Pak players eye IPL participation

LAHORE: Top Pakistani cricketers have started to campaign for another stint at the Indian Premier League after the lucrative T20 tournament was moved out of India.Sources close to the players said that although IPL chairman Lalit Modi has ruled out the possibility of Pakistani players’ participation in this year’s edition of the league, the players are lobbying for participation.Pakistani government barred the players from participating in the IPL following security concerns in the wake of terror attacks in Mumbai. The Kolkata Knight Riders had released its players Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Hafeez and Salman Butt but Umar Gul was kept by the franchise run by Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan.

Australia keep spin option open for Ashes

JOHANNESBURG: Ricky Ponting has brushed off the idea that Australia could enter the Ashes without a specialist spinner after their spin cycle washed up further damage to their stocks during the tour of South Africa.Australia have now used seven specialist spinners in Tests since the beginning of 2008 and are none the wiser about who should be their frontline option heading to England this year. Nathan Hauritz looms as the most likely candidate after solid if not spectacular performances in the home Test summer. Hauritz was overlooked for the Cape Town Test as the Australians gave the legspinner Bryce McGain an opportunity but it was an inauspicious debut for McGain, whose figures of 0 for 149 from 18 overs left him with an inflated economy-rate of 8.27. Adding to the hurt for McGain was the fact that the part-timer Simon Katich came on late in the South African innings and picked up 2 for 9 from three overs after he had also collected three wickets in Durban. The batsman Marcus North also had success with the ball in South Africa with his off-spinners, and Michael Clarke is another handy option but Ponting said he could not envisage relying on a combination of part-timers to fill the spin role in England. But the question is who to take. Stuart MacGill and Brad Hogg have both retired in the past 14 months and their initial replacement, Beau Casson, played a Test in the West Indies only to be dropped from the Australia and New South Wales sides. Cameron White played in India but it was a confusing selection as he is a batting all-rounder whose spin is secondary. Jason Krejza collected 12 wickets on debut in Nagpur only to be pounded out of the attack by the South Africans in Perth, although he is likely to have jumped McGain in the queue for an Ashes ticket after the outcome in South Africa. Ponting said regardless of which spinner was chosen he would be also inclined to hand the ball to Katich more often following his success in South Africa. “His (Katich) back seized up on him in the warm-up on Sunday, so when it’s one of your opening batsman and you’re 400 runs behind going into the second innings you’ve got to be a bit careful how much you use him. “What I do know with him is that when he bowls well he’s actually got some good wicket-taking balls and I think we’ve seen that in the last few games. If his body is holding up all right then I will definitely be inclined to use him in coming matches.” Katich rarely bowls in the nets and he was clearly in discomfort as he batted on the fourth day in Cape Town, where the previous afternoon he had sent down only three overs. Ponting was criticised for not introducing Katich until the 150th over, when the match had all but slipped away, but he said it was important that he gave McGain a decent chance to prove himself.McGain and Katich will both fly home this week and won’t have any first-class cricket before the Ashes. Hauritz is likely to get some opportunities in the one-day series, which begins in Durban on April 3, in a squad that also features the spinning all-rounder White.

Retired Steve Bucknor praised

ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq praised the consistency and example set by Steve Bucknor on Monday after cricket’s most seasoned umpire stood in his 128th and last Test — South Africa’s innings win over top-ranked Australia in Cape Town.“It was an absolute privilege to play in matches he umpired,” Inzamam said. “I always respected his decision-making, man-management skills and above all, his humble and friendly attitude.”Inzamam retired from international cricket in 2007 after scoring 8,820 runs in 120 Test matches and 11,739 from 378 One-day Internationals. “I first met Steve during the 1992 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand and it was the time when I was trying to cement my place in that multi-talented Pakistan team,” Inzamam said in a statement released by the International Cricket Council.“The journey since then with Steve has been fabulous and the more he stood in our matches the better I got to know him.” Inzamam hoped that 62-year-old West Indian would pass on his experience to the up-and-coming umpires. “I also know he was an inspiration to many young umpires who took up umpiring with him as their role model,” he said.“I sincerely hope he keeps his association with this great game and passes on his rich experience and knowledge to the umpires and continues to play the mentor’s role.” Bucknor is the most experienced umpire to date in Test cricket, with 29 more Test matches than South Africa’s Rudi Koertzen. Koertzen is the leading umpire in ODIs with 195 compared with Bucknor’s 179.Bucknor has been umpiring at international level since March 1989 when he took charge of the One-day International between the West Indies and India at the Antigua Recreation Ground. His first Test, between the same opponents, in his native Jamaica, started just over a month later, on April 28.Since then Bucknor has umpired five consecutive World Cup finals since 1992. Bucknor lingered briefly in the middle of the ground to pray and then embarked on a final lap of the ground at Cape Town when South Africa defeated Australia in the third Test on Sunday.Since then, administrators, colleagues and former players have all paid tribute to Bucknor. Former West Indies captain and coach Clive Lloyd described Bucknor as an honest and dedicated umpire. “Things that come to mind about him are his honesty and hard-working attitude,” said Lloyd. Bucknor was a high school teacher and a qualified football referee before becoming part of the ICC’s elite umpire’s panel in 1993. The quiet but assured Bucknor had an unblemished umpiring career until confusion over the World Cup tournament regulations led to the 2007 final finishing in the dark at Barbados.He was also removed from the Test series between Australia and India in January last year, at India’s behest, after some contentious decisions in the pivotal second Test at Sydney. Bucknor recently lamented that decision by the ICC, saying his ratio of correct calls was still very high in the match.Bucknor’s colleague Koertzen said it would be tough to fill the gap on the ICC’s elite panel of umpires. “It is a huge loss for us as a panel with him leaving,” Koertzen said. “It was the same when David Shepherd left too, you just can’t make up for experience. I have the utmost respect for Steve.”

