I’m not the same as before: Suarez

"I am very selfcritical and I realised that playing well is helping me a lot. I realise and I prefer to continue and not be the same as before," Liverpool striker Luis Suarez. PHOTO: FILE

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez insists that his troubles are now past him and he has come back after suspension with a calmer approach to his game, according to Sky Sports.

The controversial striker has already netted three goals in two English Premier League matches since his return from serving a 10-match ban for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic last season.

“I am aware that in the recent matches I played, I’ve been calmer,” he said. “I am very self-critical and I realised that playing well, with more tranquillity, is helping me a lot. I realise and I prefer to continue and not be the same as before.”

Suarez also acknowledged that club captain Steven Gerrard and the Anfield faithful compelled him to stay at the club after a summer when he had been heavily linked with a move away from Liverpool.

“Gerrard, for me, is a legend in Liverpool and a great teammate who helped me a lot,” he added.

“His attitude was an extra boost for me to take the decision to stay in Liverpool; both he and the fans of Liverpool influenced much for that.

“I admire him for the great player he is worldwide. For me he will always be a benchmark and at club level he is the best player I have played with in my career, as a person and as a footballer.”

The Uruguayan international’s Liverpool career has been blighted with controversial events. He was also banned for eight matches after being found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra

Us Ban some Samsung products

Apple and Samsung have clashed repeatedly over patents. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

NEW YORK: The Obama administration Tuesday upheld a decision to ban some Samsung mobile technology products due to the company’s violation of patents owned by rival Apple.

US Trade Representative Michael Froman rejected a Samsung effort to overturn the August ruling by the US International Trade Commission to ban some older model Samsung smartphones and tablets for the patent infringements.

“After carefully weighing policy considerations, including the impact on consumers and competition, advice from agencies and information from interested parties, I have decided to allow the Commission’s determination . . . to become final,” Froman said in a statement.

The ITC in August ruled that Samsung had infringed two Apple patents — numbers 949 and 501, dealing with touchscreen actions and headphone jack plug-ins — but cleared the South Korean company of charges that it had violated four more.

The USTR statement said the ruling will have “minimal” effect on consumers, in part because Samsung “has been able to make changes to its products so that they avoid infringing the two Apple patents at issue in this case.”

“The nationality of the companies involved played no role in the review process,” the USTR said.

“Both Samsung and Apple are important contributors to the US economy and help advance innovation and technological progress.”

A Samsung spokesperson said the company was “disappointed” by the ruling.

“It will serve only to reduce competition and limit choice for the American consumer,” the spokesperson said.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In August, the USTR overturned an ITC ruling in a patent suit brought by Samsung against Apple that would have banned the sale of certain iPads and iPhones in the United States.

It was the first time the USTR has overruled the commission since 1987.

The South Korean commerce ministry expressed “concern” over the August USTR ruling and said it hoped that US trade decisions would be “made on fair and reasonable grounds.”

Apple and Samsung have clashed repeatedly over patents.

The disputes are closely followed because the two companies are the leading players in the smartphone and tablet markets and also because Samsung products are closely aligned with the Android system created by Google, a major Apple rival.

Apple shares were down 1.2 percent to $482.03 in early afternoon trade Tuesday.

ECC meeting: Locally assembled cars are costly, based on old technology

Not a single car manufacturer in the country had been able to complete its deletion programme even after extension in the time frame. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD: 

Despite enjoying incentives from the government, car assemblers are fleecing consumers by selling vehicles based on obsolete technology at high prices and are also earning hefty profits on the advance deposited by the consumers before delivery of cars.

In a meeting held on October 2, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of cabinet criticised car assemblers, saying they had been getting incentives for several years but did not meet the commitment to the government.

The apex economic decision-making body expressed concern when meeting participants said the car assemblers were exploiting the consumers as they were unduly keeping the latter’s advance for several months and earning profits on that before actual delivery.

According to documents, the ECC took notice of negative growth in the automobile sector, which had not been recording any growth for many years notwithstanding a host of incentives provided by the government.

Not a single car manufacturer in the country had been able to complete its deletion programme even after extension in the time frame.

