‘Pakistani in US terror case to change plea to guilty’

 

The man is accused of attempting to send money to al-Qaida.

 

Raja Lahrasib Khan s lawyer tells The Associated Press his client will change his plea at a Monday hearing after reaching an agreement with federal prosecutors. Thomas Durkin said Monday he couldn t offer details.

 

Khan is charged with attempting to provide material aid to terrorism by sending cash to Pakistan-based terrorist leader Ilyas Kashmiri.

 

Khan has been held in a federal jail in Chicago since his arrest two years ago. The naturalized U.S. citizen pleaded not guilty shortly after his arrest.–AP
 

Iran film gains prominence with double Oscar nod

LOS ANGELES: Iran scored its first foreign language film Oscar nomination in 14 years on Tuesday dominating a field of movies with subjects ranging from Jewish refugees in wartime Poland to corruption in the Flemish beef industry.

“A Separation”, Iranian director’s Asghar Farhadi’s searing domestic drama, also scored a nod for best original screenplay, boosting the movie’s chances for Oscar gold to crown what already has been critically-acclaimed run at Western film festivals.

The foreign language film nominees were rounded out by Israeli film “Footnote”, “In Darkness” by Polish director Agniezska Holland, Canadian entry “Monsieur Lazhar” and “Bullhead” from Belgium.

But expected titles like Spanish director Pedro Almodovar’s “The Skin I Live In”, and Chinese film “Flowers of War” starring Christian Bale, were edged out of an often difficult to predict field of contenders.

“From a personal point of view, it means that being local and being universal are not opposite of each other,” “Separation” director Farhadi told Reuters about the nomination, speaking from Paris where he is working on his next film.

“For Iranian filmmakers in my country, it means that the power of cinema is still superior to that of political problems,” Farhadi told Reuters.

In recent years, the Iranian government has severely restricted some of its most acclaimed writers and directors, including film director Jafar Panahi, known for his gritty films that examine social issues in the Islamic Republic. He was jailed in 2010 and banned from making movies or traveling abroad by an Iranian court. Some of Hollywood’s most influential names, including Steven Spielberg, have called for Panahi’s release.

More recently in 2011, Iranian officials arrested four filmmakers on suspicion of selling their films to foreign broadcasters, and sentenced Iranian actress Marzieh Vafamehr, who appeared in “My Tehran for Sale,” to 90 lashes and a year in prison, which was later overturned by an appeals court.

“A Separation”, about an Iranian couple going through a divorce, won the top prize at Berlin’s film festival in February 2011, and a U.S. Golden Globe last week. It is the first Iranian film to be Oscar-nominated since 1998′s “Children of Heaven.”

THE THRILL OF A NOMINATION
Holland’s movie “In Darkness” chronicles the rescue of Jewish refugees in the Polish city of Lvov during World War II. It is Agniezska Holland’s second Oscar nomination following 1990′s “Europa Europa.”

Although she’s a veteran of awards ceremonies, Holland still felt a rush hearing her name announced.

“Every time is like the first time,” she gasped when reached in Warsaw. “And this film was more difficult than any of my movies in terms of the conditions, in terms of the ambition, in terms of the shooting.”

Joseph Cedar was in Jerusalem doing homework with his six-year-old son when he heard the title of his movie, “Footnote,” announced in Beverly Hills by Oscar organizers.

“We jumped up and down and screamed and mostly felt a great relief,” he told Reuters. “I’m still not sure it’s not a mistake.”

“Footnote” focuses on a father-son rivalry in Talmudic studies, but is not autobiographical. “I am a father and I am a son, but other than that it’s not directly linked to my own family,” said the director.

Filmmaker Philippe Falardeau was attending the Sundance Film Festival in Utah when his “Monsieur Lazhar,” the Canadian entry, was announced as a nominee on Tuesday.

“When I heard the word ‘Canada’ I started screaming. I didn’t even hear the name of my film,” he said.

“Monsieur Lazhar” tells of an Algerian immigrant who takes over a classroom full of elementary kids after their teacher commits suicide. It is the second year in a row a Quebecois film has been in competition after last year’s “Incendies”.

