Bartomeu hints at additional Barcelona signings

Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Claudio Bravo, Ivan Rakitic, Luis Suarez and Jeremy Mathieu have already arrived at Camp Nou, but the club's spending may not be over yet

Barcelona could yet make further signings before the end of the summer transfer window, according to club president Josep Bartomeu.

Five players - Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Claudio Bravo, Ivan Rakitic, Luis Suarez and Jeremy Mathieu - have already arrived at Camp Nou for a combined cost of around €156 million.

And Bartomeu has now revealed that new boss Luis Enrique may well add several more new faces to his squad before the September 1 deadline.

He told reporters: "The transfer window isn't over yet, it ends in a months' time. I think we still have some things left to do this summer."

Reports in Spain suggested that Camp Nou sporting director Zubizarreta and coach Luis Enrique will be meeting on Friday to finalise transfer plans, with young Paris Saint-Germain centre-back Marquinhos seen as the first-choice option.Barca are desperate to do as much business as possible this summer with a potential 14-month transfer ban looming for breaking rules involving the international transfers of players under the age of 18.

The club were initially banned from buying any players for that period starting from April, but Fifa agreed to put that suspension on hold after the Blaugrana lodged an appeal.

Box office ‘kicked’: Rs50.78m in three days

KARACHI: 

There are films that fulfill your expectations on the box office and then there are films that outperform your expectations. But then there are the game changers, the ones that bring about unimaginable results at the box office and Salman Khan’s Kick did just that in Pakistan. After all, it earned a whopping Rs50.78 million in Pakistan over the three days of Eid, creating box office history.

Excluding the few pre Eid shows, Kick formally opened in Pakistan on the first day of Eid and generated a total of Rs20.08 million in one day. No film ever in the history of local box office has received an opening of more than Rs20 million.

The film received housefuls in both, single screen cinemas and multiplexes and the trend hiked on the second day of Eid. This is when the film went to earn an even bigger total of Rs20.2 million in one day and the third day of Eid saw a slight decline with a total business of 15 million.

Biggest opening ever

Expectedly, Salman Khan proved to be a goldmine for the box office, as Kick created history with its all-time high with a collection of Rs20.08 million on the first day of Eid.

Kick not only breaks the Rs11.4 million opening day business of Waar, but also eclipsesDhoom 3‘s all-time highest opening day collection of Rs19 million.

Kick sets new records in Karachi, Hyderabad and Multan

All previous opening records were broken at the historic Bambino cinema, where Kickgenerated an average collection of Rs180,000 per show on the first day of Eid, with the first show making up to as much as Rs200,000.

“Kick has broken all previous records of opening collections at our cinema but the exact grand figure will be compiled by this evening,” Adeel Siddiqui, the owner of Bambino cinema toldThe Express Tribune.

According to sources, even Ghalib cinema in Korangi received the highest-ever opening with an average of Rs70, 000 per show, which is quite significant. The owners of Ghalib are yet to corroborate these figures.

On the other hand, Dreamland cinema in Multan set a new record by earning Rs1 million in one day and the Hyderabad circuit generated the highest-ever one-day return of Rs1.3 million.  The film was released in two cinemas in Hyderabad with Bambino cinema alone generating Rs0.7 million.

Can Kick be the all-time winner?

To date, Dhoom 3 holds the record of the highest grossing film in Pakistan, with a whopping Rs240 million as its total business. Having said that, Dhoom 3‘s huge earnings can be attributed to a few odds that worked in its favour and the most significant among them was the fact that there was a ban on Indian films for about two months before Dhoom 3 was released.

At the time of the release, people who were craving quality films raided both the multiplexes and single screens in Pakistan, making the film achieve this milestone. Apart from that, no significant Bollywood film followed the Dhoom 3 release for a couple of weeks, which gave it a smooth running at the box office.

