Bale's secret slips out

Gareth Bale has a slipped disc on the L5 -S1 vertebrae and a bulge on the L4 -L5. This amounts to a significant injury which, at least for the moment, isn't giving him trouble and won't prevent him from playing for the foreseeable future. However, further down the line it may force him off the pitch and, depending on how things progress, may even require surgery.

Real Madrid medical staff diagnosed the injury on 2nd September, the day of his official presentation at the club. The MRI scan left no room for doubt: a slipped disc on the L5 -S1 vertebrae and a bulge, which is the beginnings of another, on L4 -L5. An injury that set alarm bells ringing at the Sanitas clinic in La Moraleja, just outside Madrid, and from where Florentino Pérez was informed of the injury hiding in the former Tottenham player's spine.

Bale said he hadn't noticed any pain at all and claimed he had never had problems in that area before.

There was no going back on the signing. The deal was done and Florentino Pérez, who was now up to speed on Bale's secret, did not object. The € 91million deal was going to go ahead as planned and neither hell nor high water would prevent Bale from running onto the pitch at the Bernabeú in a Nº 11 shirt, in front of a 40,000 strong crowd.

Since he was in no pain, the club chose not to dwell on it. But those who saw that MRI scan know all too well that they may face a very serious problem with the Welsh player at any moment..

A well-scripted and premeditated retirement drama of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar

Phew, finally… This was one of the comments posted on a social website by a present generation cricket writer.

Yes, he was reacting to the big announcement on Thursday that the ‘Lordly’ figure of Indian cricket is going to hang up his boots.

It was news that took the Indian and world media by storm, for this personality — Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar — had finally announced his intent to say goodbye to the game he eats, drinks and sleeps come November 14.

Coming back to the comment of the cricket writer, I too would have reacted the same way, for I have been one of those who felt the ‘R’ day for the Indian icon was long overdue.

I have many-a-time opined that Sachin Tendulkar might have called it a day when India won the World Cup in 2011. The entire nation had dedicated this crowning glory to the man they adored.

At least he should have bid adieu to the One-day format, but that was not to be, and he continued.

He bore the brunt of critics, who even went to the extent of calling him ‘selfish’. His extensive stint of failures, too, deterred him from saying, it’s time.

What resulted, was that his fame was being questioned. Comparisons emerged with Australia’s Ricky Ponting retiring when failures dogged him.

India’s highly respected figure was suddenly being portrayed negatively. He was also accused of blocking the entry of the next generation. To an extent, this was true, as there were many talented cricketers lurching around, but they just could do nothing much but keep knocking at the door of Indian cricket.

The doors started opening only when players, who shared the stage with this icon, gracefully disappeared to the back stage.

It was in December last year, when Sachin Tendulkar realised age was catching up and his reflexes were not matching his talent. Then he called it quits in the 50-over format.

A good ‘late’ realisation, indeed, but that only made his countrymen more curious about his final statement — ‘I am quitting all forms of cricket’.

And finally, the statement came after months of deliberations.

Though his all-time companion, Rahul Dravid, claimed that Sachin Tendulkar has finally listened to his heart, I feel this decision has come out not wholeheartedly, but after a shrewd off-the-pitch move.

There were, indeed, reports about the Indian cricket board’s (BCCI) sounding to the Mumbai star that it’s time for his swan song. It was also hard to believe when chief selector Sandeep Patil denied that he voiced the ‘retirement’ opinion to Tendulkar.

Then, why was the South African sojourn stalled  temporarily?

Why did BCCI hastily arrange a home series with West Indies?

The game plan, as I understand, has been stage-managed with the consent of the Indian star, who has crossed 50,000 runs in all forms of cricket. With due respects to Tendulkar’s unmatchable achievements, it is acceptable that the cricketing hero wants to bow out on his home soil.

But his greatness could have climbed a notch higher had he decided to go off the field the hard way, just as he came on.

