All-out help to make PIA best airlines: PM

 

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif said on Sunday that all-out help would be extended to make the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) the best airlines.

He visited the newly-acquired A-320 aircraft by the PIA that could start the renaissanceof the national flag carrier. Nawaz expressed joy over the deal and said it was pleasing to see the new aircraft being inducted into the PIA fleet. He said with the present initiatives being taken, PIA shall soon be revived to its past glory.


Nawaz took a round of the aircraft that was parked at the Islamabad International Airport. It is the first of the 14 most sophisticated aircraft being acquired by the PIA.The French-made A-320 is the first aircraft that the PIA has acquired in 10 years as the last purchase was the wide-bodied Boeing 777 in 2004, which had ruined the economy of the airline as it wasn’t cost effective. There are allegations that the then president and prime minister got heavy commissions in that deal. The airline is still paying heavy installments of that plane.


Sources said Boeing 777 was bought against the experts advice by allegedly changing the decision of the PIA board overnight by the then president. Nawaz was greeted by the PIA employees when he arrived at the airport. Interestingly, the prime minister had approved the inclusion of 14 new aircraft into the PIA fleet.


Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Aviation Shujaat Azeem, Managing Director PIA Muhammad Junaid Yunus and Director Flight Operations PIA Captain Qasim Hayat accompanied the prime minister.


Shujaat Azeem briefed the prime minister that the airline was also in the process of inducting 14 aircraft into its fleet, including the narrow body, wide body and turbo-prop aircraft. The airline has placed an order for three A320 aircraft with GECAS of which one aircraft had been received while the remaining two will be delivered next month and in September. The remaining aircraft will be inducted in the near future.


The Airbus A320 has a seating capacity of 180. The aircraft will be in operation immediately. Visiting the aircraft, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said he would like to see more Pakistanis traveling with the national flag carrier, which should be the preferred choice of passengers.

Egypt govt to quit, Sisi to make cabinet changes: media

CAIRO: Egypt´s military-installed government was due to resign Monday, with new President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi expected to make changes to the cabinet on his first day in office, media reported.

The ex-army chief was sworn in on Sunday, nearly a year after ousting elected president Mohamed Morsi after millions protested against the Islamist´s divisive one year rule.

"The cabinet ended its last meeting on Monday morning ... during which it prepared its letter of resignation to be presented to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi," state news agency MENA reported.

Egyptian newspapers reported that Sisi is expected to ask interim prime minister Ibrahim Mahlab to continue in his post, but could make minor changes to the cabinet.

The government installed by Sisi, who has been the de facto leader since he ousted Morsi, has carried out a brutal crackdown on the former president´s Muslim Brotherhood in which more than 1,400 people have been killed and thousands more jailed.

Hours after his inauguration, Sisi, in a warning to the now blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood, said there will be "no leniency and truce with those who resort to violence".

"I am looking to a new era built on reconciliation and tolerance.. except with those who committed crimes or used violence as a tool," he said on Sunday in his first national address as president.

"I am saying clearly that those who shed the blood of the innocent and killed ... the sons of Egypt, they don´t have a place in (our) march."

At his inauguration, Western countries alarmed by the brutal police crackdown on dissent were represented mostly by low-level representatives.

Sisi becomes Egypt´s second elected president since a popular uprising overthrew longtime strongman Hosni Mubarak in 2011, unleashing more than three years of political turmoil.

Pakistan juniors make winning start at Asian snooker

MOHALI: Pakistan beat India in their opening match of the Asian Junior Snooker Championship in Mohali.

Pakistan’s Mohammad Majid Ali beat India’s Nikhil Sehgal 4-0.

In another match Pakistan’s Harris Nadeem beat Hong Kong’s Ming Wing Wa 4-3.

Oliver Stone to make Snowden film

LONDON: Oliver Stone is to make a film about fugitive US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, based on a book by a British journalist, it was announced Monday.

Luke Harding, the author of "The Snowden Files: The Inside Story Of The World's Most Wanted Man", said on Twitter that the US film-maker has bought the movie rights to the book.

Harding, who writes for British newspaper The Guardian, said Stone would write and direct the film with his long-term producing partner Moritz Borman.

"I'm thrilled and delighted," the journalist said.

Stone, an Oscar-winning director whose films include "Wall Street", "JFK", and "Nixon", said he was looking forward to making the film.

"This is one of the greatest stories of our time. A real challenge," he said.