Kick has the advantage of being released on Eid, but also faces possible competition from Akshay Kumar’s Its Entertainment and Ajay Devgn’s much-anticipated Singham Returns, scheduled to release 10 and 16 days from now, respectively. Both these films may reduceKick’s chances of achieving anything extraordinary in the long run, but Salman Khan has always proved the odds wrong

Imam of China's biggest mosque killed in Xinjiang

BEIJING: The head of China’s largest mosque was murdered after conducting morning prayers, the local government in far western Xinjiang said Thursday, amid intensifying violence in the turbulent region.

Jume Tahir, the government-appointed imam of the 600-year-old Id Kah mosque in the city of Kashgar, was killed Wednesday by “three thugs influenced by religious extremist ideology”, the Xinjiang government web portal Tianshan said.

Police launched an all-out investigation and shot dead two of the alleged assailants while capturing the other at about noon on Wednesday as they violently resisted with “knives and hatchets,” Tianshan said.

Tianshan said Tahir’s killing was “premeditated” and that the suspects intended to commit a “ruthless murder”.

It also said they wanted to “increase their influence through ‘doing something big’”.

Tianshan identified the suspects by their names in phonetic Chinese. The official Xinhua news agency in an English-language report gave their names as Turghun Tursun, Memetjan Remutillan and Nurmemet Abidilimit.

Neither Tianshan nor Xinhua initially identified who among them was shot dead and who was apprehended.

Tahir was found dead in a pool of blood outside the mosque’s prayer house, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported earlier on its website.

Xinjiang, home to China’s mostly Muslim Uighur ethnic minority, has seen escalating violence which in the past year has spilled over into other parts of China.

RFA cited what it described as “witnesses and other officials”, including the director of a neighbourhood stability committee in Kashgar, who described the killing as an assassination.

Imams and other religious leaders in China are appointed by the government and subject to strict control on the content of their preaching.

US-based RFA said that Tahir had been critical of violence carried out by Uighurs, and China’s official Xinhua news agency in early July quoted him as condemning terrorist violence carried out in the name of ethnicity and religion.

Tahir, 74, “enjoyed a high reputation among Muslims nationwide”, Xinhua said in its dispatch Thursday.

Dilxat Raxit, spokesperson for the exiled World Uyghur Congress (WUC), did not condemn the killing.

“Chinese policies in the area have caused things to happen which should not happen,” he told AFP in an email.

“According to local Uighurs, Jume Tahir consistently cooperated with the government, aided the monitoring of religious activities, and used his position in the mosque to promote Chinese policies which are unacceptable to Uighurs,” he said.

“Local Uighurs suspected he had a special relationship with the Chinese ministry of security.”

The Id Kah mosque is said to have a capacity of up to 20,000 people.

Kashgar, where the mosque is located, is an old oasis city that was part of the Silk Road trade route that ran from Europe to Asia.

The killing of Tahir came two days after dozens of people died in violence between Uighurs and security authorities in the Kashgar region.

Nearly 100 people were left dead or wounded, the WUC said, while authorities put the toll in the “several tens” in what they called a “terror attack” on a police station and township in Shache county, known as Yarkand in the Uighur language.

Beijing commonly blames separatists from Xinjiang for carrying out terror attacks which have grown in scale over the past year and spread outside the restive and resource-rich region.

A market attack in Urumqi, Xinjiang’s capital city, in May left 39 people dead, while a deadly rampage by knife-wielding assailants at a train station in Kunming in China’s southwest in March killed 29 people.

They came after a fiery vehicle crash at Tiananmen Square, Beijing’s symbolic heart, in October last year.

The violence has led China to carry out a broad crackdown on terrorism. President Xi Jinping on a visit to Xinjiang in late April called for a “strike first” strategy to fight terrorism and said the Kashgar area is China’s “front line in anti-terrorist efforts”.

Chinese prosecutors on Wednesday brought charges of separatism — which can carry the death penalty — against prominent Uighur academic Ilham Tohti, detained earlier this year.

Rights groups and analysts accuse China’s government of cultural and religious repression which they say fuels unrest in Xinjiang, which borders Central Asia.

