Transport in Karachi

Karachi is a major transport hub of Pakistan. The Karachi port and airport are major gateways to Pakistan. The Karachi Railway stations transports the major part of Pakistan's trade with other countries.

Local transport

Minibuses, coaches and large buses (all with a separate compartment for women) typically provide the cheapest way to commute across the city. Rickshaws, chinchis and taxis cater to the travelling needs of upper middle class, while radio cabs or white cabs are frequently used by upper class travellers. This makes it possible for people without their own vehicles to access remote areas of the city.

Auto Rickshaws

A Pakistani auto rickshaw in Karachi

Taxi cabs

Karachi has three types of taxis: Yellow Taxi, Black Cabs and the Taxi Cab companies. These cab companies are;

Metro Cab (Corolla) Radio Cab (Nhhn) White Cab (Corolla) Red Top (Liana) Pearl Cab (Corolla) Star Cab (Corolla) Pak Cab These cabs are mostly used in airports.

Buses

The people of Karachi use minibuses, coaches, and large buses. They are often cramped and filled to the brim. They are often operated by reckless drivers who do not follow the rules of the road, endangering many. In 2008, the city mayor ordered fifty CNG buses for usage instead of the old minibuses with no fixed routes.

Cars

Many wealthier Karachiites own private cars, Suzuki's Mehran is the most commonly used car followed by Toyota's Corolla.

Railways

Karachi is linked by rail to the rest of the country by the Pakistan Railways. The Karachi City Station and Karachi Cantonment Railway Station are the city's two major railway stations. The railway system handles a large amount of freight to and from the Karachi port apart from providing passenger services to people travelling up country. Plans are underway to extend the intra-city railway system to play a part in the city's mass transit through Karachi Circular Railway system. Currently, primarily motorists and minibuses handle commuter traffic, but there are plans to construct a light-rail based mass transit system in the city to decongest the roads and provide quick service to commuters.

A number of urban tramway systems used to operate in Karachi before 1960's.

Streets, Motorways and highways

Lyari Expressway

Lyari Expressway is a highway currently under construction along the Lyari River in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Lyari Expressway's North bound section is currently under construction, While the South bound corridor is now completed and it was inaugurated for traffic. This toll highway is designed to relieve congestion in the city of Karachi. It will be a 16.5 km expressway that will consist of four lanes on both sides, with two interchanges, five overpasses and five underpasses. Moreover, two lanes each will be constructed on either bank of the Lyari River. Once completed, traffic volume is estimated at 34,000 vehicles. The expressway will have toll plazas at four locations.

Karachi Northern Bypass

Karachi Northern Bypass (M10) begins north of Karachi at the end of Mohammad Ali Jinnah Road, near the junction of the M9. It then continues north for a few kilometers before turning west, where it forms an interchange with the N25. After this interchange it eventually turns south back towards Karachi and merges onto the KPT Flyover at Karachi Port.

Super Highway

The Super Highway (M9) begins north of Karachi at the end of Mohammad Ali Jinnah Road, near junction of Karachi Northern Bypass (also known as M10). It is connected with the Karachi Northern Bypass with a trumpet interchange. Then it continues out of the city. From there it continues on a northeast track and forms a junction with the N5 via a link road. Once out of Karachi it enters the desert of Thar. The motorway ends outside of Hyderabad, in the suburban town of Kotri with a coverleaf interchange. From there it merges onto the N5.

Makran Coastal Highway

The Makran Coastal Highway connect Karachi with Gwadar. Makran Coastal Highway is located primarily in Balochistan, Pakistan. It follows the Arabian Sea coast from Karachi to Gwadar. It is also referred to as National Highway 10 or N10.

Pipelines

White Oil Pipeline

The White Oil Pipeline (White Oil Pipeline Project (WOP)) carries imported oil from Port Qasim to Pak-Arab Refinery Limited (PARCO) at Mehmood Kot, Multan, Punjab

Sui Gas Pipeline

The Sui Gas Pipeline carries natural gas from Sui gas fields in Sui, Balochitan to Karachi, Sindh.

Ports and harbours

The largest shipping ports in Pakistan are the Port of Karachi and the nearby Port Qasim. These seaports have modern facilities and not only handle trade for Pakistan, but also serve as ports for Afghanistan and the land-locked Central Asian countries. Plans have been announced for new passenger facilities at the Port of Karachi.

Port of Karachi

The Port of Karachi is Pakistan's largest and busiest seaport, handling about 60% of the nation's cargo (25 million tons per annum). The port is located between the towns of Kiamari and Saddar, close to the heart of old Karachi, the main business district, and several industrial areas. The geographic position of Karachi places the port close to major shipping routes such as the Strait of Hormuz. The administration of the port is carried out by the Karachi Port Trust which was established in the nineteenth century.

Port Qasim

The Port Muhammad Bin Qasim is a port in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan on the coastline of the Arabian Sea. It was constructed in the late 1970s to relieve congestion at Karachi Port. The port was developed close to the Pakistan Steel Mills complex near the Indus River delta. Port Qasim's residential area is a neighbourhood of Bin Qasim Town of Karachi.

Air transport

The Jinnah International Airport of Karachi is the largest and busiest airport of the country. It handles 10 million passengers a year. The airport also receives the largest number of foreign airlines, a total of 27 airlines fly to Jinnah International predominantly from the Middle East and South East Asia. All of Pakistan's airlines use Karachi as their primary hub including Pakistan International Airlines, airblue and Shaheen Air.