The Guardian said Stone had begun writing the screenplay, while Borman was "fast-tracking it as a major European co-production" to start filming before the end of the year.

Harding and other Guardian journalists are due to act as production and story consultants.

"The story of Edward Snowden is truly extraordinary, and the unprecedented revelations he brought to light have forever transformed our understanding of -- and relationship with -- government and technology," said Alan Rusbridger, The Guardian's editor-in-chief.

"We're delighted to be working with Oliver Stone and Moritz Borman on the film."

Snowden is wanted by the American authorities for leaking series of US intelligence secrets, and is currently living in Russia. His US passport has been revoked.

Snowden has said he is open to the possibility of clemency or amnesty and would like to return home one day.

But he maintains he carried out a patriotic act by exposing huge surveillance dragnets he said infringed the US Constitution.

Washington says Snowden is welcome to return home but only to face trial for exposing sensitive top secret information it says aided US enemies.

The Stone film is not the only one being made about Snowden, based on a Guardian writer's book.

Sony Pictures Entertainment said last month it has acquired the rights to the new book by Glenn Greenwald, who led the Pulitzer Prize-winning team at The Guardian that covered the story.

James Bond franchise producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli will make the movie version of "No Place to Hide", described as "a political film that will resonate with today's moviegoers."

Aussies make successful start to World Cup title defense

HAGUE: Title defenders Australia have started their hockey World Cup campaign in the Netherlands with a 4-0 win over Malaysia in the opening match on Saturday.

Playing in The Hague, Glenn Turner put the Kookaburras ahead in the 25th minute before three goals in a four-minute spell in the second.

Eddie Ockenden doubled the lead on 50 minutes and Jamie Dwyer put his name on the score sheet a couple of minutes later.

Turner added his second goal when converting a penalty corner to extend the lead to 4-0.

Later on Saturday, Belgium will take on India with England playing Spain in the men's competition.

PAF role crucial to make country’s defence invincible: COAS

SARGODHA: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif has said Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has a crucial role to make the country's defence invincible.

He was addressing the ceremony regarding induction of Fourth Squadron of F-16 planes into PAF fleet at Mushaf Airbase in Sargodha Wednesday.

The army chief said the induction of these aircrafts would further increase the professional capabilities of the PAF.

He said role of Mushaf Airbase is immensely important in the country's defense.

Lauding the cooperation of Royal Jordanian Air Force and the Kingdom of Jordan, the Army Chief said this initiative would strengthen the existing historic bonds between the two countries.

Earlier, Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshall Tahir Rafique Butt in his address said addition of new squadron in the fleet will increase PAF's capacity in combating both internal as well as external challenges.

He thanked the prime minister for giving go ahead to complete this project despite financial constraints.

Will commission on Hamid Mir make history?

LAHORE: As Premier Nawaz Sharif formed a judicial commission to probe into the attempt on Hamid Mir’s life, over 180 million Pakistanis are now hoping against hope that this investigating body will at least succeed in making history by helping them learn the vital facts and will not opt to place this file in the cold storage in line with past practice.

Innumerable commissions have been established in Pakistan since its inception, but no one has actually possessed thecourage to shed light on various national disasters, tragedies and losses that have rocked the country. This is totally contrary to what happens in countries like India, United States and Israel, where both governments and militaries have gone a long way in discovering the truths by evaluating the facts placed before them and without taking recourse to any expediency.

The journalist community is still perplexed about who may have killed investigative newsman Saleem Shahzad in May 2011 because the findings of the Justice Saqib Nisar Commission set up after his death continue to remain a mystery.

The Saleem Shahzad case thus stands buried and forgotten despite the fact that the learned judge had finalised his report on January 9, 2012 and had submitted it to then Prime Minister the very next day.

Pakistanis are also clueless as to what may have led to the dsmemberment of their country in 1971; who may have benefited from the 1988 Ojhri Camp catastrophe and who may have orchestrated General Zia-ul Haq’s plane crash in 1988.

Remember, the Hamoodur Rahman Commission had analysed the probable lapses of country’s Army during the East Pakistan debacle of 1971. It did reportedly come up with a lot of intriguing and explosive facts, but the actual truth remains a black hole.

This Commission was set up under Justice Hamoodur Rahman (the then Chief Justice of the Supreme Court). The other two members of the Commission were Justice Anwar-ul-Haque of Supreme Court and Justice Tufail Ali Abdul Rehman Zubedi (the former Chief Justice of the High Court of Sindh and Balochistan).

