Pjanic: I rejected a transfer to Bayern Munich

EXCLUSIVE: Ahead of Roma's trip to the Allianz Arena, the gifted midfielder has revealed that he turned down the chance to join the reigning Bundesliga champions at the age of 18

By Jasmin Ligata

Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic has revealed that he was close to joining Bayern Munich in the summer of 2008, but he eventually opted to move to Olympique Lyonnais instead.

The Bosnia-Herzegovina star was one of Europe's most sought-after youngsters at the time following an impressive 2007-08 campaign with Metz.

Bayern were one of the teams looking to lure him to the Bundesliga, but the midfielder felt he wasn't ready for a move abroad.

"I went to Munich to discuss a transfer with Bayern when I was 18," the creative midfielder told Goal.

"It's not that anything went wrong, but I simply decided that Olympique Lyonnais would be a better option for me in the end.

"I don't think I was ready for a club as big as Bayern at the time, so I decided to stay in France. I already knew the language and people knew me, so Lyon were the best option.

"And I don't have any regrets over that decision. It was the right move at the time."



Pjanic enjoyed two fine seasons with Lyon before then joining Roma in the summer of 2010, where he has since developed into an important first-team member.

The 24-year-old then went on to discuss Wednesday's Champions League encounter with Bayern at the Allianz Arena and stressed that Roma are determined to make amends for their 7-1 home defeat two weeks ago.

"I would be happy with a draw in Munich. I am convinced that a result like the 7-1 defeat will never happen again," he stated.

"We went through something similar to Brazil at the World Cup. This week's game will be much closer, though. 

"We are not really talking about revenge, but getting a point would leave us in a good position to qualify for the knockout stages. The game against Manchester City is the most important one for us."

Roma currently sit second in Group E with four points from three 

games

.

Microsoft, Dropbox team up to help people work more effectively

The partnership will provide Dropbox's users access to Microsoft's tools to edit 35 billion documents, spreadsheets and presentations. PHOTO: The Dropbox Blog

SAN FRANCISCO: Online storage company Dropbox and Microsoft Corp on Tuesday announced a ‘strategic partnership’ that would allow subscribers to edit their documents online and then share or sync them, said a statement.

The two industry-leading companies announced that they will be integrating their services for collaboration across Dropbox and Microsoft Office on phones, tablets and the Web.

When you select “edit” while you are viewing your document in Dropbox, the appropriate Office app is offered up for editing. Alternatively, users can access Dropbox from Office apps to get to their files and folders faster; edit Office files directly from Dropbox, and sync them across device and share new or edited files from the Office apps using Dropbox’s sharing functionality.

The partnership will provide Dropbox’s users access to Microsoft’s tools to edit 35 billion documents, spreadsheets and presentations.

Over 1.2 billion people around the world already use Office to get work done.

“In our mobile-first and cloud-first world, people need easier ways to create, share and collaborate regardless of their device or platform,” said Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. “Together, Microsoft and Dropbox will provide our shared customers with flexible tools that put them at the center for the way they live and work today.”

That is why Dropbox said it will be rolling out the feature first on mobile platforms, including iOS and Android in the next few weeks. Next year these features will be extended to the web with integrations between the Dropbox website and Office Online. A Dropbox app for Windows Phone and Windows tablet users is also expected to be launched in the coming months.

“People around the world have embraced Office and Dropbox to empower the way they live and work today,” said Drew Houston, CEO and co-founder of Dropbox. “Our partnership with Microsoft will make it easier than ever to collaborate seamlessly across these platforms, giving people the freedom to get more done.”

While all Office users with a Dropbox account will have access to this facility, Dropbox for Business customers will need an Office 365 subscription.

Alibaba's revenue up by 54%, net income by 15%

Alibaba's logo is seen at its headquarters on the outskirts of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province April 23, 2014. PHOTO: REUTERS

BEIJING: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd reported quarterly results which showed overall revenue rising by 54 per cent and net income rising by 15.5 per cent to $1.11 billion for the July-September period, meeting forecasts.