Three India eves in WWC ‘Dream Team’

SYDNEY: Three Indians, including former captain Mithali Raj, figured in the team of the tournament of the ICC Women’s World Cup announced on Monday.Fast bowler Amita Sharma and wrist spinner Priyanka Roy were the other two Indians who found place in the World XI team. Skipper of the Cup-winning English side and ICC Women’s Player of the Year in 2008, Charlotte Edwards was named captain of the 12-woman world team.Five of the team are from champion England while losing finalist New Zealand has provided three, including the 12th woman. Third-placed India has three and fourth-placed Australia has one representation.The world team was selected by a specially assembled panel of experts, headed by former Australia captain Belinda Clark, which had also picked the player of the tournament.The side includes five specialist batters — Suzie Bates, Shelley Nitschke, Claire Taylor, Mithali Raj and Charlotte Edwards — an all-rounder in Kate Pulford while Sarah Taylor has been picked as wicketkeeper/batter.The four bowlers include wrist spinner Priyanka Roy and off-spinner Laura Marsh and fast bowlers Katherine Brunt and Amita Sharma. The players who made the team will be presented with commemorative caps to mark their selection.Announcing the side, Belinda Clark, who is the most successful batter in women’s ODIs with 4,844 runs, said, “It has been a very difficult decision to select the team as there were some very strong performances throughout the event.”Team of the Tournament ICC Women’s World Cup 2009: Suzie Bates (New Zealand), Shelley Nitschke (Australia) Claire Taylor (England), Mithali Raj (India), Charlotte Edwards (England, captain), Kate Pulford (New Zealand), Sarah Taylor (England, wicket-keeper), Amita Sharma (India), Katherine Brunt (England), Priyanka Roy (India), Laura Marsh (England), 12th woman: Sophie Devine (New Zealand).

Games safe despite venue switch: India

NEW DELHI: The decision to move cricket’s Indian Premier League out of the country due to security concerns will not affect the 2010 Commonwealth Games, a top sports official said on Monday.“We are not worried about security for the Games,” Indian Olympic Association secretary general Randhir Singh told reporters.“Moving the IPL out of India does not reflect any security worries as far as other sports events are concerned, especially the Commonwealth Games, which we will host in New Delhi.“The government has said it did not want to burden security forces at the time of the elections. There will be no such issues for the Games next year.”The Commonwealth Games are due to be held in the Indian capital from October 3-14 next year.

PCB to contact BCCI on IPL status

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board has said it would contact its Indian counterparts and seek advice from its government on the status of the national players’ chances of playing in the Indian Premier League which will now be staged in South Africa or England.PCB chairman Ijaz Butt said there were lot of issues to be cleared up regarding the participation of Pakistani players in the IPL which was shifted from India on Sunday as it clashed with the Indian general elections.“I will be talking to the Indian board president and also our government. I am sure some of the players would now like to play in the IPL if possible,” Butt said. Butt said he was not in a position to say if the government would reconsider its stance on allowing players to appear in the IPL now.“But if some players are interested in playing in the IPL and if their commitments don’t clash with our national team commitments I will talk to the relevant authorities,” Butt said. The former Test player described the shifting of the IPL from India as unfortunate and said security issues and fears were playing havoc with cricket in the region. Pakistan has suffered the most because of the security situation in the country in the last few years with chances of international teams now touring the country dim after the terror attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore this month by suspected militants.

Pakistan may name ODI squad after April 1

KARACHI: Pakistan are likely to name their 15-man squad for the one-day series against Australia after the conclusion of the National One-day Championship on April 1.National coach Intikhab Alam told this correspondent on Monday that after mutual consent it has been more or less decided that the selectors will wait till the end of the one-day spectacle before naming the squad for the ODI series to be played in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from April 22-May 7. Pakistan will play five One-day Internationals and Twenty20 game against the world champions. Intikhab said that the team management will give its input on the line-up for the series after following the performance of the players in the ongoing domestic event.“It is better to wait for a few days and see how the players perform in the domestic tournament before naming the national team,” said Intikhab. Meanwhile, chief selector Abdul Qadir has said that he would meet Ijaz Butt, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, in Lahore on Tuesday (today) before taking a final decision in this regard.Qadir also said that pacer Shoaib Akhtar can make a return to Pakistan duty if he proves his fitness in the next few days. He said the selectors had been keeping an eye on Shoaib’s performance to decide whether he could be brought back into the team for the one-dayers against Australia. Qadir pointed out that Shoaib recently gave a good showing in a one-day game which he said was a good sign.

