Di María about to set sail for Monaco

Ángel Di María is very close to signing a transfer deal with Monaco and only Carlo Ancelotti can stop the Argentine from leaving in January. The player has reached an agreement with the French team and the two clubs have settled on a price tag of €35 million.

Di María wants to leave because he isn't getting enough playing time at Real Madrid. Gareth Bale has taken his place in the team and he has been relegated to a secondary role.

Unwilling to sit out the rest of the season on the bench, and with the World Cup starting in June, Di María wants to play more and make sure he arrives in good shape.

Falcao could be back on the agenda

MIGUEL SERRANO 12/07/2013

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In the event that Real Madrid goes ahead with the Di María transfer deal, Ancelotti will want to strengthen its attacking line-up in January. Top of his list is Liverpool forward Luis Súarez, but the club has always had its eye on Falcao.

The Uruguayan would cost another €12 million on top of the money generated by Di María's transfer. But Monaco's Colombian striker could find himself in the picture once again. In any case, both players would be eligible to play in the Champions League.

In theory, the loss of El Fideo would leave Ancelotti reliant on the BBC connection (Bale-Benzema-Cristiano) in attack, with only Jesé and Morata as possible replacements in a squad now bereft of Kaká, Özil, Callejón and Higuaín.

Heartbreaking to see the spread of unemployment': PM launches youth loan scheme

PHOTO: EXPRESS NEWS screenshot of the Prime Minister speaking at the launch ceremony.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Saturday launched the entrepreneur-friendly Youth Business Loans programme in a bid to control the spiraling unemployment in the country, Express News reported.

The Youth Business Loan programme, which is part of the larger ‘Prime Minister’s Youth Programme’ initiative, is designed to provide subsidised financing at 8% mark-up per annum for 100, 000 beneficiaries through the National Bank of Pakistan and First Women Bank.

Speaking on the occasion, Nawaz Sharif said that excessive nationalisation by previous governments had devastated industry and economy in Pakistan.

“It is not the government’s task to be running businesses. That’s for the people to do,” Nawaz said to applause from the audience. “The government’s responsibility, rather, lies in delivering the quality of security and law and order as is required by the people.”

Nawaz said that everything from banks to mills and even the tiniest industries were nationalised in Pakistan, which hindered the country from running an economy on small enterprises, which other countries like Korea succeeded in.

“I was surprised to see that in countries like Korea, these small enterprises form the very crux, the driving force behind the economy.”

The PM went on to say that when he was first elected prime minister in 1990, the government privatised many of these industries including banks like Muslim Commercial Bank, Habib Bank Limited and others.

“It’s this privatisation that has borne fruit and made these companies, industries immensely profitable not just for themselves, but for the national exchequer account too.”

Nawaz said that statistics indicated that a large percentage of the youth in this country was unemployed.

“A large number of hands shot up at every occasion I asked for a show of hands by those who were suffering from unemployment,” he said.

“It was heartbreaking to see this number of people unemployed, and to know that no one in Pakistan cared about these people, many of whom were degree-holders too.”

Nawaz went on to say while inaugurating the loans scheme that the programme had received accolades and encouragement from various foreign officials. He especially mentioned US President Barack Obama Senator John Kerry while describing the kind of support Pakistan was offered to make an economic recovery.

Speaking on the occasion‚ the PM’s daughter and Chairperson of Prime Minister’s Youth Business Loans Maryam Nawaz said the launch is fulfillment of one of Nawaz Sharif’s prime election commitments.

“The Rs100 billion set aside for the programme will be disbursed among 100,000 talented and skilled youth in the next seven months,” she said.

“The Prime Minister was deterred and discouraged by many people, who advised him against the idea of distributing funds to inexperienced youth. But he always said – and I’m witness to this – that we should trust our youth, that investment in youth is investment in the future of Pakistan.”

Maryam Nawaz said there are only three conditions for the applicants – that they should be Pakistani‚ they should hold a valid Computerised National Identity Card and lastly, they should have a guarantor.

She said forms of the Youth Business Loans will be available from Monday and these would be issued free of cost.

Special counters have been set up at banks and SMEDA offices to facilitate applicants and guide them.

She also explained the procedure for the processing of applications and other details of the Youth Business Loans, clarifying that necessary checks have been put in place to ensure transparency of the loans.

The loans

The total mark up rate would be 15% but the government would pay the remaining seven percent on behalf of applicants.

Those falling in the age group of 21 and 45 years are eligible to apply for loans inside the range of Rs0.5 million to Rs2 million.