It was the Chinese e-commerce giant’s first report to investors since its record-setting $25 billion listing in September.

The non-GAAP net income – which excludes the share-based compensation expenses and amortisation of intangible assets – compared with a consensus estimate of $1.17 billion based on a Thomson Reuters SmartEstimate poll of 21 analysts.

Revenue rose 53.7 per cent to $2.74 billion, versus expected sales of $2.7 billion, its fastest growth in three quarters. Diluted earnings per share were $0.20, while non-GAAP diluted earnings per share were $0.45, up 9.4 per cent year-on-year.

“We delivered a strong quarter with significant growth across our key operating metrics,” said Jonathan Lu, chief executive officer of Alibaba in its earnings statement.

Mobile revenue was more than ten times higher than in the same period last year and accounted for 22 per cent of total revenues, as Alibaba continued to successfully ramp up its mobile monetisation.

Meanwhile, profit margins shrank to a two-year low of 18 per cent.

The shares were flat in pre-market trading in New York, from $101.80 at Monday’s close. The stock has risen about 50 per cent from its debut price.

Foreign exchange market rigging: HSBC takes $378m charge over allegations

HSBC added on Monday that its earnings after taxation climbed 7% to $3.431 billion in the three months to September 30. PHOTO: REUTERS

HSBC bank on Monday took a $378 million charge linked to allegations of foreign exchange market rigging, and posted mixed earnings for the third quarter.

The Asia-focused lender added in a results statement that talks were ongoing with Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulator over the allegations and warned that a “significant” fine was likely.

The news comes after rivals Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland last week made huge provisions for possible costs and penalties arising from several probes into suspected price-rigging in the foreign exchange market.

“Discussions are ongoing with the UK FCA regarding a proposed resolution of their foreign exchange investigation with respect to HSBC Bank plc’s systems and controls relating to one part of its spot FX trading business in London,” the bank said Monday.

“Although there can be no certainty that a resolution will be agreed, if one is reached, the resolution is likely to involve the payment of a significant financial penalty.

“We continue to cooperate fully with regulatory and law enforcement authorities in the UK and other jurisdictions.”

HSBC added on Monday that its earnings after taxation climbed 7% to $3.431 billion in the three months to September 30 from a year earlier, boosted by falling impairments.

However, adjusted pre-tax profits sank 12% to $4.4 billion in the third quarter, as it set aside around $1.7 billion to cover a series of one-off charges. HSBC also took a $701 million provision to compensate customers for mis-sold products and $550 million for a settlement with the Federal Housing Finance Authority. In addition, restructuring costs were $68 million. Total revenues meanwhile were almost flat at $15.575 billion.

“The third quarter was a period of continued progress,” said chief executive Stuart Gulliver, adding that the bank had maintained a strong balance sheet and robust capital position. “Revenue continued to grow in Commercial Banking, dominated by growth in our home markets of Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. Global Banking and Markets contributed a strong revenue performance.

Windows 7 and 8: Microsoft stops sale of some versions

This change in policy from Microsoft highlights their acceptance of Windows 8 failing to catch the market share as many users preferred 7.

Microsoft – the multination technology giant based in US – has stopped the sale of retail copies of some versions of Windows 7 and 8, according to the BBC.

The date to stop the sale was set a while ago, a development that would help Microsoft move people to more recent versions of the operating system (OS).

According to statistics, consumers using very old versions of the OS are finally moving to recent versions. The latest version of the OS – Windows 10 – is set to be released by the end of 2015

Consumers can now no longer buy the Home Basic, Home Premium and Ultimate versions of Windows 7. But now, even Windows 8 is unavailable. This change will affect both pre-loaded copies in PCs and laptops and retail copies sold in stores, as the Windows 8.1 version will only be preloaded and sold.

However, this will take its due time to have effect as older stock of the OS is still available to be sold to the consumers. Only few firms offer a downgrade from 8.1 to the Windows 7 Professional version.