This Commission had unveiled a host of factors behind the killing of thousands of Bangladeshis, besides unmasking the powerful men behind the rampant rape incidents, smuggling and looting of banks in East Pakistan.

After cross-examining nearly 300 witnesses, this Commission had also recommended dozens of court-martials and trial of top army officers, but no heed was paid to its suggestions. Justice Hamoodur Rahman, who had also served a member of the International Court of Arbitration at The Hague (Holland), had finally submitted his report on October 23, 1974.

His illustrious son Justice Iqbal Hameed ur Rahman will now be looking into the factors and motives leading to the attack on Hamid Mir.Apart from fixing responsibilities on key Army officials, the top arbiter of his time had also blamed the then Premier Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for the East Pakistan fiasco. However, as was expected of him, Bhutto had gone on to accuse the Enquiry Commission of exceeding its jurisdiction.

Even General Zia ul Haq, Bhutto’s worst enemy, could not publish this report during his 10-year long reign owing to certain expediencies.

Similarly, the Ojhri Camp truth continues to remain locked up in dusty files for the last 25 years, despite the fact that the havoc caused by this disaster is still fresh in most memories.

On April 10, 1988, the Ojhri Ammunition Depot in Rawalpindi’s Faizabad area had blown up and over 100 people were killed by the free-flying missiles and projectiles.

An investigation was thus conducted into this tragedy on orders of then Premier Mohammad Khan Junejo, but the findings of General Imranullah Khan had met the same fate as did the Hamoodur Rehman Commission Report.

A Parliamentary Commission, headed by politician Aslam Khattak, was also given the same task at the same time. There is a theory that General Zia had dismissed the Junejo government on May 29, 1988, for the Premier’s ‘sin’ of trying to ‘uncover the reality.’

Interestingly, successive regimes of Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif and General Musharraf also could not make this report public during their tenures. The outgoing Asif Zardari-led PPP government and now Nawaz Sharif in his third tenure, have also chosen to look the other way on this issue of paramount national importance.

Four years after General Zia-ul-Haq’s plane had crashed near Bahawalpur in August 1998, the then Premier Nawaz Sharif had decided to form an enquiry commission under a Supreme Court judge called Justice Shafiur Rehman.

Though Justice Shafi had reportedly accused the Pakistan Army of obstructing his work, the body headed by him did not clearly blame the Pakistan Army for General Zia’s death.

Despite the fact that General Zia’s son Ijaz-ul-Haq had repeatedly been accusing General Aslam Beg (his father’s successor as the Army Chief) for the mystifying plane crash; the Shafiur Rehman Commission could just look into the possibilities of the involvement of the Shias, Americans or the Ahmedis in the disaster.

This Commission had examined all the three likely possibilities, but dismissed all of them in the end. Although this Commission was convinced that the air crash was an act of sabotage that had killed 30 senior Pakistani army officers and two important Americans, even an ordinary Pakistani had reached the same conclusion.

No responsibilities were hence fixed by this toothless body and mystery continues to shroud Zia’s death, even though quarter of a century has gone by.Last but not least, the report of the Abbottabad Commission, authored by Justice Javaid Iqbal, was submitted to the then Pakistani Premier on January 4, 2013.

Formed in June 2011, this commission was supposed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad. Upon submission, the report was immediately labeled as “classified” by the then prime minister and its findings were not made public.

This report reportedly had scrutinised more than 3,000 documents pertaining to the raid by US forces to kill Osama on May 2, 2011.

The previous Pakistani government had declared the contents of this report as “Classified,” but it was released by “Al-Jazeera” on July 8, 2013.

The four-member Abbottabad Commission had interviewed 201 people, including the country’s intelligence leaders, in an effort to piece together the events around the May 2011 American raid.

This body had held 52 hearings and had conducted seven field visits, but an ordinary Pakistani citizen remains unaware of its findings to a large extent.

The history of such enquiry commissions dates back to 1780, when a British Army Major, John Andre, was executed for espionage and conspiracy during the American Revolution on orders of General George Washington, who had later become the first US President in 1789.

The first documented use of enquiry commissions was recorded during the Mexican-American War in 1847 and then thousands of people were prosecuted during the American Civil War (1861-65), Reconstruction Era (1865-77), the Spanish-American War of 1898 and the World War II (1939-45).

