Global Ebola cases pass 10,000 as Mali becomes latest nation to record a death

A health worker checks the temperature of a baby entering Mali from Guinea. Photograph: Joe Penney/Reuters

The global number of cases in the Ebola outbreak has exceeded 10,000, with 4,922 deaths, according to the latest estimates by the World Health Organisation released on Saturday. Three countries with shared borders – Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea – account for all but 10 of the fatalities, with only 27 cases occurring outside the west African epicentre.
The UN agency said the number of cases was now 10,141 but that the true figure was much higher, as many families were keeping relatives at home rather than taking them to treatment centres and are burying their dead without official clearance. It said many of the centres were overcrowded.
The latest report showed a rise of 400 cases in the last three days in Sierra Leone and Guinea but no change in the number of cases and deaths in the worst- affected country, Liberia.
It comes as an analysis of Ebola figures by development consultants the African Governance Initiative (AGI) suggest that even with current efforts to build more hospital facilities in the affected nations, there will be no medical personnel to staff them and there will be a shortage of more than 6,000 hospital beds in Guinea and Sierra Leone by December if the WHO’s worst-case scenario figure of 10,000 new cases a week by the end of the year is reached.
AGI chief executive Nick Thompson said: “The international community badly misjudged the impact of the Ebola epidemic in its first few months and is compounding that error by failing to act quickly enough now.” He called for other countries to join Cuba, the US and Britain in sending health workers to the region.
On Saturday Barack Obama used his weekly radio address to stress it would be “science not fear” that would tackle Ebola as New Yorkers followed the fate of Craig Spencer, the Médecins sans Frontières doctor who was confirmed as suffering from Ebola six days after he returned from working in Guinea. He had been riding the subways and eating in restaurants before developing an Ebola fever, causing panic and anxiety among Americans.
Late on Friday, New York governor Andrew Cuomo said the risk was grave and ordered an automatic 21-day quarantine for anyone returning from the Ebola-affected regions. He criticised the doctor for not following such a procedure voluntarily.
But New York’s health commissioner, Dr Mary Bassett, who was said to be furious with the governor, told reporters Spencer had handled himself “really well” and reported to authorities as soon as he had symptoms – the only time when a patient is contagious and can spread the virus through their body fluids.
The New York Daily News claimed that an unusually high number of hospital workers have reported in sick since Spencer’s arrival. Despite an all-clear from health officials, the Brooklyn bowling alley Gutters, which Spencer visited hours before he began to feel unwell, was still closed. One couple, expecting an evening of experimental punk music at the club, said they were disappointed.
Nurse Kaci Hickox, the first person in New Jersey placed under the 21-day quarantine after she landed at Newark airport on Friday, issued a stinging criticism of her treatment on Saturday after she tested negative for the virus. Hickox, who had been working with Ebola patients in Sierra Leone, described how she was held in isolation for seven hours and given only a granola bar to eat. She told the Dallas Morning News she was scared for healthcare workers who declare they have been fighting Ebola in west Africa. “I am scared that, like me, they will arrive and see a frenzy of disorganisation, fear and, most frightening, quarantine.”
Meanwhile, it has been announced that a million doses of an Ebola vaccine will be produced by the end of 2015. The WHO said that “several hundred thousand” will be produced in the first half of the year.
In Australia on Saturday the head of the country’s medical association, the AMA, called on the government to help in Africa. The AMA president, Professor Brian Owler, said that while Britain was sending 750 people to help in Sierra Leone and the US has dispatched more than 3,000 to Liberia, Australia was dragging its feet. “While the government continues to roll out the tired old excuses about why we can’t respond, unfortunately people are going to continue to die,” he said.
On Friday, Mali became the latest country to record a death, that of a two-year-old girl. She had travelled with her grandmother hundreds of miles by bus from Guinea via Mali’s capital to the western town of Kayes, where she was diagnosed on Thursday. The WHO said it was treating the situation in Mali as an emergency because the toddler had travelled for 1,000km on buses while showing symptoms of the disease, meaning that she was contagious.
Health workers are scrambling to trace hundreds of potential contacts to prevent the virus taking hold in Mali, which had put in place health checkpoints on its borders with Guinea. More than 40 people known to have come into contact with her have been quarantined.
Nigeria has recorded eight deaths and there has been one in the US. Senegal and Nigeria have successfully contained outbreaks and been declared free of the disease. This weekend, Ivory Coast was on alert after Guinean authorities informed them that a Guinean health worker had slipped surveillance and headed for the border after a patient had contracted Ebola.
Raymonde Goudou Coffie, Ivory Coast’s health minister, said the authorities did not know if the medic had Ebola but he had to be traced.

Finance ministry challenges figures given in report by The News

ISLAMABAD: The finance ministry has issued a rebuttal to the report in The News titled “GDP Growth Worked Out?” written by Khalid Mustafa, published on June 23, and called it misleading and based on an ignorance of the system of computation of GDP estimates followed in Pakistan as well as internationally.

It said the reporter is harping on the issue that the GDP growth number for 2013-14 are much lower than those estimated by the PBS.

This issue has already been responded by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) in different newspapers.“It is clarified that annual estimates of GDP as well as GFCF for the year 2011-12 (Final), 2012-13 (Revised) and 2013-14 (Provisional) were approved by the National Accounts Committee (NAC) Meeting on 15th May, purely on the basis of data available up to that point of time and not in accordance with the desires of any one in the government hierarchy. The data for the balance of the year is projected, which is the reason that these numbers are provisional and remain provisional till full data becomes available over the following months.

The correspondent has also commented on the quarterly GDP estimates.

The first quarter growth and the second quarter/mid-year growth, both were released by PBS; one is acceptable to the writer while the other is not. The IMF accepted the figure of PBS which should be ample proof of the reliability of the statistics released by PBS.