This change in policy from Microsoft highlights their acceptance of Windows 8 (original version) failing to catch the market share as many users still preferred Windows 7. According to experts, this change will also make way for the arrival of Windows 10.

Record-breaking Ronaldo, assist-king Kroos and the Clasico stats

Saturday saw another absorbing Clasico encounter but what records were set by the players of Real Madrid and Barcelona?

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Find out the facts from Saturday's Clasico which Real Madrid won after beating Barcelona 3-1.

- Real Madrid have won two Clasicos in a row with Iker Casillas as captain for the first time in all competitions.

- The last team to have scored as many goals in the opening nine games of a La Liga season were also Real Madrid in 1959/60 (33).

- Karim Benzema has scored four goals in his last three league 

games

 against Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu.

- Neymar has scored his last eight goals for Barcelona from just nine shots on target in all competitions.

- Cristiano Ronaldo has scored in his last 11 games, his best run scoring for Real Madrid.

- Karim Benzema is the only player to have hit the woodwork twice against Barcelona in a La Liga game (2003-2014).

- Real Madrid have scored more fast break goals than any other team in La Liga this season (four goals).

- Lionel Messi has been booked seven times vs Real Madrid, three more than versus any other side in all competitions.

- Toni Kroos is the Real Madrid top assister in La Liga this season with five, three of them from set pieces.

- Cristiano Ronaldo has scored in 16 of his last 17 league appearances (25 goals).

All data supplied by Opta.

Robben: There is no chance I'll leave Bayern

The former Real Madrid winger says he is perfectly settled at the Allianz Arena and is not convinced he is in the form of his life at present

Arjen Robben says there "is not even a one per cent" chance of him leaving Bayern Munich in the foreseeable future.

The Dutchman is rated among the very best players in the footballing world having fired the Bavarians to the Champions League in 2013 and played a starring role in their record-breaking 2013-14 campaign.

His success at the Allianz Arena means he feels perfectly settled and the 30-year-old is adamant he has no desire to move on from Pep Guardiola's side.

"I am 30 now, it is not like I want to go to a new league," Robben told The Daily Telegraph. "I have been in England, I have been in Spain, so I don’t have that desire, but that is all to do with the club I am with now.

"I am 100 per cent convinced I will stay here for a very long time. I am enjoying it so much in Germany. It is the perfect club with the perfect coach for me.

"My family is happy, we have lived here for five years and I am exactly at the place I want to be. It cannot be better than it is at the moment, so you don’t need to have thoughts about other clubs and other leagues.

"If you see me again in three years in the Premier League, then who knows, but at the moment, there is not even one per cent of me thinking about going to England or anywhere."

Many believe the 30-year-old is in the prime of his already-illustrious career, but the former Real Madrid and Chelsea winger is unsure if his lack of injuries have accentuated his quality.

"People asked me last season, and during the World Cup, whether this was the best I have been in my career, but I don’t know sometimes," he added.

"I don’t get that kind of feeling, but maybe it is for others on the outside to judge. It is maybe more noticeable now because I am playing well over a longer period.

“Before, I would do well for three or four months, maybe play even better, but then there would be an injury and you have to come back again. But now, being fit continually, I can keep my level and that means you can enjoy your football more."

Robben starred in midweek for Bayern as they thrashed Champions League group-stage rivals Roma 7-1 in Italy and the attacker believes it may have been the best performance since he arrived in Germany from Real Madrid five years ago.

"Everything we did Roma didn’t have an answer for and, yes, we scored some great goals too," he continued. "Everybody expected a difficult game, but it was remarkable, also for Roma and their fans.

"It was one big surprise because, after 35 minutes, it was already 5-0, which was quite impressive I think. Maybe it is the best we have played, but we have had so many great 

games

, especially the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona, home and away, in 2013."

Bayern are back in action on Sunday with a trip to second-placed Borussia Monchengladbach, who could reduce the deficit at the top of the Bundesliga to one point with a win.