Royals bowl over Christchurch with cricket display

CHRISTCHURCH: Cricket and high fashion may seem strange bedfellows, but Prince William´s wife Kate combined both with aplomb on Monday in New Zealand when she showed off her batting skills in heels.

The duchess and duke of Cambridge faced off in a light-hearted match during the British royals´ visit to Christchurch, providing a moment of levity ahead of a remembrance service for victims of an earthquake that devastated the South Island city in 2011.

Clad in a scarlet Luisa Spagnoli skirt suit and black heels, Kate made an unlikely sight as she strode to the crease clutching a yellow plastic bat, her face a picture of concentration as William prepared to bowl from the other end.

His first ball was a fizzing bouncer that narrowly missed his wife´s head, prompting her to wag her finger at him while the umpire warned the second in line to the throne to find a better line and length.

Kate did manage to get bat on ball but it was William who impressed most with the blade, smashing a hook shot off one young bowler and dispatching another ball to the boundary.

"It´s not a very wide pitch, there was no warm-up, and he bowled with a jacket on. I was impressed," said legendary New Zealand all-rounder Richard Hadlee, who acted as wicketkeeper for the game in Christchurch´s Latimer Square.

Christchurch is one of the host venues for next year´s Cricket World Cup. The event is seen by locals as a signal that the city is returning to normal after the February 2011 earthquake flattened much of the downtown area and claimed 185 lives.

The royals, who began a three-week tour of New Zealand and Australia on April 7, visited a memorial at the site of the CTV building, which collapsed in the disaster killing 115. After meeting the families of victims they attended a service at the city´s "cardboard cathedral", a structure made of cardboard tubes that award-winning Japanese architect Shigeru Ban designed to replace the 1881 Anglican cathedral destroyed in the quake.

William, who visited Christchurch shortly after the quake, said the visit revived memories of the "awful" tragedy that hit the city but also showed how much progress had been made as it undergoes a NZ$40 billion ($35 billion) rebuild.

"Despite the daunting job ahead of you, life continues with classic Kiwi humour, creativity, innovation, and determination -- Christchurch remains a buzzing, thriving city,´´ he said. "Christchurch is a city which has chosen not only to survive but to thrive. Catherine and I look forward to coming back to see how the city takes shape.´´

Baby Prince George, who is travelling with his parents on the tour, remained at their Wellington base on Monday.

AC Milan target Chelsea duo Cole and Mikel

The 33-year-old is out of contract at Stamford Bridge this summer and is yet to be offered a new deal, while the Nigerian has been sidelined by the impressive Nemanja Matic

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EXCLUSIVE
By Gaia Brunelli

AC Milan are weighing up moves for out-of-favour Chelsea duo Ashley Cole and John Obi Mikel as manager Clarence Seedorf looks to bolster his ailing squad in the summer, Goal can reveal.

Cole's current contract at Stamford Bridge expires at the end of the season and his long-term future is uncertain after falling behind Cesar Azpilicueta in Jose Mourinho's affections.

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Goal reported last month that the Portuguese is eager to keep the 33-year-old but Blues owner Roman Abramovich is yet to sanction a new deal, prompting Cole to explore other options.

After watching his struggling Milan side record an underwhelming victory over Catania on Sunday, Seedorf spoke of his desire to strengthen his squad in the full-back positions.

"I’d prefer the likes of Cafu and Serginho on the flanks, but we don’t have them!" he told reporters. 

"[Daniele] Bonera has brought great balance to the side, [Kevin] Constant is a midfielder, [Urby] Emanuelson has played as a full-back a few times in his career, but we don’t really have a left-back."

Mikel is also a target, but any move for the Nigerian this summer depends on whether Milan decide to sign Valencia loanee Adil Rami and QPR midfielder Adel Taarabt on permanent deals.

