Iraq PM berated as US mulls air strikes on advancing militants

BAGHDAD: Top US officials turned on Iraq´s leader, blaming his "sectarian" policies for the country´s crisis as Washington Thursday weighed calls for air strikes on Sunni militants bearing down on Baghdad.

The sharp criticism of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki came as he scrambled to repel an insurgent onslaught that has seen an entire province and parts of three others fall out of government control in an offensive that could threaten Iraq´s very existence.

The militants´ swift advance has sparked international alarm and the United Nations has warned that the crisis was "life-threatening for Iraq".

Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been displaced in the nine days of fighting and an unknown number killed, while dozens of Indians and Turks have been kidnapped.

With President Barack Obama mulling a request by Baghdad for air strikes on the advancing militants, US officials castigated Maliki, publicly echoing long-held criticisms among his domestic opponents of sectarianism.

US Vice President Joe Biden urged greater political inclusion in Iraq in phone calls with Maliki and other Iraqi officials, the White House said.

Biden "stressed the need for national unity in responding to the ISIL threat against all Iraqi communities," in calls with Maliki, Iraqi Council of Representatives Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, and President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani, it said.

The top-ranking military officer, General Martin Dempsey, and former US commander David Petraeus both also rounded on the premier.

"There is very little that could have been done to overcome the degree to which the government of Iraq had failed its people," Dempsey said.

Petraeus warned at a conference in London that Washington risked becoming an "air force for Shiite militias" and supporting "one side of what could be a sectarian civil war" if political reconciliation were not agreed.

Iraq requests strikes
The remarks came after Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told reporters in Saudi Arabia that Baghdad had asked Washington "to conduct air strikes against terrorist groups".

Zebari acknowledged "the need for drastic political solutions.

"Washington has deployed an aircraft carrier to the Gulf and sent military personnel to bolster security at its Baghdad embassy, but Obama insists a return to combat in Iraq is not in the cards.

The United States spent billions of dollars over several years training and arming Iraqi security forces after disbanding the Sunni-led army following the 2003 invasion that ousted dictator Saddam Hussein.

But the security forces wilted when faced with the militant offensive on June 9 which saw insurgents quickly capture Mosul, a city of some two million people, and then parts of Salaheddin, Kirkuk and Diyala provinces.

Some abandoned their vehicles and uniforms when faced with the insurgents, which are led by ISIL fighters but also include Saddam loyalists.

The Sunni fighters have been led by the powerful Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, but also include a wide coalition of other Sunni Arab militant groups, as well as loyalists of executed dictator Saddam Hussein.

Though the alliance has made significant territorial gains, the wildly divergent ideologies of its constituent groups means it may struggle to survive over time, analysts say.

And while they struggled in the early part of the offensive, Iraq´s security forces appear to be performing better in recent days, managing to make advances in certain areas, though militants have made their own gains elsewhere.

US mulls air strikes as Iraq militants advance on Baghdad

KIRKUK: Militants have seized the Iraqi city of Tikrit as a jihadist offensive sweeps closer to Baghdad, prompting the UN Security Council to convene crisis talks Thursday while the US mulls air strikes on the rebels.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) seized the second city of Mosul on Tuesday and has since captured a large swathe of northern and north-central Iraq including Tikrit -- the hometown of executed dictator Saddam Hussein.

ISIL spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani promised the battle would "rage" on the capital Baghdad and Karbala, a city southwest of the capital that is considered one of the holiest sites for Shiite Muslims, the SITE Intelligence Group said.

The UN Security Council swiftly convened a meeting to discuss the crisis in a sign of growing international alarm at the fast-moving situation.

Diplomats said the closed consultations would begin at 11:30 am (1530 GMT) and will include a briefing by video link from the UN special representative to Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov.

Washington is considering several options for offering military assistance to Baghdad, including drone strikes, a US official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Resorting to such aircraft -- used in Afghanistan and Pakistan in a highly controversial programme -- would mark a dramatic shift in the US engagement in Iraq, after the last American troops pulled out in late 2011.State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the US was committed to "working with the Iraqi government and leaders across Iraq to support a unified approach against ISIL´s continued aggression.

