PK The Film: Review

 Aamir Khan as #PK will steal your heart.Rajkumar Hirani has again spelled his magic on the silver screen. It was delightful, meaningful, out of the box satire on self styled. It awakens your logical senses regarding some prevalent social issues. It’s a film that shouldn't be missed and it’s brave because it attempts to create a better world. It would be hard to stop it from owning the box-office as well. A must watch for cine-lovers not only for its entertainment quotient but also for multiple messages it conveys

Electric Rickshaws Will Hit The Roads of Pakistan Soon

 The new vehicle is called the Z5 E-Tricycle and it is going to be launched by Zar Motors.

The E-Rickshaw looks sleek and visually, it is a step up to the traditional ones we see on the roads currently. It converts sunlight into energy and is expected to have significantly lower running costs.

Khwaja Ahmad Hassan, adviser to CM Punjab, was recently seen testing the Z5 E–Tricycle recently at the CM Office in Lahore. That makes sense since the use of these new vehicles is already covered under the Rozgar scheme by the government. 

Price and Availability: 

While there is no information about pricing just yet, it’s safe to assume it will cost more than a traditional rickshaw. According to the company’s own estimates, the cost of buying an E-Rickshaw will be paid off in 14 months. The Rickshaw will have capacity for 1 driver and 3 passengers although it can be extended upon request.

Fraud-free: G-B govt decides to hold polls under biometric system

GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan government has decided to hold the upcoming elections under the biometric system.

The decision comes at a time when allegations of widespread rigging in the 2013 general elections are still making the rounds. And though the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) has ended its sit-in in Islamabad, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is still adamant to somehow uncover poll fraud, which the party claims is responsible for bringing the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz into power.

“The government has taken a decision in this regard to hold elections under the biometric system,” said a minister in the G-B government which completes its five-year term this December.

If the biometrics system is put in place, it is estimated that 200,000 voters of the nearly 1.5 million population of G-B will cast their votes.

According to the minister, Chief Minister Mehdi Shah has asked the chief secretary and election commissioner to make arrangements to ensure this is done. He added the government has held meetings with officials of NADRA, assuring the latter of ensuring availability of funds to meet the expenses.

If the system is introduced, the government is hopeful it will be able to close the doors on parties wishing to use unfair means to win the polls, likely to take place in March 2015.

WireLurker becomes first Malware to target Macs and iOS devices

Usually it is Android that makes the headlines for security exploits but this time around, it’s iOS. Researchers from Palo Alto have uncovered a bug called Wirelurker which might already have affected hundreds of thousands of devices.

The primary method of infection for this bug is through the Maiyadi App Store which is a third party app store for OSX based in China. At the time of publication, it’s estimated that over 350,000 users might already have been infected. Furthermore, the malicious code was present in over 450 apps on the Maiyadi app store. Pirated versions of some high profile games like Sims 3 and Angry Birds were amongst the infected apps.

Wirelurker exploits the enterprise provisioning system mechanism, which allows big companies to push through new software without the need to go through the fairly laborious app store approval process. So any app that has an enterprise provision certificate can be installed without an issue. This is exploited and what’s concerning is that it affects both jailbroken and non-jailbroken devices.

Once a desktop (all Macbooks and Macs are susceptible) has been infected, Wirelurker can move to any iOS devices connected through a USB cable. Then, it rewrites programs through binary file replacement. Once a non-jailbroken device has been infected, Wirelurker side loads a comic book app onto the device which is not malicious in itself. Researchers suspect this is simply to test whether a device is compromised or not.

The interesting part is that on infected devices, Wirelurker specifically tries to identify the owner of the infected devices. On jailbroken devices, it also tries to access text messages. It also tries to steal payment information and other sensitive data. Some security experts have labeled Wirelurker as primitive but fear that the mechanism used by the bug could be exploited by more sophisticated hackers.

With Wirelurker, iOS users are facing their first widespread significant security threat. Software for testing whether you are affected or not has already been developed that you can download from here. However, the fact remains that Wirelurker is not a passive threat. It is under active development and you should stay safe by not using a third party app stores or charging by plugging into devices you don’t trust.