The city's old airport terminals are now used for Hajj flights, cargo facilities, and ceremonial visits from heads of state. U.S. Coalition forces used the old terminals for their logistic supply operations as well. The city also has two other airstrips used primarily by the armed forces.

Karachi

Karachi, Karācī , کراچی, is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. With an estimated population of 13 million to 15 million, while the metropolitan area has 22 million, it is the most populous city in the country, one of the world's largest cities in terms of population and the 10th largest urban agglomeration. It is Pakistan's premier centre of banking, industry, economic activity and trade and is home to Pakistan's largest corporations, including those involved in textiles, shipping, automotive industry, entertainment, the arts, fashion, advertising, publishing, software development and medical research. The city is a major hub of higher education in South Asia and the wider Muslim world.

Karachi is ranked as a Beta world city. It was the original capital of Pakistan until the construction of Islamabad and is the location of the Port of Karachi and Port Bin Qasim, two of the region's largest and busiest ports. After the independence of Pakistan, the city population increased dramatically when hundreds of thousands of Urdu-speaking migrants or Muhajirs from India and other parts of South Asia came to settle in Karachi.

The city is located in the south of the country, along the coastline meeting the Arabian Sea; it is spread over 3,527 km2 (1,362 sq mi) in area, almost four times bigger than Hong Kong. It is locally known as the "City of Lights" (روشنیوں کا شہر) and "The bride of the cities" (عروس البلاد) for its liveliness, and the "City of the Quaid" (شہرِ قائد), having been the birth and burial place of Quaid-e-Azam (Muhammad Ali Jinnah), the founder of Pakistan, who made the city his home after Pakistan's independence from the British Raj on 14 August 1947.

Altaf Hussain, الطاف حسین

Altaf Hussain, الطاف حسین, born 17 September 1953 in Karachi is the founder and leader of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM). The MQM emerged as the third largest political party in the national assembly of Pakistan during 1988 and 1990 elections. The MQM secured representation in the parliamentary elections held in the northern areas of Pakistan comprising Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan. Since 1992 he has lived in the United Kingdom in self exile after surviving an assassination attempt in Pakistan.

Education

By 1969 Altaf Hussain got his early education from Govt Comprehensive School, Azizabad No. 8 Karachi and had completed his matriculation from Government Boys School at Jail Road Karachi and Intermediate (Pre-Medical/Science) from City College, Karachi. After that he went on to complete his Bachelors of Science from Islamia Science College (Karachi) in 1974 apart from completing his Bachelor of Pharmacy by 1979 from the University of Karachi. After completion of his Bachelor of Pharmacy he later enrolled for his Master’s degree.

Early career

Hussain began his career as a trainee at Karachi’s Seventh Day Advent Hospital. At the same time, he also worked for a multi-national pharmaceutical company. Between 1970 and 1971, Hussain joined the National Service Cadet Scheme. Soon afterwards, he also joined the Baloch Regiment of Pakistan Army.

Political Involvement

Altaf Hussain was politically active from a very young age. While attending Karachi University, on June 11, 1978, Hussain founded the “All Pakistan Mohajir Student Organization” (APMSO). The APMSO was formed as a student rights group campaigning for the rights of Muhajir students at Karachi University. It later gave birth to the Muhajir Qaumi Movement (MQM), which transformed into Muttahida Qaumi Movement in 1997. Before creating the APMSO, Hussain served as General Secretary and later as President of the National Student’s Action Committee at Karachi University.

The Pakistani government launched Operation Clean-up in 1992 and sent the military into Karachi to crack down on the MQM. Hussain escaped Karachi one month before the operation began because of an attack on his life on December 21, 1991. Hussain fled to London and applied for political asylum.

Ideology/Philosophy

Altaf Hussain and his party, MQM, follow the philosophy of Realism and Practicalism.

Talking about his party MQM, Hussain stated that “We stand for equal rights and opportunities for all irrespective of colour, creed, cast, sect, gender, ethnicity or religion. We strive tirelessly for tolerance, religious or otherwise and oppose fanaticism, terrorism and violence in all their manifestations.” 

In the last few years, Hussain has warned against the growing influence of the Taliban in Karachi. Hussain stated that the “advocates of Jihad, a medieval concept to tame the infidel, are wantonly killing followers of the faith as they level places of worship. In 2008, he stated that a “well planned conspiracy to intensify sectarian violence in the city, was being hatched.

Views on Pak-Indo Relations

Hussain has stated on numerous occasions that the “division of the subcontinent was the biggest blunder in the history of mankind.” He believes that the partition divided the Muslims of the subcontinent and made them weaker as a result. Hussain favors peace between India and Pakistan and stated in his 2004 address in India that “India and Pakistan being the two largest in the region, need to demonstrate magnanimity and the necessary political wisdom and desire to truly seek peace. The Confidence Building Measures contemplated to bring the people of both countries closer must be implemented vigorously. On the issue of Kashmir, Hussain stated that Indo-Pak dialogue should be allowed to “proceed on the basis of mutual adjustment and agreement…[and] It should be clear to all concerned that there can be no military solution to any of the contentious issues, let alone the issue of Kashmir.

National Reconciliation Ordinance

In November 2009, Hussain was a beneficiary when the Government of Pakistan enabled a legal act (in December 2009 it was repealed) called National Reconciliation Ordinance which granted amnesty to politicians, political workers and bureaucrats who were accused of crimes between 1986 and October 1999, the time between two occurrences of Martial law.