During its post-independence history, India has formed quite a few enquiry commissions too. In 1950, a bureaucrat A. D. Gorwala was asked by Government of India to recommend improvements in governance. In his report, Gorwala had made an observation that quite a few of Nehru’s ministers were corrupt and that government patronised its cronies.

The Santhanam Committee, which was appointed by the Government in 1962 to examine the issue of corruption, had observed in its 1964 report: “There is widespread impression that failure of integrity is not uncommon among ministers and that some ministers, who have held office during the last 16 years have enriched themselves illegitimately, obtained good jobs for their sons and relations through nepotism and have reaped other advantages inconsistent with any notion of purity in public life.”

The Liberhan Commission was formed in December 1992 to investigate the Babri Masjid dispute in Ayodhya. After 17 years, the report of this longest-running Indian Commission was finally submitted to Premier Manmohan Singh on June 30, 2009. The commission was given 48 deadline extensions and had cost Rs80 million.

The report had held Kalyan Singh, the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, responsible for posting bureaucrats and police officers who had remained silent during the mosque’s demolition, besides accusing him of dismantling the security apparatus and infrastructure.

It had also accused the Kalyan Singh regime of lying consistently to the courts and to the people of India. The Liberhan Commission had also blamed senior BJP leaders Atal Behari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani, Uma Bharti and Murli Manohar Joshi etc of being intellectually and ideologically responsible for the mosque’s destruction.

The report had said that although Vajpayee, Prime Minister in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, was not present on December 6, 1992 when the mosque was brought down, it could not be assumed that Vajpayee, Advani and others did not know of the designs of the people who had brought the mosque down.

The Liberhan Report had come under severe criticism from the Hindus especially, for being biased and rhetorical in nature. The Justice Thakkar Commission was set up to probe into Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984. It had recommended a separate probe for the conspiracy angle behind the assassination.

Leading Indian magazine “Outlook” had viewed in its April 13, 1998 edition that Justice Thakkar had himself recommended that some parts of his report should not be made public.

The Justice M.C. Jain Commission was formed to probe into the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. This is how the “Outlook” magazine of April 1998 had looked at this commission’s report:”What did the Jain Commission’s interim report on the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case achieve, besides enabling our politicians to thrust an election on the country? It got 12 extensions and took six years to complete the probe-Jain wasn’t given an extension when his term expired on February 28. Now, more than a month after he submitted his final report, it’s still with the government.”

The Indian magazine had gone on to write: “In the days of Nehru and the old Congress, inquiry panels had a better fate. The M.C. Chagla Commission, which took up the Life Insurance Corporation scam, is unique in more ways than one-as it is the only Commission that submitted its report in less than a month.”

After the Kargil conflict of 1999, the Atal Behari Vajpayee government had constituted a Kargil Review Committee to peek into the causes of the conflict and analyse the perceived Indian intelligence failures.

This committee, chaired by eminent strategic affairs analyst K Subrahmanyam, even had the powers to interview former prime ministers.

Though the Subrahmanyam Report had led to massive restructuring of the Indian Intelligence, it was slated in media for not fixing the responsibilities of the intelligence lapses.

This Commission had even indicted a few high-ranking Indian Army officials for not reporting Pakistan Army’s war moves in time.

The Justice Phukan Commission was set up to investigate the allegations of corruption in the wake of the controversy generated by the Tehelka tapes in March 2001. The expose had led to the resignation of the then Defence Minister, George Fernandez.

However, in May 2005, “The Newsweek” had reported that Justice Phukan along with his wife and eight officials used Indian Air Force plane and went to Pune and Mumbai etc.

India had also established some enquiry commissions to probe into the 2002 Gujarat violence, which had started after the burning of the Godhra train on February 27, 2002.

After 58 Hindu pilgrims were burnt alive in their train apartment at the city of Godhra in Gujarat state, communal riots had sparked off—killing 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus.

These events, which also led to burning of 298 shrines, 205 mosques, 17 temples and 3 churches, had forced the Indian government to set up a few commissions like the Shah-Nanavati commission.

In 2008, the Shah-Nanavati commission came out in favour of the Gujarat government and both Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Indian National Congress party had come out protesting against the exoneration of the Narendra Modi regime.

The Congress had lashed out at the Commission for absolving the Gujarat government, viewing it should have been held accountable for complacency for the carnage.