Remember that bleeding, brave face on his debut tour to Pakistan? I am sure no one will erase it from their memories.

In the same way, a South African sojourn could have left more impact on this retirement drama, rather than stage-managing a show for the ceremonial exit.

Now that it has been made clear that the ‘master blaster’ will call it quits after playing 200 Tests. And much to his liking, the BCCI has decided to play the November 14-18  Test (Tendulkar’s 200th) in Mumbai.

Nevertheless, the majority in India and abroad have found it hard to digest that their hero will play only two more Tests. And I, too, join them in applauding what the little master has done for Indian cricket. It has been a 24-year legacy for this noncontroversial gentleman, who has not even spoken out on the various scams the game has witnessed. Now, what’s next for this personality?

Indeed, he will still live on as India’s most respected ‘brand’, but can he live without cricket?

“It’s hard for me to imagine a life without playing cricket, because it’s all I have done since I was 11-year-old,” Sachin Tendulkar was quoted as saying. Yes, very soon we will see Sachin Tendulkar in his new avatar, but I would like to see him dig deeper as an administrator and clean up the scam-tainted game. Only he can do it.

He may find it difficult to live without the game, but as a true cricket fan, it’s time for everyone to move on — for a new hero will emerge, even though none can replace this ‘great’ icon.

Del Bosque frustrated at persistent Spain struggles

Xavi and Alvaro Negredo goals earned a nervy win over Belarus to take la Roja closer to next summer's World Cup, but their coach is concerned with recent performances

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has admitted his team struggled to a 2-1 win over Belarus on Friday and is concerned that lacklustre performances against inferior opposition is becoming something of a pattern.

It took la Roja over an hour to break the deadlock in Mallorca through Xavi and Alvaro Negredo, but a late goal from Sergey Kornilenko ensured a nervy finish for the world champions.

While Del Bosque was happy to see his side take another significant step towards World Cup qualification at the Iberostar stadium, he conceded they have failed to play their best football during much of their recent matches.

"It is true that the match seemed a repeat of recent others we have had," Del Bosque said after the game.

"The games with Finland [in September], Georgia [last year] and Belarus have been kind of a copy.

"We can't deny we struggled and we couldn't score until the 15th minute in the second half but we can be satisfied. We carried on with our spirit after taking the lead.

"The goal they scored complicated the match and it sowed concern in us because we weren't comfortable.

"But the most important thing is we have taken a step forward in our aim of trying to qualify for the World Cup."

Del Bosque also explained that he selected Victor Valdes in goal ahead of regular captain Iker Casillas due to the Real Madrid captain's lack of playing time this season domestically.

"I have already said we are going to try to act following logic and common sense," Del Bosque said of his goalkeeper selection.

"Casillas got injured against Galatasaray and he has played just one game in these last five weeks, so we believed it was convenient that Victor took the place.

"This is not significant, we don't say that in the future he is going to play or not but we keep the incentive for the others

F1 woman test driver María de Villota dies in Spain

In the male-dominated world of motorsport, María de Villota, who died of a suspected heart attack in Spain on Friday, always stood out.

As one of a tiny number of female drivers, she rose through the ranks from junior go-karting to become a Formula One test driver, just one step away from the big time of taking part in a grand prix – something only a handful of women have ever achieved. Her dreams were left unfulfilled, however, when she suffered a horrific accident in 2012 that nearly killed her, blinding her in one eye, and leaving her permanently scarred.

Her death, at 33, was met with an outpouring of grief, not just from the motor sports community, but across Spain, where she was seen as a role model for those who fought to overcome adversity. She was found by her PA in a hotel room in Seville. Spanish police said there were no signs of foul play.

The news of her death emerged just as the second practice session for the Japanese grand prix was coming to an end. Martin Whitmarsh, team principal of McLaren Mercedes, said: "She was an inspiration not just to women in this sport, but also to all those who suffered life-threatening injuries. Her story, determination and subsequent inspiration flowed from F1 through sport as a whole."