"But there is no current plan to send US troops back into Iraq, where around 4,500 American soldiers died in the bitter conflict.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Washington "strongly condemns" the ISIL attacks and "will stand with Iraqi leaders".

And UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the international community to unite behind Iraq, warning that "terrorism must not be allowed to succeed in undoing the path toward democracy in Iraq."

Govt to impose 10pc tax on expensive air tickets

ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to impose 10 percent withholding tax on first class and business class international travelers in the budget 2014-15, The News has learnt.

In another major revenue spinning measure, the government is all set to enhance tax rates on services of professionals including doctors, lawyers, chartered accountants, architects, dentists, interior decorators and many others from existing 6 to 10 pc.

However, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday directed the FBR authorities not to increase the tax burden on the common citizens and on kitchen items such as vegetables, ghee, cooking oil, medicines.

“Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has convened another crucial meeting on Friday to take decisions on withdrawal of hundreds of Statutory Regulatory Orders (SROs) as well as transferring SRO issuance powers to Parliament,” official sources in Finance Division confirmed to The News here on Thursday.

According to finalised budgetary measures, the government has decided to tap expenditures side of potential tax evaders in the coming budget as 10% withholding tax in adjustable mode is proposed to be levied on non- filers international travelers and 5 percent on registered travelers who travel in first class and business class of airlines.

“There will be no withholding tax on economy class of international travelers,” said the sources.

According to the working done to justify imposition of 10 percent withholding tax in adjustable mode on wealthy people who can afford to travel in first class or business class, the sale of total airline tickets for purpose of international traveling of wealthy class consumed Rs60 billion per annum. There is fixed Federal Excise Duty (FED) imposed on air traveling for both domestic and international travelers.

Currently, there is 5 percent Withholding Tax (WHT) imposed on domestic travelers and now the government would be moving towards slapping this tax on international travelers. “We expect that the FBR will generate around Rs6 billion through this tax measure in the next fiscal year,” said the official sources.

The government, the sources said, intended to move ahead to increase the tax burden on those who are unwilling to come into tax net.

Another proposal so far finalised by the government for upcoming budget is to increase rate of withholding tax on professionals such as doctors, lawyers, chartered accountants and many others.

The services under section 153(1) (b) of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 attract tax deduction of 6 percent. The said rate is to be enhanced to 10 percent in the coming budget. Under section 153, the services include the services of accountants, architects, dentists, doctors, engineers, interior decorators and lawyers, otherwise than as an employee.

Pilot dies as plane crashes at California air show

FAIRFIELD: A pilot who had thrilled audiences for decades with acrobatic stunts was killed when his vintage biplane crashed upside-down on a runway at a California air show.

Sunday´s tragedy brought to a quick halt the "Thunder Over Solano" show at Travis Air Force Base, which was attended by an estimated 100,000 spectators. No one else was injured.

The Air Force identified the pilot as Edward Andreini, 77. Federal Aviation Administration records show he was the registered owner of the 1944 Stearman biplane, a World War II-era plane commonly used to train pilots.

Andreini was trying to perform a maneuver known as "cutting a ribbon" where he inverts the plane and flies close to the ground so that a knife attached to it can slice a ribbon just off the ground, Col. David Mott, 60th Operations Group commander at the base, told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Andreini´s website said audiences would be "thrilled at the sight of this huge biplane performing double outside loops, square loops, torque rolls, double snap rolls, and ... a heart-stopping, end-over-end tumble maneuver."

It said he had flown since he was 16.The plane, flying low over the tarmac, crashed and caught fire, letting off a thick plume of black smoke seen in video of the aftermath.

Roger Bockrath, a retired photojournalist who was photographing the afternoon show, chronicled the routine and witnessed the crash. He said Andreini, flying into a sometimes gusty wind, passed on two attempts before trying a third time, hitting the tarmac and sliding to a stop in an open field.