South Africa emerges as favourite to host IPL

MUMBAI: In a swift turnaround, South Africa has overtaken England as the preferred venue to host the IPL next month. Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, was flying to South Africa on Monday night to meet with senior officials of the South African government and an announcement is expected on Wednesday. Weather turned out to be the principal factor that swayed the BCCI officials, a bulk of whom had been in favour of England till this morning when the realisation occurred that rain could seriously affect “as many as 70% of the matches” in the Twenty20 tournament which runs from April 10 to May 24. Cricket South Africa (CSA) summoned their provinces to a teleconference on Monday afternoon, where they were updated on the latest IPL developments. “We have been told to expect a decision by Wednesday morning,” said a South African provincial official with knowledge of the conference call. “We have had some early discussions about what we might need to do to prepare for this, but as far as we are aware, no final decisions have been made.” Another reason for England’s chances receding is that the BCCI has been wooed actively by top officials in the South African government and CSA, who have all promised to lay out the red carpet for the tournament, well placed sources told Cricinfo. “The weather in South Africa seems to have become the deciding factor,” the sources said. “Besides, South Africa is working out to be a much cheaper option. The South African government’s interest in hosting the event is a major factor, too.” South Africa is also considered a better option when it comes to TV timings when compared to England. For instance, the IPL wants to start its first match of the day at 4 pm IST, which would mean a 11.30 am start in England. In South Africa it would be a 12.30 pm start. The TV rights scenario is also less complicated in South Africa as Supersport owns the rights both for the IPL and for international cricket played in the country. Modi and Gerald Majola, the CSA chief executive, are known to enjoy a good personal relationship, especially after the two boards became founding partners of the Twenty20 Champions League last year. It is believed that such a rapport would prove crucial in organising a tournament of this magnitude at such short notice. “This gives both the boards a lot of room for negotiations, adjustments and quick decisions, something that may not be possible with the ECB, which has to go by its board for almost every decision,” the sources said. Majola, though, spoke cautiously on Monday evening when asked to assess South Africa’s chances of hosting the IPL’s second season. “Until I meet with Mr Modi and BCCI officials and know exactly what they want and how they think this should proceed, then I cannot say where we stand,” Majola told Cricinfo. “It has been strangely quiet since we were first asked by officials from the BCCI and IPL whether we can assist them, and to the best of my knowledge we remain just one of the options out there. We are interested in assisting, but we have not heard anything further.” Shaun Pollock, the former South African captain and current advisor to the Mumbai Indians, said he would be open to serving as a conduit between his IPL franchise and the KwaZulu-Natal board if approached. Pollock is currently in Durban with eight members of the Mumbai squad for a pre-season training camp. “I would love the Mumbai Indians to come to Durban,” Pollock told Cricinfo. “But, having said that, I don’t know who will decide which franchise goes where, or even if (the IPL) will come here. It’s hard to know at the moment. One person tells you it’s 60-40 in South Africa’s favour and another tells you it’s 60-40 to England. But if it were to come here, I would be happy to help Mumbai if they were interested in basing themselves in my home area and conditions.” As of Sunday evening, England had emerged as the preferred venue to host the tournament after a powerful lobby within the BCCI and the Indian team management felt that such a move would help in preparing for the World Twenty20 in June. However, that decision was almost entirely dependent on the ECB overcoming considerable obstacles related to costs and logistics and the approval of its stakeholders, including the counties, many of whom fear that their domestic schedule will be affected by the IPL.

Many skyscrapers on hold due to global recession

NEW YORK: The recession-hit construction industry has idled 2 million workers in the United States alone. The overhang of millions of unsold and foreclosed homes and a weak commercial real estate market may delay a rebound.Construction has been halted on 142, or 11 per cent, of 1,324 tall skyscraper residential and mixed-used projects around the world. By continent: 36 of 329 projects in North America, 84 of 766 in Asia (includes Middle East), 11 of 117 in Europe, six of 75 in South America, five of 37 in Australia.Chicago downtown condominium sales were down a net 253 units in the fourth quarter 2008, due to canceled contracts. Sales peaked at 8,162 units in 2005, and fell to 592 in 2008. There were 6,000 unsold units and 4,700 more condos to be added through 2009, though few additions seen in 2010 and 2011.US unemployment statistics for February showed 2,025,000 jobless construction workers, a rate of 21 per cent, the highest of any industry. Unemployment rates were 19 per cent in agriculture, 12 per cent in manufacturing, 11 per cent in leisure and hospitality, 11 per cent in professional and business services, and 3 per cent in government.