A statement on De Villota's Facebook page, signed by her family, read: "Dear friends: María has left us. She had to go to heaven like all angels. We are thankful to God for the extra year and a half that he left her with us."

De Villota's life looked like it had begun to turn around as she recovered from her accident; in July she married her personal trainer, Rodrigo García Millán, and she said she believed the best was yet to come. On Friday morningshe was due to give a speech to a group of students about how to overcome life's setbacks, as part of a conference called What Really Matters. Ahead of the talk she had said: "Life is beautiful, the only thing we have to do is take it a little slower, and enjoy it."

She was then to go on tour to publicise her autobiography, Life is a Gift, which will be published on Monday, a book which tells the story of how her life changed after the accident.

The night before she died, De Villota is said to have complained to her manager about a terrible headache – questions remain as to whether her death might be connected to the injuries suffered in the accident 18 months ago.

In July 2012, De Villota was carrying out her first test drive for the Marussia team at Duxford Aerodrome, Cambridgeshire, when she crashed into a stationary truck after she had left the track. Lucky to survive, she was in hospital for a month, lost the sight in her right eye, her sense of taste and smell, and suffered terrible headaches.

At a press conference just a few months after the accident, her long blonde hair cut short, and a patch over her right eye, she left no one in any doubt that her injuries would hold her back, just as she had never been stopped from racing. To those who questioned whether women should participate in Formula One, she said: "I do now have a physical impediment that prevents me driving in Formula One, but before I didn't. I believe in women in motorsports."

Williams development driver Susie Wolff – one of the few women currently at the top level of the sport – spoke of how her friend had encouraged her to keep on driving after the accident. "She knew that women could compete at that level and that's why, after her accident and her not being able to do it anymore, she just wanted someone to know it was possible," said Wolff. "She had such a spirit for life. What she came through was a testament to her strength of character and her positive outlook on life."

Born in Madrid in 1980 to a motor racing family – her father, Emilio, was a Formula One driver in the 1970s and 80s – De Villota started kart racing at 16, winning a race in her first year, before competing and winning in Spanish F3, Daytona 24 Hours, the World Touring Car Championship and the Superleague Formula Championship. She was given her first chance to test a Formula One car in a Lotus-Renault in 2011, before signing for Marussia in 2012, the first woman to have done so since 2005.

De Villota had to demonstrate her determination all over again after the crash, making an extraordinary recovery after a month in hospital. She threw herself into raising awareness of women in sport, joining the FIA's Women and Motorsport Commission, working with children, and pushing for safety improvements in Formula One.

Speaking on International Women's Day earlier this year, De Villota said she wanted to inspire other women to achieve their dreams. "Sometimes you just need someone to tell you that you are not alone and to push you, to give you the opportunity and determination to go and fight for what you want," she said.

Only five women have ever entered a grand prix, with just two qualifying and starting a race, and De Villota described the difficulties she faced in Formula One, where every mistake was likely to be pored over by those who didn't believe she should be there.

"I knew my dream to reach F1 was going to be tough and I think my whole life has been a fight, but I did not expect to be as strong as I've been. I guess my life as a racing driver taught me to be strong and have the determination to fight for the things you want. In the end that was the best basis because everything I learnt in my racing career saved my life."On Friday, the FIA president, Jean Todt, described her death as "a tragic day for motor sport". Her aded: "María was a fantastic driver, a leading light for women in motor sport and a tireless campaigner for road safety. Above all she was a friend I deeply admired."

The Marussia team paid their condolences: "It is with great sadness that we learned a short time ago of the news that María de Villota has passed away. Our thoughts and prayers are with María's family and friends at this very difficult time.