"He got down too low and hit the tarmac. He skidded about 500 feet and just sat there. The plane was essentially intact, just wrong side down," Bockrath told The Sacramento Bee.

Bockrath said nearly 2 1/2 minutes went by before someone appeared with a fire extinguisher. By then, the aircraft was fully enflamed and collapsing from the heat. He said it took a total of five minutes before fire crews arrived.

The National Transportation Safety Board is heading up an investigation. Lynn Lunsford of the FAA said the FAA was already on site and will be a member of the team. (AP)

CIA’s Pakistan drone campaign carried out by US air force: Report

LONDON: A report published in ‘The Guardian’ reveals that a US air force unit in the Nevada desert is flying the CIA’s drone strike programme in Pakistan.

The report published in ‘The Guardian’ is based on a documentary ‘Drone’ in which former drone operators claimed that personnel from the US air force were flying the CIA’s Predator missions in Pakistan.

The documentary identifies the 17th Reconnaissance Squadron operating from a secure compound in Creech air force base in the Mojave Desert as the unit conducting CIA drone strikes in Pakistan.

The National Security Council and CIA declined to comment when approached by ‘The Guardian’ while the Pentagon did not respond.

A former US Predator operator, Brandon Bryant told the film he had decided to speak out after senior officials in the Obama administration gave a briefing last year in which they wanted to “transfer” control of the CIA’s secret drones programme to the military.

Bryants claims were corroborated by six other former drone operators who worked alongside the unit but none of them were prepared to go on the record.

Congress, BJP spending billions on hiring air charter service

ISLAMABAD: Around 130 air charter service operators across India are having a boom time due to extensive use of helicopters and business jets by parties like BJP and Congress for electioneering dubbed as most expensive in country's history.

Industry sources said the parties and individual politicos are roughly spending Rs 3.50 to Rs 4 billion to criss cross the country in chartered planes during campaign for the world's biggest democratic exercise spread over two months.

The Pioneer newspaper reported on Tuesday. So far BJP s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has clocked maximum number of flying hours to campaign for the party followed by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi experts in the industry said. The operators usually charge Rs 70 000 to 75 000 per flying hour for a four seater single engine chopper, while business jets cost Rs 250 000 to 300 000 per hour but the rates have increased significantly due to surge in demand.

Secretary of Business Aircraft Operator's Association R K Bali said the sector was witnessing negative growth of two percent in the last two years, but business has seen impressive growth as leading parties hit an aggressive campaign trail.

According to Directorate General of Civil Aviation of India figures around 130 non-scheduled aircraft operators are in the business currently out of which around 40 are big operators having four to five private jets which ferry people abroad also. They are operating around 520 aircraft and choppers.

Captain G R Gopinath the pioneer of low cost airline in India and promoter of Deccan Charters said. Even after hopping in and out of choppers and jets national leaders like Modi and Rahul may not be able to cover more than 200 constituencies.

Gautam Sahani of Subha Aviation said the increased frequency by chartered flights has significantly helped earnings by airports across the country as they charge fees for landing take off and parking.

Similarly the aircraft maintenance firms are also having a decent share of the business as increased flying hours means good upkeep of the aircraft.

 

Gunmen fire shots in air during raid at Crimean naval base

Armed men, believed to be Russian servicemen, march outside an Ukrainian military base in the Crimean city of Simferopol Monday. Reuters

