KOREAN STEEL MAKER EYES 15$ BILLION

 ISLAMABAD: The Engineering Development Board (EDB) has persuaded a South Korean manufacturer of Iron and Steel products, Pohang Iron and Steel Company POSCO to invest in Pakistan.

The company has signed joint venture agreement with Tuwairqi Steel Mill (TSML) for investing $15 million in the DRI project of TSML by subscribing 15.3 percent newly issued common shares, said a statement issued here on Monday.

Subsequent to commercial operation of the DRI project, POSCO is keen on the forward and backward integration of the project by investing in the steel melting and mining sectors by increasing its shareholding in TSML upto the threshold level of 50 per cent.

The move will eventually result in huge foreign equity inflow to build a state-of-the art integrated in the country along with creation of tremendous employment opportunities.
It may be recalled that four member delegation of the POSCO visited Pakistan in March 2011 to explore the possibility of initiating the steel manufacturing business in Pakistan.

The delegation was given detailed presentations about the current status of local steel industry and future growth prospects by Engineering Development Board (EDB).

They showed their satisfaction at the growth potential of steel manufacturing industry in Pakistan. Later a visit of the delegation to Tuwairqi Steel Mill was also arranged by EDB.

A two-member team of TSML accompanied the Chief Minister of Sindh during his visit to South Korea as a follow up of the discussions between the two steel manufacturers.
After conducting due diligence, POSCO has finally agreed to conclude a formal joint venture agreement with TSML.

A spokesman of Engineering Development Board explained that per capita steel consumption in Pakistan is very low as compared to other countries and is around about 38 kg per capita.
In 2009, the per capita steel consumption in Pakistan was 35 kg as compared to 384 kg in China, 225 kg in Saudi Arabia, 123 kg in Egypt, 228 kg in Iran, 432 kg in Kuwait and 985 kg in Qatar, he added. (APP)

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14 dead as Kabul siege ends: officials

 KABUL: Officials raised the death toll in a 19-hour siege in Kabul to 14 Wednesday as the Afghan government announced the violence had come to an end with the killing of two insurgents.

The attacks started Tuesday but dragged into a second day as armed men remained holed up in a high-rise construction site overlooking the US embassy and the headquarters of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

Lieutenant Colonel Jimmie Cummings, an ISAF spokesman, said: "Nineteen (were) wounded, 11 killed, which includes three children." Cummings told the dead were all civilians.

Interior ministry spokesman Siddiq Siddiqui previously said that three police were also killed, taking the overall toll to 14.

Cummings added: "We also have six (ISAF troops) wounded in action since yesterday.

"Three of them were US which happened during the main engagement off the ISAF compound... the other three were in support during clearing (of the main building.)"

The death toll covered the main attack plus several much smaller related ones which took place elsewhere in Kabul Tuesday.

Siddiqui said the siege, which has raised fresh serious questions about security in Kabul, was now over.

"The last attackers are dead and the fighting all over. There were six terrorists in the building and all are dead," he told.

It is believed to be the first time a Taliban attack on Kabul - seen as relatively safe compared to many other parts of Afghanistan - has taken place across two days.

The coordinated assault is the latest sign that security has deteriorated sharply in the city where insurgents have staged increasingly brazen raids on Western targets. (AFP)

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Rain affectees facing severe problems in Sindh

 HYDERABAD: There is no respite in sight for people in inundated areas of Sindh where stagnant rainwater can lead to outbreak of epidemic if it is not drained out immediately, while affectees are facing severe problems due to unavailability of food and medicines, Geo News reported.

Rainwater has become headache for the residents of phase-I and II of Qasimabad area of Hyderabad.

Thousands of affectees are living under open sky in Jhando. They said that they are facing acute shortage of food.

Navy soldiers are shifting the people stranded in the low-lying areas to safe places.

In Badin district, rain and saline nullah water in still present. The worst affected areas are Pangrio, Shadilarge, Khoski and others.

Thousands of affectees who have taken shelter at PF Band Dadu are waiting for food. Educational activities are suspended in schools.

Hundreds of houses have been destroyed in torrential rains in Nara and Faiz Gand tehsils of district Khairpur.