Energy efficiency funds for poor households may be cut, No 10 confirms

George Osborne is understood to be keen to cut the Energy Company Obligation, which makes up 4% of an average annual bill. Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty Images

Downing Street has confirmed that the government is looking at cutting financial support for energy efficiency in poorer households as part of a drive to bring down the overall cost of fuel bills.

As the government's own adviser on fuel poverty warned that it would be "completely inequitable" to target the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), No 10 confirmed that ministers were "looking across the range" to help consumers with their fuel bills.

George Osborne is understood to be keen to reduce the obligation, which costs billpayers £1.3bn a year and makes up 4% – or £47 – of an average annual bill, according to government figures.

Asked whether ECO was under review by No 10 or the Treasury, with a view to unwinding the measure, the prime minister's spokesman said: "In a context where people's budgets are squeezed – people are feeling the pressure – they would expect us to look across the range of what can be done. But we have already made an announcement [to address the rising costs of living] in the context of rail fares. We are going to continue that process of work."

Asked whether that was a yes to the question about whether ECO would be unwound, the spokesman said: "I would expect them to look across the full board, across the living standards space."

Asked whether green subsidies would be looked at, the spokesman said: "We are going to look across the board where we may be able to continue to do more to help families with the budget pressures that they face."

The remarks by the prime minister's spokesman are likely to infuriate the Lib Dem energy secretary, Ed Davey, who launched a pre-emptive strike against cuts to the ECO on Tuesday by writing to energy companies, most of whom oppose the ECO scheme, demanding greater transparency over how much the policy actually costs them to implement.

Davey's intervention came amid a political row over soaring energy bills, inflamed further by an 8% rise from the "big six" energy company SSE on Thursday. Companies including SSE and the British Gas owner Centrica have warned that the ECO could add £100 a year to bills because of the cost of finding eligible households. About half of the ECO funding is targeted at those receiving welfare benefits, including pensioners, disabled people and jobseekers.

But Derek Lickorish, chair of the government's Fuel Poverty Advisory Group, warned of the dangers of cutting ECO. He said: "It is completely inequitable to attack the only measure that is doing something for the fuel poor in England. It is unforgivable when we have energy prices that are going only in one direction."

In a letter to No 10, the Treasury and energy departments, seen by the Guardian, Lickorish labels the cuts "perverse", arguing that the fastest and cheapest way of reducing energy bills is through better insulation of the UK's ageing and draughty homes.

On Friday, the business secretary, Vince Cable, said it would be "short-sighted and foolish" to ditch green levies, which make up just under 10% of the average bill.

"The rise in energy prices is due to a whole variety of things, by far the most important of which is what's happening in world energy markets," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"We've had over a period of years very rapidly rising demand in Asia, particularly in China. We've had restrictions on supply from countries like Iran. A combination of these things has pushed up oil and gas prices and that is what has fed through to consumers."

His comments followed a suggestion from the CEO of SSE, Alistair Phillips-Davies, that his company's 8.2% price hike announced on Thursday was "helpful" to focus the nation's spending priorities.

Phillips-Davies told the Daily Telegraph: "A price rise is never a good thing to do, but if it focuses everyone on to a debate about what we as a nation should be spending money on, then in one way it will be helpful.

"We need to think about what people really want to pay for; maybe it's time to retreat from decarbonisation and focus more on the cost of living. I think we have to have a debate about it.

"Do we want to be replacing one bit of [energy] generation that we can keep going for a bit longer with a new bit of generation that's going to cost more?"

A Lib Dem source said the party would try to block Conservative cuts to the ECO: "The scheme is about improving the energy efficiency of the homes of poorer people and pensioners. If anyone is saying let's rip up ECO and stop thousand and thousands of homes getting energy efficiency measures … it's not happening." Conservative sources declined to comment. The coalition partners are also in dispute over the subsidies given to renewable energy.

Lickorish, who worked in the energy industry for more than 40 years including a period at EDF, said: "It's devastating how much energy prices have outstripped incomes. Fuel poverty has increased and it is well known that this is a contributory factor to the UK's unenviable record of winter deaths. We fully expect those deaths to have risen when the new figures are announced in November."