Samsung announces its slimmest phones with the Galaxy A3 and A5

The mid-range Galaxy A3 comes with 4.5″ display with qHD resolution with 245ppi. It is still a Super AMOLED panel, though, so that’s a benefit.

Under the hood, you get a 1.2Ghz quad-core processor with 1 GB worth RAM. There’s also 64 GB worth storage, expandable via microSD card alot. The back features an 8 megapixel camera with LED Flash, and should support at least HD resolution. The front also boasts a 5 megapixel selfie camera.

You also get optional NFC & LTE, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0. The phone runs on Android 4.4.4 KitKat and is just 6.9mm thin. It should be available 6 colours. There’s a 1,900 mAh battery to power the phone.

The Galaxy A5 is the higher-end model of the two. It is even thinner at just 6.7mm. The size of the Super AMOLED panel is set at 5″ with HD resolution.

Under the hood, you get the same 1.2Ghz quad-core processor but with 2 GB worth RAM and 16 GB internal storage, which is expandable. The back features a 13 megapixel camera with Full HD 1080p video recording and LED Flash. The front also adorns a 5 megapixel camera.

You get 4G LTE and NFC for connectivity. A 2,300 mAh battery powers the phone up, which will also be available in 6 colours.

Pricing and availability details remain under the covers as of now.

With these two phones, it is good to see Samsung bringing its newly-found design language to the bottom-end market. If priced competitively, then there is hardly any doubt that these phones won’t turn out to be bestsellers.

Women are telling their stories

Thousands of women across the world are taking to social media to publicly say that they have been raped and never reported the crime.

In a show of solidarity and support, rape survivors mainly women and girls  are sharing their personal stories of rape. By doing it on social media, where most people use their real names and are easily identifiable, they are self-identifying as rape survivors.

It’s an incredibly powerful display that is also deeply saddening. Most of these survivors say they are sharing their stories for the first time, and could not come forward to the police.

What I see is  “The thing that’s interesting for us is that for a lot of women why they don’t report was more about social stigma than about fear of police or anything like that. The importance of this sort of activism is that it starts to shift that stigma and that shame."

Why is rape so under-reported?

Raise awareness about the reality of rape, but also shocking, as they show just how many people affected by sexual violence do not report the crime.

 In most cases it is the sense of shame and stigma that prevents women from coming forward but many people  also suggest that it is a lack of understanding and sensitivity on the police’s part.

One woman writes on Twitter: “Being raped was horrible. Trying to report it and then being made to feel it was my fault was worse.” Another tweets: “The police turned me away, saying I was too "young" to have it happen to me”, and one other woman shockingly posts: “I've been raped so many times I've lost count. The police and my university didn't believe me before, why would they now?”

The most common complaints are that police officers suggested the victim had drunk too much, or was “a jilted ex-girlfriend”, and a general lack of trust. It raises awareness over the reasons why rape survivors rarely report the crime, but more importantly, it shows that so many survivors do not go to the police. A 2012 Mumsnet survey suggested that 80 per cent of women do not report rape or sexual assault.

“It’s really, really difficult to report and it’s not something that every feels able to do,” “Survivors can feel a lot of pressure. Women feel it’s their responsibility to stop the perpetrator from doing it to someone else.”

If you have been affected by sexual violence, get in touch with the Rape Crisis. 

Review: Main Hoon Shahid Afridi

Watched MAIN HOON SHAHID AFRIDI last night.  Story was awesome and the direction was also good. Great effort and great output there are very few weaknesses but I think at initial stages its really ignorable. To all Indians  spewing hate. Leave us and our beloved cinema alone with your jealousy laden comments. We love our films and our heroes. If you cant be happy for us, please stay in India and build toilets for yourself please.

Mobile phone services to remain suspended on 8, 9, 10 Muharram

KARACHI: The interior ministry on Saturday decided to suspend mobile phone services in all major cities on the 8th, 9th and 10th of Muharram.

Contingents of the Pakistan Army, Rangers and FC personnel will be deployed for security purposes in all major cities, including Karachi.

Further, 12 helicopters from the wing of the interior ministry will also be on high alert for assistance of any untoward incident.

Army contingents began to make their way from Malir Cantt to perform security duties in Karachi.