The Banerjee Committee, set up in 2004 to probe the Godhra train fire, had concluded that the fire was accidental.

However, after its findings were challenged by the BJP and the Gujarat Police, the court ruled in 2006 that the panel was illegal.

The Concerned Citizens Tribunal, headed by retired Supreme Court justice Krishna Iyer, also investigated the Gujrat violence and accused Chief Minister Narendr Modi of complicity in the violence.

Opposition parties reacted and demanded the dismissal of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for failing to curb the violence.

A few others called for the removal of Union Home Minister L. K. Advani also.

The Pradhan Inquiry Commission was appointed by the Maharashtra Government on December 30, 2008, to probe the response to the November 26, 2008 Mumbai attacks.

The committee submitted its report to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra in April 2009, but the government did not release it initially, citing security concerns.

The Pradhan Inquiry Commission report said that since the Maharashtra police had not experienced a direct commando attack, such as the 2001 Parliament attack or 2002 Akshardham temple attack, so they were only thinking of stealth bomb attacks

The Pradhan Committee said it did not find any serious lapses in the conduct of any individual police officer and generously appreciated the law enforcement agencies.

It observed that the managements of the Taj and the Oberoi Hotel did not implement certain important security advice given to them by the local authorities.

In American history, 10 official inquiries were conducted into the Japanese attack on the Pearl Harbour attack on December 7, 1941.

Ever since the Japanese attack, there has been debate as to how and why the United States had been caught off guard and how much knowledge did the Americans have about the Japanese offensive.

All the 10 official inquiries into this incident had reported incompetence, underestimation and misapprehension of Japanese capabilities and intentions, problems resulting from excessive secrecy about cryptography and dearth of intelligence manpower.

The 9/11 Commission, which was set up to prepare a comprehensive account of the circumstances leading to the September 11, 2001 attacks, had concluded that the intelligence failures of the American CIA and FBI had contributed largely to these terrorist offensives.

In November 1963, the then US President Lyndon Johnson had appointed a Commission on the assassination of his predecessor, John Kennedy.

This Commission, headed by the then US Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, is thus also known as the Warren Commission.

Its 888-page final report was presented to President Johnson on September 24, 1964, and made public three days later.

The Warren Commission had concluded that Kennedy’s killer, Lee Harvey Oswald, had acted alone and that a man called Jack Ruby had murdered Oswald during the trial.

The Commission’s findings have been dubbed controversial by many during the last 48 years and hundreds of conspiracy theories have surfaced since.

In Israel, the Agranat commission probing the failures of the country’s 1973 Arab War had given a clean chit to the then Prime Minister Golda Meir and the Defence Minister Moshe Dayan and had blamed Army for the debacle.

The report’s contents were so scandalous that the public rose up against them.

Resultantly, the commission’s report was rejected and Premier Golda Meir and her Defence Minister Moshe Dayan were forced to resign.

On April 30, 2007, the Justice Dr Winograd-led Inquiry Commission had submitted its interim findings about Israel’s 2006 military attack on Lebanon to the then Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

The Commission had held Olmert responsible for the failures, observing that the Premier had made up his mind hastily, without studying the complex features of the Lebanese military, without asking for a detailed military plan and without any systematic consultation with others.

According to the Israeli Government Press Office, the Commission had further observed, “We impose the primary responsibility for these failures on the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defence (Amir Peretz)

Efforts to make Hijazi SECP chief, disregarding law

ISLAMABAD: Govt is heading towards appointing Zafar-ul-Haq Hijazi as chairman SECP but rules bar him from holding this post as he has already served two terms as commissioner, it is reliably learnt.

For this purpose the government has re-advertised the vacancy in the national dailies on March 23, 2014.It has been learnt that the commission constituted for the appointment of heads of the state-run enterprises reportedly had interviewed seven short-listed candidates for the slot and sent their profiles with comments. However, instead of forwarding the process further, the government withdrew this responsibility from the commission through a notification issued on March 7.

Rana Asad Amin, advisor to the ministry of finance, when contacted, said, “The notification of appointment of the commissioner/chairman SECP through the commission has been withdrawn to ensure transparency in the appointment process. The government has already withdrawn such notifications of almost 30 state-run enterprises and companies. The government has decided to make the appointments according to the rules that are already prescribed in the Act of the SECP and the CCP”.

“In order to ensure transparency in the process of appointment of chairman SECP the government would re-advertise the position after which suitable and competent persons would be appointed as heads of these institutions,” he commented.