Moreover, the meeting noted that products of the assemblers were costly and based on obsolete technology.

The meeting was told that an auto policy was being formulated and its first draft was ready. The ECC, however, stressed that the draft should be based on a thorough review of the facilities being offered to the auto industry, the need for new entrants, existing duty structure for import of motor vehicles, standards set by the Engineering Development Board, requirement of a long-term policy framework, etc.

The draft should also take into account proposals from the assemblers, dealers and vendors of the auto industry, it said.

The ECC decided to constitute a committee comprising the minister of water and power, Board of Investment chairman, Federal Board of Revenue chairman, industries secretary and Engineering Development Board chief executive to finalise the policy draft within 45 days and submit it to the committee.

The meeting participants told the ECC that large-scale manufacturing sector performed better and grew 3.7% in July this year compared to 0.1% growth in the same period last year.

The goods which recorded an increase in their production were paper and board, rubber products, coke, petroleum products, beverages and tobacco, fertilisers, electronics, engineering products, automobiles, iron and steel products, leather products, non-metallic mineral products and chemicals.

Exports rose 3.3% while imports increased 5.7%. As a result, trade deficit was $2.9 billion in July compared to $2.6 billion in the corresponding period last year.

Helping Hand..

Pakistan is a potential market for entrepreneurs as many US-based companies are already doing good business in the country. PHOTO: FILE

FAISALABAD: The United States Consulate head of economic section assured Pakistani businessmen that Pakistan was an important country in the region, and the US wanted to further deepen economic ties and expand trade and investment.

While addressing businessmen at the Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) on Tuesday, US Consulate Lahore Head of Economic Section Doreen P Bailey said that the US believed that strong business relations were vital to lay the foundation for long-term sustainable relations between the two countries.

The US wants to help Pakistan in the energy sector and entrepreneurship development as progress in these areas will put the country on the path to better economic growth, Bailey said. Pakistan is a potential market for entrepreneurs as many US-based companies are already doing good business in the country. However, she stressed that the Pakistani private sector should push for further regulatory reforms that were needed to foster greater trade and investment opportunities.

Bailey was optimistic that the resumption of Pakistan and US strategic dialogue would pave way for faster, deeper, broader and more comprehensive partnership between the two countries.

She admitted that there existed a vast potential for Pakistan to become a developed economy, but it was only suffering due to lack of technology. The US was keen and taking all possible measures to remove the hurdles in the way of expanded bilateral economic relationship, she added.

There was a need to make all out efforts to highlight Pakistan’s potential so that foreign investors could invest in sectors of their choice.

Sheikh Ilyas Mehmood, chairman of the PTEA, lauded US efforts for cooperating with Pakistan in the energy sector. Pakistan’s exports to the US, which range from $3.7 billion to $4 billion, can be enhanced to $6 billion, but it would require greater access to the US and transfer of technology, he added.

Mehmood also asked the US policymakers to give attention to the free trade agreement with Pakistan.

Govt changed bt policies still same..

ISLAMABAD: 

The Planning Commission (PC) is considering engaging the global management consulting firm ‘McKinsey & Company’ – a company that has in the past failed to produce a quality report on Pakistan despite charging $5 million − to prepare Vision 2025 for the country.

The PC’s desire to involve McKinsey in preparation of a policy document that it believes will set the priorities of a nation of 180 million people for next 12 years, has raised questions of aligning such policy prescription with ground realities.

Mckinsey had been engaged by the previous government, and paid $5million by the Asian Development Bank on behalf of Pakistan, a huge sum for just one report of questionable quality.

“The McKinsey’s report was fancy but a terrible one in terms of content”, said former deputy chairman Planning Commission Dr Nadeem ul Haque. Haque said he had contacted the McKinsey’s partners thrice and asked them to defend their work, but no one turned up. On one occasion, he said, one of the McKinsey partners admitted the poor quality of the work and promised to revisit the report.

Dr Haque said his predecessor Salman Faruqi had sanctioned $5 million payment to McKinsey.