“It’s quite ironic to see an intimate film exist alongside a big Hollywood production,” Falardeau said.

The fifth nominee, Belgian entry “Bullhead,” directed by first-time filmmaker Michael R. Roskam, is a crime drama focusing on corruption in the Flemish beef industry.

The 84th Academy Awards, the world’s top film honors, will take place on February 26 in Hollywood. AGENCIES

No contempt by not writing a letter: Aitezaz

TrendPK.com
ISLAMABAD: Former Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Aitezaz Ahsan Monday reiterated his previous stance that the President of the state has complete immunity from the criminal cases.

Talking to media, he said President Asif Ali Zardari enjoys complete immunity in the criminal cases until he retires from the presidency, adding exemption does not pertain to an individual, instead, the office.

The former SCBA President said everybody is constitutionally and legally entitled to take a lawyer of his choice.

“I respect Justice (rtd.) Khalilur Rehman Ramday; but, he should not have given interview,’ he said replying to a question.

Aitezaz furthermore stressed he can say a lot about Justice Ramday; but, he does not want to do so, adding Justice Ramday should not embark on the pathway of politics, as even two years have not passed ever since he retired from his office.

Reacting to a question regarding Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani standpoint before seven-member Supreme Court bench hearing the NRO Implementation case, Aitezaz said no question of contempt of court arises by not writing a letter. TrendPK

Memo issue: M. Ijaz not to come to Pakistan

TrendPK.com
ISLAMABAD: American-Pakistani Businessman Mansoor Ijaz declined to come to Pakistan over security concerns, TrendPK reports Monday.

Ijaz’s counsel Akram Sheikh Advocate said Mansoor has been apprised of the proposed security plan on his arrival in Pakistan.

The Commission is not authorized to call a foreign national, he added.

Mansoor Ijaz is geared up to speak truth at all time, Akram Sheikh Advocate told the media persons adding he will get his statement recorded while sitting in his office.

Ijaz’s counsel remarked his client does not want to trigger confrontation among institutions.

After having defied the orders of the Supreme Court (SC), the government did not accede to comply with the decision made up at the Corps Commanders meetings, Akram said.

Subjecting the Army Chief Gen. Ashfaq Kayani to his censure, Akram told a battery of reporters that Kayani backed down on his decision, adding he wrote a letter to the ground forces chief yesterday and has not received any reply from him thus far. TrendPK

Memo creator Ijaz’s drama fizzles out: Malik

TrendPK.com
ISLAMABAD: Federal Interior Minister Rehman A. Malik Monday said American-Pakistani Businessman Mansoor Ijaz denied to come to Pakistan despite the government completely assured him of security in the country.

Talking to media, he said it seems Ijaz’s untrue drama flopped.

It has been abundantly clarified that Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad will provide Ijaz with every kind of security in the country, adding the military may also be called for his security if needed. TrendPK

Ijaz moves Commission to record his statement abroad

TrendPK.com
ISLAMABAD: American-Pakistani Businessman Mansoor Ijaz requested the Supreme Court (SC)-appointed Memogate Commission to record his statement abroad, as he is unable to come to Pakistan over serious threats to his security in Pakistan.

Ijaz’s counsel Akram Sheikh Advocate filed the plea which says the apex court has delegated the commission with powers to log statements abroad.

The petition says he is every other day being threatened that he will not be allowed to leave the country. It should be mentioned here that Federal Interior Minister Rehman A. Malik has previously said Ijaz’s name could be put on exit control list (ECL) if the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) recommends so.

“I am all the willing to come to Pakistan. And, through my evidences, the impression will be dispelled that I don’t want to come to Pakistan,” Ijaz said. TrendPK

‘Underworld: Awakening’ tops domestic box office

LOS ANGELES: Vampires and werewolves lured moviegoers to theaters this weekend as the fourth “Underworld” film topped domestic box office charts and brought in an estimated $38.8 million around the world.