Jenny Saunders, chief executive of National Energy Action and a signatory of the letter, said: "The main reason our energy bills are so high is because we have some of the most energy-inefficient housing stock in Europe. ECO is the one policy that is helping cut fuel bills now rather than address longer term security of supply and reducing carbon to tackle climate change. It is vital we use ECO funds to improve heating and insulation for our poorest citizens."

On Thursday, SSE stated: "This year's ECO costs per customer will be over 5% higher than those of the similar government-imposed schemes last year." The company said the "cost of delivering ECO is expected to continue to increase as the scheme goes on". In a letter to party leaders on 1 October, SSE's Phillips-Davies proposed shifting the current £110 of annual green and social policy costs from customer bills into general taxation, "shifting the cost away from those [in fuel poverty] who can't afford to pay and on to those who can".

Lickorish agreed: "The most progressive way to pay for these measures would be through general taxation."

The National Insulation Association (NIA) warned on Thursday that the government's energy efficiency measures were "currently not delivering as expected by government with cavity wall installations 65% down and solid wall insulation over 70% down". In contrast to energy companies' call for a delay on meeting ECO targets, the NIA urged acceleration of ECO delivery.

Nobel peace prize won by chemical weapons watchdog for work in Syria

Ahmet Üzümcü, head of the OPCW, said the Nobel peace prize money would help the watchdog's work. Photograph: Bas Czerwinski/EPA

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has become the surprise choice for this year's Nobel peace prize, a decision the Oslo committee said recognised both its current, hazardous mission to destroy Syria's chemical weapons stocks and 16 years of wider global efforts.

The international chemical weapons watchdog, a relatively new global body, set up in 1997 in The Hague, with a relatively tiny annual budget of around £60m, trumped the established bookmakers' favourites of Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl turned advocate for female education, and Denis Mukwege, the Congolese gynaecologist who has helped huge numbers of rape victims.

The announcement by the chairman of the Nobel committee, Thorbjørn Jagland, at 11am Oslo time (10am BST) was, nonetheless, not especially tense given that Norwegian state TV had reported the OPCW's success more than an hour beforehand.

The OPCW, which has 500 staff, is the 25th institution among the 94 winners in the prize's history, and the second in succession, after the controversial choice of the EU in 2012. When news of its win leaked there was initial scepticism, with some Middle East analysts warning it was premature to honour the OPCW just a matter of weeks into its mission to assess and destroy Syria's chemical weapons stocks. The mission – which has already seen OPCW inspectors come under sniper fire – was agreed as a means to avoid US-led military action against Syria following a gas attack blamed on forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad in August which killed more than 1,400 people.

However, the Nobel committee's citation said the prize was a more general one, to mark "its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons" and nudge the few remaining nations that had not yet signed up to the organisation. The work of the OPCW, which has 189 member states, had "defined the use of chemical weapons as a taboo under international law", the committee said, adding that events in Syria had "underlined the need to enhance the efforts to do away with such weapons".

It concluded: "Disarmament figures prominently in Alfred Nobel's will. The Norwegian Nobel committee has through numerous prizes underlined the need to do away with nuclear weapons. By means of the present award to the OPCW, the committee is seeking to contribute to the elimination of chemical weapons."

Addressing reporters, Jagland said the award was a reminder to nations with remaining chemical weapons, such as the US and Russia, to get rid of them, "especially because they are demanding that others do the same, like Syria". He added: "We now have the opportunity to get rid of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction … That would be a great event in history if we could achieve that."

In a echo of the impossibility this week of tracking down the winners of the prizes for physics and literature, Peter Higgs and Alice Monro, the Nobel committee tweeted that it had been unable to immediately speak to the OPCW to formally let it know of the win.