As far as the question of withholding the information of large scale manufacturing is concerned, it is completely baseless. The Quantum Index Manufacturing Industries (QIM), the indicator being used to measure the performance of this sector, is compiled on the basis of information received from three major sources including Oil Companies Advisory Committee (OCAC), Ministry of Industries and Provincial Bureau of Statistics which takes time and is published after certain time lag. The latest available information was up to the month of February, 2014 was used to derive the estimates of large scale manufacturing which were approved by the NAC. Further, the writer has completely misstated the facts by quoting that the budgeted PSDP of Rs1150 billion has been used in the compilation of value addition of construction. The fact is that total value addition of construction sector even at current prices is Rs494.3 billion; therefore, the question of inclusion or exclusion of these PSDP figures is not relevant.

The correspondent has also mistakenly attributed the profits of commercial banks with the value addition of finance and insurance sector. The value addition of this sector, being compiled through Financial Intermediaries Services Measured (FISM), is based on the amount of advances and loans and not on profits of banks.

The correspondent gives his verdict that the GDP growth is 3.5 %. He has not given any analysis to support his claim but has picked up a number that is being bandied about in the press. The commentators need to familiarise themselves with the methods of GDP computation before commenting on technical issues.

In connection with his view on budget number to show lower budget deficit; it is stated that writer’s view is not correct. PTA is a government authority responsible to collect the licensing / auction fees on behalf of the federal government and such auction fees on behalf of the federal government and such auction fees are always form part of the Federal Consolidated Fund. Similarly, the non-tax revenues receipts are revenue of the federal government administered by various ministries/divisions/departments and comprise of following main sources: i) Income from property and enterprise, ii) Receipts from civil administration and other functions, iii) Miscellaneous receipts.

The income from property includes the mark up recovered from the provinces and public sector enterprises, dividend and other receipts of the regulatory bodies. The receipts from civil administration comprise of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Profit, Defense Receipts, Law & Order Receipts etc.

The foreign grants are reflected under non-tax receipts according to the Chart of Accounts, as per International Best Practices. These are always form part of the federal government and the actual receipts under these heads can be verified from the historical data disseminated on the Website of the finance division.

Khalid Mustafa adds: I am grateful that the Ministry of Finance has given me the opportunity to further highlight the mistakes the government has committed in calculating the provisional GDP growth of current financial year 2013-14 at 4.1 percent. The article I wrote in Money Matters — the magazine of The News International which was published on June 23, is not misleading, rather it mirrors the manipulations done to show better GDP growth.

Some of the issues the finance ministry has raised in the clarification I have factually not mentioned in my article. For example, I have not mentioned anything about the revised GDP growth targets; rather I kept my focus on provisional GDP growth which the government has worked out based on the numbers of first 9 months of the current fiscal which suit the government.

Coming to paragraph three of the clarification, I know very well that PBS came out with the work-in-progress quarterly estimates of GDP and according to PBS calculations, as per the work in progress, the real GDP grew by 5.1% in the first quarter of 2013-14. The officials of PBS went to show this number to finance minister; because that was the first time they calculated quarterly GDP. The finance minister got excited knowing the fact that this is a work in progress and went ahead and informed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and leaked the number to the press.

It attracted widespread criticism from professional economists because the number was beyond their expectations. After that the finance minister started saying, “I don’t own this number, but at the same time I don’t disown this number.”

In the paragraph 4 of the clarification, finance ministry claimed that it has not withheld the information about Large Scale Manufacturing (LSM). I do not agree with the ministry as it has withheld the information of large manufacturing scale for the month of March that shows negative growth of 2.7% and for July-March period, the number was down to 4.3% as opposed to 5.3% used in calculation of the GDP keeping in view of the number of first 8 months not the 9 months. Here the government has visibly played the foul.

About the 11% growth in construction sector the government has worked out is highly questionable as there is no one-to-one correspondence between PSDP and value added in construction. It is known to everyone that construction growth is derived from the cement production and growth in cement production has alarmingly stayed at 0.13% which is almost flat. When there is flat growth in cement production, then how construction sector can grow by 11%. The 11% growth in construction sector becomes more controversial when the PSDP has already been slashed to Rs393 billion. Here I would appreciate if the government shares with the masses and with me the methodology of calculating value added in construction as the 11% growth in construction sector is not understandable. If the cement is not utilised, then what’s the rationale of 11% growth in construction? Here I’ll be happy to see the methodology used by the government.

In the clarification, the ministry has criticised the author of the article saying he had given his verdict that the GDP growth is 3.5% without any analysis to support his claim. Here I want to clarify that I have mentioned 3.5% growth with supporting facts by stating both saving and investment have declined sharply compared to last year. How on the earth, GDP growth can accelerate in the midst of declining saving and investment rate. I will appreciate if the government clarifies this anomaly.

In the clarification the ministry stated that writer’s view is not correct on government’s intention to show the better growth arguing that PTA is a government authority responsible to collect the licensing / auction fees on behalf of the federal government and such auction fees on behalf of the federal government and such auction fees are always form part of the Federal Consolidated Fund. Similarly, the non-tax revenues receipts are revenue of the federal government administered by various ministries/divisions/departments and comprise of following main sources.

Here I clearly want to mention that I did not raise the said issue what clarification says. However, I did mention about the utilisation of Universal Services Fund (USF) for which cellular companies contribute a certain portion of their profits. USF is meant for infrastructural development in telecommunication sector and the huge amount in the fund was accumulated over the last several years and how can the government use the resources accumulated over the years in just one year. To the best of my knowledge, cellular companies have already gone to Supreme Court and challenged the taking over of this amount as non-tax revenue.

In the last paragraph of the clarification, the finance ministry says that the foreign grants are reflected under non-tax receipts according to the Chart of Accounts, as per International Best Practices. If this is the best international practice, then why does IMF treat fiscal deficit separately with and without foreign grants.