The government, however, argues it has boosted economic development in the area and that it upholds minority rights in a country with 56 recognised ethnic groups.

Rising production: India factory output hits 17-month peak

NEW DELHI: 

 Indian factory output surged to a 17-month peak in July, according to a key business survey. Car sales accelerated briskly, after falling for two straight years.

The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) survey jumped a full 1.5 points to 53.0 last month — its best level since February 2013. A reading of over 50 points suggests expansion while under 50 indicates contraction.

Separate data Friday showing vehicle sales shifting into the fast lane also indicated greater economic buoyancy. Leading carmaker Maruti Suzuki’s unit sales jumped 22 percent in July from the same year-ago month while Honda’s sales leapt 40 percent. Input prices accelerated at their fastest, suggesting high inflation could rise further. Middle East tensions could raise crude oil costs in an economy dependent on imported fuel.

Most economists expect no cut in rates until the first quarter of the next financial year with consumer price inflation riding at 7.31 percent.

Telecom industry: Foley vows to take the ‘innovation’ ladder higher

KARACHI: When it comes to aims and ambitions, there is always room to go higher.

Following the spectrum auction that landed 3G and 4G services in the country, a whole new avenue is now available to cellular mobile operators (CMOs) and has set the stage for further growth and expansion.

Same is the case with Telenor Pakistan. Newly-appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Michael Foley is looking to build on the company’s “innovation”.

“Since its inception, the story of Telenor Pakistan has been of innovation,” Foley told The Express Tribune via email. “I resolve to take this innovation story forward especially in this new exciting times of 3G that Pakistan has been introduced to.”

In his first interview since he joined the company on July 1, Foley shared his views on the opportunities Pakistan’s cellular market has to offer and the areas he would like to focus on.

“It is quite exciting to assume the role at a significant moment in Telenor Pakistan’s history as the country moves into a future where everyone will be able to access the internet, affordably and easily,” the CEO said.

Relatively a new player in the market, the Norwegian telecom giant’s local subsidiary has been growing its market share constantly. Boasting 26% or 36.5 million of the country’s cellular subscribers on its network, the company is closely following market leader Mobilink that enjoys 28% share. However, Telenor Pakistan claims that it dominates the market when it comes to consumers who use internet over their mobile phones.

“My predecessor [Lars Christian Luel] built a strong market position for Telenor Pakistan to capture further market growth. The company continues to grow its market share and is set to further develop its leading consumer internet position following the rollout of its 3G services and it is an honour to drive this transition,” the Canadian said responding to a question.

As he settles down, Foley, who brings with him 30 years of experience in sales, marketing and operations in the telecom and retail sectors in both advanced and growth-stage markets, said he would be focusing exclusively on the company’s mobile internet segment.

“Telenor Pakistan’s mobile internet statistics are very encouraging, highlighting future opportunities for us and the consumers for further data consumption.”

Explaining, the CEO said global observations point out that the next spurt of telecom growth worldwide is expected from data services rather than voice with evidence from the local industry supporting it.

There are 30 million internet users in the country and half of them access it via mobile phones. Internet has a 15% population penetration, showing a year-on-year growth of 43%, Foley said. “We feel that it can be a useful catalyst for sustainably changing lives and supporting socioeconomic development.”

The country has low internet penetration but technology pundits predict that the use of broadband will increase on the back of recently-introduced third-generation mobile internet services. Foley thinks no differently.

The arrival of 3G services represents the beginning of a new age of connectivity in Pakistan, Telenor’s new chief said. Today, barely one in every 10 Pakistani has access to the internet. “While millions of Telenor Pakistan customers are using internet services over 2G today, it is expected that this number will soar with 3G uptake,” he says.

Telenor Pakistan, according to industry sources, was the most-prepared operator in terms of network swap at the time of 3G auction. On June 1, the company commercially launched the service in big cities, while starting the second phase recently.