Small business loans with tenure up to seven years plus one year grace period and a debt-equity ratio of 90:10 will be disbursed across the country including four provinces‚ Gilgit-Baltistan‚ Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority has been tasked with an advisory role in the implementation of Prime Minister’s scheme.

Homage to an icon: Parliamentarians eulogise Nelson Mandela

The late anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela. PHOTO: AFP

ISLAMABAD: 

Members of the upper and lower houses of parliament paid moving tribute to iconic anti-apartheid, freedom fighter and South African president Nelson Mandela, who passed away after a protracted illness.

Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz moved the resolution. Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi left the regular agenda appearing on the Orders of the Day unaddressed and adopted a Supplementary Resolution paying tributes to the services of the South African statesman considered an icon for freedom and democracy.

Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai, speaking on a point of order, paid tributes to the services of the deceased for the cause of democracy. Leader of the Opposition Syed Khursheed Shah also eulogised the services of late South African leader, who stood for the rights of the oppressed and the deprived.

State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab Ahmed said that throughout his life Mandela fought for the rights of people and never compromised on principles.

The House also offered ‘fateha’ for ex-minister Syed Amir Haider Kazmi, who died on December 5. Later the proceedings were adjourned till Monday.

Senate passes resolution

The Senate joined the world in mourning the death of Nelson Mandela. Suspending routine legislative business of the House, senators passed a unanimous resolution paying tributes to Mandela’s services to humankind.

“Pakistan had been at the forefront to dismantle the apartheid and Nelson Mandela appreciated Pakistan’s efforts in this regard,” said the resolution moved by Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz.

He was the person who always stood for honour, dignity and rights of the oppressed people wherever they were in the world. The resolution recalled that Mandela twice visited Pakistan and during his second visit he also addressed the joint sitting of parliament.

The senators observed a minute’s silence for Mandela and offered prayers.

“Through his efforts, Mandela made one nation out of two peoples. He was the biggest advocate of reconciliation and non-violence,” said Senate Chairman Nayar Hussain Bukhari. He praised Mandela’s efforts for democracy which was a beacon for the countries that were struggling for blossoming of democracy.

The senators said Mandela’s influence was widespread. He would be remembered for a long time as a role-model for all politicians and public servants as well as humanity at large. Mandela was one of those few human beings who actually change the course of history, said the senators

Amnesty scheme: Over 800,000 Pakistanis corrected status in S Arabia

File photo of a passport. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD: 

More than 800,000 Pakistani workers in Saudi Arabia corrected their labour and residency status during the six-month amnesty period given by the Kingdom, the foreign ministry informed the Senate on Friday.

This is the highest number of foreign workers [from any country] whose services were regularised by the Kingdom, the ministry said in response to a question by Senator Sehar Kamran about the status of Pakistani workers in Saudi Arabia.

The Senate was told that the workers regularised their stay either by changing their sponsorship or changing their professions on their Iqama (residence permits) in accordance with the amended Saudi labour law.

According to the written answer submitted to the house, “the Embassy of Pakistan in Riyadh was able to regularise the highest number of foreign workers of any single community as compared to other major manpower exporting countries in the Kingdom”.

Pointing out the huge number of legalised Pakistani workers, the ministry said the Saudi authorities had only shared the numbers so far. However, a request has been made to Riyadh to provide the names and other details about the workers, it added. The amnesty scheme, which ended on November 3, was for those who entered the Saudi Arabia illegally.

The Pakistani workers who could not benefit from the Saudi amnesty scheme are “those who wanted to return to Pakistan but could not do so because they had no valid documents proving their legal entry into Saudi Arabia”, the ministry said. Such workers were not entertained by the Saudi authorities, it said.

The remaining Pakistanis, who could not correct their legal status, are those who despite repeated calls from our embassy did not come forward to avail the amnesty, said the ministry.

The ministry did not have exact figures of those who could not benefit from the scheme and stated that it is presumed that the number of such Pakistanis would not be more than a few thousand.

In the third week of March, Saudi authorities began arresting and deporting illegal foreign workers of all nationalities, including Pakistanis, as part of their ‘Nitaqat (Saudisation) programme’.

The Embassy of Pakistan in Riyadh took up the issue with the relevant Saudi authorities, highlighting the negative implications on the Pakistani workforce and the sense of insecurity being created due to the crude manner in which the campaign was being carried out.

The foreign ministry informed the house that it had called for an immediate end to the campaign and proposed a grace period to all such Pakistani workers to correct their status since they entered the Kingdom on valid work visas. The request has also been made to release the Pakistani workers detained during the campaign, the ministry concluded.