The Finance Division is best advised to look at the IMF program document. By treating foreign grants as revenue, the government has eliminated the difference and readers can see in the IMF document, particularly in fiscal table that foreign grants appear as separate line item and has never been treated as part of non-tax revenue.

Therefore, the author stands by its article.

Geo News resumption: Cable operators continue to defy PEMRA, SC orders

KARACHI: Cable operators continued to defy the orders of Pakistan Electronic Media Regularity Authority (PEMRA) and Supreme Court pertaining to the restoration of Geo Network channels across Pakistan.

The channel’s transmission had earlier been suspended on June 6, 2014 on the complaint filed by the Ministry of Defence. A fine of Rs10 million had also been imposed on the channel.

A notification (dated June 20, 2014) issued by PEMRA states that Geo News is allowed to resume transmission at 12am on June 21, 2014, however, cable operators have claimed that they have not received any such notification and continued to defy PEMRA and Supreme Court orders.

The notification directs all the regional offices to direct distribution networks in their respective regions to begin relaying Geo News at the above mentioned time and date.

A special reference has also been made to the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The order states:

2. The grievance of the applicant, as raised by its senior counsel, was that the PEMRA was not abiding by the report of Mediator and the subsequent orders passed by this Court on it. Raja Muhammad Ibrahim Satti, learned Sr. ASC for PEMRA was present in the Court as a Caveator along with Mr. Zahid Malik, Head of Legal Department, PEMRA, and on instructions from Mr. Zahid Malik, Raja Muhammad Ibrahim Satti, learned Sr. ASC stated that the PEMRA shall abide by the terms of order dated 13.08.2012 passed in Constitution Petition No.51 of 2010, by which the report of Mr. Javed Jabbar, the Mediator, was made part of the said order and that the PEMRA will ensure that there is no shifting of the channels contrary to or in violation of the order dated 13.08.2012

The PEMRA notification directs all regional general managers to strictly comply with the above quoted orders by directing all distribution networks to restore Geo News to its original position to avoid any contempt of proceedings in the Supreme Court.

ARY News, which was suspended by PEMRA on Saturday, continued to be relayed by cable operators on their networks.

Geo News is back

ISLAMABAD: The licence of the most popular channel of Pakistan, Geo News, has been restored by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) after 15 days, which caused a wave of jubilation among the viewers, who will now get an opportunity to watch their favourite channel once again.

After the suspension of 15 days, Geo News started its transmission once again at midnight of Friday and Saturday.Impartial channels flashed this news as ‘breaking news’.

Pemra has forwarded the notification of restoration of Geo News to all its regional offices with strict direction that the country’s cable operators should obey the order of the Supreme Court according to which the position of Geo News on cable TV network should be the same as was in the second week of April, 2014.

Similarly, Pemra has directed its regional offices to present reports for implementing its orders. The regulator has also formally issued a press release to all the newspapers, news agencies and channels regarding its notification.

Before the suspension of Geo News, some of the cable operators illegally kept the transmission of Geo Kahani, Geo Entertainment, Geo Tez and Geo Super off air for 45 days. Other cable operators shifted the Geo channels to the last numbers on the cable network.

Geo News also obeyed the order of Pemra and paid a fine of Rs10 million. In addition, the shift in position of the channel cost billions of rupees to the Geo Group.

All the viewers were of the opinion that they were missing the news and analysis of Geo News. They prayed for reinstatement of Geo News and expressed pleasure after its restoration on the night of June 20, 2014.

PFUJ, APNEC, SAFMA, LPC concerned over Geo News closure

 

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and the All Pakistan Newspaper Employees Confederation (APNEC) have expressed reservations over the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority’s decision to suspend the Geo News for 15 days and impose Rs10 million fine, terming it disastrous for the freedom of the press.
According to a press release issued here on Friday, central leaders of both the unions in a meeting led by PFUJ President Afzal Butt reviewed in detail the situation of Geo after April 19’s life attempt on Geo News anchorperson Hamid Mir, attacks on the Jang Group journalists and burning of The News, Jang newspaper vans.

The PFUJ and APNEC leaders also strongly condemned the illegal decision of closing the Geo News by cable operators. They also demanded of the concerned quarters that after completing the 15-day ban on Geo News, the same should not be extended in any plea and no hurdles be made for Geo in performing its professional and journalistic activities.

They also decided that PFUJ, APNEC and all press club bodies would visit the Geo offices throughout the country to express solidarity with them on June 7 (today). Meanwhile, civil society and media leaders, in a meeting held at the Safma Secretariat, condemned the suspension of Geo News for 15 days by Pemra and termed it an assault on the freedom of expression and democratic values according to a press release.

Attacks on journalists and media houses with impunity and strangulation of a media house is a stark reflection of authoritarian tendencies that may be fatal for the overall democratic dispensation, observed I.A Rehman, Director of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. Senior journalist Hussain Naqi lamented the disunity among the media ranks and called for unity among the media persons for the freedom of press and safety of journalists while criticising those forces who are using strong-arm tactics to muzzle the press.

While opposing the suspension of Geo, Tehreek-i-Insaf MNA Shafqat Mehmood expressed concerns about the way the media had been flouting its freedom by running vicious and slanderous campaigns against politicians. He emphasised that he was for more freedom and against restrictions with a greater sense of professional responsibility.

Commenting on the current state of the media, senior journalist Anjum Rashid said that never in the history, the media have so amateurishly undermined its own freedom to settle business scores. Educationist Abbas Rashid emphasised the need to view the press freedom and safety of journalists in the broader perspective of freedom of expression and right to life that cannot be compromised.

Columnist Kamran Shafi warned that attacks on the press will lead to attack on democracy and the Nawaz Sharif government should not have abdicated its writ in the face of unlawful conduct of certain forces.