“The contingents of Pakistan Army would be deployed at sensitive areas of the city,” security authorities said.

The Inter-Services Public Relations has not identified these areas, maintaining confidentiality for security reasons. However, it has been learnt that the army will be deployed in five sensitive localities of the city.

FIFA unveils 2018 World Cup emblem in Moscow

As World Cup 2014 buzz fades, Fifa gave football fans something to be excited about by unveiling the official emblem of the 2018 Fifa World Cup scheduled to take place in Russia, the official Fifa website reported.

Fifa President Blatter, Chairman of the Local Organising Committee Vitaly Mutko and captain of Italy’s 2006 World Cup winning side Fabio Cannavaro joined presenter Ivan Urgant for the occasion.

“The launch of the Emblem is a wonderful event to kick things off and I’m certain that the World Cup will be a success here in four years,” said Blatter.

The unveiling of the emblem was an extraordinary event which included three Russain astronauts revealing it from their space capsule in the Russian space station, “and subsequently the visual icon for the 2018 World Cup in Russia was brought into the television studio to rapturous applause.”

In an attempt to make the launch more grandiose, the emblem was projected on the historic Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.

With over three years to go kick-off of the tournament, the launch of the emblem has reignited the buzz surrounding the most anticipated footballing event.

Speaking about the design element behind the emblem, Miguel Viana, chief creative officer of Brandia central told Design Week: “apart from our own preconceptions, we dug really deep into russia’s identity. all of the research corroborated the idea that russia is the land of magic. a centuries-old culture, a fairytale-like architecture, the soul of its people, known by its determination and by the achievements that follow.”

The evening show Urgant Night Show was specially renamed Late Night Mundial and was converted into a stadium for the unveiling of the emblem.

“The band Fruits dressed in the shirts of the eight World Cup winning nations to date, formed a worthy backdrop to proceedings,” Fifa reported.

Agenda setting: PM orders curriculum overhaul for schools

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has directed the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to make amendments in the curriculum of compulsory subjects, such as Pakistan Studies, English and Urdu, of all schools, colleges and universities, after due consultation and approval of the provincial governments.

According to a hand-out issued by PM Office on Thursday, the proposed amendments will include chapters aimed at promoting the appreciation of the constitutional democracy for the country’s progress. It will also include merits of pluralism in international and national context.

The new curriculum will strengthen the knowledge base of students to counter misunderstandings surrounding constitutional democracy, the statement claims.

“It will also help to enhance appreciation of modes of accountability like judicial oversight, media, freedom of speech, right to information and elections,” it stated.

To achieve these objectives, the PM Office has directed the HEC to coordinate with academics, universities and publishers to develop, within two months, grade-appropriate material.

This content will include fables, essays, speeches, teaching guides, extra-curricular activities, examinations and other relevant interventions, for all classes from the earliest years to the university level. The curriculum is for both public and private institutions.

PM announces reduction in petrol prices by Rs9.43

ISLAMABAD: Petrol prices have been reduced by 9.43 rupees per litre to provide relief to public, the prime minister announced on Friday while addressing the special meeting of Cabinet in Islamabad.

The prime minister said the government is drastically reducing petroleum prices despite sit-ins and protests causing huge losses to the national economy.

“The government is committed to bring economic change in the country and provide relief to the people,” said the PM, adding that the country was moving towards economic stability, but sit-ins and protests had disrupted the development process.

Audit report

Earlier, rejecting an audit report on inflated electricity bills, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ordered concerned authorities to refund overcharged bill money to consumers.

The audit report submitted to the premier revealed that energy consumers were charged over Rs2 billion in over-billing in July.

The report was presented during a special cabinet meeting called to discuss the issue of over-billing and performance of various ministries particularly Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Ministry of Planning and Reform and Ministry of Railways.

According to the audit, the over-billing was a result of debt adjustment, wrong meter reading and incorrect bills.

The report, however, failed to hold any official responsible. The prime minister, however, rejected the report and called for a reassessment. Sources in PML-N said that the cabinet decided to form a high level committee to probe the saga.

Officials said the Cabinet meeting could continue for three days, and could possibly continue after Muharram and the prime minister’s visit to China in the first week of November.