Well-placed official sources informed this correspondent that the process for hiring of chairman/commissioner SECP is being revised only to adjust Mr. Zafar Hijazi, who was not short-listed by the commission because he did not qualify for the position after completing two terms as commissioner SECP.

It is said that Zafar Hijazi is friend of an important personality and worked with him previously. Sources close to the government said Hijazi is a competent person and has vast relevant experience. He is also a man of integrity, they said.

Hijazi was appointed as commissioner SECP in 1999. He then served two consecutive terms as commissioner SECP and his second term ended in 2004. During the last days of his second term, Mr Hijazi also obtained a legal opinion from the Law Division regarding his appointment in the SECP as commissioner for a third term. The then Secretary Law gave a written opinion that the SECP Act 1997 is not clear regarding the appointment of commissioner/chairman for third consecutive term and Mr Hijazi could be appointed for the third term. The copy of this legal opinion is available with The News.

Despite completion of his tenure he did not leave his office and sent a summery to the office of the prime minister to secure the third term. He continued to serve for five months after the expiry of his term without pay. Thereafter the then Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz rejected his candidature due to the objection from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

It is pertinent to mention here that the SECP was formed under $500 million capital market development loan of the ADB. The ADB was of view that the appointment of a commissioner for the third term is against the essence of the law and would undermine the independence of the regulatory body. It will also pave way for the heads of other regulatory bodies to occupy the positions for an indefinite period. The rule of maximum two terms for commissioners/members is the same for CCP, PEMRA, NEPRA, OGRA etc.

Sources in the finance ministry said that the old controversial legal opinion of a former secretary law is being cited to appoint Mr Hijazi as the chairman of the SECP.

When contacted, Zafar Hijazi confirmed that he got an opinion from the Law Division regarding the possibility of getting appointed for the third term as chairman SECP. “The Law division gave the opinion that the law is not clear on the number of terms for the appointment of the SECP commissioner, and a person could be appointed commissioner and chairman SECP for more than two terms”, said Hijazi. However, he refused to comment when asked if he will accept the responsibility if appointed chairman SECP by the government.

The SECP Act 1997 is very much clear about the tenure of SECP chairman and commissioners which states, “The Federal Government shall appoint one of the Commissioners to be the Chairman of the Commission, and no Commissioner shall be appointed Chairman for more than two consecutive terms”.

It is pertinent to mention here that in more than nine months the PML-N government has failed to appoint CEOs of over 28 state-run enterprises. All these institutions and departments are being run by the acting CEOs including SECP, PSM, PSO, OGDCL, SNGPL, SSGC, Pepco and many others.

Six things that make Nokia X stand out among Androids

The Nokia X series phones will rely upon an open version of the Android mobile software system created by Google that has become the world's most popular software used in smartphones.

Just weeks after the launch of Nokia’s first ‘Android phone’ – Nokia X – at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the company has brought the phone to India. Priced at Rs 8,599 (best buy), the phone is available for purchase starting today (March 10).
Although Nokia X is based on Android, it is very different from other phones in the market that work on the Google’s OS. Here are six ways in which the Nokia X is different from the crowd.
ANDROID SANS GOOGLE
Nokia X’s operating system has been built on Android Open Source Project (AOSP). This is just a fraction of Google’s OS seen in many of today’s phones. AOSP doesn’t come with proprietary Google code and hence, Google apps such as Play Store, Google Maps, etc, will not be available on Nokia X. Over the years, Google has been linking several key features to Google Play Services, which isn’t available under AOSP. If an app makes use of any of these features, Nokia X won’t be able to run it.
For further information on the limitations of AOSP, you can read two articles on the subject at Ars Technica. One is about Google’s iron grip on Android and the other explains why forking Android is not the best idea.
DISTINCT MICROSOFT FLAVOUR
Nokia X comes with a customised tile-based interface that reminds of Windows Phone. Couple that with Microsoft services such as OneDrive, Outlook and Nokia’s own Here Maps, and it’s easy to mistake this phone for a Windows Phone device.
Nokia said it is working on an easy way to migrate your data from the Nokia X to Lumia phones. More details on that should be available in the coming weeks.

along with a Nokia app store, where you can download many other apps and games. You can also sideload apps (download the .apk file and install), but that may not be a great idea because the app may not be optimised for the device. Nokia allows you to access third-party Android app stores to download apps that aren’t available on the Nokia store.