Long-awaited arrival: Missing persons finally presented at Supreme Court

Express News screengrab of the vehicle in which the missing persons were transported to the court.

ISLAMABAD: Fourteen missing persons were brought to the Supreme Court on Saturday, Express News reported.

There has been an ongoing struggle to present the missing persons in court, with the Supreme Court extending deadlines for the defence authorities and the authorities being unable to make them, until today.

The missing persons were brought in with their faces covered so that they could not be identified and the defence secretary asked the media not to take any footage of them or to release their names.

Security personnel also stopped members of the media from recording videos of them.

The attorney general and Justice Ameer Hani Muslim were waiting in the court when they arrived.

The missing persons will be seated in court room seven and were individually presented in court room six for in-camera sessions.

By the end of the in-camera hearing, the identification of six of the missing persons had been completed.

Background

Yesterday, the Supreme Court had ordered the defence authorities to present the missing persons before Justice Muslim for an in-camera session at 9am on December 7.

The court had said that the attorney general can also question the missing persons during the session.

Earlier during the hearing, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had submitted a list of 35 missing persons and details of their locations to the Supreme Court.

Giving details of the missing persons, Asif had said seven of them were released, three are living in Waziristan area, one has moved to Saudi Arabia while eight have reportedly moved to Afghanistan and are living in Kunar valley.

He had added that details of five people are not known as yet, while information about seven people mentioned in the list is very sensitive.

The defence minister had said that none of the missing persons are in the military’s custody.

In yesterday’s hearing, Asif had informed the court that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had assured him that “good news” will be presented to the court today.

Pantene Bridal Couture Week: Fashion or Finance?

While PBCW is very popular, it has become increasingly commercial over the years. PHOTOS: SHAFIQ MALIK/EXPRESS

LAHORE: 

Each year, Pantene Bridal Couture Week (PBCW) generates serious cash flow for HUM TV, but fails to achieve any critical acclaim. Being associated with a TV channel gives this extravagant affair some major pull as far as sponsors are concerned. Since it is a televised event, sponsors are given a significant amount of air time, allowing for the budget of the show to be far more excessive than that of any other event of this sort.

With over-the-top ramp backdrops that change day-after-day, PBCW usually has a daily theme celebrating every event of the Pakistani wedding. With performances pertaining to the particular mood of the event, PBCW is more about entertainment than it is about the business of fashion.

The truth

Here is why PBCW cannot be compared to any other platform, and cannot be defined primarily as a fashion event. Bridal fashion across the world is a personalised affair, as it caters to a specific need that is not contingent upon what the market dictates. While with the PFDC L’Oréal Bridal Week one sees creativity and innovation, the calibre of most designers showing at PBCW fail to meet the latter’s standards. This holds true in most cases, with the exception of a few seasoned artisans who mix and match their earlier collections from PFDC L’Oréal Bridal Week, in order to create a variation in the looks they have already shown for the bride of the season.

While PBCW is very popular, it has become increasingly commercial over the years. PHOTOS: SHAFIQ MALIK/EXPRESS

One of the major components of any fashion week is the presence of buyers, both local and international. While bridal fashion is very specialized, PBCW fails to attract any major buyers from across Pakistan. The rare bride looking for a bridal jora can be spotted at the venue, but other than that crowd control is fairly minimal, with guests of sponsors and designers in attendance.

This year, the concept of the ramp was also extremely confusing; with traditional outfits being showcased on an Italian themed runway. One can also spot differences in lighting options used. While at Fashion Week, the focus of the lighting is around the ramp in order to illuminate the outfits and highlight the cuts, PBCW’s focus is on televising the event, which accounts for a constant warm light bathing the entire ramp area, so that the event can be clearly captured on camera and be fit for screening on television.

Make no mistake about it; the entertainment value of this event is unmistakeable. It captures the interest of the masses with performances and song choices that will not only be appreciated by the public, but will also present an eventful show that can be aired multiple times. Over the top embellishments may blind the audience at the venue, but once they are translated on-screen they become slightly subdued. It is clear that the outfits are made in a manner to look more appealing on TV than they do on the ramp. The commercial nature of the event also dictates the choice of music used.

Needless to say, what is always fun to see at PBCW are the showstoppers used for the shows. With the budget to hire established celebrities, one can spot actors, musicians and media personalities walking the ramp. This year, too, we saw actors Resham, Kiran Chaudhry, Maram and Aabroo, Iman Ali, Shiraz Uppal, Mehreen Raheel and singer/comedian Ali Butt walk the ramp adorned in clothes by different designers.

Overall, while the event does well financially and adds to the entertainment value of HUM TV, it cannot be considered a couture showcase.