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Google launches Flight Search - with a cool feature rivals lack

Google's new Flight Search allows users to find and book travel.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Google launched a new flight search service on Tuesday, putting it in direct competition with travel search players including Orbitz and Kayak.

Starting Tuesday, when a user searches for flight information -- like "flights from New York to Chicago" -- a "Flights" link will appear on the left side of Google's search page. Google Flight Search can also be accessed directly at google.com/flights.

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Rugby World Cup 2011: England prop Andrew Sheridan ruled out

Sheridan will return home to England for treatment on his injured shoulder

Sheridan has had two operations on the same shoulder and returned from right shoulder surgery for England's final World Cup warm-up against Ireland.

The Sale loose-head, 31, will return home for further treatment.

"It's sad for Sheri, he's been unlucky. We brought five props so have options," said England boss Martin Johnson.

Matt Stevens and Alex Corbisiero will compete for Sheridan's starting spot, while Northampton prop Paul Doran-Jones and Wasps' Tim Payne are the most likely options to replace him in the party, having been included in England's initial 45-man training squad.

England will decide on a replacement in due course but under World Cup rules Sheridan will not be allowed to rejoin the squad in New Zealand.

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THE CURIOUS CASE OF DELHI BELI

Controversies attract me like a bull to the red cape and so I sat Thursday night, to watch the much talked about movie ‘Delhi Belly.’ I never expected myself to say this but I found the movie disgustingly funny! Yes Girls I found it funny! Now stop gasping and gaping! It doesn’t come in ‘good manners’ you see. For people who have seen movies like The Hangover and American Pie, they would appreciate the bold turn that Amir Khan has taken in giving ‘Hindi comedy’ a much needed touch up.

For people who haven’t seen the movie yet, Delhi Belly invites its viewers to the uncensored, everyday, real Indian’s domain. A fast paced, action packed plot revolves around 3 struggling roommates Tashi (Imran Khan), Nitin (Kunaal Roy Kapur) and Arup (Vir Das) whose lives take an unexpected U-turn when a single error in delivery causes all the hell to break loose upon them. Filled with bold expletives and adult jokes, Amir Khan doesn’t keep the audience in the dark regarding the content of the movie. Before its release people were already made aware of what they were getting into and what was expected from the movie.

Surprisingly Delhi Belly gets an ‘A’ certificate with no censor cuts at all by the Indian censor board. Perhaps they realized that if cuts were made, it would have spoiled the whole essence of the movie. The whole point of the movie is its delineation of how the daily life of Delhi operates; the specific time of water in the taps, the over crowded streets of the capital, black-marketing, the unappreciative bosses, the unhygienic food sold in the streets etc etc. The refreshing part of the movie is that all the characters speak the real language of the youth now-a-days! The characters do not hide behind the veneer of civility. They have successfully captured the real, modern, urban youth of India, doing complete justice to their characters. The most loveable character is that of Nitin (Kunaal Roy Kapur) who falls victim to the ‘Delhi Belly,’ grasping and groaning till the end of the movie!

Though a hit at the box office, making Rs.36 crore in the first week of its release, and appreciated by the mainstream youth, it did not come out scot free. Some critics found its content vulgar and downright offensive. There were protests in different parts of the country including Indore, Kolhapur and even a court case where Amir Khan along with his wife Kiran Rao and Ronnie Screwvala (the producers), Abhinay Deo (the director) and the writer Akshat Verma have been dragged to court by a small time film-maker Farah Ayaz Ghani on basis of obscenity and offending religious sentiments of people. It is reported that the movie has been banned in 22 different countries.

Amidst the protests and the court case, Amir Khan is happy with the appreciation given to this movie. It has set the turf for other producers who want to experiment with such bolder comic content. Whether it’s the burqa exploits, the orange juice exploits or the bold punch lines, this movie is bound to provoke much hysterical laughs from every person who is on a look out for bizarre situational comedy. Amir Khan steals the show with his item number ‘I hate you (like I love you) that appears at the end of the movie.
All in all the movie’s tagline ‘Shit happens’ promises a concatenation of hilarious scenarios and like the name suggests a perpetual onslaught of ‘Belly problems.’ A real treat for those who appreciate every facet of this genre!