Director South Asian Partnership Tehseen proposed that all the democratic forces must unite in defence of the freedom of press and democratic values. Editor Farah Zia said that the state institutions must follow tyhe due process of law and justice rather than clamping down on a media house and its workers.

Journalists from various media organisations lamented the current environment in which they are being forced to work against their conscience and called on media houses to allow professional editors to perform their role in keeping high professional standards and media ethics. They appealed to working journalists to unite against the attacks on their colleagues and protect their freedom and economic rights.

Summing up the consultative process, Secretary General of Safma Imtiaz Alam said that there cannot be any compromise on the freedom of expression and safety of citizens and journalists. We demand, he said, more freedoms and will stand up against the violation of fundamental human and civil rights, including a free media. Condemning the attacks on journalists and forcible shutdown of the Geo News, he said infighting between various media houses had undermined the very premise of press freedom and a divided media community cannot fight for a cause they have themselves demolished.

Alam said freedoms and rights are indivisible and can be fought and defended by all the democratic forces together as a part of strengthening the democratic values and democratic system. He warned against those adventurous elements that are resorting to unconstitutional and illegal means to impose their will or trying to pitch the media against the national security institutions. He said the media was bound by the Constitution not to bring armed forces and the judiciary in disrepute. He underlined the necessity to expand the horizon of freedoms while accepting the greater responsibility to use their freedom with care and professional caution. He cautioned against further aggravating the current tussle between the Jang Group and the military establishment. The time is for fire-fighting and not for adding fuel to the fire as some elements are desperately trying, he observed. He emphasised the need to adopt a legal course of action and called upon parliament, political parties and civil society organisations to play their due role in resolving the current tussle between a section of the media and the armed forces that deserve the support of the whole nation in its struggle to eliminate the scourge of terrorism.

The participants resolved to convene a national conference in defence of the freedom of expression, tolerance, democratic values, observing due process of law, a responsible and free media and strengthening the constitutional role of all state organs within their respective spheres.

Our correspondent adds from Lahore: The governing body of Lahore Press Club (LPC) on Friday condemned the Pemra’s decision to suspend the Geo News for 15 days as a punishment for running an alleged campaign against the ISI and its chief in April.

In a statement, the LPC Governing Body members, while terming the move as an economic murder of journalists, demanded immediate withdrawal of the decision.

LPC President Arshad Ansari, Vice-President Afzal Talib, Secretary Shahbaz Mian, Joint Secretary Farzana Chaudhry, Treasurer Asif Chaudhry and others made it clear that the journalist community would resist suspension of any channel and not accept dictatorial acts in the country.

They said no compromise would be made at the cost of media freedom and economic murder of journalists.They appealed to the civil society, lawyers, human rights organisations and the people of Pakistan to support the journalist community during the current crucial period.

They said Pemra had punished Geo today and other channels or media outlets could face the same fate if they did not stop their internal fight. They urged all media houses to get united at a single platform to defend the media and its freedom.They announced that a protest would be held outside the LPC on Saturday (today) at 5pm against the suspension of Geo News.

Suspension of Geo News license draws outrage

LAHORE: Lawyers, politicians and civil society has strongly condemned the PEMRA decision, suspending Geo News license for 15 days.

Eminent lawyer and human rights activists Asma Jahangir said PEMRA's decision to suspend Geo News license reflects that not only a TV channel is being targeted it had also inflicted damage to the whole media industry.

Reacting over the PEMRA decision, Jahangir said that with the decision of the media watchdog against Geo News a deadlock has come to an end and now things should move forward after this decision.

Senator Zahid Khan of Awami National Party in his reaction to the PEMRA decision said, “Today what happened to Geo could happen to anybody else.” He condemned the suspension of Geo News and said, ”We consider this a sheer injustice to Geo.”

Pir Sabir Shah, President PML-N KPK chapter, said that PEMRA decision to suspend Geo News license was tantamount to a move against freedom of press.

Known as doyen of journalists in Khyber Pakhutunkhwa, Rahimullah Yousafzai said the regulatory authority gave one-sided decision without hearing Geo's stance.

Government mishandled Geo News issue which could have been resolved much earlier, said Mazhar Abbas.

Senior journalist and special advisor to PM, Irfan Siddiqui said democracy will be damaged if media is weakened. He said suspension of Geo News license is not a good day for media.

Siddiqui said government favours freedom of press. He said if PEMRA had crossed its limits the authority would be questioned for it.

Senior journalist Ansar Abbasi said Geo should take legal path over the suspension of its license.

Diabetes research: good news for caffeine addicts?

PARIS: People who boosted their coffee intake by "moderate to large" doses in a US-based study had a lower risk for adult-onset diabetes than those with stable consumption, researchers said Friday.

An analysis of studies that tracked the diet and lifestyles of more than 120,000 health sector workers, showed that those who increased their daily caffeine dose by about 1.5 cups a day over a four-year period had an 11-percent lower chance in the subsequent four years of developing type 2 diabetes, the team found.

This was in comparison to those whose intake remained constant.

"Furthermore, those who had moderate to large decreases in intake (about two cups a day) had an 18 percent higher risk," a research team in Diabetologia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.

"Changes in coffee consumption habit appear to affect diabetes risk in a relatively short amount of time," concluded the team led by Shilpa Bhupathiraju of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.

Those with the highest coffee consumption, three cups or more per day, had the lowest risk of type 2 diabetes -- 37 percent lower than those who consumed a cup or less per day, said the paper, backing other studies that linked coffee to lower diabetes risk.

The findings were based on monitoring more than 95,000 women enrolled in two nurses´ health studies in the United States, and nearly 28,000 male participants in a separate health professionals´ study.

It measured their consumption patterns for four years, and then looked at subsequent diagnoses of type 2 diabetes.