Over-billing

Distribution companies, which install electricity meters, had allegedly put up meters which functioned at a fast pace, hence increasing electricity costs. However, power companies were reportedly not aware of this issue.

As per government policy, meter readings for July should be taken again and additional money should be repaid to the consumers.

Economic Growth

Commenting on the current economical state of the country, the PM said that there has been a halt in economic growth which Pakistan had begun to experience prior to the sit-in in the capital.

“The country would have been in a much better state economically. However, there are those who have been a hindrance to the country’s growth and development,” the PM said, while rejecting all rigging allegations made by protesters in Islamabad.

He attributed a good economy to reduced poverty, better streets, better projects and dams, and new motorways.

The premier stood firm in his stance that any given government should serve their five year term before the next government comes into power.

“If we finish our five year term, we will work on improving and building a better Pakistan. We will then be able to give the next government a more stable Pakistan to build and grow further,” the PM explained.

The PM expressed regret about the Chinese president postponing his visit to Pakistan and added that this has extended to the president of Maldives as well and Sri Lanka.

“Investors no longer want to come to Pakistan and the value of the rupee is declining,” the PM said regrettably.

PM Nawaz concluded by touching upon petrol prices and urged the chief ministers of all provinces to focus on reducing transport costs so that the public could reap the benefits of lower costs.

Bus drivers refuse to reduce shares

After the premier announced that petrol prices will be reduced, the Karachi Transport Ittehad (KTI) said that they will not reduce their fares until diesel prices aren’t brought down to Rs93.

The premier stated that only petroleum prices will be reduced, whereas roughly 90% of the public transport in Karachi is run on CNG and diesel. Hence, the KTI has decided not to reduce their fares.

Apple to officially launch iPhone in Pakistan by year end.

Apple is all set to launch iPhone in Pakistan by year end, I have confirmed with sources. An inaugural ceremony is being planned during late November or by December this year.

Apple has contracted with all cellular operators for the procurement of iPhones in the country, however, currently no operator has plans to offer iPhones on contracts i.e. phones with yearly agreements with subsidized rates  but I can confirm that all operators have partnered with Apple to make sure that their networks are officially configured to use iPhones.

With this, various Apple services that require partner networks to work will now be available to iPhone users in Pakistan.

For those who don’t know, iPhones are brought in Pakistan mostly through grey channels, that is, through other markets on individual or semi individual basis. Such import channels only push iPhone lovers to pay thousands of rupees extra to buy Apple’s smartphones in the country.

With this development, iPhone lovers will also be able to buy iPhones with official price tags  and with warranties right away when they are launched globally.

It is yet to be ascertained that which distribution mechanism Apple has planned for Pakistan, but we can confirm that cellular operators have plans to procure iPhones at the time of the launch. Meaning that, along with other distribution networks, cellular operators will be selling devices to their customers through their sales and service centres.

Expect more details on this development in coming few weeks.

Google Nexus 6, Nexus 9 & Nexus Player Steamer

#Google unveils #Nexus9 tablet, #Nexus6 phone, Nexus player steamer. The products will serve as the showcase devices for the latest version of #Android, Lollipop, until now nicknamed Android "L." If you're buying a Nexus 6 or Nexus 9, you can get Android Lollipop from November 3rd but if you already have a Nexus 5, 7 or 10, you should get it in a free over-the-air update in the "coming weeks"

Apple has unveiled two new smartphones

Apple has unveiled two new smartphones. The #iPhone6 and a larger model, the #iPhone6Plus The new 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is only 6.9mm thick, with the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus slightly thicker at 7.1mm. Both are thinner than the last iPhone, the 5S which measured 7.6mm thick.

iPhone 6

  iPhone 6Plus

Three cars were together

"We went to kolachi for dinner 2 nights ago, whole family. All three cars were together, till nueplex, my brother and others decided to stop for movie tickets. I was driving, my dad and Aunty were with me, as it was getting quite late, was 1:10 am already, we decided to move on, leaving two cars behind.