Background

Altaf Hussain’s parents were immigrants from India. Hussain’s grand-father, Mohammad Mufti Ramazan, was Grand Mufti of the town of Agra, UP, India and his maternal grand-father Haji Hafiz Raheem Bhux was a reputed religious scholar in India.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement, متحدہ قومی موومنٹ

Muttahida Qaumi Movement, متحدہ قومی موومنٹ, United National Movement generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest liberal and secular political party of Pakistan. It is generally known as a party which holds immense mobilizing potential in province of Sindh. The student organization, All Pakistan Muhajir Student Organization (APMSO), was founded in 1978 by Altaf Hussain which subsequently gave birth to the Muhajir Quami Movement in 1984. The organization maintains liberal, progressive and secular stances on many political and social issues.

From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the alleged target of the Pakistan Army's Operation Clean-up leaving thousands of Urdu-speaking civilians dead.

In 1997, the MQM officially removed the term Muhajir (which denotes the party's roots of Urdu-speaking Muslims) from its name, and replaced it with Muttahida ("United"). The MQM is one of few socially liberal political parties in Pakistan and organized the largest rallies in Pakistan in protest of the actions of al-Qaeda on September 11, 2001 demonstrating sympathy with the victims of the terrorist attacks.

Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) is the second largest party in Sindh and the traditionally the third largest in the country, however it currently holds fourth highest number of seats in the National Assembly while maintaining its second position in the Sindh Assembly.

Founding

The MQM is the third largest political party in Pakistan, and the dominant party in Karachi. It was founded in 1984 by Altaf Hussain. At the time of inception, MQM represented only the Muhajir community but by after several years, the Muhajir Quami Movement turned its name into Muttahida Quami Movement, thus welcoming all ethnic groups of Pakistan into its folds.

The first political organization of Muhajirs, called All Pakistan Muhajir Student Organization (APMSO), was founded on 11 June 1978 by Altaf Hussain in Karachi University. On March 18, 1984, the APMSO evolved into a proper political organization—Muhajir Qaumi Movement. It was launched to protect the Muhajir community who perceived themselves as the victims of discrimination and repression by the quota system that gave preference to certain ethnicities for admissions in educational institutions and employment in civil services. In 1997, MQM replaced the term Muhajir in its name with Muttahida (Urdu for "United").

Late 1986–1990

In its early years, MQM drew enormous crowds, the epitome of which was the rally of August 8, 1986 at Nishtar Park, Karachi. Three years into its existence, MQM won the November 1987 local body elections in Karachi and Hyderabad and had several mayors win unopposed. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won the highest number of seats in the general election of 1988 and formed a coalition government in the Sindh Province with the help of MQM, which then had a larger mandate in urban Sindh in comparison to PPP whose majority of support came from rural areas of Sindh. A 59-point agreement, called the Karachi Accord, was signed which included statements about protection of the democratic system and political rights, urban development goals, and creating objective criteria for admission to universities and colleges. Within a few months of the agreement, differences surfaced and MQM ministers in the Sindh Cabinet resigned because the agreement was not implemented. Thus, the alliance broke up in October 1989 and MQM joined hands with PPP's opponents. During these times MQM a made mark not only for violence and intimidation of political opponents, but also for public benefit initiatives. Khidmat-e-Khalq Committee, a social welfare initiative, was founded in 1978 which in 1998 transformed into Khidmat-e-Khalq Foundation (KKF).

1990–1999

In the elections of October 1990, MQM emerged as the third strongest party in the country. This time, it made its alliance with Pakistan Muslim League (PML) to establish a provincial government in Sindh whereas PML formed the federal government.

During these times, small factions of MQM separated themselves from the main body of the party. The largest among these factions is MQM Haqiqi (English: Real MQM), which was formed by Afaq Ahmad and Amir Khan. It is generally believed that MQM Haqiqi was formed by the Pakistani government/ISI to weaken MQM and was supported by successive federal governments and the military. In the years to come, federal governments switched between forming alliance with MQM and fighting against it to establish greater control over Karachi.

The political violence that started in 1990 gradually gained momentum in 1992 and culminated in a full-fledged military operation run by the federal government. The federal government gave the reasoning behind this operation known as "Operation Clean-up" as the government's attempt to end terrorism in Karachi and to seize unauthorized arms. Operation Clean-Up began in June 1992 and, by objective, sought to eliminate all terrorists irrespective of their political affiliation. MQM perceived this operation as an attempt to wipe out the party altogether. Political violence erupted while MQM organized protests and strikes. The lawlessness prevailed in this largest metropolitan city of Pakistan which led to the president dissolving the National Assembly.

During the 1992 violence, Altaf Hussain, left the country when a warrant was issued for him in connection with a murder. Since then, party is being run on autopilot by Hussain from London. In 1997, MQM boycotted the general elections and officially changed the previously maintained name 'Muhajir' to 'Mutahida'(English: "United").

MQM boycotted the subsequent 1993 general elections claiming organized military intimidation but participated in provincial elections. MQM secured 27 seats in provincial assembly, in comparison to its political rival PPP which won 56 seats. Thus PPP formed both the provincial and federal government. Whereas, MQM Haqiqi failed to gain any seats at federal or provincial level.

Political violence gained momentum in 1993 and 1994. During the 1994 fighting among MQM, MQM factions, and Sindhi nationalist groups, heavily political killings were reported. By July 1995, more than 1800 people had been assassinated in Karachi.