The outcome may reflect a "true change in risk", but may also be explained by people cutting out coffee after being diagnosed with conditions like high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol associated with risk for type 2 diabetes, said the study authors.

Experts who analysed the new research for the Science Media Centre, said the team had merely evaluated potential short-term benefits and provided no evidence that long-term coffee intake lowered diabetes risk.

The research measured changes in consumption rather than absolute intake, said the analysts.

"No recommendations for coffee intake can be derived from this paper," said a summary, adding the statistical analysis of the data was "potentially misleading".

The researchers had found that neither changes in consumption of tea, nor of decaffeinated coffee, was associated with risk of type 2 diabetes -- a high blood sugar disease often linked to obesity. (AFP)

IHC and LHC dismiss petitions against Geo News

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) and Lahore High Court (LHC) dismissed petitions against Geo News and the channels senior anchors on Friday.

The IHC dismissed a petition which called for a treason case against Geo News and its senior anchors and the cancelation of the channels license. The IHC stated that the petition was non-maintainable.

The petition called for the federation, PEMRA, Geo management, Ansar Abbasi, Najam Sethi, Idrees Bakhtiar, Muneeb Farooq, Imtiaz Alam, Iftikhar Ahmad, Umar Cheema, Dr. Aamir Liaquat Hussain, Asma Shirazi and Amir Mir to become parties in the case.

The petition filed by a local journalist maintained that Geo management, Geo anchors, Amir Mir and private channel anchor Asma Shirazi disgraced the army during a transmission and should be tried for high-treason. The petition also called for the cancellation of Geo’s license.

Meanwhile, the LHC also dismissed a petition against the Jang/Geo group filed by the anchor of a private news channel.

During proceedings Justice Ejazul Hasan remarked that the petitioner had not read article 6 of the constitution which states that the petition should be submitted to the federal government. The constitution outlines procedures for a treason case, Justice Ejaz remarked. He further said that this court was not the appropriate forum for these charges.

Justice Ejaz told the petitioner that he was not an affected party as the allegations had been leveled against the ISI in the case, adding that the Defence Minister and federal government had already taken notice. Justice Ejaz further said that a judicial commission had been formed and its report should be waited for.

Pemra assures restoration of Geo News telecasts: Pervaiz

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Senator Pervaiz Rasheed has said that he talked to the Chairman of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) Pervaiz Rathore regarding the closure of Geo News in parts of the country and the Pemra chief had assured him that he would take steps for the restoration of telecast of Geo News.

The minister, in a statement issued here on Thursday, strongly regretted the closure of Geo News broadcast, hurdles in circulation of ‘The News’ and ‘Jang’ in some parts of Pakistan.“The news of closing the broadcast of Geo News, changing its position on cable and hurdles in the circulation of ‘The News’ and ‘Jang’ in some parts of the country is highly regrettable,” the minister said.

Ban on Geo News will be a big mistake, says Fazl

LONDON: JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that ban on popular channel ‘Geo News’ would be a big mistake.

Talking to Geo News here, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said Geo News is popular among the masses and ban on it will be a big mistake.

Commenting on attack on Geo News anchorperson Hamid Mir, Maulana Fazl said judicial commission should be trusted in this regard.

Geo, The News, Jang blocked illegally in cantonments

 

ISLAMABAD: Geo TV has been blacked out in all cantonment areas and hawkers are not being allowed to distribute daily Jang and The News to subscribers.
It appears as if the ghost of General Ziaul Haq is still haunting the freedom of the press like it had done during the worst dictatorship during the late ’70s and ’80s.Geo TV invited the wrath of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) by airing the apprehensions of senior journalist Hamid Mir through his brother, that too after the near fatal attack on the senior anchorperson.

Instead of using legal means, some forces have directed all the defence institutions and cantonments to black out Geo TV from cable, and the order was complied with in no time. The hawkers in the Cantt areas have also been directed not to supply daily Jang and The News in cantonments all over Pakistan.

The forces who only know how to use muscle instead of reasoning and logic did not wait for the decision of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) where the ISI has lodged a complaint against the Jang Group and instead started implementing the contents of this complaint in the cantonments and defence institutions.

Adoption of legal battle to achieve a remedy against a wrong is always appreciated but, despite knowing the fact that only Pemra can order closure of any channel, these forces have themselves assumed the job of the regulator and have ordered cable operators in Cantt areas not to air Geo TV, which by no means is legal.

However, the poor cable operators have no other choice but to bow before the all-powerful men in boots.Importantly, 95 percent population of cantonments is civilian but they too are forced to bear the consequences of the illegal order originated out of garrisons of blacking out Geo TV and not letting the hawkers to sell/ distribute ‘Daily Jang’ and ‘The News’ in the areas controlled by the Pakistan Army.

Every institution has its jurisdiction and it must remain within the ambit of its jurisdiction otherwise things get worse. If any institution has any issues with Geo TV, there are proper forums where such issues could be addressed. For instance, there is the forum of Pemra and also the courts but some forces only know to use force instead of application of laws.

It is not the first time that the Jang Group has been subjected to such censorship as the subscribers have not forgotten the 1997 and 2007 blackouts by the powerful governments but in the end, it was sanity that prevailed and not the senseless power.

The Jang Group has always been adopting the legal means to fight the wrongs done with it and still many cases, including defamation, are pending before the courts.In the present case, despite adopting the legal channel of action against Geo TV through a complaint lodged with Pemra, the forces, without waiting for the outcome of the complaint, have illegally imposed censorship on Pakistan’s most popular media group. However, the Jang Group lives in the hearts of people; it can be blacked out on cable, hawkers can be stopped from selling its newspapers but how can someone remove Geo/Jang/The News from the hearts of millions of Pakistanis?

Katrina Kaif: Marrying Ranbir Kapoor in 2015 is news to me

 

Katrina Kaif dismissed reports of her marriage with beau Ranbir Kapoor.