At a later press conference in The Hague, the OPCW's director general, Ahmet Üzümcü, a Turkish former diplomat, said events in Syria had acted as a "tragic reminder" of the necessity of its work. The organisation's "hearts go out to the Syrian people who were victims" of the August attack, he added. The £780,000 prize would be spent furthering the organisation's work, he added.

While the decision disappointed some, particularly those trumpeting the charismatic claims of Yousafzai, the decision marks something of a return to the tradition of honouring work directly connected to disarmament, after the EU in 2012 and the even more controversial prize to Barack Obama in 2009.

The OPCW was set up to implement the 1992 global chemical weapons convention. It says it has managed to oversee the destruction of more than 80% of the world's declared stocks of chemical weapons, excluding those now declared in Syria. The US and Russia had committed to destroying their arsenals by 2012 but have as yet failed to do so.

Under a Russian-US deal struck last month, Syria must render useless all production facilities and weapons-filling equipment by November, a process begun over the past several weeks

Trade imbalance: Deficit in line with IMF trade projections

MoM growth in exports in September was five times the size of the growth in imports for the same period. CREATIVE COMMONS

ISLAMABAD: 

Pakistan’s trade deficit contracted for the second time in a row, coming down to $4.5 billion in the first quarter of the fiscal year due to faster pace of growth in exports outpacing anemic imports. The quarterly results remained largely in line with projections made by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The continuous slowing down of imports allowed some breathing space to economic managers who are struggling to cope with the challenge of building foreign currency reserves, but highlight structural faults in the economy. Independent economists argue that a developing country like Pakistan should post a manageable trade deficit− a sign of a growing economy.

The latest data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Thursday showed that exports grew by 9.3% from July-September 2013 to $6.7 billion; $567 million higher than the total value of goods exported in the corresponding three months of the previous fiscal year. Imports during the period grew by about 3% to $11.2 billion; $324 million higher when compared to the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year.

The trade deficit contracted by 5.2% in the first three months of fiscal 2014. The deficit clocked in at $4.5 billion, lower by $243 million recorded in the corresponding three months a year ago.

As the country is practically under the IMF radar, its indicators are scrutinised on the parameters set by the IMF and projections are worked out by the IMF staff to set the annual current account deficit target. The first quarter’s results remained largely in line with previous projections by the IMF.

The Fund projected exports to grow to $6.4 billion in the first quarter and imports to increase to $10.8 billion. The IMF had projected a trade deficit of $3.9 billion. The actual deficit remained $561 million higher than the Fund’s projection.

However, workers’ remittances in the first quarter grew by 9% to $3.9 billion, which were $415 million higher than the IMF’s projections. This has neutralised the impact of larger than anticipated trade deficit on the overall current account deficit projections.

For the current fiscal year the IMF has assessed that the country’s total exports will grow by 11.4%, while the growth in imports will remain at 7%. On this basis, combined with healthy projections in remittances growth, both stakeholders have worked out a current account deficit of just 0.6% of the gross domestic product.

If the current account deficit widens more than the projected level, it will create problems for the State Bank of Pakistan in fulfilling its commitments to the IMF. The central bank will face problems in maintaining foreign currency reserves on previously agreed levels, in addition to achieving quarterly targets for net foreign assets.

On a yearly-basis, exports markedly grew by 19.3% in September over the same month in the previous year, while imports grew 8.2%. Resultantly, the trade deficit contracted by 10.5%, according to the PBS.

Monthly trade statistics depicted that the deficit contracted by 25.8% month-on-month in September due to an impressive 31.4% growth in exports: five times the size of the growth in imports.

As against about $2 billion worth of exports in August this year, exports increased to $2.6 billion in September, higher by $626 million in a single month. The imports bill in September recorded at $3.8 billion as against $3.6 billion in the previous month. The monthly trade deficit stood at $1.2 billion as against $1.6 billion registered in the previous month.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 11^th, 2013.