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JINNAH GANDHI AND US......

As minutes are ticking towards midnight, uproars of Pakistan Zindabad hails are coming from amongst frenzied crowds of people who make sure they are heard by every one. And where it conjures up an avalanche of patriotic emotions brimming up to the top, it sets one back to the time these hails were heard for the first time, on the eve of 14th August. It’s strange yet meaningful that the two nations celebrate their national days only 24 hours apart and ironic at the same time how these 24 hours' distance gave way to a myriad distances and differences between the two nations, once under one flag. 

With the celebrations of this twin dominion, a bibliography of history is revised; the leaders who architect-ed the design of these states are remembered, upheld and praised for the tenets they laid for these two proud nations.Yet, how ironic it is that what an amnesiac mind we give to their truly proposed ideals, what perturbed them the most and what took them from us.

Partition ensued what was never imagined by our leaders. Our history never included, at least theoretically and practically any call for war, for oppression and violence. It was meant to be and could have been a peaceful, non-violent carving out on paper, of the two states. But the reality was much harder to handle as it was to believe, when a spasm of sectarian and racial violence that gripped the Indo-Pak sub-continent as days neared partition. The mass violence and humanitarian disaster that took the lives of hundreds of people, also consumed the two leaders.

Jinnah who was well-acclaimed for his formidable strength is reported by Mir Laik Ali, his political disciple, “Never in my life had I seen Mr. Jinnah emotional except on that day. He asked me if I had seen the…refugees as I drove from the airport..I had of course. Tears rolled down his cheeks several times as he spoke of the mass human misery.” Fatima Jinnah, his sister was also close enough to observe him, “even in this hour of triumph the Quaid-e-Azam was gravely ill…I watched him in sorrow and pain. He had little or no appetite and had even lost his ability to will himself to sleep. All this coincided with reports from both sides of the border of harrowing tales of massacres, rape, arson and looting. He began his day discussing these mass killings with me at breakfast and his handkerchief furtively often went to his moist eyes..”
And for Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest leader India is ever to have, announced to live in Pakistan to safeguard minority rights, cared so much that in the early 1948, “he won the last of his fasts –unto-death persuading India’s cabinet to pay its debt of 55 curores of rupees to Pakistan, helping to put an end to the slaughter and looting of Muslims in and around Dehli.”He the up bearer of peace who vehemently fought against violence was shot to death by a “hate-crazed” person. 

Our leaders lived and died advocating a lawful and peaceful way of settling affairs. Jinnah who never thought he wouldn’t be ever able to step in his homeland again, never sold his property in Mumbai, planed to visit his house at Maraball hills during holidays. And Gandhi who willed to live the rest of his life in Pakistan had never imagined the iron walls erected between the two countries and what people of both sides have to go through, in the name of strict visa scrutiny, and even then denied the right to step in their motherlands. What a tragedy that scores of people who migrated from across the borders could never go back to meet their families. I can barely manage to imagine the pain that my grandmother had felt on being damned to never see her family and folks again. Why?

Even now, at every next instance, we see governments of each sides and sometimes people engaged in hurling abuses at each other. Does, having separate systems to operate and live in, mean a metaphor for hatred. And when do we really expect this six decade animosity to end? Is attaining peace and love we once shared ,and that is still ingrained deep down our hearts due to our centuries long connection with each other and our shared cultural and historical heritage, too much of a romantic ideal to attain?

Our real leaders,Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Mahatma Gandhi never wanted this, never advocated for hatred. Then why We, the carriers of their legacy, their spiritual progeny insistent on going against their dreams. Today, let’s only pay tribute and homage to our leaders and swear to follow their proposed ideals that only, meant peace and love for each other while celebrating our national identities and days. Today, if I wish for something that is only this Aman ki Asha.