BUILD QUALITY
At the launch event in New Delhi, a Nokia representative threw the phone down from a height of five feet and even banged it against wooden surface. The Nokia X didn’t break and continued to work smoothly after that. Of course, it doesn’t mean that you’ll be able to claim warranty if you manage to break your Nokia X. Still, the demo was interesting and we will definitely test the build quality as soon as Nokia sends us a review unit.
Overall, Nokia’s phone is in the news because it stands out. There is no dearth of Android phones in the market, but the Nokia X is definitely going to grab eyeballs.

FAST LANE
Nokia X just has one button below its touchscreen display. This is a back button that looks identical to the one on new Asha series phones. It’s not surprising that Nokia also brought the Fast Lane interface from Asha to the X. Fast Lane gives you quick access to your favourite actions, whether it is playing music or calling. It also keeps you updated on upcoming events from your calendar.
FIXED FOCUS
The Nokia X’s camera does not have auto-focus, which is a bit baffling considering the phone’s price. The Lumia 520 costs less than the X and comes with auto-focus. If you love photography, then the Nokia X’s camera is going to prove a little restrictive.
THE APP MARKET
The biggest concern, however, is availability of apps. Nokia ships the phone with apps such as Facebook and Opera,

PM pledges protection of women rights to make them valuable citizens

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has said that his government is committed to ensuring empowerment of women as their participation in all walks of life is necessary for sustainable development.
"This is our national duty to protect the interests of women and provide them equal opportunities without any discrimination. I reaffirm my pledge for protection of women's rights in the country to make them valuable citizens and productive members of the society," said the Prime Minister in his message on the occasion of International Women Day, observed on Saturday.
He expressed the pleasure that Pakistani nation also joined the international community in celebrating the International Women's Day.
He said being a state party to the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Pakistan was committed to implement its provisions in true spirit. The government has already taken concrete measures to ensure women's rights as envisaged in the CEDAW, he added.
The Prime Minister said being cognizant of the situation of women, the government was continuously undertaking reforms so as to enable women to participate in all walks of life.
He said Pakistan had enacted effective legislation to address women issues with a view to safeguard their rights.
"I am glad to note that the Ministry of Law, Justice and Human Rights is making all out efforts for protection and promotion of women's rights in collaboration with all the relevant stakeholders," he said.
Nawaz Sharif said he felt pride in stating that Pakistani women were participating in all sectors and many of them had excelled in their respective fields, not only in Pakistan, but also on the international level.
He urged all concerned to sincerely undertake legislative, administrative and social sector reforms to further create an enabling environment for women.
He also appreciated the UN agencies and non-governmental organizations for their efforts for continuously advocating and highlighting the women's rights and hoped that they would continue pursuing this important mission with the same zeal and vigour.

US envoys to make climate change priority: Kerry

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State John Kerry has called on American ambassadors around the world to make the fight against climate change a top priority ahead of new UN talks next year.

In his first department-wide policy guidance statement since taking office a year ago, he told his 70,000 staff: "The environment has been one of the central causes of my life."

"Protecting our environment and meeting the challenge of global climate change is a critical mission for me as our country's top diplomat," Kerry said in the letter issued on Friday to all 275 US embassies and across the State Department.

"It's also a critical mission for all of you: our brave men and women on the frontlines of direct diplomacy," he added in the document seen by AFP.

He urged all "chiefs of mission to make climate change a priority for all relevant personnel and to promote concerted action at posts and in host countries to address this problem."

The clarion call comes ahead of key UN-led talks in Paris next year when the international community is due to try to set new emissions goals for greenhouses blamed for global warming.

The emission levels will be applicable to all countries, not just the developed world, and will come into effect in 2020.

The new agreement will replace the Kyoto treaty which is due to expire in 2015.

The United States, which along with China is the world's top polluter, did not ratify the Kyoto Treaty arguing that developing countries should also be obligated to cut greenhouse gases.

Kerry travelled to China last month and won agreement from Beijing that the US and China would cooperate closely ahead of the Paris talks as they aim to agree emissions targets.

In his policy guidance, Kerry set out a seven step program to enhance the focus on tackling climate change including boosting multilateral and bilateral efforts.

"We're talking about the future of our earth and of humanity. We need to elevate the environment in everything we do," he said. It was, he said "our call to conscience as citizens of this fragile planet we inhabit."