IMF confirms board will consider $840m loan tranche

ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has confirmed that the Fund’s Executive Board will consider the approval of a second loan tranche worth $840 million for Pakistan on March 30 under $7.6 billion Standby Arrangement (SBA) programme.According to an announcement made by the IMF, the Executive Board will take up Pakistan’s first review titled ‘2009 Article IV consultation and first review under the standby arrangement’ in its meeting to be held on March 30 at Washington.Pakistan will receive $1.5 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank (WB) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) by the end of the current month or the first week of April.“The IMF will approve a tranche of $840 million, which will be disbursed to Pakistan within 72 hours,” said a high-level official of the finance ministry while talking to The News on Monday.When Finance Secretary Salman Siddiq was contacted for comments, he said that the IMF would approve $840 million on March 30 and also confirmed that the World Bank would also approve $500 million under the Poverty Reduction and Economic Stabilisation Operation (PRESO) on March 26. “The ADB is also likely to release around $200 million within this month,” he added.However, according to official sources, the IMF tranche worth $840 million will be released in two to three days of the Board’s approval and it will help the country improve its foreign currency reserves. Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves were over $10 billion last week.Pakistan had successfully met all envisaged targets for the first half (July-Dec 2008) of the ongoing fiscal year which would help it get the second tranche of IMF loan without facing any difficulty.The tightening of monetary as well as fiscal policies has resulted in pressing demands and compromising on growth prospects. Pakistan has already revised its downward gross domestic product (GDP) growth target to 2.5 per cent from the target of 3.4 per cent.Average inflation target was also lowered to 20 per cent from an earlier target of 23 per cent for the current fiscal year. It was also envisaged that inflation will be brought down to 10 per cent by June 2009 compared to the same month last year. Keeping in view reduction in inflation, interest rates will also be brought down before June 2009.Both sides also slashed down FBR’s annual target from Rs1360 billion to Rs1300 billion for the current fiscal year, which is unlikely to be achieved by the end of June 2009. The programme funding of $500 million from the WB under PRESO will help Pakistan improve its budgetary position.The availability of precious foreign inflows from the IMF and ADB were not facing any problem but the programme loan from the WB faced certain bottlenecks in the past and it was the success of the economic managers to convince them for extending programme loans for Islamabad.The WB and ADB high-ups participated during recently concluded talks in Dubai between Pakistan and the IMF as observer and both the IFIs were completely on board with regard to the envisaged targets of the national economy.The WB, sources said, has linked resumption of programme loan with successful implementation of the targets set by the IMF for Pakistan’s economy and the first review talks at Dubai gave a sense of satisfaction to WB authorities as well, paving the way for accomplishing all procedural requirements for approving the PRESO worth $500 million.Sources in the ADB are saying that Pakistan will receive a second tranche worth $500 million under the Accelerating Economic Transformation Programme (AETP) before June 2009 and it will be processed for the Board’s approval by May 2009.

IMF confirms board will consider $840m loan tranche

ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has confirmed that the Fund’s Executive Board will consider the approval of a second loan tranche worth $840 million for Pakistan on March 30 under $7.6 billion Standby Arrangement (SBA) programme.According to an announcement made by the IMF, the Executive Board will take up Pakistan’s first review titled ‘2009 Article IV consultation and first review under the standby arrangement’ in its meeting to be held on March 30 at Washington.Pakistan will receive $1.5 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank (WB) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) by the end of the current month or the first week of April.“The IMF will approve a tranche of $840 million, which will be disbursed to Pakistan within 72 hours,” said a high-level official of the finance ministry while talking to The News on Monday.When Finance Secretary Salman Siddiq was contacted for comments, he said that the IMF would approve $840 million on March 30 and also confirmed that the World Bank would also approve $500 million under the Poverty Reduction and Economic Stabilisation Operation (PRESO) on March 26. “The ADB is also likely to release around $200 million within this month,” he added.However, according to official sources, the IMF tranche worth $840 million will be released in two to three days of the Board’s approval and it will help the country improve its foreign currency reserves. Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves were over $10 billion last week.Pakistan had successfully met all envisaged targets for the first half (July-Dec 2008) of the ongoing fiscal year which would help it get the second tranche of IMF loan without facing any difficulty.The tightening of monetary as well as fiscal policies has resulted in pressing demands and compromising on growth prospects. Pakistan has already revised its downward gross domestic product (GDP) growth target to 2.5 per cent from the target of 3.4 per cent.Average inflation target was also lowered to 20 per cent from an earlier target of 23 per cent for the current fiscal year. It was also envisaged that inflation will be brought down to 10 per cent by June 2009 compared to the same month last year. Keeping in view reduction in inflation, interest rates will also be brought down before June 2009.Both sides also slashed down FBR’s annual target from Rs1360 billion to Rs1300 billion for the current fiscal year, which is unlikely to be achieved by the end of June 2009. The programme funding of $500 million from the WB under PRESO will help Pakistan improve its budgetary position.The availability of precious foreign inflows from the IMF and ADB were not facing any problem but the programme loan from the WB faced certain bottlenecks in the past and it was the success of the economic managers to convince them for extending programme loans for Islamabad.The WB and ADB high-ups participated during recently concluded talks in Dubai between Pakistan and the IMF as observer and both the IFIs were completely on board with regard to the envisaged targets of the national economy.The WB, sources said, has linked resumption of programme loan with successful implementation of the targets set by the IMF for Pakistan’s economy and the first review talks at Dubai gave a sense of satisfaction to WB authorities as well, paving the way for accomplishing all procedural requirements for approving the PRESO worth $500 million.Sources in the ADB are saying that Pakistan will receive a second tranche worth $500 million under the Accelerating Economic Transformation Programme (AETP) before June 2009 and it will be processed for the Board’s approval by May 2009.