Unidentified armed men fired in the air as they moved into a Ukrainian naval post in Crimea on Monday in the latest confrontation since Russian military groups seized control of the Black Sea peninsula.
With diplomacy at a standstill, Russia said the United States had spurned an invitation to hold new talks on resolving the crisis, the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk, who said he would address the UN Security Council on Thursday, put the blame for the crisis on Russia and accused Moscow of undermining the global security system by taking control of Crimea.
Russian forces have in little more than a week taken over military installations across Crimea, home to the Russian Black Sea Fleet and Russian territory until Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev gave it to Ukraine in 1954.
Pro-Russian separatists have taken control of the regional parliament, declared Crimea part of the Russian Federation and announced a referendum for Sunday to confirm this.
President Vladimir Putin says Moscow is acting to protect the rights of ethnic Russians, who make up a majority of Crimea’s population, after Ukraine’s president Viktor Yanukovych was ousted in what Russia says was an unconstitutional coup.
On Monday, a group of about 10 unidentified armed men fired in the air at a Ukrainian naval post in Crimea, a Ukrainian defence spokesman was quoted as saying.
Ukraine’s Channel 5 television quoted Vladislav Seleznyov as saying the shooting took place at a motor pool base near Bakhchisaray. The men in two minibuses drove into the compound and demanded Ukrainian personnel there give them 10 trucks.
Earlier, Interfax Ukraine news agency quoted an unnamed Ukrainian official describing the men as Russian troops and saying none of the Ukrainians at the site was injured.
Russian forces, who have been in control of Crimea for more than a week, have not so far exchanged fire in anger with Ukrainian troops. Shots were fired over the heads of a group of Ukrainians during a standoff at a military airfield last week.
In other armed action, Russian forces took over a military hospital and a missile unit. Reuters correspondents also saw a big Russian convoy on the move just outside the port city of Sevastopol near a Ukrainian air defence base.
It comprised more than 100 vehicles, including around 20 armoured personnel carriers, plus mobile artillery.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Putin that Russia’s position on Ukraine remained at odds with the West, but US Secretary of State John Kerry had declined an invitation to visit Russia Monday for talks. “It is all being formulated as if there was a conflict between Russia and Ukraine.,” Lavrov told Putin.

Apple iPad Air vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014: Center of gravity

Introduction

With the smartphone market driven towards equilibrium, tablets will be the new battleground. The Apple iPad Air and the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 emerge as the archrivals in the 10-inch category, marching towards their inevitable clash.


Casual browsing and gaming have long been the strong suit of tablets, but in the post-PC era they have a big issue to deal with - content creation. The Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 addresses this with the S Pen stylus and a number of productivity apps linked to it, while Apple keeps pushing ease-of-use and unmatched user experience as the biggest advantage.
Here's how these two tablets stack up against each other.

Apple iPad Air over Galaxy Note 10.1 2014

• Much lighter - 469g over 7.9mm, 540g
• Thinner 7.5mm over 7.9mm
• Aluminum body
• CDMA connectivity
• ARMv8-based 64-bit processor
• Cheaper base price

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 over iPad Air

• S Pen stylus
• Sharper screen - 299ppi over 264ppi
• 3GB RAM over 1GB
• Expandable storage
• Cat. 4 LTE support (150Mbps downlink) over Cat. 3 (100Mbps)
• Wi-Fi 802.11ac
• 8MP main camera with LED flash over 5MP and no LED
• 1080p video capture @ 60fps over 1080p @ 30fps
• 1080p-capable front-facing camera over 720p
• Standard microUSB port
• Samsung KNOX enterprise security
• IR blaster for remote control functions

Simple spec by spec comparisons like this don't usually tell the whole story - this article would've been much shorter if they did. Instead, we'll be looking at the two contenders from a use-case point of view - which one is best for a specific task.
Obviously, we'll need to start with the basics like how good the hardware is, will the battery last you the full work day and so on. And things will only get more focused after that. Which tablet is best for multimedia consumption? What about gaming? Which one will give you the most in terms of productivity? Are the cameras just decorations or actually usable?

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 and Apple iPad Air side by side
We've already dealt with these things to a degree. The S Pen on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 fills the void left by the lack of a mouse - yes, tablets are all about touch but computer mice have long provided us with accuracy and additional control options that fingers just don't have.
Apple killed the stylus in the first place and is not about to bring it back. Instead, Cupertino offers a first-rate experience within its own ecosystem. Office suite, maps, cloud, even music creation, all Apple made. Samsung on the other hand outsources much of that to Google, Polaris Office, Dropbox and so on.
The first round will be fought over hardware - the build, the looks, the good and the bad - right on the next page.

