Tag: Eyes

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan is eyeing record cotton production of over 15 million bales in the 2011/12 crop year as farmers sow a wider area after domestic prices more than doubled from a year ago, government and industry officials said on Tuesday.
Cotton and textile account for about two-thirds of the country's exports and a healthy cotton crop is vital to economic growth, which is expected to slip to around 2.75 percent in the current financial year to June, because of flood

FAISALABAD - Cricket fever with all its euphoria has engulfed the whole world irrespective of geographical barriers. Leaving behind the loads of socio-political and economic problems, all eyes in Faisalabad are focused on a single event - the upcoming Indo-Pak cricket encounter when the two giant teams will clash in a semifinal match at Mohali on Wednesday. The fixture has grossly prevailed over the national political scenes of both Pakistan and India as Indian Prime Minister Manmohan

LAHORE - The Pakistan Cricket Board is hoping to make some headway in the resumption of bilateral cricket ties with India when its officials reach Mumbai later this month for an ICC meeting. Reports quoted sources that the Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of the PCB would be in Mumbai next week for the World Cup final as well as to attend a meeting of the ICC starting after the final on April 2. "Although no formal meeting has been scheduled with the Indian board officials but we

CHENNAI - Sachin Tendulkar can complete another landmark on Sunday by hitting his 100th international hundred as India tackle West Indies in the World Cup's final group match. India, as well as England, are already through to the quarter-finals along with South Africa after the Proteas' crushing 206 run-win over Bangladesh in Dhaka on Saturday.
It will now take a colossal India win for the West Indies to be denied a place in the last eight although Sunday's result will still have

Canadian rocker Bryan Adams is hoping one of his high-profile peers puts together plans for another Live Aid to help the earthquake and tsunami survivors in Japan. Adams was a part of 1985's Live Aid supergig and has since performed at a number of big-name charity concerts - and he's waiting to get the call to be part of a show to help raise funds for relief in Japan. He says, "I'm wondering when someone is going to put something together for Japan. It would be great if the rock

ISLAMABAD - Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh on Wednesday said that the government would get Rs 210 billion through its announced expenditure cuts and revenue measures during the remaining quarter of the current financial year.
Briefing the media about the government plans for fiscal consolidation, he said that the rationalisation of expenditure had the full backing of the president, prime minister, armed forces and government departments. "The surcharge on income tax is

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has finalised a portfolio of 32 energy projects to seek financial assistance from China, including the construction of the Iran Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project, oil refineries along Balochistan coast and exploitation of Thar coal reserves in Sindh.
Briefing reporters on the energy sector, Petroleum Secretary Imtiaz Kazi said the portfolio of energy projects would be discussed at the next meeting of the energy working group of the two countries. During the

LAHORE - Punjab Food Secretary Irfan Elahi has stated that all arrangements have been finalised to kick start the annual wheat procurement campaign in April. He informed that the provincial government had fixed the wheat procurement target at 3.5 million tonnes. For this purpose, 376 procurement centers are to be established in different parts of the Punjab. These procurement centers could be enhanced according to the requirement, he added.
Elahi said that to facilitate the

MOSCOW - Georgian moviemakers are banking on European partners, international stars such as Mexico's Gael Garcia Bernal and their rich landscape to rebuild a film industry that was devastated by the Soviet collapse. 'The Loneliest Planet,' an independently financed thriller focusing on a young couple's trek through the wilderness, stars Bernal and Israeli actress Hani Furstenberg and was entirely shot in Georgia last summer. Directed by Russian-American director Julia Loktev, the

COMMENT - This past week domestic football in Europe took a back seat as all thoughts and attention turned to the return of the Champions League and Europa League. The bigger matches to look for were, of course, in the Champions League, the most notable being first leg of the tie between Arsenal and Barcelona at a packed Emirates Stadium in North London.
Anyone expecting a repeat of the opening half an hour from last year's tie, where Barcelona put together a breathtaking flurry

PARIS - Formula One team Force India will improve on their seventh place finish in last year's championship because they have drivers hungry for success, said the team owner Vijay Mallya on Tuesday. The Indian billionaire was speaking at the launch of the new model, the VJM04, for the upcoming season and said he had great faith in the two race drivers Germany's Adrian Sutil and rookie Scotsman Paul di Resta, who replaced Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi.
The team also has the talented

NEW DELHI - India may harvest its second highest amount ever of food grains in 2010-11, including a record 81.47 million tonnes wheat, its farm minister said on Wednesday, which could help the government in reining in food inflation.
The cost of food for families in Asia's third-largest economy has soared 17 percent over the past year, latest data showed, boosted most recently by gains in onions and other everyday vegetables as harvests are hit by unseasonably heavy rains. India

LAHORE - Despite recent government notification, Police Department has "closed eyes" to sale of Sheesha and other smoking products in all major restaurants and cafes. The Punjab government promulgated Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-Smokers' Health Ordinance in 2002 to ban smoking in public places.
However, the ordinance remained dormant and sale of smoking products including Sheesha remained unchecked. Recently Home Department issued another notification to Police

AMSTERDAM - The Netherlands skipper Peter Borren, who started his cricket career in his native New Zealand, leads the Dutch into their fourth World Cup campaign.
The 27-year-old all-rounder, who played for New Zealand at under-19 level alongside the likes of Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor, made his one-day international debut for the Dutch in 2006 against Sri Lanka.
It was an inauspicious start for Borren, pummelled by the Sri Lankan bowlers as he went for 1-94 from his 10

DOHA - Austrian Markus Brier shot a second-round 66 to take a one-shot lead at the 2.5m dollar Qatar Masters on Friday, while Martin Kaymer kept alive his slim hopes of becoming the new world number one. Brier, the 2007 Volvo China Open winner, overtook overnight leader Retief Goosen with a bogey-free round on a much calmer day after strong winds on Thursday had caused havoc on the desert course.
Goosen and Brier were neck and neck over the first nine holes in the second round,

COMMENT - Andy Murray takes on Novak Djokovic in the final of the men's singles at Australian Open on tomorrow. Seeking to become Great Britain's first Grand Slam champion in 75 years, world number five Murray clawed into the Australian Open final for the second consecutive year after an intense four-set semi-final with Spain's David Ferrer.
After being one point away from a two-set deficit, Andy Murray rallied to claim an inspired 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-1, 7-6(2) victory. The Scot, who

ISLAMABAD - Telecoms operator Etisalat is holding takeover talks with internet provider Nayatel, one of Pakistan's fastest-growing companies. "They want to totally buy us out," Nayatel Chairman Rashid Khan told Reuters in an interview, adding that talks had slowed over the potential cost of a deal. "Ultimately it comes down to price," said Khan, adding that he also expects interest from Chinese and Norwegian companies.
No one from Etisalat was immediately available for comment.