“Underworld: Awakening” stars Kate Beckinsale as a vampire leading the charge in a battle against humans trying to drive her species and the werewolves to extinction.

The fourth movie opened stronger than two of the three earlier films in the franchise, which opened in 2003. “Awakening” pulled in $25.4 million at North American (U.S. and Canadian) theaters from Friday through Sunday, plus $13.4 million from 36 international markets, distributor Sony said on Sunday.

Playing in 3,078 domestic locations, the film’s weekend sales finished “at the high end of where we hoped,” said Rory Bruer, president of worldwide distribution for Sony Pictures. Audiences were eager to see Beckinsale return to the lead role, he said. She had starred in the first two films but skipped the third.

“Awakening” is the first “Underworld” movie in 3D and cost about $70 million to produce. The movie fell flat with critics as just 24 percent gave a positive review on aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes. But audiences polled by survey firm CinemaScore awarded the movie an A-.

In second place, World War Two story “Red Tails” far exceeded studio forecasts with $19.1 million domestically.

“Red Tails” stars Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr. in a drama about Tuskegee Airmen — a black pilot group in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War Two. Producer George Lucas paid the film’s $58 million production cost plus marketing expenses, and distributor 20th Century Fox had forecast $8 million to $10 million in domestic ticket sales for weekend.

“Never in our wildest dreams did we think we could pull off a number like this,” said Chris Aronson, senior vice president for domestic distribution at 20th Century Fox. He said audiences clearly enjoyed the film, giving it an A grade in polling by CinemaScore. Critics’ reviews on Rotten Tomatoes came in at 34 percent positive.

WAHLBERG MOVIE DROPS TO THIRD
Last weekend’s winner, thriller “Contraband” starring Mark Wahlberg, finished its second weekend in theaters in third place, grabbing $12.2 million domestically.

“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,” a drama about a boy trying to make sense of his father’s death on 9/11, landed in fourth place with $10.5 million. The movie had opened in a small number of theaters on Christmas but expanded nationwide this weekend. The film stars Thomas Horn as the boy and Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock as his parents.

In fifth place, Steven Soderbergh-directed spy tale “Haywire” took in $9 million domestically, just beating distributor Relativity Media’s projection of about $8 million.

“Haywire” features mixed martial arts fighter Gina Carano as an operative who is double-crossed and becomes the target of assassins. While critics praised the film with an 82 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences were not impressed. The film earned a D+ rating from CinemaScore.

Elsewhere this weekend, two movies that won Golden Globe awards last week expanded to more theaters.

Silent film “The Artist,” winner for best musical or comedy film, doubled last weekend’s sales with $2.4 million after moving into in 662 theaters from 446 last week.

“The Iron Lady,” which won Meryl Streep best actress at the Globes for her role as Margaret Thatcher, dropped 32 percent from a week ago despite expanding by more than 800 theaters to 1,076 locations. The movie took in $3.7 million over the weekend.

The movie division of Sony Corp distributed “Underworld.” Time Warner Inc unit Warner Bros. released “Extremely Loud.” News Corp unit 20th Century Fox distributed “Red Tails.” The privately held Weinstein Co. released “The Artist” and “The Iron Lady.” Privately held Relativity Media released “Haywire” in the United States, and Alliance Films distributed the movie in Canada. AGENCIES

Oscar magic brewing in gritty Chicago factory

CHICAGO: Oscar magic is brewing in a gritty Chicago factory where the statues soon to be hoisted in victory by the stars of the silver screen are born in a bubbling vat of britannia.

The pewter-like alloy is poured slowly into a mold and cools quickly. But it takes 40 hours of precise and delicate work before Oscar is ready for the bright lights of Hollywood.

The heart of the trophy — with its iconic square jaw, broad chest and sword — is swiftly hammered out in preparation for careful polishing.

Once every blemish is erased and Oscar shines like a mirror, the statue is hand-dipped in electrically-charged tubs of molten copper, nickel, silver and 24-carat gold.

Then it’s on to more polishing and a blinding lacquer before Oscar is finally screwed into his heavy base and carefully boxed using white gloves.

