Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, First Look…

Here is the first look of Mere Brother Ki Dulhan featuring Katrina Kaif, Imran Khan and Ali Zafar in the lead, was released on April 19 by Yash Raj Films.

The poster shows a colorful three wheel tempo, with Imran Khan at the driver seat, Katrina sitting in the rear wheel guard and Ali leaning against the tempo rear.

The poster undoubtedly promises full on comedy.

Written and directed by debutant Ali Abbas Zafar, “Mere Brother ki Dulhan” is a topsy-turvy story set amongst upper middle class families in northern India. Imran Khan plays a character who falls in love with his brother’s (Ali Zafar) fiancée (Katrina Kaif). Filled with humor and romance, the flick promises to tickle your funny bones.

Mere Brother Ki Dulhan will release in theaters worldwide on 9th September 2011

India successfully launches three satellites into space

NEW DELHI: India Wednesday successfully launched an indigenously developed rocket, carrying three satellites, including latest remote sensing Resourcesat-2, into space from the southern spaceport of Sriharikota, a top space research official said.

The rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle was launched by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota at 10:12 a.m. (local time); it carried two nano satellites Youthsat and X-Sat apart from the Resourcesat-2.

"PSLV-C16 Resourcesat-2 mission is successful," ISRO chief K. Radhakrishnan said, after all the three satellites were hurled into space one after another 822 km above Earth.

While Resourcesat-2 with a five-year space life will provide information on ship surveillance by making 14 orbits per day, Youthsat, a joint Indo-Russian satellite for stellar and atmospheric studies will study the relationship between solar variability and thermosphere-ionosphere changes.

X-Sat is a mini satellite that intends to demonstrate technologies related to satellite based remote sensing and onboard image processing.

The launch was particularly important this year as last year saw the dramatic back-to-back failures of two of the larger rockets, the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, that plunged down into the Bay of Bengal.

World capitals shy away from Prime Minister’s flood fund

ISLAMABAD: The international community’s no confidence in what is seen as one of the most corrupt governments in the country’s history is truly reflected in official statistic of foreign assistance for 2010 flood victims with Prime Minister’s Relief Fund getting peanuts i.e. around US$ 21 million from world capitals.

The foreign countries and donors instead preferred to depend on international agencies and non-governmental organizations to ensure that the money donated is properly utilized and is not corrupted by the government, which is rated by foreign agencies as one of the most corrupt regimes in the world.

According to the official statistics the world capitals, with the exception of countries like

Afghanistan and Algeria, have shown little or no trust in the government of Pakistan to assist the more than 20 million flood affectees of 2010.

Such is the credibility of the government that out of total US$697 million assistance that the world capitals have committed to spend through the Government of Pakistan, hardly US$21 million has so far been deposited in the PM’s relief fund. Most of these countries even preferred to help in kind.

The government figures as available on the Finance Ministry’s official website and last updated on January 8, 2011, a total of US$3.042 billion foreign assistance for the flood affectees was committed. Out of this amount US$2.34 billion was committed to be spent through the United Nations or other international agencies and non-governmental organizations whereas the remaining US$696 million was committed to be spent through the Government of Pakistan. The total committed assistance includes a soft loan of US$243 million.

Amongst the major donors, the US committed US$571 million but opted to spend all this amount through international agencies like USAID etc. Not even a single dollar was donated by Washington to PM’s Relief Fund. Britain, which had pledged US$216 million, also did the same and did not contribute even a single penny to Gilani’s account.

The Turkish government committed US$53 million besides raising a total of US$142 million through a fundraiser. Turkey seems to have maximum faith in the prime minister as it contributed the most i.e. US$10 million to PM’s Relief Fund.

The Saudi government has committed US$100 million besides pledging US$23 million on behalf of Saudi Fund for Development and another US$242 million public fund relief raised from the people of Saudi Arabia. Out of this amount of US$365 million, only US$5 million was delivered through National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

Japan committed a total of US$519 million but did not give any amount for the PM’s Relief Fund. Iran too committed US$100 million but it too avoided to deposit any amount in the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund.

After Turkey, which contributed US$10 million to the PM’s Relief Fund, the Asian Development Bank was a major contributor to the same fund with US$3 million contribution. Afghanistan gave US$2 million for the PM’s Relief Fund and emerged as the third largest foreign contributor having faith in the government’s fund.

Other countries, which contributed to the PM fund include Algeria with US$1 million; Bhutan with US$0.10 million; Brunei with US$0.73 million; Indonesia US$1.7 million; Korean private sector companies US$0.94 million; Maldivian philanthropists US$0.27million; Morocco US$1 million etc.

Karachi Rangers’ special powers again extended

KARACHI: Rangers in this beleaguered city by the target killers have again been awarded with the powers of police under which they’ll be entitled to conduct raids, detain and interrogate suspects at their own, Geo News reported.

Rangers enjoyed these powers for months when these were conferred upon them early this year. However, the law and order situation in this mysteriously violence ridden industrial and business hub has yet to see any improvement.

While the controversial Sindh government home minister, Zulfiqar Mirza is said to be on medical leave for an indefinite period, the Federal law Minister, Rahman Malik has been frequently visiting Karachi with the promise of relieving the vexed citizens of the target killers, but to no avail.

Both the federal and provincial administrations have been claiming that they have successfully arrested almost all the target killers, yet to the misfortune of the citizens perhaps the ghosts of these killers continue the killing spree unabated, as the city finds no break in at least on the average losing six persons’ precious lives everyday. 

1200MW to be added in national grid: PEPCO

LAHORE: Director General PEPCO Engineer Muhammad Khalid has said that 1200MW electricity would be added to national grid within two months that will help overcome loadshedding in extremely hot weather, Geo News reported.

Briefing media at Wapda House here Tuesday, DG PEPCO expressed hope that loadshedding would be less this year as compared to past as power generation at Thermal and Hydel has been improved.

Energy summit conference would be held in the first week of next month to chalk out new conservation plan, he said and added that this would save 1500MW power.

DG PEPCO further said owing to power shortfall of 2700MW loadhsedding of 6-hour in urban areas and 8 to10-hour in rural areas is being carried out.