2000–present

In 2001, MQM boycotted the local body elections but in the 2002 general elections, MQM won 17 out of 272 seats in national assembly.

Party structure

The party is led by Altaf Hussain under whose supervision, members of the Rabita Committee (also known as Central Coordination Committee) formulates political general stances. It consists of 24 members from Pakistan and 10 from London, United Kingdom.

MQM has several chapters across the world including United States, Canada, South Africa, several in Europe, and Japan. Currently, the heads of MQM North America are former Federal Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and Ibad ur-Rehman.

MQM currently holds 25 seats in the National Assembly of Pakistan and 38 seats in the Provincial Assembly of Sindh. MQM also has 6 Senators and 2 Federal Ministers.

Accusation of Violence

In the mid-1990s, the MQM was heavily involved in the widespread political violence that wracked Pakistan's southern Sindh province, particularly Karachi, the port city that is the country's commercial capital. MQM Kaarkunaan fought government forces, breakaway MQM factions, and militants from other ethnic-based movements. In the mid-1990s, the U.S. State Department, Amnesty International, and others accused the MQM and a rival faction, MQM Haqiqi, of summary killings, torture, and other abuses. The MQM-A routinely denied involvement in violence.

The MQM along with its other factions also have been accused of trying to intimidate journalists. In one of the most flagrant cases, in 1990 MQM leader Hussain publicly threatened the editor of the monthly NEWSLINE magazine after he published an article on the MQM's alleged use of torture against dissident members (U.S. DOS Feb 1991). The following year, a prominent journalist, Zafar Abbas, was severely beaten in Karachi in an attack that was widely blamed on MQM leaders angered over articles by Abbas describing the party's factions. The same year, MQM activists assaulted scores of vendors selling DAWN, Pakistan's largest English-language newspaper, and other periodicals owned by Herald Publications (U.S. DOS Feb 1992). The MQM has also frequently called strikes in Karachi and other cities in Sindh province and used killings and other violence to keep shops closed and people off the streets. During strikes, MQM-A activists have ransacked businesses that remained open and attacked motorists and pedestrians who ventured outside (U.S. DOS Feb 1996; Jane's 14 Feb 2003).

The MQM allegedly raises funds through extortion, narcotics smuggling, and other criminal activities. In addition, Mohajirs in Pakistan and overseas provide funds to the MQM through charitable foundations (Jane's 14 Feb 2003).

From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pakistan Army's Operation Cleanup leaving hundreds of civilians dead. Torture cells allegedly maintained by MQM were discovered in 1992. These cells were allegedly used to torture the abducted members of MQM-Haqiqi and other political rivals.

History

Muhajirs were the Urdu-speaking Muslims who migrated to Pakistan when the country emerged independent from British India in 1947. Karachi was then home to a very diverse set of ethnicities including Urdu and Gujarati speaking immigrants, Punjabis, Pashtuns, Sindhis, Baluchis and foreigners from several South Asian countries. In those times, Muhajirs were advancing in business and bureaucracy but many resented the quota system which facilitated Sindhis in gaining university slots and civil service jobs. It was this very ethnic rivalry that led to Muhajir political mobilizaton, which was further provoked by the stagnant economy and the condition of Biharis in Bangladesh concentration camps.

Wasan disowns Mirza's comments

KARACHI: Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Hussain Wasan Thursday said Zulfiqar Mirza's comments were his own and he expressed his personal views, which have nothing to do with the party, Geo News reported.

The minister said that Muttahida Qaumi Movement was a reality and not a small party, we should avoid passing such statements. He appealed to the people of Sindh to remain calm.

Earlier--Sindh Senior minister Dr. Zulfiqar Mirza has said that Afaq Ahmed is the real leader of the Urdu speaking people and he is the second biggest political prisoner after Asif Ali Zardari.

He was addressing the media at a dinner arranged by Awami National Party’s Sindh chief Shahi Syed’s residence, Mardan house here on Wednesday.

Mirza said that “if someone says that Afaq Ahmed is a criminal and a murderer, then I will say Altaf Hussain is a 100-times bigger criminal than Afaq.”

He said that he had met with Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqeeqi Chief Afaq Ahmed twice and that Ahmed was the real leader of the Urdu-speaking community. “The first time I met with Ahmed was when Dr Ishratul Ibad was still the governor and he pressured me not to reveal my meeting with Ahmed. I told Dr Ibad that I had to meet Ahmed since I am their minister”.

Afaq second big political prisoner after Zardari: Mirza

KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples’ party leader and senior Sindh Minister Zulfiqar Mirza said on Wednesday that he considers Afaq Ahmed the ‘actual leader’ of Urdu speaking community rather than Altaf Hussain and Ahmed was the second major political prisoner after Asif Zardari, DawnNews reported.


MQM chief was a 100 times bigger criminal than Afaq, said the flamboyant leader as he was addressing the media in a dinner hosted by ANP Sindh Chief Shahi Syed to celebrate revival of controversial Commissionerate sytem.


Zulfiqar Mirza said that in his view Afaq Ahmed is the real leader of Urdu speaking community and he is the second big political prisoner after Asif Zardari, Geo News reported.


He was of the view that if Afaq Ahmed was a cricminal than Altaf Hussain was a bigger criminial. He was addressing media at Mardan House.


Mirza pointed out that Dr Ishrat-ul-Ibad forced him to say that he didn’t meet Afaq but I have met him twice. ‘I ill continue to act against gangsters and extortionists.’