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AAGAYA HAI DAIKHO BODY GUARD

There comes a time in every actor's life when he becomes as good as invincible ... Dilip Kumar went through such a phase in the 50s, Shammi Kapoor did so in the 60s, Rajesh Khanna followed the pattern in the 70s and Amitabh Bachchan was undefeatable in the 80s. Yet since the arrival of the Khans in Bollywood, actors have had careers that have seen the ups and downs regularly. With the arrival of Salman Khan-Kareena Kapoor starrer Bodyguard, all that has changed.

Bodyguard is not just a film for die-hard Salman Khan fans ... its a phenomenon. The film may not fall into the category of his all-time successful film “Dabbanng”, but it is a lot better than his last hit “Ready”. What's common between these three movies is that their success has made Sallu the first and only actor to give hits that have grossed over 100 curore rupees. But is the film worth all this? Yes and no. 

Yes, because Salman Khan has acted really well in most of the scenes. The actor has a fan following that can only be rivaled by those of the other Khans (Aamir, Shah Rukh and Saif) but he has given more hits in the last 18 months than any of these rivals. In Bodyguard, he has been in nearly every scene and has done well as Lovely Singh, the Bodyguard who brings fear in the eyes of his enemies. Veteran actor Raj Babbar also does well and the two are the only good thing about the film's cast. 

And no, because none of the other members of the cast has significant roles, be it the leading lady Kareena Kapoor or the villains Mahesh Manjrekar or Aditya Pancholi. There are hardly six to seven regular cast members in the movie as the rest have been labelled as Guest Appearances. Kareena Kapoor didn't have much to do in the movie except look young (which she is not!) and pretty (which she is!). 

The story in the first half revolves around Salman Khan's character Lovely Singh defending Divya (Kareena Kapoor) who is not only the daughter of his Maalik (Raj Babbar) but also on target of the baddies. The second half of the movie is a mixture of many hit flicks of the yesteryears, including Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (which are both hit movies of Salman's current nemesis Shar Rukh Khan). The film may have a happy ending but many points will be raised about the story once the viewer gets through the film. 

Teri Meri, the song by Rahat Fateh Ali is the most notable one of the movie whereas the other numbers are below par, composed by Himesh Reshammiya (Yes the same one who sings with a nasal voice). My recommendation - Watch Bodyguard if you are a fan of Salman Khan, otherwise wait for your favorite respective actors' upcoming flicks.

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POOR PITCH REALLY..?

With the introductions of protective gears and laws that favor batsmen over the years, bowlers have been all but weeded out of the game.

They cannot be banned from the stadium altogether as having a bowling unit is a necessary evil for the game to be played but officials have tried making sure that bowlers are rendered helpless by placing all sorts of restrictions on them. As far as the officials are concerned, bowlers just need to turn up and be smacked all around the park for it to make an interesting encounter. Big scores mean good matches. The phrase ‘balance between bat and ball’ is meaningless to them.

Amidst this stepdaughter treatment at the hands of these guardians of the game, bowlers have always found a way to leave their mark on the game. Tricks like reverse swings and doosra have been developed to bamboozle the batsmen.

But in the last few years, there has been another attack on the bowlers with the introduction of warnings, fines and bans on stadiums for poor pitches by the ICC. The definition of a poor pitch is the one that assists bowlers too much, in essence. Pitches that are totally dead and on which tons of runs are not even blinked at but God forbid if wickets start falling in heaps, eyebrows are raised in an instant. Example of this is the explanation asked for the Galle pitch used for the 1st test between Sri Lanka and Australia by the ICC. It has been called poor.

Although wickets fell in a heap on the 2nd day and bowlers got some help from the pitch but it made for a compelling contest. Fast bowlers, medium pacers and spinners were helped alike and as Hussey, Clarke, Jayawardena and Mathews showed during their endeavors at the wicket that if you were willing to dig in and had the requisite set of skills, you could prosper. It was a pitch that provided a balanced contest. It wasn’t a dustbowl nor was it a featherbed like the Colombo SSC pitch during Sri Lanka-India match last year where both teams ended up making scores in the neighborhood of seven hundred in the first innings leading to a boring draw.

This was a pitch that kept the spectators interested and rewarded the players for their skills, accordingly. Calling it a poor pitch is simply killing the game as I see it.

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