Should they not, the Rossoneri will free up somewhere in the region of £11.5 million to use in their pursuit of Mikel, who moved to Stamford Bridge from Lyn Oslo in a deal worth £16m in the summer of 2006.

Milan and Chelsea remain on good terms, having successfully negotiated the transfer of Michael Essien to San Siro for an undisclosed fee in January.

PSG beat Barcelona to Marquinhos signing, reveals Zubizarreta

The Primera Division champions were closely following the centre-back last year but were ultimately priced out of a move for the 19-year-old, who left Roma for £29 million

Barcelona sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta has revealed that the Catalans were beaten to the signing ofRoma defender Marquinhos last summer by Paris Saint-Germain.

The Camp Nou outfit were desperate to add some fresh blood to bolster their backline last year and made approaches for a number of defenders, with PSG's Thiago Silva and Chelsea's David Luiz long on their radar.

It has now emerged that Barca were also chasing Marquinhos but, after refusing to meet PSG's €35 million [£29m] bid for the Brazilian, the 19-year-old opted to move to Ligue 1.

"We were closely following Marquinhos last year when he was still at Roma," Zubizarreta told TV3.

"But Paris Saint-Germain then made an offer which we could not and did not want to match."

Marquinhos has made 28 appearances in all competitions for PSG so far, but has often had to settle for a spot on the bench behind Thiago Silva and Alex.

Barcelona are once more looking to strengthen their defence this summer following the departure of Carles Puyol, but it is unclear as of yet whether they will be able to sign new players due to Fifa's transfer ban.

The Catalans have filed an appeal against world football's governing body over the sanction, but no final decision has yet been made.

I nearly joined Chelsea, reveals Pirlo

The Italy international reveals that AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi refused to let him go to Stamford Bridge in 2009 after team-mate Kaka was sold to Real Madrid

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Italy international Andrea Pirlo has revealed that AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi blocked his move toChelsea in 2009.

The midfielder, now of Juventus, was on the verge of reuniting with Carlo Ancelotti at Stamford Bridge after the manager called time on his eight-year spell in charge of the Rossoneri at the end of the 2008-09 Serie A season.

Daniel Sturridge, Yuri Zhirkov and Nemanja Matic had all arrived in London following Ancelotti's unveiling as Chelsea coach.

In extracts from his autobiography, titled 'I Think Therefore I Play', Pirlo, who eventually joined Juve in 2011, had begun discussing personal terms before Berlusconi ended his hopes of a switch to the Premier League.

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"Ancelotti was my motivation for agreeing to head to London but, in the meantime, Berlusconi had pulled out a second piece of paper," the 34-year-old wrote.

"'Listen, Andrea, you just can't do this, damn it. You're the symbol of Milan, a standard-bearer for this team, and we've already sold Kaka. You can't jump ship as well. It'd be a terrible blow, to our image as much as anything. We can't have everyone leaving.'

"Ancelotti and I spoke a fair bit on the phone. He wanted to bring me to London at all costs and cost was indeed the last hurdle still to be overcome. Insurmountable, as it transpired.

"Milan wanted too much cash and they were also pushing for Branislav Ivanovic to be included in the deal. Chelsea hadn't the slightest intention of letting the defender go.

"'Mr President, I really like all this talk of being a standard-bearer but my contract here is about to run out and those guys are offering me four years.'

"'Where's the problem, Andrea? You can sort all that out with [Adriano] Galliani, can't you? Take it as read.'

"'You sure?'

"'Absolutely positive.'

"No sooner were the words out of his mouth than he shot out of the room to tell the media: 'Andrea Pirlo is not for sale. He's staying with Milan and he'll finish his career right here.'"

18% of US Internet users had their data stolen: survey

The report is based on a survey of 1,002 adults from January 23 to 26, including 820 Internet users. PHOTO: ONLINE

WASHINGTON DC: Some 18 per cent of US Internet users have had important personal data such as bank account information stolen and the problem appears to be getting worse, a survey showed Monday.