The timing of giving McKinsey a stake in the new ‘visionary’ document coincides with a three-year International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) programme that has already set policy directions at least for the programme period. The ministry of finance is in the driving seat at the moment and has kept the planning ministry out of the loop. It did not engage the planning ministry when it was finalising the IMF programme that carries far reaching adverse implications on economic growth.

In a conference organised by the PC recently, Salman Ahmad, a partner at McKinsey had claimed that the previous government had shelved his company’s work.

When contacted, Asif Sheikh, the spokesman for the PC, said the government has not yet decided to formally engage the McKinsey.

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms, Ahsan Iqbal, was keen on preparing a new vision for the country aimed at stabilising economy and ensuring sustainable inclusive growth. However, the biggest obstacle for the commission, according to the minister, was the PC’s capacity constraint.

He has promised to develop the vision by the end of this year but so far the blueprint of the vision is not ready. Sources close to the minister said that Iqbal was upset about the slow pace of work and wanted to hire consultants from the private sector to complete the exercise.

Despite McKinsey’s poor work, Iqbal wanted to engage the firm to overcome capacity constraints, a strategy that is not received well in the PC, according to sources. While acknowledging capacity constraints, PC officials said that the continued indifference of the policymakers towards strengthening the PC led to demise in the working of the Commission.

They said that instead of doling out millions of dollars to these international consultants the government should focus on the Commission or else it should be closed down. The previous government turned the Commission into a project processing unit while compromising on its policy role.

Ahsan Iqbal was not available for comment.

In a similar case, the PC has also engaged Dr Khalid Ikram as a consultant on Vision 2025. Dr Ikram was also involved in the preparation of the Framework for Economic Growth (FEG), prepared by the previous government.

Asif Sheikh said that the PC had requested the ADB to provide assistance in preparation of the Vision 2025 and Dr Khalid Ikram was selected by the ADB. “We have accepted the ADB’s choice”, he added.

SC grant Bail..

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court granted former president Pervez Musharraf bail in the murder case of Baloch chieftain, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, Express News reported on Wednesday.

His bail was set at two surety bonds worth one million rupees each.

On September 27, the SC had refused to grant bail to Musharraf in this case.

Akbar Bugti was killed in 2006 in a military operation in Balochistan and a case was registered later in 2009 against Musharraf.

The Balochistan High Court (BHC) had turned down the former army chief’s bail plea in the Bugti murder case after which the case was brought to the Supreme Court.

Nawab Akbar Bugti was a veteran Baloch nationalist leader and former chief minister of Balochistan. Musharraf was president and army chief in 2006 when Bugti was killed during an army operation.

IS Michu Is Worth Of 35 Million Euros?

The 27-year-old attacker received his first call-up to the Spain squad after an injury to David Villa, as he continues to excel following last year's arrival in Wales

Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins has backed manager Michael Laudrup's assertion that Spanish attackerMichu is worth at least €35 million.

The Danish boss insisted the former Rayo Vallecano forward, who recently received a debut call-up to Vicente del Bosque's Spanish national team squad, would cost an astronomical sum last December.

And Jenkins has reiterated that valuation, believing that both the current market - which saw Gareth Bale make a world-record move to Real Madrid - and Michu's la Roja call-up only enhance his value.

"We've seen with Tottenham and Gareth Bale that every player has a price. We are not in that bracket with Tottenham but they sold a top player. We are realistic about that side of things," Jenkins told the Daily Mail.

"I would say Michael was about right with his valuation of Michu if you look at the current market, but this call-up enhances that further. We know we have a very talented player and naturally we want to keep him."

Jenkins is delighted Michu has received a well-deserved call-up to the Spain squad, replacing the injured David Villa, and believes it strengthens Swansea's growing reputation.

"As a club we are delighted he has got the call-up for Spain," he continued. "It is fantastic that he has been included in the Spanish squad because of his performances with Swansea in the Premier League.

"It is a massive compliment and achievement for Michu and Swansea City that he has been called up by the current European and world champions. It is not an easy squad to break into, but his commitment, work-rate and level of performance since he joined us has been first class.

"He enjoyed a successful first year with us and he has continued his form into this season, which is great to see. We are looking forward to seeing him continue his success here at Swansea in the Premier League and hopefully with Spain at international level."