The minister said that MQM played wrong card upon their friend’s advice and now they were having their people to do wall chalking in support of a separate province. ‘No one can divide Sindh province.’


He admitted shifting prisoners from Karachi to interior Sindh jails adding they were convicted.

Zulfiqar Mirza

Zulfiqar Mirza is a prominent Sindhi politician of Pakistan affiliated with Pakistan Peoples Party.

Zulfiqar Mirza hails from a Sindhi-speaking Shia Muslim political family in Sindh, the Qazis of Sindh.The Qazi's of Hyderabad themselves are Sunni but have intermarraiges with the Sindhi Mirza Shia tribe.

Dr. Zulfiqar Mirza is married to Dr. Fahmida Mirza who was elected as the first female Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan on March 19, 2008. She is also the first female parliamentary speaker in the Muslim world.Zulfiqar Mirza is currently member of Provincial Assembly of Sindh and is Home Minister of Sindh. He acquired his secondary education at Cadet College Petaro in the late 1960s.

Should employers be able to refuse to employ smokers?

The New Zealand Herald leads with further developments in the anti-smoking debate. It says Auckland District Health Board is looking at refusing to hire smokers, while Auckland Council will consider banning smoking in central city streets, and at bus stops.

The paper says Labour hopes to swing public opinion behind its capital gains tax to be announced on Thursday, by including an exemption for tradespeople and small owner-operated businesses.

The Auckland District Health Board, which employs more than 10,000 people, is developing the controversial but lawful hiring plan. Nursing representatives say it's unfair.

Should employers be able to refuse to employ smokers? Here is the latest selection of Your Views.

British government seeks to block Murdoch deal

The cozy relationship that Rupert Murdoch long enjoyed with the British power structure came to an abrupt end Tuesday, just as he needed it to complete one of his biggest media buys ever.

The billionaire, tainted by a cell phone hacking scandal at one of his newspapers, suddenly faces stiff government opposition to his bid for total control of a much more lucrative property: the satellite British Sky Broadcasting company.

The news came in a stunning announcement from Prime Minister David Cameron's office that the government will support a motion calling on Murdoch and his News Corp. to withdraw the $12 billion bid for BSkyB.

Cameron knows that he cannot afford to flap around on the issue as he did during Monday's Downing Street presser. If it gets rough, expect more of the Tory line that they've done more in seven days than Labour did in 13 years to grasp the nettle of a blagging and other media abuses.

The PM knows that by making a statement - straight after PMQs - he can try to take the wind out of the sails of the Opposition Day debate that will follow it. I hear that it's still undecided if Cameron himself will lead for the Government in response to Miliband.

The meeting between the three party leaders over phone hacking lasted about an hour and ended without a statement. The Prime Minister is likely to make an announcement after PMQ's tomorrow. Press Association is quoting Labour sources who are confident the government will support "tough judge-led inquiry with a broad scope".

Tony Blair gave an interview to CNN last night about phone hacking. He said claims that he warned Brown against an investigation for fear of angering News International were "absolutely untrue". He says the Daily Mail "pretty much" tortured Cherie while he was in office.

Harry Potter' Finale

Emma Watson was stunned to hear about her Harry Potter co-star Daniel Radcliffe's secret booze battle because he was the "most professional" actor on the set of the film franchise.

Radcliffe, who shot to stardom as the boy wizard at the age of 11, went public with his alcohol issues in the new issue of men's magazine GQ, revealing he was so worried about becoming an alcoholic he is now a tee-totaller and never drinks.

Even though the actors finished filming the movie more than a year ago, they said there were still scenes in "Deathly Hallows, Part 2" that made them fight back tears. Rupert Grint said that, despite the fact he's seen the movie twice, he had to walk out of the theater during the London premiere last week.

"I caught a bit. It is really sad," he told MTV News."There's a scene where all three of us are on the bridge after the battle, the castle is on fire ... there's a weird parallel between that and our lives. That always gets me."

For Tom Felton, it was the epilogue scene that concludes the movie that almost brought him to tears. That scene has especial emotional resonance for him because his real-life girlfriend, Jade Olivia, plays the wife of his character Draco in the flash-forward sequence. But it was actually Daniel Radcliffe's scene between Harry and his children at King's Cross station that affected him the most.

"There was something really nice about seeing Daniel with his kids at the end. I really thought Daniel did a marvelous job of being older. I got a bit emotional about that," Felton said. "Even though it's funny, it was really quite sad to think that, 'Christ, our lives have flashed before our eyes. We're old!' "

Radcliffe also told MTV News that he found scenes in the film "heartbreaking," especially Alan Rickman's performance during Severus Snape's flashback sequence.

Beyond the film, Felton said he nearly cried during Radcliffe, Grint and Emma Watson's heartfelt goodbye speeches at the London premiere last week. He had to talk himself through it, saying, "Just keep it together, Tom, just keep it together," but according to the "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" actor, it was a close call.

Sherwood Schwartz

Sherwood Charles Schwartz, November 14, 1916 – July 12, 2011 was an American television producer. He worked on radio shows in the 1940s, and created the television series Gilligan's Island on CBS and The Brady Bunch on ABC. On March 7, 2008, Schwartz, at the time still active in his 90s, was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Personal life

Schwartz was born in Passaic, New Jersey to a Jewish family.

In his 1988 book, Inside Gilligan's Island, Schwartz mentions he did not get along well with Red Skelton. In his early years as head writer, it was in his contract that Schwartz would not have to meet face-to-face with Skelton.