Tata rolls out world’s cheapest car

MUMBAI: India’s Tata Motors on Monday launched the world’s cheapest car, the Nano, hoping to revolutionise travel for millions and buck a slump in auto sales caused by the global economic crisis.Company boss Ratan Tata said the no-frills car, slated to cost just 100,000 rupees ($2,000) for the basic model, will get India’s middle-class urban population off motorcycles and into safer, affordable four-wheelers. “I think we are at the gates of offering a new form of transport to the people of India and later, I hope, other markets elsewhere in the world,” he said, describing the launch as a “milestone.” “The present economic situation makes it somewhat more attractive to the buying public,” he told reporters in Mumbai.Hundreds of people, including journalists and company officials, were gathering for the official unveiling ceremony at 7:30 pm (1400 GMT). Bookings for the tiny car, just over three metres (10 feet) long, start on April 9 and end on April 23, Tata Motors managing director Ravi Kant said.A ballot will then select 100,000 people to be the first to get the keys to the vehicle. Deliveries will start in early July 2009, he added. Even affluent Indians are eyeing up the Nano, which has a two-cylinder engine, four-speed manual transmission and a top speed of 105 kilometres (65 miles) per hour.It has no air conditioning, electric windows or power steering, but deluxe versions will be available. “This is a value-for-money car,” said Hasmukh Kakadia, 39, a Mumbai investment analyst. “There’s no safety in two-wheelers, especially with the whole family,” said New Delhi resident Ganesh Khand, 38, who now has a motorbike but wants a Nano to be able to transport his wife and two daughters safely.Shares of Tata Motors jumped as much as eight per cent early Monday to hit an intraday high of 173.85 before retracing on profit-taking to 165.40 rupees, still up 2.8 per cent, or 4.5 rupees. Dealers say they have been flooded with queries about the car, whose debut was delayed after violent protests over the acquisition of farmland to build the Nano plant, forcing Tata Motors to shift from West Bengal state to Gujarat.But the new plant in western India will not be ready until late this year or early 2010, Tata said. That means production must come from existing factories, reducing output and potentially increasing waiting times for deliveries. Kant admitted that some customers may have to wait more than year to take possession of their Nano.Tata, though, said not delaying the launch was the right decision. The launch comes at a tough time for India’s top vehicle maker, hit by the economic slowdown and credit crunch at home and abroad, at a time when it is trying to absorb the British luxury marques Jaguar and Land Rover, which it bought last year for $2.3 billion.Tata is hoping the Nano will also be a hit overseas in the long term. Earlier this month, the firm unveiled a European Nano sporting airbags and leather trim that will hit the market by 2011 but be costlier than in India due to the extra features.

Tourist arrivals plunge in Spain

MADRID: Tourist arrivals in Spain plunged 15.9 per cent in February, with Britons in particular shunning the world’s second largest holiday destination, the tourism ministry said Monday.It said a total of 2.8 million foreign tourists visited Spain last month, down 15.9 per cent over the same month last year. Britain again provided the largest number of visitors, 676,000. But the figure was 23.4 per cent less than in February, 2008.The weakening of the pound to near-parity with the euro has led many Britons to shun Spain’s beaches and bars in favour of sunshine destinations outside of the eurozone such as Turkey and Egypt, which have become much cheaper.

Pakistan to seek oil facility from Saudi Arabia at FoP meeting: Tarin

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is to seek oil facility from Saudi Arabia for 100,000 barrels per day on deferred payment of two year during the meeting of Friends of Pakistan due in Tokyo on April 16, said Advisor to Prime Minister on Finance Shaukat Tarin.Tarin, who visited Saudi Arabia on March 7 and held vital meetings with authorities concerned dispelled the impression that the visit could not succeed saying that that Saudi Arabia has advised Pakistan to bring the issue of oil facility at the forum of Friends of Pakistan.“The kingdom has indicated that Saudi Arabia would consider the demand seeking oil facility once it is placed in FoPs meeting,” Tarin said. He said that during the meetings with Saudi authorities, Islamabad asked for increasing the import of Pakistani labour force so that Pakistan would have maximum remittances from Kingdom. “We also invited Saudi Arabia to come forward and invest in Pakistan’s agriculture sector and import agriculture products from their own agriculture farms in Pakistan to ensure their food security.”Pakistan has also sought permission to export animals to cater to eating needs of Saudi Arabia.Regarding urea facility, he said that Saudi Arabia would maintain revolving fund to urea facility for Pakistan. “We also briefed governor central bank of Kingdom on securitisation of workers remittances.”When Pakistan got nuclear, it faced a lot of economic sanctions from USA and all donor countries, but it was Saudi Arabia, which helped Pakistan and extended the oil facility to wriggle the country out of morass. But when Pakistan started experiencing the fast deletion of the foreign reserves, Saudi Arabia refused to extend any oil facility to Pakistan asking Islamabad to first enter the IMF programme only then the Kingdom would consider about the oil facility.But now Saudi Arabia asked Islamabad, even after getting IMF bailout package, to bring the demand particularly with regard to seeking oil facility in the meeting of Friends of Pakistan. However, Pakistan has managed to get oil facility from Iran to provide sustainability in foreign reserves. “Although Pakistan has foreign reserves of over $10 billion mainly because of IMF programme, its sustainability can only be maintained if Pakistan manages more resources, which could ensure interest free inflows,” some independent economic experts said.“This can only be possible by alluring maximum foreign direct investment for which the business and investment friendly climate had to be introduced by the government, which will trigger economic growth in the country too. This would basically help sustain Pakistan’s reserves at a reasonable level,” economists say.Tarin, mentioning the preparation for projects to be marketed in the FoP meeting, said the details will be provided to the ambassadors of the FoP member countries on March 24 so that respective countries have ample time to identify the projects they intend to fund.