The Pew Research Center study carried out in January showed a sharp increase from mid-2013, when 11 percent reported being victimized.

The survey also found 21 percent reported having email or social network accounts compromised, the same percentage as last year.

The findings come amid growing concern over the “Heartbleed” vulnerability discovered earlier this month, and months after US retail giant Target acknowledged millions of customers may have had payment cards compromised.

“As online Americans have become ever more engaged with online life, their concerns about the amount of personal information available about them online have shifted as well,” the Pew researchers wrote.

“Internet users have become more worried about the amount of personal information available about them online, 50 per cent reported this concern in January 2014, up from 33 per cent in 2009.”

The report is based on a survey of 1,002 adults from January 23 to 26, including 820 Internet users. The margin of sampling error for the Internet users is estimated at four percentage points.

Rice issues: Research crucial to improving per acre yield, says Khan

Pakistan used to conduct research on seeds owing to which the quality was impressive. However, regional countries have moved far ahead in the last few decades. PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI: Pakistan’s per acre rice yield is improving but at a very slow pace. The country can only bring noticeable change if the government restarts research on new seeds or allows the private sector to take that initiative, said Engro Eximp Chief Executive Abdul Samad Khan.

“The country is going to see a growth in its rice production but it is below the desirable level. We badly need new seeds to increase rice production as well as the exports,” said Khan in an interview with The Express Tribune.

Engro Eximp, which deals in commodity trading, is part of Engro Corporation. The company owns a 100% stake in Engro Eximp Agriproducts Ltd, which is involved in procurement, processing and export of rice to markets in the Middle East and the European Union.

Pakistan used to conduct research on seeds owing to which the quality seen was impressive. However, in the last few decades, regional countries have moved far ahead in productive research, cited as one of the causes why Pakistan’s rice production is not growing as it should be, he said.

Khan believes the use of quality seeds is the single largest factor that can transform the produce of Pakistan. However, better usage of water and fertilisers are very important as well.

“We want to increase our seed distribution to enhance farmer income as well as ours,” he said, “We have been very successful in educating farmers on water conservation, importance of good seeds and better use of fertilisers.”

Owing to the use of quality seeds, the output of our farmers has improved, he said, adding that now we get little by-product and more percentage of high quality long-grain basmati rice per acre.

Pakistan produces around 6-6.5 million tons of rice and exports more than half of the total produce. Out of 2 million tons production of basmati, a high quality grade of rice that only grows in India and Pakistan, the country exports 800,000-900,000 tons.

Eximp produces 100,000 tons basmati every year and exports about 70% of its produce. Although it is the biggest exporter of basmati – because it operates the country’s largest rice-processing mill – it is looking to enhance its capacity to 150,000 within the next three years.

The company plant is located on 67 acres in Muridke, the heart of the basmati growing area of Punjab.

Since Pakistan and India are the only basmati growing countries, industry people usually compare their per acre yield and price in the international markets.

According to Khan, Pakistan’s per acre basmati produce is not that low compared to India. For instance, if Pakistan gets 35 maund per acre yield, India gets around 40 he informed.

“But the output of India’s top quality basmati rice is much better than Pakistan’s. The difference in the output of the two countries is about 30%,” he added.

He stressed that Pakistan was lagging behind due to an alarmingly low expenditure on research. India, on the other hand, is not only investing in rice but on seeds of other crops as well.

Unlike many Pakistan rice exporters, Khan does not think basmati varieties of Pakistan face recognition issues in the world market.

“Our basmati varieties are recognised the world over and there is no issue here. But yes, India and Pakistan need to sit and resolve the issue of geographic recognition once and for all.

Politics plays: Cracks visible in Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline

As if persistent US pressure on Pakistan to abandon the IP pipeline was not enough, the gift looked like a final nail in the coffin of IP pipeline, officials say. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

ISLAMABAD: The emerging geopolitical situation following tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran over the Syrian conflict and other Gulf issues has swallowed the most feasible gas import project – Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline.

