grossing movie of all time in a section of its Orlando, Florida, theme park.

Under their agreement, Disney won exclusive global theme park rights to the "Avatar" franchise. It will begin building from 2013 and will eventually take Avatar "lands" beyond Orlando's Disney World.

"Our goal is to go beyond current boundaries of technical innovation and experiential storytelling, and give park-goers the chance to see, hear and touch the world of 'Avatar' with an unprecedented sense of reality," Cameron said in a statement.

At a news conference, Cameron said that when he began talks with Disney designers, he "quickly realized their vision for this thing was far beyond what I imagined, and I've got a pretty good imagination."

The estimated cost for the Orlando project is about $400 million, a source familiar with the matter said. Construction should take about five years.

Planning is in the early stages, and executives gave few details on how Disney would recreate the fantasy world of "Avatar" and the creatures that inhabit it. The section will be located within Disney's Animal Kingdom park.

"Avatar," the 2009 film that chronicled the struggle of the alien Na'vi against marauding resource-ravenous humans, grossed almost $3 billion worldwide and triggered the current renaissance in 3D-film making. Cameron is planning sequels to the blockbuster hit, which surpassed his own "Titanic" as the highest-grossing movie in history.

The first of the "Avatar" sequels is set for release around Christmas 2014, Cameron said.

Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger said the company planned to bring "Avatar" to other locations beyond the Florida park. "We think we can clearly leverage the global interest in this property," Iger said.

The company is deep into several big theme park projects, including building a new park in Shanghai and adding a 12-acre section, set to open next year based on the animated "Cars" films, to its California resort.

Disney typically works with its own movies when developing themed sections and rides. It does have some attractions based on films from other studios, including the "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" franchises. (Reuters)

Shakira to take part in Big Boss 5

 MUMBAI: Latino pop star Shakira will take part in famous Indian reality show Big Boss 5. The show will be hosted by Bollywood actor Sunjay Dutt.

This is not the first time an international celebrity will take part in the show. Hollywood actress Pamela Anderson was featured in the show during its last season.

Big Boss 5 will start from October 2 and it is rumoured that Pakistani actress Humaima Malik will also be taking part in the reality show