Life and career

Schwartz's entertainment career came "by accident." He relocated from New York to southern California to pursue a master of science degree in biology. In need of employment, he began writing jokes for Bob Hope's radio program, for which Schwartz's brother, Al Schwartz, worked. Schwartz recalled that Hope "liked my jokes, used them on his show and got big laughs. Then he asked me to join his writing staff. I was faced with a major decision — writing comedy or starving to death while I cured those diseases. I made a quick career change.

He went on to write for Ozzie Nelson's The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and other radio shows. He was a writer on the Armed Forces Radio Network before he got his break in television. He went on to create and produce Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch. He wrote the theme song for three of his shows: Gilligan's Island (co-wrote), It's About Time, and The Brady Bunch. Actresses Dawn Wells and Florence Henderson, who appeared in Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch, respectively, accompanied Schwartz when he received his Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

TV appearances

During the late 1990s and the 2000s, he made many appearances on TV talking about his series, on shows such as the CBS Evening News, 20/20, TV Land's Top Ten and A&E's Biography. He also took part in a "Creators" marathon on Nick at Nite in the late 1990s. He was also a guest at the 2004 TV Land Awards.

In 1988, Schwartz appeared on The Late Show with Ross Shafer for a Gilligan's Island reunion, along with all seven castaways from Gilligan's Island. This was the last time they were all together on television; actors Jim Backus, Alan Hale Jr., Natalie Schafer, and Bob Denver have since died, leaving only three surviving actors from the show.

Death

On July 12, 2011, Sherwood Schwartz died peacefully in his sleep of natural causes, surrounded by his family. He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Mildred Schwartz and their four children: Donald, Lloyd (the creator of The Munsters Today), Ross, and Hope (Mrs. Juber; reportedly named after Bob Hope).

Filmography

Schwartz produced a number of radio and TV shows during his career.

Series Years Job

The Bob Hope Show 1938–1942 Writer for Radio Version

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet 1940s Writer for Radio Version

The Alan Young Show 1940s Writer for Radio Version

I Married Joan 1952–1955 Writer

The Red Skelton Show 1956–1962 Writer

My Favorite Martian 1963 Script Supervisor

Gilligan's Island 1964–1967 Writer, Creator, Producer

It's About Time 1966–1967 Writer, Creator, Producer

The Brady Bunch 1969–1974 Writer, Creator, Producer

Dusty's Trail 1973–1974 Writer, Creator, Producer

Big John, Little John 1976 Producer

Harper Valley PTA 1981–1982 Writer, Producer

Together We Stand 1986–1987 Writer, Producer

Stage productions

On November 10, 2006, his play Rockers opened in Theater West in California. In 1990, he wrote Gilligan's Island: The Musical, still in production as of 2011. His son Lloyd, daughter Hope, and son-in-law Laurence Juber worked on the play as well.

Unsold pilots

He wrote and Executive Produced these two pilots

Scamps (1982) - Starring Bob Denver, Dreama Denver, and Joey Lawrence

The Invisible Woman (1983) - Starring Bob Denver, Alexa Hamilton, George Gobel, and Harvey Korman

Awards

Won the 1961 Emmy Award for his writing on The Red Skelton Show.

Was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for his 2004 special "Still Brady After All These Years"

On March 7, 2008, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The Brady Bunch

Brady Bunch was an American television sitcom starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis, which revolved around a large blended family. The show originally aired from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on ABC and was subsequently syndicated internationally.

Plot summary

Mike Brady (Robert Reed), widowed architect with sons Greg (Barry Williams), Peter (Christopher Knight) and Bobby (Mike Lookinland), marries Carol Martin (née Tyler) (Florence Henderson), whose daughters are Marcia (Maureen McCormick), Jan (Eve Plumb) and Cindy (Susan Olsen). The wife and daughters take the Brady surname. Producer Schwartz wanted Carol to have been a divorcée but the network objected to this. A compromise was reached whereby no mention was made of the circumstances in which Carol's first marriage ended. The blended family, Mike's live-in housekeeper Alice (Ann B. Davis) and the boys' dog Tiger settle into a large, suburban, two-story house designed by Mike. Their specific location is not explicitly stated in the series, though numerous indications suggest they reside in Southern California.

The theme song penned by Schwartz quickly communicated to audiences that the Bradys were a blended family. In the first season this blending figured prominently in stories. These episodes chronicled the family learning to adjust to its new circumstances and become a unit, as well as typical childhood problems such as rivalries and family squabbles. Over time the episodes focused more on issues related to the kids growing up, such as dating, self-image, responsibility, and puberty.

From the second season the blending and its particular tensions were less intrinsic to stories but would sometimes be casually mentioned in dialogue, often as part of a joke. Two episodes from the third season, "Not So Rose Colored Glasses" and "Jan's Aunt Jenny", mention that Mike and Carol had been married for just three years. "Kelly's Kids" in the final season explicitly recalled Mike and Carol's adoptions ("Either way, you adopted three boys and you adopted three girls, right?") when their neighbors, the Kellys, adopted three boys of different races.

It was not the first series to show a "blended" family (two series which debuted in the 1950s, Make Room For Daddy and Bonanza, had stepsiblings and half-siblings respectively), but came at a time when divorce and remarriage in America was seeing a surge.