Lankan navy kills five Tiger suicide rebels

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s navy killed five Tamil Tiger suicide rebels as they tried to mingle with refugees fleeing to government-controlled areas in the north, the defence ministry said on Monday. A navy patrol craft detected a rebel boat among three other boats carrying 54 civilians on Sunday. “The navy believes that the LTTE’s intention here was to mix with troops on land to inflict a huge devastation on them,” the statement said. The military said that since fighting intensified in January nearly 50,000 people have fled the war zone, including more than 1,000 on Saturday. There was no immediate comment from the LTTE. The military says the Tigers have fewer than 500 fighters left and are about to lose their decades-long armed campaign for an independent Tamil homeland on the majority Sinhalese island. Meanwhile, the first shipment of medical supplies in two weeks has been sent to the last remaining major health facility in Sri Lanka’s war zone and 500 civilians have been evacuated from danger, the Red Cross said on Monday. The area’s top health official has blamed a lack of medicine and supplies for causing the needless deaths of hundreds of hospital patients caught in the all-out offensive the government has launched against Tamil Tiger rebels. The Red Cross supplies arrived in the war zone on the northeast coast on Sunday aboard the “MV Green Ocean,’’ said Sophie Romanens, a Colombo spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross. She did not know how large the shipment was, but said the ship returned with 500 patients and family members. The Red Cross and other international groups have voiced concern recently for the civilians trapped in the last remaining rebel territory. The UN says 150,000 to 180,000 civilians are trapped in the war zone. The government says the figure is much lower, and accuses the Tamil rebels of using the people as human shields. Romanens said there had been an influx of displaced people into the coastal strip near the medical facility and that there was not enough clean water and food for them. Last week, in a letter to the Health Ministry, officials from two northern Sri Lankan regions hit by the war said just five per cent of the needed drugs and dressings had been received in the last quarter of 2008 and the first part of this year. The letter said more than 500 patients had died since January after arriving at hospitals and that thousands more may have died elsewhere in the area. Besides the 500 evacuated on the Red Cross ship, the military said in a statement that another 845 people, including more than 200 children, crossed over to military-controlled areas on Sunday. Fighting continued Sunday near the last rebel-held town of Puthkkudiyirippu with army troops killing at least eight guerrillas, the military said in a statement. It did not provide details of army casualties, but said government soldiers “suffered minor damages.’’ Rebel officials could not be reached because most communication to the north has been severed, and accounts of the battles could not be verified because independent journalists are barred from the war zone.