Okay, so the place I am talking about is next lane of nueplex, which goes towards Ithaad. Street was pitch dark, no street lights nothing, all was good until we were almost half way on that road. A new corolla came from behind, on full speed, I was on the fast lane, considering they were in a rush, I gave them space, instead of moving on, they slowed their car, and came right next to my driving side, slowing their speed, man ( who was around 30 plus years old wearing shalwar kameez) rolled down his window trying to say something, which I didn't understand at first, but when I looked closely, he had a gun with silencer, in his hand, and was telling me to stop, straightaway. I put my foot on the accelerator hard, decided not to stop, he fired on the car, on my door. I left them behind me, and since the road is narrow, they were trying hard to over take the car, but I tried not to give any space to them, until a point came, where was a lane going on the left, there they came ahead us, and stopped the car in front of ours. The man from the back seat got off, proceeding towards us. I don't know how, but Allah swt, gave me the strength, and courage to do it. I decided not to give up, put the car in the reverse gear on full speed, the man got shocked, and ran back to sit in his car. I went into that lane on left which came before, it was dark, all dark nothing could be seen, I turned off the cars lights so that they cannot trace us, I don't know how in that darkness, Allah swt showed me the way, to get out from there, and escape, leaving them behind. Else there was no hope, at all. Khair the whole purpose of writing this is that, there were 5 men in that car with guns, and Allah knows what their intentions were. I would have stopped and not taken the risk, if they were on bikes, and simple mobile snatchers. But when I saw their faces, It looked different, worse. I don't want to say the feelings I got, worst endless possiblities I can think of. They could be there for kidnapping or Allah knows what. Later, I got to know that there had been a lot of kidnapping happening in that area, and they are targeting female drivers, and families. I would not have written this, but I just realised, that there are night shows happening at nueplex, and mostly couples and families, go to those shows, and am sure many take that route. Please AVOID !! What I went through, I don't want anyone else to go through it. Chase lasted for 10 minutes. Those were the worst 10 minutes of our lives, may Allah doesn't make anyone else go through it. P.S those who think I should have stopped the car, and not tried to run away please ignore such comments! I agree there was risk involved in this, but I did what I felt was right, in that moment, and Allah guided me, and dua'as of elders saved us. If I would have stopped the car, it would have been a lot worse, and God forbid, but I might not have been there to write this. And at that moment getting out of there, taking my family out of that situation securely was my priority."

Review: Entertainment 2014

Akshay Kumar's 'Entertainment' is dull and loud, with a brow so lowered that it reaches the floor. Entertainment serves trash in the garb of entertaining you. As competent as I think Sajid Farhad are, their film making skills doesn't reflect their prowess over good writing. Jokes kept flowing thick for the first 15 minutes and everything after that was drab. If you are solely depending on the dog’s cuteness factor for relishing the film, I would recommend a bountiful experience at a dog show for you. Some films don’t deserve audiences, after 140 minutes of sparse laughs and sheer drudgery, I can safely say Entertainment is one of them and take harebrained to another dimension altogether!

Google Introduces Android L

Google has released its new flavour of android named as “Android L” on this year’s Google I/O Conference.

The newer version definitely packs up some major improvements, that is visually and some under the hood goodies which includes New UI, better performance, better graphics, better integration with other devices, transition effects, animations, ART Runtime, battery life, notifications etc.

Google finally has realized that their Holo-Theme UI is getting pretty boring and they need to come up with some thing new, the Android L brings new looks to its interface which is more flatter, colorful, minimalistic and simple.

This new design is called “Material Design” and we definitely had a little hint about this new UI from Google. Material design packs up new Roboto font and some new animations that offer easier transitions between apps, in addition to making the end user experience a whole lot more enjoyable than ever before.

Even the soft-keys button design have been changed.

Recent apps menu has been revamped and now shows cards that show what recently opened apps were with the content also being displayed in the cards and would also show the chrome tabs in the same recent menu.

Better Notifications

Google stressed upon the notifications a lot this time. They’ve revamped the notification system and changed the way of interaction with notifications.

The enhanced notifications system now shows the most important ones on top and hides ones that are not top-priority. The notifications will now pop up on an open application so that you can interact with it without opening the notification bar.

The lock screen will feature a range of notifications that can interacted by different gestures and tapping. Plus notifications will now appear on top of an opened app.