Contemporary issues were sometimes explored. Season two's "The Liberation of Marcia Brady" explored the equality of women, as Marcia sets out to prove a girl can do anything a boy can. The boys challenge the idea and coerce Peter into joining Marcia's club, the Sunflower Girls, to make a point.

[edit]Episodes

Main article: List of The Brady Bunch episodes

In 1971, due to the success of the Bradys' ABC Friday night companion show The Partridge Family (about a musical family), some episodes began to feature the Brady Kids as a singing group. Though only a handful of shows actually featured them singing and performing ("Dough-Re-Mi" in the third season, "Amateur Nite" in the fourth and "Adios, Johnny Bravo" in the fifth), the Brady Bunch began to release albums. Ironically enough the LP records featured background vocals sweetening by the same session vocalists who were on The Partridge Family platters. Though the kids never charted as high as the Partridges, the cast began touring the United States during the summer hiatus from the show, headlining as The Kids from the Brady Bunch. Only Barry Williams and Maureen McCormick stayed in the music business as adults. Christopher Knight readily admits he felt he could not sing and recalls having great anxiety about performing live on stage with the cast.

Season Ep # First Airdate Last Airdate

Season 1 25 September 26, 1969 March 20, 1970

Season 2 24 September 27, 1970 March 20, 1971

Season 3 23 September 17, 1971 March 10, 1972

Season 4 23 September 22, 1972 March 23, 1973

Season 5 22 September 14, 1973 March 8, 1974

Brady Bunch, Creator Sherwood Schwartz Dead at 94

If you’re a child of the ‘60s and ‘70s, it might interest you to know that Sherwood Schwartz, the creator of two of that era’s most memorable sit-coms, “Gilligan’s Island” and “The Brady Bunch,” died Tuesday. He was 94.

He died of natural causes at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to his family, who was by his side when he died.

If you're of a certain age, you might be able to remember full episodes from either of those shows but you may not know that Schwartz was born not too far from here, in Passaic, New Jersey.

The father and son were working together on the upcoming Warner Bros. film adaptation of "Gilligan's Island" at the time of Schwartz's death, said Lloyd.

After an initial interest in medicine, Schwartz turned to show business, writing for "The Bob Hope Show" in 1939 with his brother, Al. Schwartz also wrote for comic greats Red Skelton and Milton Berle.

Once he turned to television, he worked on more than 700 shows, by his own count. In 1963, Schwartz created "Gilligan's Island" and then in 1969, "The Brady Bunch," two series that were dismissed by critics but beloved by viewers.

Schwartz received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008, the same year he was named to the Television Academy Hall of Fame.

Schwartz is survived by his wife of 69 years, Mildred, and four children, including Lloyd and another son, Ross, who wrote the independent film "Bottle Shock.

Thousands threaten to quit Netflix

Netflix announced a new pricing scheme today, and if you believe the spin they’re putting on it over at the official Netflix blog, their new packages are the cheapest they’ve ever offered! Except, for the first time ever, you will now need to have multiple packages to keep all of your services. So probably you’re going to be paying a lot more. Oh, bummer.

What they’ve done is split their Instant Watch service and their DVD by mail service into two separate things. Both the Instant service and the one DVD at a time service will cost $7.99, which means you will now need to pay $15.98 a month if you want to continue watching movies both ways. And seeing how Instant Watch is a great feature, but nowhere near comprehensive when it comes to film library, you’re probably going to want to keep watching both ways.

Current $9.99 a month membership for unlimited streaming and unlimited DVDs will be split into 2 distinct plans:

Plan 1: Unlimited Streaming (no DVDs) for $7.99 a month Plan 2: Unlimited DVDs, 1 out at-a-time (no streaming) for $7.99 a month

Your price for getting both of these plans will be $15.98 a month ($7.99 + $7.99). You don't need to do anything to continue your memberships for both unlimited streaming and unlimited DVDs.

These prices will start for charges on or after September 1, 2011.

These changes raised the ire of Netflix's fans on Facebook, almost 6,000 of whom stormed onto its page to voice their vehement disapproval. Many of them complained about Netflix's "greed" and said they were going to leave Netflix for Redbox. Other users suggested services like Crackle, Hulu Plus and even Blockbuster.

Seattle Genetics takes step closer with FDA review of lymphoma drug

U.S. drug reviewers might limit the use of a Seattle Genetics Inc experimental blood cancer drug due to the narrow scope of its clinical trials, sending the company's shares down 3.6 percent.

In documents released on Tuesday the Food and Drug Administration asked an advisory panel to consider the drug, under the proposed trade name Adcetris, for use in previously treated patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). About 9,000 Americans a year are diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma and 3,000 with ALCL.

The reviewers suggested the labeling for Hodgkin's should focus on a smaller patient group than expected, limiting potential sales. According to the FDA documents, the drug should be considered for patients who had already been given a stem cell transplant, rather than on all treated patients as suggested by the company.

The FDA advisory panel votes on the drug on Thursday.

Wall Street analysts noted the FDA reviewers had not raised any unusual concerns about the drug's safety or effectiveness.

Cory Kasimov, a JPMorgan analyst, sees an 85 percent chance the drug will be approved for both diseases.

"That said, we still believe that expansion in earlier stages of disease with larger patient markets is critical to the stock's future valuation," he said in a research note.

Howard Liang, an analyst at Leerink Swann, sees U.S. sales at over $400 million for both types of cancer in 2015.