Hardware comparison

Tablet design by its very nature is defined first and foremost by the screen and here the two tablets seem fundamentally different. Apple sticks to the original 9.7" screen of 4:3 aspect ratio, while Samsung uses the common 16:10 10.1" screen format.

Size comparison: Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 and Apple iPad Air
Surprisingly, the two tablets are aren't that different in size - the Apple iPad Air measures 240 x 169.5 x 7.5, while the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 is a bit bigger on the sides, 243.1 x 171.4 x 7.9 mm. Thin, iPad mini-like bezels is what allowed Apple to make the square-ish screen fit into the body of a widescreen tablet.
The difference in screens is nonetheless profound, and it will be properly covered in the next chapter.
Screens aside, the two tablets differ in something as simple as orientation - the button and front-facing camera placement of the iPad Air favor portrait usage, while those of the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 lean towards landscape. Obviously you can use both tablets either way, but you'll find yourself sticking to the manufacturer-suggested orientation most of the time.

The iPad Air favors portrait orientation • the Note 10.1 2014 prefers landscape orientation
To be honest, we prefer on-screen buttons on tablets as they offer more flexibility and rotate with the rest of the screen.
Anyway, the wide-screen Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 shows its multimedia nature with two loudspeakers positioned on the left and right side of the tablet. This creates a a more immersive audio experience than the stereo speakers on the iPad Air, which are both located at the bottom (or rather on the side as you'll be watching videos in landscape orientation). The Samsung tablet also pulls ahead with audio enhancements from SoundAlive and Adapt Sound technologies.

Stereo speakers on the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 • stereo speakers on the iPad Air too
The multimedia aspect is also seen in the addition of a microSD card slot. Sure, you can get a 128GB iPad Air, while the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 tops out at 64GB of built-in storage, but let's be honest- a 128GB Air costs an insane amount of money. 64GB microSD cards are around $50 a pop, so a 16GB Note 10.1 2014 is still an option for heavy multimedia consumers. A cheap option at that, Apple charges a $100 premium every time the built-in storage doubles.

microSD card slot on the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014
The front-facing camera on the iPad Air is in the middle of one of its short sides, similar to the placement on the iPhone. This is good for one-on-one video chatting and selfies. The camera on the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 is positioned near the middle of one of its long sides, which fits the widescreen better with multiple people involved.

The front-facing cameras are positioned differently on the two tablets
And while you're holding the Note 10.1 2014 horizontally, you'll notice the IR blaster at the top. It can control home equipment like TVs, disc players and set top boxes, placing it in charge of your home theater setup. At the very least, you have the option to change the channel if you're on the tablet while the TV runs in the background, a scenario that is probably well familiar to most users.

The IR blaster on top of the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014
On the connectivity side, Apple uses the proprietary Lightning adapter, which can be plugged in regardless of the orientation. However, microUSB cables are far more common than Lightning cables, which you'll feel instantly if you need to borrow a cable. They are also much cheaper if you need to get a second one for the office.

Lightning adaptor on the iPad Air • microUSB port on the Note 10.1 2014
The iPad Air connector boasts TV Out functionality, though you'd need an adapter. Still, it's a great option to have - either for watching movies or for doing presentations. The upside of the Note 10.1 2014's microUSB port is that you can plug in peripherals like external storage, keyboards and mice if you get a USB OTG cable (those are quite cheap and easy to find). With the proper adapter you can get HDMI out too.
Speaking of connectivity, both tablets come in either Wi-Fi only or 4G LTE versions. The Apple iPad Air has only one 4G LTE version, which covers 3G UMTS, CDMA and 4G LTE. The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 comes in 3G (powered by a Samsung Exynos chipset) and 4G (powered by Snapdragon 800). Note that the 4G LTE on the Samsung is Cat. 4, which offers downlink speeds of up to 150Mbsp, over the Cat. 3 of the iPad, which tops out at 100Mbps. But neither Note 10.1 2014 version has CDMA connectivity, which limits the choice of carriers for North American users.
Apple's iPads have always had aluminum unibodies, but the one on the iPad Air is the best yet, by far. It's the slimmest too (iPad 3 and 4 were thicker than 2, Air is thinner than 2) and noticeably lighter. The thinner side bezels help a great deal in handling the tablet, but it's still a two-hand device. Then again, so is the Note 10.1 2014. Anyway, the aluminum design of the iPad Air is attractive and isn't out of place anywhere.