Better Search System

Search is now more integrated with the device as the Android L will bring additional improvements like, Google emphasized their ‘rediscovery’ feature, meaning that Google Search will now show you search-results on the basis of what you’ve searched before. It means that the search would actually learn your interests and on the basis of those it would give you further search results.

Navigation result would also be affected accordingly.

Integration and Pairing with Other Devices

With Android L you’ll get better integration between your phone and smart-watch. Plus another really interesting feature is also introduced by Google, which is that whenever your phone detects your smart watch near it, the phone will automatically unlock itself rather than asking you to enter the whole code again.

The devices would build smart connection between devices (that run on Android) which would allow for seamless transition between form factors. This means that the game you were playing on your Android L-based smartphone or tablet will be seamlessly available for play on your Android TV or perhaps even your Chromebook.

Android L has ART Runtime plus it’s 64-Bit ready Now

ART runtime was initially introduced in Kit Kat as an optional runtime in Developers options. But with Android L Google is officially making its transition to the ART runtime and would replace the aging Dalvikruntime.

In general the ART is more efficient over Dalvik and would boost performance because ART will bring (Ahead-Of-Time) execution of apps, while Dalvik uses JIT (Just-In-Time), meaning that code is executed when you start the app. On the bit of dark side of the ART It would require more space for apps.

ART is entirely 64-bit, so it can take advantage of new apps written from the ground-up for 64-bit processing architecture. It will also allow much larger RAM memory to be installed on newer devices, So future High-end phones will sport 3 GB of RAM or more.

Project Volta and Battery Saver mode

A simple rule applies in the battery life “The more you use the more you loose” but by handling the power eating various subsystem of device the battery life could be increased.

Google has introduced Project Volta which aims to increase battery life by handling WiFi, GPS etc. Another feature is added which is called Battery historian. It gives a detailed history of when the battery was drained and what exactly caused the battery depletion to help developers identify features that affect battery life too much. So expect Android Apps to be more battery efficient now.

With the android L the Google is also introducing a better battery saving mode which would have an energy-efficient mode which simply limits your handset’s performance by lowering processor clockspeed and the display’s refresh rate.

According to Google, a Nexus 5 gets extra 1.5 hours of on-screen battery life with the new battery saving mode on.

Screens from Android L

Google Announces Android One for Developing Markets

I/O developer 2014 conference in San Francisco revealed that Google wants Android to be a part of your life.

The company announced Android L, the next version of the mobile operating system. Android Wear, a custom version of the OS specifically tailored for smartwatches, Android TV and Android Auto, which allows Android smartphones to project data to the vehicle’s dashboard screen.

Android has now more than 1 billion active users around the globe and the company is aiming to reach out to the next five billion smartphone users.

For the purpose Google has announced “Android One“, which is described as a reference platform to help smartphone manufacturers build affordable devices with much ease. Google’s engineers will identify and design low cost hardware and the OEMs will manufacture it.

These low cost devices will be running stock Android, just like Nexus with Google Play. Which means users will get automatic software updates as well as recommended apps from Play Auto-installs.

Google is starting the One program from India with three manufacturers including, Micromax, Karbonn and Spice. The sample device features a 4.5-inch screen, Dual camera, Dual SIM, SD card slot and FM radio.

The details about processor and memory haven’t been revealed but if Google is in the control of both hardware and software, we can expect that these devices will perform much better than other low end smartphones.

There is no word on the expansion of this program to other developing countries including Pakistan. But we wish that it will happen soon as the dilemma of low end smartphone users in Pakistan is that they never get software updates and the performance of these devices is usually terrible.

Hamshakals Review

Watched Hamshakals today at Nueplex Cinemas It proves Sajid Khan is out of ideas. I mean he has no idea at all. Sajid Khan has issued a clarification that it was not him but his humshakal who directed the film. He is working on a film No-Akal. People are equally responsible for Bollywood churning out crappy movies directed by hacks with zero talent and skills and I thought that there could be no worse movie than Himmatwala, only Sajid Khan could've topped that claim and Saif Ali Khan looks so out of place doing this comedy. 0/10 I have never seen this type of movie in my life. I think Sajid should join a mental hospital.