Kerry is currently weighing a decision on whether the US should approve the building of a pipeline carrying oil from the tar sands of Alberta, in Canada, to US refineries in Nebraska and then Texas.

An environmental review found that the Keystone XL project would not add significantly to greenhouse gas emissions.

But opponents are calling on Kerry to reject the proposals by Canadian operators TransCanada, and a small but noisy protest was held late Thursday outside the State Department.

SHINEY AHUJA TO MAKE A COMEBACK WITH ‘WELCOME BACK’

Shiney Ahuja, who was last seen in the film ‘Ghost’ (2012), is all set to make a comeback onscreen. It is said that he has bagged a pivotal role in Anees Bazmee ‘Welcome Back’ and the actor has confirmed the news.

The actor says that it’s a role that he has never played till date in his career. It is learnt that his character will make an entry in the second half of the film.

Shiney will shoot for his scenes in Dubai.

Geneva motor show set to make tracks out of crisis

PARIS: The Geneva Motor Show will kick off next week on an optimistic note as the long-suffering European car market appears to finally have swerved out of the slow lane.
Luxurious sports cars, high-end SUVs and city cars will be bumper-to-bumper at the show one of the auto industry's biggest and most diverse events as it cruises out from under the long shadow of industry crisis.
Carmakers and analysts alike say the worst of the difficulties are now in the rear-view mirror.
"The worst of the crisis is over, so the mood should be good," Juergen Pieper, a car industry analyst with German bank Metzler, told AFP.
New car registrations in the European Union slipped just 1.7 percent last year, to 11.8 million cars sold, after five years of far more brutal falls.
But sales are finally expected to pick up this year, according to German car industry analyst Stefan Bratzel.
By how much remains to be seen: the most cautious observers expect sales to remain flat while the most optimistic are gearing up for three-percent market growth.
"The markets fell really low, so obviously they will have to start picking up at some point," EY analyst Jean-Francois Belorgey said, adding that northern Europe was doing better than the south of the continent.
France remained a dark spot on the European map, seeing car sales in 2013 fall to their lowest level in 15 years with little prospect of growth this year, while Italy also touched rock-bottom, selling just 1.3 million cars.
"The economic fundamentals in France and Italy remain fragile," Belorgey acknowledged.
And despite the expected upturn this year, Europe's car industry remains plagued by overcapacity and profitability issues for mid-range carmakers, according to credit insurance and analysis group Euler Hermes, pointing to several recent factory closings, at PSA, Opel and Ford.
Range of new models:
German carmakers, who sell heavily in North America and Asia where sales especially at the high end are up, are meanwhile doing quite well.
Their international presence allows them to counter still sluggish sales in Europe and keep their factories running at full-tilt.
Volkswagen raked in a net profit of 9.1 billion euros ($12.6 billion) last year, while Daimler, which owns Mercedes-Benz and Smart among others, posted a record net profit of 8.7 billion euros.
And the German manufacturers are aiming for even better traction with a range of new products, including the Volkswagen's third generation Audi TT and a new BMW compact.
France's Renault and Italy's Fiat have seen far more modest profits, while PSA Peugeot Citroen suffered a 2.3-billion-euro loss last year, although it hopes a cash injection from the French state and China's Dongfeng will put it on the road to recovery.
Despite their continued hardship, French carmakers should play a more central role at this year's Geneva Motor Show, where smaller city cars are expected to get more attention than previously.
"They are presenting a number of important new products," Pieper said, listing for instance Renault's launch of a new Twingo, which will face off against the Citroen C1 and Peugeot 108.
Such small, punchy city vehicles will as always have to battle for attention with exceptional, luxury cars at the 84th edition of the Geneva car show.
While the show will not feature last year's overwhelming display of extravagant machines priced over the million dollar mark, there will still be plenty to see for car enthusiasts.
Ferrari's new version of its California T sport car and Lamborghini's new Huracan, both priced at round 200,000 euros, will likely draw crowds.
But perhaps the most popular attraction at this year's show, set to open to the public from March 6-16, will be something in between: super trendy SUVs and crossovers.
Porsche, once known only as a sport car maker, will for instance speed into the mid-size SUV range with its new Macan, in the hope it will prove as popular as its big sister Cayenne, which accounts for more than half of the carmakers sales.
American carmaker Ford is meanwhile revving up to unveil a third installment of its hugely popular compact Focus the world's most sold model.