iPad 3 next to iPad Air
Samsung's designs are best known for their glossy plastic but the 2014 edition of the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014, just like the Galaxy Note 3, has a faux-leather back. It feels reasonably close to leather to the touch and looks pretty attractive. Less subjectively, the textured plastic feels warmer and offers more grip than the naked metal of the iPad.

The Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 design has a new leather and metal look (but both are plastic)
Winner: Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014. It was close, but the Note 10.1 2014 is more flexible in terms of storage, has better connectivity (unless you're a Verizon or Sprint user), including an IR blaster.
Some will prefer the metal looks of the Apple iPad Air and maybe value wired TV-Out over cheap storage. North American users also have to consider the CDMA support, unless they're looking for a Wi-Fi tablet.

Displays

The Apple iPad Air has a 9.7" IPS LCD with a resolution of 2,048 x 1,536 pixels, which works out to 264ppi. It's covered by scratch-resistant glass with oleophobic coating.

Two beautiful LCD screens
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 has 10.1" Super Clear LCD of 2,560 x 1,600 resolution for a higher 299ppi. There's no mention of scratch-resistance though. It does have an additional digitizer, which is used with the S Pen - it can detect it from several inches away and will detect presses of the S Pen's button, even though the stylus doesn't have a battery.
You'd think that because the Note 10.1 2014 screen has a 0.4" bigger diagonal, the Samsung tablet has an advantage in screen real estate. Due to the different aspect, however, that's not the case - the difference is negligible, around 1%.
That's not always the case though, sometimes how much of the screen is actually used depends on the content. Most photos, for example, have a 4:3 aspect, matching the iPad perfectly. Recently, many cameras default to 16:9 though, which would fit the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 better. Same goes for most video content, which is 16:9, even movies you got from mobile-centric video stores.
A 4:3 screen is better suited for text and documents - an A4 page is pretty close to a 4:3 aspect ratio. Even web pages mostly have relatively narrow columns, which fit portrait screens quite well - in this orientation, the iPad Air screen is wider than the Note 10.1 2014's giving you the opportunity to zoom in closer and get bigger text.
While the high pixel density makes it impossible to see individual pixels, the pixels on the iPad Air screen and the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 screen are quite different when viewed under a microscope. The iPad has a standard RGB matrix, while the Galaxy tablet has an RGBW matrix, which should in theory improve brightness.


The results show the reality is quite the opposite, however, the iPad Air is brighter than the Note 10.1 2014 and has better contrast across the brightness range. Black levels go from equal at full blast, to noticeably better for the iPad as the brightness goes down.

Display test	50% brightness			100% brightness
	Black, cd/m2	White, cd/m2	Contrast ratio	Black, cd/m2	White, cd/m2	Contrast ratio
Apple iPad Air	0.19	181	968	0.53	508	964
ASUS Transformer Pad TF701T	0.40	450	1125	0.71	755	1119
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014	0.27	221	831	0.53	440	821
Google Nexus 10	0.26	223	859	0.50	443	878
Sony Xperia Tablet Z	-	-	-	0.53	531	996
Sony Xperia Tablet S	0.35	334	947	0.67	526	783
Samsung Galaxy Note 3	0	149	∞	0	379	∞
Apple iPad mini	0.25	208	838	0.51	458	812
Apple iPad 3	0.21	167	809	0.6	477	779
Apple iPad 4	0.21	163	797	0.63	476	762
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7	0	200	∞	0	328	∞
Asus Google Nexus 7	0.25	244	954	0.36	327	908
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1	0.27	223	832	0.49	406	821
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1	0.31	257	826	0.55	502	915
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus	0.17	196	1141	0.34	424	1236