Actress Katrina Kaif has denied next year marriage rumours with actor Ranbir Kapoor. There were reports that Katrina Kaif, 30, and Ranbir Kapoor, 31, were likely to tie the knot in 2015.

However Katrina Kaif dismissed such reports saying there were no such plans as of now. “I don’t know about this, it has come in media today. It is news to me as I got to know when someone sent me a message about this, till then I was not aware about it,” Katrina Kaif  told PTI.

“But there is no such thing. If there is something like that happening, I will be the first one to tell you all about it. But, there are no such plans as yet,” she added.

Ranbir had earlier said in an interview that Katrina was special to him. The actress said she does not get disturbed by reports about her personal life as she has learned how to tackle such things now.

“These things don’t bother me today as it used to earlier. I think with time you get used to it,” she said. The ‘Dhoom 3′ actress said her family too was not aware of what was being written about her personal life.

entertainment news

’12 Years a Slave’ wins big at pre-Oscar Spirit Awards

SANTA MONICA: "12 Years a Slave" won big at the Independent Spirit Awards Saturday, taking home five trophies including best feature and building up momentum on the eve of the Oscars.The searing historical drama also earned prizes for British director Steve McQueen, supporting actress Lupita Nyong'o, best cinematography and best screenplay.The film, inspired by the true story of Solomon Northup, recounts the harrowing tale of a black violinist from New York state who was kidnapped ...

Rio revels in ’greatest show on Earth’

RIO DE JANEIRO: More than a million Rio Carnival revelers laid aside bitterness at Brazilian leaders to join wild festivities Saturday in what has been dubbed "the greatest show on Earth."Many participants said they had resolved to forget -- at least until festivities end Tuesday -- about lingering protests over corruption and the cost of hosting the World Cup.The Rio tourist board said 1.3 million people joined the fray to cavort as the Marvelous City's ...

Cuba cigar auction rakes in $1.1 million

HAVANA: Six luxury humidors fetched more than $1.1 million Saturday at the gala closing the 16th annual Cigar Festival in Havana.The humidors were packed with Montecristo and other prestigious cigars along with a painting by Cuban artist Zaida del Rio.As in past years, the $1,102,210 in proceeds went to Cuba's public health services, said Habanos SA, the exclusive distributor of Cuban cigars in 150 countries.The festival, which featured tours of tobacco plantations and cigar factories, ...

Rain-soaked Hollywood primed for Oscars drama

HOLLYWOOD: Hollywood's finest finally hit the red carpet Sunday for the most fiercely contested Oscars show in decades -- after organizers scrambled to make sure the weather doesn't rain on the glamorous parade. After months of drought, a huge storm has hit just in time for the Academy Awards, drenching the famous red carpet where A-listers will strut their stuff as Tinseltown's annual awards season comes to a climax.Three movies -- harrowing historical drama "12 ...

Samsung Galaxy S5 release date, price & specs rumours - coming 24 February

It's now just a matter of weeks until we see what the Samsung Galaxy S5 will offer, with just under a year gone since we first glimpsed the Samsung Galaxy S4. With so little time left until the official launch, we've seen a lot of rumours and have a fair idea of what the new phone will offer.
It's clear from everything we've seen that Samsung wants to make the S5 a clear improvement over the Galaxy S4, giving people a reason to upgrade, while continuing to put the pressure on Apple. Read on to find out everything you need to know and check back often, as we're constantly updating this article with the latest information.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S5 RELEASE DATE

The one thing that we know with absolute certainty is that the Galaxy S5 is due to launch on 24 February at MWC, thanks to Samsung's official invite (below).

Titled, 'Unpacked 5', the name of the invite is a not-too-subtle hint that we can expect to see the 5th generation Samsung Galaxy Smartphone at the Centre Convencions Internacional in Barcelona during MWC.
Samsung's obviously not giving anything else away in the invite, but the company has been teasing more via its @samsungmobile Twitter account.

There's still not a lot to go on there, but we know that we can expect a faster phone (from the icon it looks like faster data, too), more fitness integration and more privacy. This image still leaves a lot to the imagination, but it shows that Samsung's keen to make the Galaxy S5 more than just a phone, but an essential bit of kit that you can use for everything.
As far as stone-cold facts that's as much as we know for definite about the handset for now. However, from previous leaks we know that it's very likely that the specs (see below) are correct and that the new Touchwiz interface (see below) will make an appearance. Read on to find out everything that you need to know.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S5 SPECS LEAKED

If information obtained by SamMobile is correct, then we now know the full Samsung Galaxy S5 specs.
The high-resolution screen should come as no surprise to anyone, with a 2,560x1,440 AMOLED display set to appear. This will make the Samsung Galaxy S5 the highest-resolution smartphone. Screen size will increase from the Galaxy S4's 5in, up to 5.25in. This is still comfortably smaller than the 5.7in screen of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.
The camera should be upgraded, with the sensor moving from the 13-megapixel sensor of the Galaxy S4 up to 16-megapixels for the Galaxy S5. We don't know if Samsung intends to introduce hardware optical image stabilisation (OIS).
Internally, the Galaxy S5 will have a choice of processors, with the 64-bit Exynos 6 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 both available. The Exynos 6 will use ARM's big.LITTLE architecture, which means it will have four low-power cores available when the phone's not doing much, and four high-power cores for more intensive tasks.
The choice of CPU is similar to the Galaxy S4, which had versions with an Exynos 5 chip and Qualcomm chip. In the S4's case, this was because the Exynos didn't support LTE; however, with the Galaxy S5, the Exynos 6 does support LTE, so there's no clear split between models.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S5 TWO VERSIONS