“We have initiated the second phase of 3G services across the country by adding on 10 more cities last month,” Foley said. These cities include Sarai Alamgir, Gujranwala, Kharian, Multan, Gujrat, Sialkot, Abbottabad, Faisalabad, Peshawar and Sargodha.

While Foley is exciting about market opportunities and Telenor’s market position, he also notes that there are certain challenges that will test his leadership skills as he steers the company towards growth.

“Mobile telecommunication is one of the largest tax collecting and paying sectors. However, we believe the sector is rather heavily taxed both from an industry point of view and for telecom consumers,” Foley said. “Taxation makes it very challenging for us to reach the neediest in the market. It affects our pricing as well as we are not able to pass on some of the relief to the consumers.”

The CEO says the tax burden on cellular consumers is very high, especially keeping in view the average income of a Pakistani citizen. Of the 139 million telecom subscribers, 80% are below the threshold of taxable income.

“We would request the government to consider rationalising various taxes imposed on the industry, both at the federal and provincial level.”

Economic stagnation: Italy expects to miss growth target

ROME: Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said on Thursday he expected the eurozone’s third largest economy to miss its growth target this year – a failure that will make it tough for the government to balance its budget.

“Growth is certainly much weaker than we expected. We’re not in a position to be as virtuous as we imagined,” he told members of his centre-left Democratic Party, two weeks after the Bank of Italy dramatically slashed its growth forecast.

The admission did not stop the ambitious 39-year-old declaring that Italy – which currently holds the presidency of the European Union – will “lead the recovery” in Europe.

The national statistics institute, ISTAT, agreed with the sombre assessment on Italy’s growth.

“The signals coming from families and businesses appear to portray a phase of substantial economic stagnation,” it said.

While business confidence is on the up, households have yet to begin pulling out of the deepest recession since World War II.

Last week, the government said it would be forced to revise down its initial forecast of 0.8% growth in 2014, but has yet to announce a new target.

This followed the Bank of Italy’s radical overhaul of its January forecast from 0.7% to just 0.2%. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) also lowered its 2014 growth prediction from 0.6% to 0.3%.

At a meeting between the Italian and French foreign ministers in Rome, the two countries were united in pushing a policy of increased fiscal flexibility despite disappointing eurozone growth rates.

While the situation “in terms of inflation is worrying”, the countries remained “100% in agreement” on how to proceed, French Minister Michel Sapin told a press conference.

He insisted on the importance of policies on a European level which support growth. “There can be no question of turning our backs on efforts to reduce deficits and debts. We need deep structural reforms,” said Sapin.

Analysts forecast France’s economy will grow by 0.7% this year. It has fared better than Italy during the financial crisis, but President Francois Hollande promised the economic ‘turnaround’ has yet to materialise.

Live updates on energy consumption

ISLAMABAD: 

The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications (MoIT) has finished a project that could help businesses conserve energy usage in their office buildings.

Energy conservation, cited as the most important fuel in energy generation, is possible in buildings only if the usage is known in real time — information which is delivered immediately after collection.

Moreover, if devices, which consume large amounts of energy, could be controlled in an automated way, then more power could be conserved by adjusting their usage. National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Research and Development Fund, a department of the ministry, completed the project in collaboration with Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).

“With this information, one could plan energy usage, thereby reducing energy consumption and saving bills,” said official sources. They said places such as houses and offices are the biggest consumers of energy. According to a study, in developed countries, 37% of energy is consumed by houses and offices, while consumption in industrial sector stood at 28% and transportation sector at 32%.

Elaborating further, it was stated that in order to conserve energy, the supply and usage in buildings must be treated as a self-managing system.

The Self-Managing Energy System (SES) in buildings is able to get goals, priorities and constraints from the consumers while its key benefits are to develop a localised low-cost Home Area Network (HAN) for controlling heavy duty electric appliances for energy conservation.

They said the SES in buildings is able to get goals, priorities and constraints from consumers and if alternative sources of energy such as solar cells, wind energy or PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles) are available then SES will be able to incorporate it into the system