Hand-casting is a dying art, but one the Academy is willing to pay dearly for as it jealously guards the reputation of one of the most sought-after and recognized trophies in the world.

The perils of seeking cheaper alternatives were on display at the Golden Globes last year when Robert De Niro showed up empty-handed in the press room after receiving a lifetime achievement award.

“The top fell off,” he told reporters. “They’ll have to solder it back on.”

R.S. Owens — which has been making Oscar since 1982 — is the last trophy manufacturer left in the United States.

Most of the cheap trophies handed out at kids’ sports tournaments are now made in China.

R.S. Owens has fought to hang on by focusing on “prestige” awards — like the Oscars, the Emmys, MTV Music Awards, and the London International Advertising Award — and the corporate market.

Its display cases are filled with familiar figures like the Jolly Green Giant, the Planter’s Peanut, the Pillsbury Doughboy, Tony the Tiger and a crystal, sunglass-wearing Starkist Tuna.

But it had to lay off around a third of its staff after the 2008 economic crisis took a huge bite out of the “employee recognition” market as it was already struggling to stem a slow, but steady loss of its “prestige” client base.

“In the past, many of the prestigious awards (contracts) that we lost didn’t care that they were made in China,” said Scott Siegel, whose father founded R.S. Owens in 1938.

“They only cared about price, especially when the recession hit, that became even more important. I’m starting to see signs of that turning around. People are more interested in protecting jobs in the United States.”

Some clients are coming back because of quality concerns — especially after the R.S. Owens tested a competitor’s award that was handed out to children and found it was made of lead with no protective coating.

Others are coming back for ease of service, Siegel said. Shipments arrive sooner, as do repairs.

Siegel takes particular pride in how his company responded when a shipment of 55 Oscars was stolen just weeks before the awards ceremony.

They worked day and night and managed to make replacements in just 10 days — a process that usually takes about six weeks.

The stolen statues were found in a dumpster just days before the ceremony, but the Academy held on to the extras — and a handful more — to make sure it never gets caught empty-handed again.

Nominations for the 84th Academy Awards will be announced Tuesday at 1330 GMT. The awards ceremony will be broadcast worldwide on February 26. AGENCIES

Dilshan tenders resignation as captain-SLC

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan has resigned as captain, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said on Monday, a day after the end of his team’s losing tour to South Africa.

“T.M. Dilshan sent his resignation from the captaincy of the national team to Sri Lanka Cricket a short while ago,” SLC said in a text message alert to its subscribers.

In South Africa, Sri Lanka lost the three-match test series 2-1 and five-match one-day series 3-2.

Taking over from former captain Kumar Sangakkara after a six-wicket defeat in the 2011 World Cup final against India, Dilshan led the team to England and in a home series against Australia but failed to win those too. AGENCIES

Kenyan aid worker missing in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: A Kenyan aid worker and his Pakistani driver working for an international charity are missing, feared abducted in southern Pakistan, police said Monday.

Police official Saqib Ismail said the Kenyan works for Care International and that his car was found abandoned in the town of Naushahro Feroz on Sunday. Since then, there has been no news of about the men’s whereabouts.

Six foreigners, four of them aid and development workers, have already been abducted since July in nuclear-armed Pakistan, where US forces last year killed Osama bin Laden and which stands on the frontline of a Taliban insurgency.

The Kenyan is missing in Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh in an area badly affected by devastating floods in 2010 and again by floods in 2011 that mobilised a huge international aid operation.

Javed Suharo Jaskani, police chief of Naushahro Feroz, said the foreigner was around 40 years old and had been working in Pakistan for about a year.

“He left (the town of) Sukkur for Dadu (part of the flood-affected areas) yesterday and his car was found abandoned at Naushahro Feroz,” said Jaskani.

“His driver, who is a local person, is also missing,” he added, saying that police believe local bandits kidnapped them for ransom.

Nothing appeared to have been taken from the vehicle, with the foreigner’s laptop and bag containing his personal effects left behind, police said. AGENCIES

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