Iraq warns Kurd rebels during Gul visit

BAGHDAD: Iraq on Monday warned Turkish Kurdish rebels based in its northern mountains to lay down their guns or leave the country, during a landmark visit by Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul. “The PKK has two choices: lay down its guns or leave Iraq,” President Jalal Talabani — himself a Kurd — said of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party at a joint news conference marking the first visit by a Turkish head of state in 33 years. “The PKK must become involved in political and parliamentary life instead of resorting to weapons, since using guns does wrong to Kurds and Iraqis,” Talabani said. “Iraq’s constitution forbids the existence of armed groups, the PKK along with others, and we are currently working towards this aim on the tripartite committee” comprising Iraq, Turkey and the United States, he said. In Istanbul last week he urged Turkey to consider an amnesty for the rebels to consolidate measures broadening Kurdish cultural freedoms and boost the prospect of a lasting peace.President Abdullah Gul arrived in Iraq on Monday on the first visit by a Turkish head of state in three decades for talks set to focus on the thorny issue of Kurdish rebels. ’Gul will discuss with President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki the PKK issue, water and economic relations,’ Al-Iraqiya state television said.He is the first Turkish head of state to visit in 33 years, after Fahri Koruturk made the trip in 1976 when Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr was president of Iraq. Talabani, himself a Kurd, made his first visit to Turkey as head of state a year ago, when he and Gul pledged to cooperate in attempts to oust rebels from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) who have set up bases in northern Iraq.Ankara wants close ties and economic cooperation with Baghdad but the safe haven the PKK enjoys in the autonomous Kurdish-run north of Iraq has long been a bone of contention between the two countries.Turkey has often accused the Iraqi Kurds, who run an autonomous administration in northern Iraq, of tolerating and even aiding the rebels. But hopes of better cooperation improved after Iraq, Turkey and the United States agreed in November to form a joint committee to work on the problem.And during a visit to Ankara in December, Maliki pledged to increase cooperation to root out the rebels. While in Istanbul last week Talabani called on Turkey to consider an amnesty for the rebels to consolidate measures broadening Kurdish cultural freedoms and boost the prospect of lasting peace.He also said that the Kurdish rebels are expected to heed an appeal expected next month by Kurdish political groups from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Europe to lay down their arms. ’I believe the PKK will accept the wish of all Kurdish parties, laying down its arms and putting an end to violent action,’ Talabani told Turkey’s Sabah newspaper last week.The PKK’s expected move would not mean only a ceasefire but ‘a decision in principle to end the so-called armed revolution,’ he said. The Kurdish groups are due to gather in late April or May, probably in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil.The PKK, listed as a terrorist group by much of the international community, took up arms for self-rule in Turkey’s Kurdish-majority southeast in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed about 44,000 lives.Turkey says thousands of PKK militants use the mountains of northern Iraq as a springboard for attacks on Turkish territory. The Turkish army has been targeting rebel bases in Iraq under a parliamentary authorisation for cross-border military action, which was first approved in 2007 and renewed for another year in October.The talks are also likely to discuss the controversial issue of oil-rich Kirkuk, an ethnically divided city 255-km north of Baghdad where tensions between Kurdish, Arab and Turkmen residents run deep.Turkmen, an ethnic group comprising about 600,000 people are concentrated around Kirkuk. Kurds have demanded that it be added to their autonomous region in Iraq’s north, however Turkey is against this. Ali Hashim Oglo, spokesman for the Iraqi Turkmen Front, described Gul’s visit as ‘a historic day which will discuss economic cooperation, water, and issues regarding the PKK and Kirkuk.’

Darwin ‘spent more money on shoes than books’

LONDON: Charles Darwin, famous for his “theory of evolution”, led a lavish life while studying at Cambridge University, splurging money on expensive shoes than books, according to newly discovered records. Two hundred years after his birth, academics have uncovered new details of his comfortable existence at the University of Cambridge before he embarked on the gruelling five-year voyage that would transform science’s view of the world. Six leather-bound ledgers unearthed in the university archives reveal how he lived in the most expensive rooms available to a student of his rank from 1828 to 1831. He hired a battery of staff to help him with the daily chores, including a scullion (dishwasher), a laundress and a shoeblack (someone who cleans shoes). A tailor, hatter and barber made sure he was well presented, while a chimney sweep and a coalman kept his fire going. He even paid five and a half pence extra each day to have vegetables with the basic ration of meat and beer at Christ’s College. Darwin scholar Dr John van Wyhe, of the University of Cambridge, said little was known about the scientist’s student life before his outgoings were found in the mainly hand-written ledgers detailing students’ finances. “It is just wonderful to have a previously unknown insight into what Darwin was up to in this part of his life,” he told Reuters. “These are really intimate details.” The archives were published on the Internet on Monday athttp://darwin-online.org.uk. Darwin’s bill topped 636 pounds during his three years of study for a general bachelor of arts degree at Cambridge, a time he would later describe as “the most joyful of my happy life”. That substantial sum would have been fairly typical for a student at Cambridge in the 19th century. The bills were paid by his wealthy father, Robert Darwin, a doctor. “Cambridge was full of well-to-do gentlemen living a pretty good life,” van Wyhe said. “When you look at the books, you see he is just one of a hundred students or whatever. He is well off, but they are all well off.” As well as the paid help, Darwin could also rely on the college “gyp”, the Cambridge nickname for a valet or servant. With so much help and just two hours of mathematics and classics lectures each morning, there was plenty of time forsocialising or private study, van Wyhe said.

US to work with India on nuclear non-proliferation

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration wants to build on a US-India civilian nuclear power deal to work with the Indians to strengthen the global non-proliferation system, a senior US diplomat said on Monday. US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg said the 2005 atomic power deal allowing New Delhi to import nuclear technology after a 33-year freeze gave both countries a duty to shore up the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty system. “Both the United States and India have the responsibility to help to craft a strengthened NPT regime to foster safe, affordable nuclear power to help the globe’s energy and environment needs, while assuring against the spread of nuclear weapons,” he said. India, which is not a signatory to the NPT, is nonetheless” in the position to look at the kinds of commitments it can make to be part of an international approach,” Steinberg said at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. The 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group agreed in September to lift a ban on nuclear trade with India, imposed after its first nuclear test in 1974 and for its refusal to join the NPT. Washington overcame significant opposition to win the NSG waiver in order to implement the nuclear cooperation pact, a key strategic, clean energy, environmental and commercial goal of the United States. India, Pakistan and Israel are the only countries never to have signed the NPT. India’s special envoy for nuclear issues and climate change said the nuclear deal and NSG waiver meant his country was “now accepted as a partner in the global nuclear domain.” “Thanks to the civil nuclear agreement, we are now, potentially at a different level of engagement on these hitherto sensitive and even contentious issues,” envoy Shyam Saran said at Brookings. “How we deal with bringing India and Pakistan into the NPT world is a critical question,” Steinberg said. How Washington and New Delhi would cooperate on non-proliferation issues would be worked out in talks once the Obama administration filled key posts and following India’s general elections in April and May, he added.

