Did You Know? Irfan Khan to play an Arab in a Brazilian film

Actor Irfan Khan will soon play the role of an Arab in a Brazilian film, for which he will learn to speak Arabic. The method actor is known for taking on challenging roles and building an eclectic body of work. Credited with being a part of multi-Oscar winning films, such as Slumdog Millionnaire and The Life of Pi, Irfan will now showcase his talent in the Brazilian film industry, according to bollywood.com.

“It’s too early to reveal any details,” said Khan. “But it’s a Brazilian film. And I will play an Arab. So yes, I’ll have to learn Arabic from scratch. I don’t know the language at all. I am hoping it wouldn’t be too difficult, since it belongs to the same linguistic family as Hindi and Urdu,” he added.

The Brazilian film is not the only film for which Irfan will have to learn an unfamiliar language. He will play a Kashmiri in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Haider, and is trying to acquaint himself with the way Urdu is spoken in the Kashmir Valley. “We are trying to keep the accent at a minimum, so that it doesn’t intrude in the characters connectivity with the audience… It’s important for an actor to avoid showing off any skill that he learns for a role,” he said.

Kudos to Khan for his brave film choices!

Waar 2 is officially in the making

Waar’s sequel will be shot all around the world. PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI: 

It seems like everything is heading in the right direction for Pakistani cinema as the makers of Waar have already announced its sequel, Waar 2. Waarbecame the highest grossing film in Pakistan’s cinematic history when it surpassed the Rs200 million mark at the local box office in November, beating Chooriyan’s record-breaking take when it was released in 1998.

Though the film is yet to be released internationally, with the UAE and the UK being the first likely release regions, the sequel has already been announced for an expected release in 2015.

Waar revolves around the efforts of the Pakistani army and intelligence forces as they try to stop a terrorist attack from occurring within the country. The film stars actors Shaan and Hamza Abbasi.

Representative of ARY films revealed that Waar 2 will not be directed by Bilal Lashari, but by the writer/producer of Waar, Dr Hassan Waqas Rana. The reason behind this directorial change has not been disclosed. Sources close to ARY Films reveal that given the massive success of Waar on Eidul Fitr 2013, the producers are aiming for an Eidul Fitr 2015 release for the sequel.

Waar 2 will be a collaboration between Mindworks Media and ARY Films, and is all set to go into production in 2014. The movie will be shot in a number of international locations including Russia, Yugoslavia, UK and Turkey and will cast both local and international actors. However, this is not the only collaborative project between the two companies. Mindworks and ARY will also be collaborating on another movie, Delta Echo Foxtrot. Details of the two projects were shared at a press conference held at the ARY office in Saddar, Karachi on Saturday. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Salman Iqbal, President and founder of ARY Digital Network said, “After the super success of Waar and the sound relationship that we have developed with Mind works Media, it is natural for both companies to bring their expertise together for even bigger and better movies.”

Top-notch directors from both Pakistan and Hollywood will work under the umbrella of this collaboration. Shooting for Delta Echo Foxtrot, the first venture under this collaboration will begin at the end of 2013, with the film slated for a 2014 release. The plot for Delta Echo Foxtrot will centre on the concepts of courage, sacrifice, passion and patriotism. While the cast of this movie is yet to be finalised, it will not only boast top names in the industry, but will also find new faces, auditions for which are currently being held. Further details of both the movies will be shared in the coming weeks.

Gulf states gave Egypt fuel worth $2.48bn in July-Nov

(Photo for illustrative purposes only)

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait gave Egypt $2.48 billion worth of fuel from July and the end of November as part of an aid package to support the strife-torn country, a government official told Reuters on Tuesday.

The three Gulf Arab countries promised Egypt more than $12 billion in loans and donations days after the army toppled Islamist President Mohamed Mursi on July 3 following mass protests against his rule.

"The total of the petrol aid that Egypt received until the end of November is $1 billion from Saudi Arabia, $820 million from the UAE and $660 million from Kuwait," said the official who declined to be named.

At the end of September, Egypt's central bank governor Hisham Ramez said the country had so far received $7 billion in aid - $3 billion from the UAE and $2 billion each from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Egypt's Oil Minister Sherif Ismail said in October the three Gulf Arab countries had agreed to supply Egypt with oil products until the end of December and Egypt was discussing further supplies.

Egypt has struggled to pay for imports since a 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak and drove away tourists and foreign investors, two main sources of foreign currency.

Since then the country has run through more than $20 billion in reserves. It has also delayed payments to oil companies and tried to reduce the cost of energy subsidies which eat up 20 percent of all state expenditure.

Hamann: €71m not enough for Suarez

The 40-year-old does not expect the Uruguay international to leave in the January window but has warned Liverpool he could quit if they do not secure Champions League football

EXCLUSIVE
By Richard Parry

Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann feels €71.5 million is not enough to prise striker Luis Suarezaway from Anfield.