At first, the Samsung Galaxy S5 was definitely going to be made of metal, then it was definitely going to be made of plastic, then it was definitely going to be made of metal again. So, what is it? Well, it really depends on who you want to believe.
Current rumours, as highlighted by the specs listed above, have the Galaxy S5 coming in two versions. That's something that most people seem to agree on now, but the differences in versions are where the real disagreements happen. Some say that the two versions will differ by build quality, with one premium metal version next to a regular plastic version.
However, another rumour says that the Galaxy S5 will be made from plastic, but the versions will differ on specs.
A new report, published on Apple Insider stated that Samsung would be sticking with the polycarbonate shell that it's been using for a while. The report was written by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a good track record with this kind of thing.
He did say that rumours that there would be two versions of the Samsung Galaxy S5 were true. The smartphone will be available as the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Samsung Galaxy S5 Prime versions. Rather than the Prime having a metal case, the differences will come down to the screen. The Prime will have a 5.2in 2,560x1,440 display, while the standard model with have a 1,920x1,080 screen. Both models would otherwise be the same.
This makes sense in a way, as we'd bet money that a 2,560x1,440 display would be hard to manufacture, resulting in lower numbers being available. With a big smartphone release, this wouldn't be good enough. With a Prime and a standard model, Samsung makes sure that there's enough volume out there for most people, while giving people that want to spend more money an even better handset.
More evidence of two Samsung Galaxy S5 models surfaced in recent benchmarks.
Discovered by SamMobile the leaked Antutu benchmakrs show results for two handsets, the SM-G900H and SM-G900R4. As we know from previous leaks, the G900 is the code name for the Samsung Galaxy S5.
Both devices share the same 16-megapixel rear camera, but differ internally. The SM-G900H looks to be the Standard version of the Galaxy S5, with a Samsung Exynos 55422 SoC running a 1.5GHz and 2GB of RAM, with a Full HD display.
The SM-G900R4, meanwhile, has a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset running at 2.5GHz, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and a massive 2,560x1,440 resolution display. Unsurprisingly with a screen like that, this is expected to be the Prime or premium S5 variant. It too appears to be running Android 4.4.2 KitKat.


The benchmark results show two different specifications for two Samsung phones with similar names
Of course, this is still just hearsay and conjecture, but we wouldn't be surprised to see two Galaxy S5 models launched in February, but we're going to have to wait a bit longer to find out what really separates them.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S5 BATTERY

Given how much we use our smartphones battery life is one of the most important features. There's good news, as the Samsung Galaxy S5 battery will last longer and charge faster.
According to PhoneArena, the S5 is set to get a 2,900mAh battery, up from the 2,600mAh battery of the Galaxy S4. This could well mean improved battery life, with the new smartphone lasting longer between charges.
Apparently, the new battery holds 20 per cent more charge by volume. This means that even though the new battery has more capacity, it's only going to be the same size as the current one. This, in turn, will help keep size and weight of the Galaxy S5 down.
Perhaps even more exciting is the information that the S5's battery will have rapid charge technology in it. This would allow it to be charged in just under two hours. It will mean that if you do run your smartphone down, you won't have to wait long for it to be fully charged again.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S5 OPERATING SYSTEM AND UI

It doesn't take a genius to work out that, as the Galaxy S5 will be an Android smartphone, it will run the latest version of the mobile operating system: Android 4.4 KitKat.
As well as faster multitasking and a new immersive mode, KitKat also has better cloud integration. It also supports, on the right hardware, the ability to be activated by voice without having to press a button first.
So far, so obvious, but with Samsung adding its own tweaks to the operating system, the question is, how far will it go with modifying the operating system? Many people thought that the Galaxy S4 felt like a minor improvement over the S3, so completely revamping the OS could do the job.
EVLeaks, which has a good track record, recently posted a picture on Twitter of Samsung's experimental smartphone UI. This could potentially be the interface that we see on the Galaxy S5.

As you can see from the image above, Samsung appears to have tweaked both the lock screen and one of the home screens, opting for square widgets that lock together, although it has also left a traditional Android home screen.
What's making us think that this could the way that Samsung wants to go, is our time with the Samsung Galaxy NotePro and Samsung Galaxy TabPro tablets, which were launched at CES 2014.
These tablets have Samsung's Magazine UX interface. This creates new home screens, with special square widgets that lock together, giving you all of your data in one place, with home screens for work, personal and media. It's not dissimilar to the leaked smartphone screenshot, so it may well be that the Galaxy S5 has its own Magazine UX-style user interface.

This was seemingly confirmed, when the Samsung Galaxy S5 TouchWiz UI overhaul was leaked ahead of launch.
Revealed by @evleaks, the screenshot is alleged to be from the customised version of Android that the Galaxy S5 will use. Where as the previous versions of the smartphone had an icon-heavy interface, the new one looks a little Windows Phone, with a tile-based layout. It's hard not to notice the similarities with the Magazine UX interface revealed at CES 2014.
With a brand-new interface to match the new hardware, Samsung seems intent to radically change how its smartphones look and feel. This could give the company a more 'Samsung' feel, helping to attract people to the brand.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S5 PROCESSOR

Apple moved its entire new mobile platform to 64-bit with the launch of the iPhone 5S, iPad Air and iPad Mini, so it's time for Samsung to play catch-up. By all reports, the Samsung Galaxy S5 will ship with a 64-bit processor as well.
Samsung’s CEO of Mobile Shin Jong-Kyun has stated that the company's "next smartphones will have 64-bit processing". There were rumours that the chip would be delayed and wouldn't appear until the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 was released later in 2014, but it looks as though Samsung's back on track.
A senior ARM executive stoked these rumours further, telling the Korea Herald that the company had finalised a deal with Samsung to provide the Galaxy S5 with a 64-bit chip. This would make it the first Android device to support 64-bit operations.
The as yet unnamed chip is expected to be known as the Exynos 6, making it the successor to the Exynos 5 found in the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition. However, previous Samsung smartphones used Qualcomm processors here in the UK compared to Exynos chips elsewhere in the world, so it's unclear if Samsung intends to use a similar strategy for the Galaxy S5.
This is particularly true following benchmark results that were spotted online showing an unannounced Samsung smartphone with a Snapdragon 800 CPU running at 2.5GHz - a higher frequency than any other mobile device released to date.
Of course, a 64-bit processor isn't much good without a compatible 64-bit operating system. While Apple made the jump to 64-bit using hardware and iOS 7, Samsung doesn't write Android, so it will need Google to write a 64-bit version.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S5 CAMERA