BJP stands by Varun Gandhi

NEW DELHI: India’s main Hindu nationalist party refused on Monday to drop the great-grandson of India’s first prime minister as a candidate after the Election Commission found him guilty of hate speech and inciting violence against Muslims. The furor surrounds Varun Gandhi, 29, who was filmed comparing a rival Muslim politician to Osama Bin Laden and threatening to cut the throats of Muslims during two political rallies earlier this month. Gandhi is the descendant of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, a founder of India’s secular democracy and the dynasty of politicians who have dominated the governing Congress party. However, Gandhi is a member of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. Late on Sunday, the commission found him guilty of inciting hatred and urged the BJP to drop him, saying it would be زperceived as endorsing his unpardonable acts of inciting violence and creating feelings of enmity and hatred between different classes of citizens of India.’’ However, on Monday the BJP refused. “The commission has no authority to give such a direction to a political party,’’ Balbir Punj, a BJP leader, told reporters after consulting top party leaders. He did not address the content of Gandhi’s speeches. But last week, the party sought to disassociate itself from the comments. The statement from the Election Commission said that Gandhi’s “speeches contained highly derogatory references and seriously provocative language of a wholly unacceptable nature.’’The commission said it lacked the authority to bar Gandhi from the elections unless he had been convicted by a court. The commission rejected Gandhi’s claims the footage of his speeches had been doctored, saying it “is fully convinced and satisfied that the CD has not been tampered with, doctored or morphed.’’ The Election Commission has already directed officials in Uttar Pradesh state, where Gandhi is running, to file a criminal case against him for “promoting hatred,’’ said Rajesh Malhotra, a commission spokesman. If convicted, Gandhi could be disqualified from running for office and imprisoned for up to five years. The footage - recorded at rallies on March 6 and 8 in Pilibhit, a constituency once held by Gandhi’s mother, Maneka Gandhi, a daughter-in-law of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi - was broadcast repeatedly on Indian televisions channels last week. “All the Hindus stay on this side and send the others to Pakistan,’’ he said in the video. “This is the Lotus hand”, he said, referring to the symbol of the BJP. “It will cut their throats after elections.’’ Muslims make up some 14 per cent of India’s 1.1 billion citizens. Muslims and the majority Hindus in India have a long history of tension and mistrust that sometimes erupts into violence. Meanwhile, the UN human rights chief urged India on Monday to counter suspicion against its Muslim minority following the Mumbai attacks and warned the country’s strict anti-terror measures threatened human rights. India is still on edge after gunmen killed 166 people in a three-day rampage on the financial hub last November. Hundreds of Muslims were detained and questioned over the attacks, angering rights activists who said innocent people were caught up in the backlash. “The horrific terrorist attack in Mumbai has also polarized society and risks stoking suspicions against the Muslim community,” said UN Human Rights chief Navanethem Pillay. “Both internal and external terrorist threats have led to counter-terrorist measures that put human rights at risk,” Pillay said in New Delhi during her India visit. Religious and caste-based prejudices remain entrenched in Indian society, she said. Pillay also questioned India’s human rights record in the troubled state of Jammu and Kashmir, where security forces have been battling a 20-year separatist insurgency that has killed more than 47,000 people. Pillay said security forces have excessive emergency powers under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, a law which lets them fire at civilians breaking laws in “disturbed” areas and make arrests without a warrant. “In the past two decades, hundreds of cases of disappearances have been reported in Kashmir,” Pillay said. “These cases must be properly investigated in order to bring a sense of closure to the families who far too long have been awaiting news, any news.”

India felicitates Pakistan on Pakistan Day

ISLAMABAD: Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has extended felicitations to his Pakistani counterpart Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Pakistan Day celebrated on March 23. In his message to Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the Indian External Affairs Minister said, "I extend greetings and felicitations, on my own behalf and on behalf of the people of India, to you and to the people of Pakistan, on the occasion of Pakistan Day." The Indian External Affairs Minister said, "Our countries face common challenges and tests. It is in our common interest to work for a peaceful, harmonious and cooperative relationship, free from threat of violence and terrorism." He also extended his best wishes for personal good health and well being of Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Court’s dignity by stamping out corruption would have to be restored: CJ

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry has said that the real judiciary has been restored after a long time and now the dignity of the court and institution would have to be restored besides the judiciary would have to be cleaned of corruption. At Room # 1 of the Supreme Court during hearing of a case, the Chief Justice in his remarks said that irregularities would not be tolerated in dispensing justice and added that the stories of corruption from civil judge to supreme court was common besides he urged upon the lawyers to co-operate with him in stamping out corruption. He further said if there was any complaint of irregularity, then a petition could be filed in the Registrar Office. He said he was thankful to the people on their struggle for restoration of judiciary.