World Vignettes

ISI enters filmdom, to direct GhauriISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence ISI has decided to get into the film business in ...

ISI enters filmdom, to direct Ghauri
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan8217;s Inter-Services Intelligence ISI has decided to get into the film business in Lolliwood 8212; the film industry in Lahore. A beginning is being made with a proposed film Ghauri. The intelligence agencies are not in the front: They are doing the job through a young film-maker Sayed Nur.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore recently, Sayed Nur made no bones about the patronage of intelligence agencies. But he did say who prepared the script. The film, according to Nur, will start with a war between quot;victoriousquot; Shahabuddin Ghauri and quot;defeatedquot; Prithviraj. The story will then move to partition of India, 1965 and 1971 wars and later to the nuclear blasts in May this year. Nur, while expressing the hope of getting help from the government, said the state had supported many flops on Kashmir in the wake of Pakistan-supported insurgency in Kashmir.

Pope, Teresa in musical video clip
VATICAN CITY: The Vatican isentering the big-money music video clip industry with its own stars to rival the best pop world can offer: The Pope and Mother Teresa. The clips, though, will be kept separate, with one of them a special homage to Mother Teresa, who died last year in Calcutta.

Each of the audiovisual offerings, relating the life stories of the two religious role models, will be set to music, the Vatican said today. Pope John Paul II8217;s video will show footage from his childhood in Poland, playing football with his friends, to his historic meeting earlier this year with Cuban President Fidel Castro.

The video music is by singer Amedeo Minghi, who, Italian news reports said, will give a concert in St. Peter8217;s Square in October to celebrate the 20th anniversary of John Paul8217;s election as Pontiff. Minghi is dedicating a song to the Pontiff. The album featuring the song is due out in September. Mother Teresa8217;s clip featuring a music track by Ivana Spagna entitled quot;Mamma Teresaquot; will be unveiled on September 5, the firstanniversary of her death.

Lucky lighter
JERUSALEM: An Israeli soldier says his smoking habit helped save his leg. The soldier was shot in the leg last week by Hezbollah guerrillas in south Lebanon. Although the bullet penetrated his leg, it didn8217;t go far because his cigarette lighter absorbed much of its force.