The 13-megapixel camera was one of the highlights of the Galaxy S4, but since then we've seen the 20-megapixel Sony Xperia Z1 and the incredible 41-megapixel Nokia Lumia 1020. It's fair to say, then, that competition is tough and Samsung could go in several directions to up the quality of its camera.
Currently doing the rounds, reported by Samsung Tomorrow, is that the company's ISOCELL sensor technology could be used in the Galaxy 5. This new sensor technology physically separates each pixel, minimising electrical crosstalk, producing sharper pictures with less noise.
GforGames reported that during Samsung's 2013 Analyst day a slide revealed that a 16-megapixel ISOCELL sensor was marked for 2014 and 2015 smartphones. Although not an outright confirmation, it's the biggest indicator yet that the Galaxy S5 will include a 16-megapixel rear camera. Unfortunately there's no mention of optical image stabilisation (OIS), which could prove problematic if other smartphone companies up their camera technology in 2014 as well.
Recent information points to a 16-megapixel camera, thanks to a staggeringly dull photo purporting to be from the Samsung Galaxy S5.
Found on the Flipboard website by @evleaks, the image (below) could reveal the existence of the Galaxy S5.

Rather than the clue being in the image, it's more the EXIF data that's of interest. EXIF data is embedded in photos, giving extra information, including the type of camera that took the picture and its sensor resolution. In the case of the dull red picture, the EXIF data said that the 'camera' was a Samsung SM-G900V with a 16-megapixel resolution.
As we know from other leaks, the SM-G900V is the supposed code name of the Galaxy S5. If this photo is to be believed, then, the picture not only shows that the Galaxy S5 is real, but also unveils its camera as having a 16-megapixel sensor.
Of course, this information has to be taken carefully. EXIF data is super-easy to edit, meaning that anyone could have faked the information and put the photo up online. The fact that the original image has since been removed doesn't prove that it's Samsung pulling it, but rather someone else in order to increase the intrigue.
We're a little dubious of the image. After all, how would a Samsung engineer accidentally upload this picture to Flipboard?
Depending on how quickly Samsung's engineers make progress, the Galaxy S5 could even see a 20-megapixel camera. According to Korean news source ETNews, the company is developing a 20-megapixel smartphone camera sensor now, with a view to include it in handsets from the second half of 2014 onwards. This would seemingly be too late for the proposed Q1 launch date for the S5, although it's always possible the technology is perfected ahead of schedule, or the phone itself slips to a later launch date.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S5 EYE SCANNER

Samsung smartphones are renowned for their extra software features, with Smart Stay and Smart Pause turning off the screen and pausing videos respectively when the front-facing webcam detects you looking away. The company may go a step further, with the Galaxy S5 adding eye scanning security if a new patent filing proves accurate.
A detailed analysis by PatentBolt reveals how an upcoming Samsung smartphone could use a retina scanner, much in the same way as current iris scanners work now. Crucially, the patent explains that this design would be cheaper to implement than existing iris scanners, which makes us think this is one rumour worth keeping an eye on.

We're beginning to see more smartphones put an emphasis on security, with Apple's iPhone 5s using TouchID fingerprint sensors and the HTC One Max following suit. Samsung doesn't like to be left behind, so we're betting that there's a good chance some form of extra security will make its way to the Galaxy S5.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S5 PRICE

It's pretty clear that the Galaxy S5 is going to cost the same as the Samsung Galaxy S4, so expect to pay around £600 SIM-free. If there's a whole bunch of extra tech in the handset we could see the price go up, but as Apple stringently keeps the same pricing structure, we can't see Samsung wanting to be seen as the expensive manufacturer.

Normandy may not be Nokia's only Android phone this year

Is Normandy just the beginning of Nokia's Android ambitions?

Rumors of the Nokia Normandy are heating up, but new whispers say it may only be the first of a whole pack of Android-powered phones from the Finnish firm.
Word from an Artesyn Technologies source is that says the phone company will have more Android phones coming this year, including several higher-end models.
Supposedly this new slew of phones powered by Google's mobile OS will be revealed sometime between May and June.
The source says the phones will come at different price points, but there's no word if it will be able to reach the Play Store unlike Normandy.

But phones may stay low end

Microsoft, which is in the final stages of finalizing its purchase of Nokia, has reportedly put its new acquisition through the chop shop and leaving it with the low-end Asha and feature phone departments.
Meanwhile, teams involved with Nokia's more notable hardware bits including PureView cameras, HAAC microphones, and ClearBlack displays have been moved to Redmond.
Taking these technology shifts into account, its possible that a majority of Nokia's Android phones could come as budget handsets with the Asha overlay - essentially a faux-smartphone tiled, touchscreen interface.

Nokia's Android pathfinder

Thus far, the only Android Nokia handset we've seen evidence for is Normandy. The phone will reportedly debut at MWC 2014 and it's already shaping up to be an abnormal little droid.
Instead of accessing the Play Store, Microsoft plans to supply the handset with its own apps, including Here Maps, MixRadio, and Nokia's own shop of Android apps.
It's already odd enough to see an almost-Microsoft-owned company putting anything but a Windows Phone OS on any handset let along multiple, but we'll let you know if we spot any other goodies from Nokia featuring Google's green bot.

• Nokia might have some kind of Android, but the Motorola Moto G has KitKat.