Viewing angles are excellent for both tablets and color reproduction is very pleasing. The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 has a slight edge here with the proprietary Screen mode option. It gives you three options to adjust the color profile of the screen (it changes saturation and white balance), plus an automatic mode, which adjusts the screen based on the current image or video.
It's not as flexible as the Nokia Lumia color profile, which has not one but two sliders - one for saturation and another for white balance - but it's better than nothing. Apple uses multiple suppliers for its screens, so getting a warm or a cold screen is a matter of luck.
Winner: Tie. Widescreen has conquered everything from phones through tablets and laptops all the way to large TVs, so most content targets that aspect. The higher pixel density (even with the unusual matrix) and the adjustable screen modes are enough to put the Note 10.1 in pole position.
The Apple iPad Air however has a slightly brighter screen with a better contrast, plus the 4:3 aspect ratio is good for text, so it's up to personal preference here.

Battery life

The two tablets are powered by sealed Li-Po batteries of similar capacity. The Apple iPad Air has a slight advantage with its 8,820mAh battery, while the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 has a 8,220mAh juice pack.
Note that the Galaxy tablet screen is a bit brighter than the iPad Air when both are set at 50% brightness (which is what we use for the test). Even so, the advantage of the iPad is more than can be explained with simple brightness alone. There's that extra 600mAh, but that's insignificant compared to the total.
Web browsing over Wi-Fi drains the battery quite slowly, the iPad Air lasted over 10 hours of that. The Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 failed to crack 8 hours. That's a good 30% advantage for the Apple tablet in such a key area.

Web browsing

• ASUS Transformer Pad w/ Dock 13:48
• Acer Liquid E2 12:39
• LG G2 11:22
• Sony Xperia ZR 11:20
• Apple iPad mini 2 10:47
• Apple iPad Air 10:10
• Samsung Galaxy S4 mini duos 10:10
• BlackBerry Q5 10:04
• HTC One 9:58
• Apple iPhone 5s 9:58
• Apple iPhone 5 9:56
• Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition 7:39
• Samsung Galaxy Nexus 3:01

The margin grows in the video playback test, with the Apple iPad Air almost reaching 13 hours, while the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 gave up after 9 hours. Granted, the Note 10.1's screen is better suited for widescreen video, but 4 hours is a massive difference.
To put things in perspective, if both tablets start playback at the same time at full charge, the iPad will still have over 30% left in the tank by the time the Note 10.1 dies.

Video playback

• Motorola RAZR MAXX (ICS) 16:35
• Nokia Lumia 1020 13:12
• Samsung Galaxy S4 mini 13:12
• Samsung Galaxy S4 mini duos 12:52
• Apple iPad mini 12:51
• Samsung Galaxy Premier 12:51
• Apple iPad Air 12:49
• Samsung Galaxy S4 GPE 12:32
• Samsung Galaxy S4 (S600) 12:30
• BlackBerry Q5 12:28
• Apple iPad mini 2 12:22
• Huawei Ascend Mate 12:18
• Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition 9:02
• Nokia Lumia 710 3:27

We suspect the custom designed chipset by Apple and the brand new screen backlight (using just 36 LEDs instead of 84 on the iPad 4) are very much to thank for the excellent results. We'll see later on if the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 can compensate with better performance of its Snapdragon 800 chipset.

User interface

The user interface of a tablet can greatly affect the user experience. Since both Apple and Samsung have overwhelming presence on the market, you probably have at least passing familiarity with both UIs. Still, here are a couple of hands-on videos to refresh your memory.

Govt halts air strikes against Taliban: Nisar

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday said it was halting air strikes against Taliban militants in response to a month-long ceasefire announced by the insurgents a day earlier.

"After the positive announcement yesterday by the Taliban, the government has decided to suspend the air strikes which were continuing for the past few days," interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said in a statement.