Real Madrid are preparing a January move for the Uruguay international and are willing pay over €70m to capture the forward.

	LIVERPOOL LATEST
5/1	Luis Suarez is 5/1 with BetVictor to join Real Madrid in January

However Hamann, who spent seven years at Anfield, feels Suarez is worth far more, particularly after his impressive form this season that has seen him net 13 goals in nine outings.

"No, absolutely it's not enough," he told Goal when asked if €70m was a fair figure. "I think €65-70m was the figure they would have wanted at least in the summer, and you see how he's playing now, I don't think €70m would be enough."

The former Germany international also believes the striker is content at Anfield but has warned his former club he could leave if they do not secure a top-four finish this season. 

"Well he seems to be happy. You can't play that kind of football [performance against Norwich] if you're not happy, so he's seems very happy to be where he is at the moment," he added. 

"I don't think he'll leave in January - I don't think that's an option - Liverpool have to keep him if they want to finish it in the top four. But that remains to be seen.

"If they don't finish in the top four then there might be a chance for him to leave. He's given his service now, done his utmost to get Liverpool into the top four and unfortunately they haven't managed it so far.

"If they don't [qualify for the Champions League] then I think it's a similar situation [to last summer]. 

"It would take a ridiculous bid, and then there might be a chance he'd leave. I don't think you can blame the boy. 

"If he wants to leave in June, if he wants to play in the Champions League - and Liverpool weren't to finish there - then I think there's a chance he will leave."

France's Veolia wins $402m Saudi water deals

Marafiq, a water and electricity services operator, has contracted Veolia Water to design, build and operate the largest ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis desalination plant in Saudi Arabia.

With this contract, the French firm will generate $310m in revenue for the plant's design and construction, and $92m in revenue for its operation for 10 years, with an option to extend the contract for a further 20 years, a statement said.

With a capacity of 178,000 cubic metres per day, this new plant will supply the Sadara petrochemical complex built by Dow Chemical and Saudi Aramco in Jubail Industrial City II and is due to come on stream in June 2015.

Dow Chemical and Aramco will produce solvents and glues for the automotive and packaging industries at the Sadara site. The water supplied will be used in this immense facility's two cooling towers and as boiler feed water.

Veolia Water, through its subsidiary Sidem, has designed a plant combining two seawater treatment solutions - ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis - to meet strict water quality standards required by Marafiq.

Created in the 1970s by the authorities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Marafiq operates the country's water and electricity services and is responsible for overseeing the development of the Jubail and Yanbu industrial cities.

Jean-Michel Herrewyn, CEO of Veolia Water, said: "With this new reference, Veolia Water confirms its position as a leader in desalination and the reference partner for industrial entities."

The company previously built the desalination plant for the city of Al Khobar in the Eastern Province in 2010

Saudi Arabia gives nod to 32 more water projects

Authorities in Saudi Arabia have given approval to 32 new water and sewerage projects valued at SR325m ($87m), the kingdom’s water and electricity minister told the state-run Saudi Press Agency.

Abdullah Al-Hussayen said that the contracts included construction of reservoirs, pumping stations, sewerage networks and water treatment plants in parts of the country such as Tabuk, Najran, Al-Hafouf and Onaizah.

Separately, Saudi announced in March that it would spend SR519m on 29 water-related projects throughout the kingdom.

Included in the projects are the construction of a reservoir in the Asir region and a conveyor line from a treatment plant and another sewage related project in the Qassim area, the newspaper said.

A wastewater treatment plant in Hail is to be completed in 24 months and the operation and maintenance of pumping and treatment stations in the Asir province are also part of the projects the government is undertaking.

Saudi Arabia, the largest economy in the Arab world and biggest producer of oil globally, is spending more than $500bn to expand its infrastructure.

An expected budget surplus in 2013 and the government drawing down its foreign assets, which stood at around $634.8bn at the end of November 2012, will help finance its expenditure plans in the event of any shortfall in revenues, Jadwa Investment said in a report in February

Construction is forecast to be the fastest growing sector in 2013, according to Jadwa.

The kingdom's economy is projected to grow 4.2 percent this year, slowing from about 6 percent in 2012, according to the International Monetary Fund

Gulf businessmen demand guarantees on Egypt investments

Traders on the Cairo Stock Exchange. (Photo for illustrative purposes only)

Gulf Arab governments are willing to pour billions of dollars into Egypt to prop up an ally's economy, but businessmen from the wealthy region are far more wary of a country where they have been burned before.

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE came to Egypt's aid after the army toppled IslamistPresident Mohamed Mursi in July following mass protests against his rule.

The oil-producing states, deeply distrustful of Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood, pledged over $12 billion to help an economy that has been battered by political upheaval since a popular uprising ousted autocratHosni Mubarak in 2011.

This week at a Cairo conference designed to lure Gulf investors, officials promised to pay back some of the $6 billion Egypt owes foreign oil firms, reform legislation that hurts investors, and reduce the country's cumbersome bureaucracy.