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| GCC Expansion Plan |
 THE
proposal to enlarge the Gulf Cooperation Council to Jordan and
Morocco, made at a council summit meeting in Riyadh last month,
marks a profound change in the nature of the organisation as
it reaches its 30th anniversary. This decision, which went practically
unnoticed in the West, is all the more worthy of attention in
that it is likely to usher in long-term changes in the region´s
political scenario. Initially set up to provide a safeguard
against an Iranian military threat and to create regional economic
integration in the Arabian peninsula, the Gulf Cooperation Council
has moved away from its early... |
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| LESSONS FOR CHINA FROM ARAB SPRING |
 FROM:
Ministry of State S e c u r i t y TO: President Hu Jintao SUBJECT:
The Arab Spring Dear President Hu: You asked for our assessment
of the Arab Spring. Our conclusion is that the revolutions in
the Arab world contain some important lessons for the rule of
the Chinese Communist Party, because what this contagion reveals
is something very new about revolutions unfolding in the 21st
century and something very old about why they explode. Let´s
start with the new. Sometime around the year 2000, the world
achieved a very high level of connectivity, virtually flattening
the global economic. |
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| | Bol´s music a surprising disappointment |
 MANY
of us can vividly remember the release
of Khuda Ka Liye´s promo. Just the chorus
of Bandeya sent people rushing to music
stores to get their own copies. Soon
after, the quirky rock rendition of
Bulle Shah´s poetry was blaring from
car woofers. And right after its release
in India, the track´s remix version
became a rage in clubs. Now four years
later, Shoaib Mansoor has finally released
his latest venture Bol. But much to
the disappointment of hordes of eager
fans, not even a single song of the
movie lives up to Mansoor´s own benchmark
for quality music. Much more was expected
from the music producer, who worked
with the legendary Vital Signs and...
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| | X-Men prequel is
first-class affair |
 MUTANTS,
it seems, are only as good as the creators
assembling their chromosomes. And the
mad scientists behind X-Men: First Class
are real artists in the laboratory.
Director Bryan Singer´s first two installments
of the X-Men trilogy were superior adventures,
about as smart and provocative as comic-book
adaptations are likely to get. After
Singer left, the trilogy wrapped up
with a dud, followed by a limp spinoff
chronicling the origins of fan-favourite
mutant Wolverine. Now Singer´s back
as a producer and idea man for First
Class, a prequel that presents a clever,
cohesive, exhilarating big-screen take
on how those Marvel Comics mutants came... |
| | I am not a good
businessman: SRK |
 THE
last few months have been a surprise
with Bollywood churning out hit low
budget films. Yet you have chosen to
do big budget commercial Hindi films.
Why do you always do films where crores
are riding on you? I agree that I have
not been able to do experimental films,
which any actor in my place would have.
When I did My Name is Khan last year,
I had thought that it would be a low
budget film but since it was shot abroad,
it became expensive. People come to
me saying, ´Shah Rukh we can make a
film you like and write a role that
you want.´ That´s not what I want. Once
Upon A Time In Mumbai and Udaan are
all such great examples. But having
said... |
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