A Muslim brotherly country – said to be Saudi Arabia – recently gave $1.5 billion as a gift to Pakistan, catching everybody off guard with many questioning why a country that refused one-year credit facility for oil imports, doled out more than a billion dollars without getting any assurances.

As if persistent US pressure on Pakistan to abandon the IP pipeline was not enough, the gift looked like a final nail in the coffin of IP pipeline, officials say. According to media reports, though vehemently denied by the government, the Saudi grant was aimed at persuading Pakistan to sell weapons to Riyadh that would eventually be sent to the rebel groups fighting the Bashar al-Assad government in Syria.

The Syrian conflict has also triggered a rift between Saudi Arabia and Qatar who are said to be supporting different groups. This disagreement between the two Gulf Arab states also appears to be taking its toll on a project for liquefied natural gas (LNG) purchase from Doha.

Pakistan is planning to bring first LNG supplies from Qatar this year and is going to award a terminal services contract to the successful bidder. Qatar had asked Pakistan to have a terminal in place before striking any LNG deal.

Insiders say the brotherly Muslim country has heaped pressure on Pakistan, which is now planning to invite tenders from private players for arranging LNG supplies.

LNG supplies at stake

“Among government circles, there is realisation that Pakistan may not ink a state-to-state LNG deal with Qatar because of outside influence,” a source said, adding the government would invite tenders after formally awarding the terminal contract.

Though the US opposes the IP pipeline due to the standoff with Iran, it is pleased with Pakistan’s efforts to strike an LNG import deal with Qatar. Doha holds a stake in an LNG terminal in America.

In a similar fashion, US companies like ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips have partnered with Qatari firms for exploring gas in Qatar.

The US has forged a strong alliance with Qatar as its companies are investing in the latter’s oil and gas industry and have also won marketing rights. On the other side, Washington is banking less on Saudi oil after discovering huge shale gas reserves in its territory.

In a predicament

Saudi Arabia is apparently not happy with the US that is negotiating a nuclear deal with Iran. At present, Pakistan is caught in disputes among different countries and with this hopes of gas imports from Iran and Qatar are gradually fading.

The geopolitical situation has proved to be the worst for Pakistan since long that has scuttled plans for getting cheaper gas from different sources.

In 1997, the US blocked the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (Tapi) gas pipeline project and consortium leader Unicol of the US pulled out of the venture, leaving Pakistan in a quandary.

Pakistan had secured gas supplies at an attractive rate with the signing of a pricing framework at the time, but the project got stuck because of the change in US stance.

Similarly, Islamabad clinched the IP pipeline deal, but Washington offered civil nuclear technology to India that led to Delhi’s withdrawal from the project, leaving Pakistan alone.

In recent years, the US has been actively promoting the Tapi project in an attempt to drive Pakistan away from the IP pipeline.

Qatar was also interested in exporting gas to Pakistan through an offshore pipeline, but Iran wanted a 50% share in it. Later, the scheme was shelved as Qatar felt that it would not be possible to lay the pipeline through Iranian waters.

Only choices

Experts are of the view that Pakistan has only one choice that is to float tenders for LNG purchase from the world market. Even better than that is to explore oil and gas reserves in the country rather than relying on imports.

For instance, the US has revolutionised its energy industry by tapping shale gas reserves and is going to be the LNG exporter from an importer. The dependence on domestic resources will not only give a boost to the economy that has been stymied by energy shortages, but Pakistan could also become an exporter of energy.

The country has significant offshore oil and gas reserves that have not been tapped because of low producer prices. Now, the government has offered handsome returns to encourage investment.

Pakistan has 51 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of shale gas reserves, according to estimates of the US Energy Information Administration, compared to conventional gas reserves of 58 tcf. If the country is self-sufficient in oil and gas, it can formulate independent policies.