Who remembers Fifty Fifty?

Fifty Fifty remains one of the most groundbreaking television productions to have aired in Pakistan.

KARACHI: Decades after the show ended its run on state-run television, Fifty Fifty remains one of the most groundbreaking television productions to have aired in Pakistan.

A satire show with exemplary sketches – and starring young actors who are still leading television stars – Shoaib Mansoor’s Fifty Fifty took on everything from cultural phenomena like the ‘Dubai chalo’ wave, the impact of Michael Jackson’s music or the fixation with speaking English.

Here’s my personal list of the best sketches presented on the show. Feel free to add your own in the comments section

FM Qureshi condemns Israel’s ‘barbaric act’

One of the Turkish ships taking part in the ‘Freedom Flotilla’ heading towards the Gaza. PHOTO: AFP

Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi says what Israel has done with the freedom flotilla is a barbaric act and in violation of international law.

Talking to Express, Qureshi said that his immediate concern is to get information about the three Pakistanis on the ship which was carrying relief goods for the people of Gaza. Qureshi said he tried to contact his Turkish counterpart which has not been possible, and that he left a message for the Turkish foreign minister.

Meanwhile Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik contacted secretary general Interpol and asked him to get information about Pakistanis on board the freedom flotilla.

Iran warns Israel against attacking Syria

Iranian Vice-President Mohammad Rida Rahimi (right) shakes hands with Syrian Prime Minister Naji Otri after a news conference in Damascus….

DAMASCUS: Iran will “cut off Israel’s feet” if the Jewish state attacks Damascus, Iranian Vice- President Mohammad Rida Rahimi vowed on Friday at the end of a two-day visit to key regional ally Syria.

“We will stand alongside Syria against any (Israeli) threat,” Rahimi said at a news conference with Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Otri. Rahimi described Syria as a “strong country that is ready to confront any threat” and pledged that Tehran “will back Syria with all its means and strength”. Earlier this month, Israeli President Shimon Peres claimed that Syria was supplying militant group Hezbollah with Scud missiles. Syria has denied the charges.

Condemnations abroad, condemnations at home

Demonstrators wave Palestinian flags and shout slogans during an anti-Israeli protest on Taksim Square in Istanbul on May 31, 2010. PHOTO:…

KARACHI: International condemnations started pouring in over Israel’s actions on Monday.

The United States said it ‘deeply regrets’ the loss of life in the incident, while UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was ’shocked’ by the deadly Israeli raid.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said there was a “clear need for Israel to act with restraint”.

Deaths as Israeli forces storm Gaza aid ship



Watch the video at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/10195838.stm

More than 10 people have been killed after Israeli commandos stormed a convoy of ships carrying aid to the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army says.

Armed forces boarded the vessels overnight, clashing with some of the 600 protesters on board.

It happened about 40 miles (64 km) out to sea, in international waters.

Israel says its soldiers were shot at and attacked with bars and knives; the activists say Israeli troops came on board shooting.

‘Leaving Islam?’ ads appear on NYC buses

NEW YORK: New York bus ads asking readers if they were leaving Islam caused a stir in the American muslim community on Thursday.

A conservative activist and the organizations she leads have paid several thousand dollars for the ads to run on at least 30 city buses for a month. The ads point to a website called RefugefromIslam.com, which offers information to those wishing to leave Islam, but some Muslims are calling the ads a smoke screen for an anti-Muslim agenda.

Pamela Geller, who leads an organization called Stop Islamization of America, said the ads were meant to help provide resources for Muslims who are fearful of leaving the faith.

30 burnt alive in India bus accident

BANGALORE: At least 30 people, including 10 children, were burnt alive on Sunday when a bus bound for the southern Indian city of Bangalore ploughed into a roadblock and caught fire, police said.

The state-owned vehicle veered off a small bridge after colliding with the roadblock in the dark and fell into a ditch, local superintendent of police Labhu Ram told AFP from the accident site by phone.

“The bus caught fire when the diesel tank exploded on impact,” he said.

The bus had 64 passengers on board and was on its way from Surpur in southern Karnataka state to the IT hub of Bangalore, 600 kilometres away.

Inflating Pakistan’s football industry

KARACHI: Soccer or football is the most popular sport in the world. And for many, this means great economic opportunity. At one time, Pakistan’s export city of Sialkot was catering to 85 per cent of the total world demand for high-quality hand-stitched inflatable balls.

A workforce of 85,000 was employed to produce 60 million balls per year worth $210 million. In Fifa World Cup years the demand for stitched balls rises by 70 per cent. Consecutive governments however, ignored this industry and failed to plan ahead to tackle the growing competition from China, India and Japan.

For a long time this vital industry also faced criticism from European countries and especially from United States with allegations of using child labour. The Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry took prompt measures to curb child labour from the soccer ball industry in accordance with the Atlanta Agreement signed with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Unicef in February 1997.

Stringing along

10 years ago, the musical landscape of Pakistan – and the way musicians were promoted – changed for the better.

Fans of the band that they had thought defunct were stunned to see billboards bearing the images of Bilal Maqsood and Faisal Kapadia gracing the skyline. The album the duo released that year – Duur - went on to become a massive phenomenon, and it was hard to find an Indian television channel that wasn’t blaring the first single off the album, “Duur”. The way the album and the videos were promoted and made propelled musicians to up their game, and the near-defunct music scene saw the birth, in the years to follow, of bands such as Noori, Jal and EP.

10 years, several Bollywood songs and collaborations and high-profile corporate deals later, Strings are set to make yet another splash.

Venus sent spinning out of French Open

PARIS: Second seed Venus Williams crashed to Russia’s Nadia Petrova in the fourth round of the French Open as four-time champion Justine Henin edged a tight battle with Maria Sharapova.

Williams, a runner-up here in 2002, became the biggest casualty of the tournament so far when she lost 6-3, 6-4 to Petrova, the 19th seed, on Court Philippe Chatrier. Williams spurned two break points in the first set and Petrova made her pay for her profligacy by converting one of the two break points that came her way to take a one-set lead.

A netted forehand from Petrova, twice a semi-finalist, gave Williams an early break of serve in the second set but the Russian broke back and then broke again to take a 4-3 lead.