Seattle Genetics has a shot, not only at its first FDA-approved drug, but also at bringing to market the first of a class of armed antibody drugs. What makes the drugs potentially powerful weapons against cancer is that they combine the binding properties of antibodies with the killer punch of toxins. While armed antibodies offer a potential way to precisely target cancer cells, the FDA showed last year with its decision not to approve a similar type of drug, Roche's T-DM1, the technological wonders aren't immune to additional regulatory hurdles.

In its pursuit of approval of the drug, Seattle Genetics will be relying heavily on two single arm studies. Yet both studies have produced some stellar results, with its Hodgkin lymphoma trial showing the drug wiped out visible signs of disease in 34% of 102 patients, and with similar success in just over half of 58 patients with forms of anaplastic large cell lymphomas, to mention some of the key data.

While Seattle Genetics clearly has the most at stake in brentuximab vedotin's success, a regulatory win would also be a victory for its partner for commericializing the drug outside of North America, Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company. It could also bode well for others with a stake in the armed antibody game such as developer ImmunoGen ($IMGN), which provides the linking technology for Roche's T-DM1 and has its own pipeline of such drugs.

Cancer Mortality Higher in Men

Men are more likely than women to die of cancer in the U.S., a new study shows.

"Our research suggests that the main factor driving greater frequency of cancer deaths in men is the greater frequency of cancer diagnosis, rather than poorer survival once the cancer occurs," says study researcher Michael B. Cook, PhD, BsC, of the National Cancer Institute.

The study is published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

Cook says that if investigators "can identify the causes of these gender differences in cancer incidence, then we can take preventative actions to reduce the cancer burden in both men and women.

Cook and his research team analyzed U.S. data from a large database that contained statistics on 36 cancers by age and sex for the period of 1977 to 2006.

For "the vast majority" of the cancers, rates were higher among men than women, the researchers write.

The highest male-to-female death rate ratios were 5.51 men for every woman for lip cancer, 5.37 to 1 for cancer of the larynx, and 4.47 to 1 for cancer of the hypopharynx (a type of throat cancer).

The male-female death rate ratio for cancer of the esophagus was 4.08 to 1, and 3.36 to 1 for urinary bladder cancer.

Many cancers with the highest overall death rates also showed greater death risk for men than women. The male-female ratios for lung cancer were 2.31 to 1, for colorectal cancer 1.42 to 1, and 1.37 to 1 for pancreatic cancer.

For leukemia, the male-female ratio was 1.75 to 1, and for liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer the ratio was 2.23 to 1.

The risk of cancer is known to be considerably higher in men, with potential contributory factors including hormones, susceptibility, viral infections, tobacco exposure, and healthcare utilization.

But less is known about possible gender differences in mortality rates and cancer-specific five-year survival.

"These are important questions because disparities in cancer mortality result from the combined effects of incidence and survival; if sex differences exist in cancer mortality and are the result of sex differences in cancer incidence, and not cancer survival, then such evidence may suggest etiologic clues for future analytic studies," the NCI researchers explained.

To explore this, they analyzed data from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database and the National Center for Health Statistics for the periods 1977 to 2006, 1977 to 1986, 1987 to 1996, and 1997 to 2006.

Other cancers they identified as having high male-to-female mortality rate ratios included those of the:

Tonsils, 3.28 (95% CI 3.17 to 3.39)

Oropharynx, 3.05 (95% CI 2.95 to 3.16)

Floor of the mouth, 2.89 (95% CI 2.77 to 3.03)

Tongue, 2.53 (95% CI 2.49 to 2.58)

Nasopharynx, 2.47 (95% CI 2.40 to 2.55)

The only cancers found to have higher mortality rate ratios for women were those of the peritoneum, omentum, and mesentery (0.39), gall bladder (0.56), and anus (0.78).

The researchers found that there had been some changes over time, such as decreases in the male-to-female ratios in lung, laryngeal, and pancreatic cancers but increases in esophageal, skin, and hepatic cancers.

They also found changes in mortality by age.

For example, the male-to-female mortality rate ratio for esophageal cancer has been increasing for patients ages 40 to 69, largely because of a decrease in mortality among women.

For skin cancer, the male-to-female mortality ratio has increased in patients 50 and older, because mortality has increased in men but remained stable in women.

Using Cox proportional hazards models, Cook's team then analyzed five-year survival, and again found worse survival for men in many cancers:

Skin other than basal and squamous cell, HR 1.58 (95% CI 1.52 to 1.64)

Endocrine, HR 1.32 (95% CI 1.24 to 1.42)

Floor of the mouth, HR 1.32 (95% CI 1.07 to 1.63)

However, adjustment for tumor grade and stage attenuated some of the excess hazards for men.

An example was cancer of the tongue, where the hazard ratio fell from 1.07 to 0.89 after adjustment.

Possible reasons for sex differences in survival could include environmental exposures, according to the researchers.

The researchers noted that in previous work, they had found that the incidence of cancer was higher among men, which was similar to the mortality findings in this study.

"This supports the idea that sex disparities in cancer mortality arise from the sex differences in cancer incidence," they stated.

However, the differences in survival could relate to men having a longer lead time before diagnosis, typically presenting with later stage and more aggressive tumors.

Women tend to take greater advantage of the available healthcare services, the researchers explained.

A strength of the study was the large cancer registry, while a limitation was the possibility of errors in causes of death listed on the death certificate.

Moreover, there was no information on potentially confounding factors such as comorbidities.

The NCI researchers concluded that future studies should examine the etiologic factors contributing to the higher incidence rates among men.