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.