TTP ready to reciprocrate govt's 'serious' peace talk efforts: Hakimullah Mehsud

Hakimullah Mehsud. PHOTO:FILE

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Hakimullah Mehsud said on Wednesday that the government had not followed up on the decision of talks made in the September All Parties Conference, however, if any such effort is made, a government jirga would be welcomed and provided full security. 

In a rare television interview, the TTP leader told the BBC that the government should have made the peace talks announcement and called a jirga, as per convention instead of handing over responsibilities to the media.

Mehsud said that the Taliban were ready for peace talks and if serious attempts at negotiations were made, the Taliban would reciprocate.

“If a jirga nominated by the government comes to us, we will ensure its security,” he said, adding that the TTP were not going to start negotiating with the government through the media.

“We don’t want to talk through the media. Neither do we want to listen to the government’s conditions through the media nor do we want to present our conditions via media.”

US Withdrawal from Afghanistan

With many believing that the 2014 US withdrawal from Afghanistan could deflate the militant movements, Mehsud said that the situation in drawdown will not have any affect on Pakistani Taliban and they will continue to carry out their activities.

“We carry our fight in Pakistan for two reasons. One reason is that Pakistan is friends with America and at the behest of America, Pakistan has killed ulema and destroyed madrassas,” he said.

He said that the other reason for their fight against Pakistan was the prevalent “non-Islamic” system in the country.

Drones

The TTP leader reiterated that if America agreed to stop drone strikes, the Taliban would also stop their fight.

He said that that they were aware of the appeals of ulema who want them to stop the war.

“But in the case of us ending the war, we also want a stop to drone strikes. If drone strikes are stopped, we will be ready to stop our jihad.”

Blasts in public spaces

The TTP leader, who carries a $5 million bounty on his head, disowned the recent blasts in public spaces. “Other agencies are involved in that.”

“The purpose of the blasts is to misguide the people against Taliban, so that the people who support us can stop doing so.”

Mehsud said that the TTP have distanced themselves from such blasts before and will do so again.

Billo or Paani Da Bulbula, Abrarul Haq still has it

Punjabi singer talks about Zinda Bhaag OST, Coke Studio and upcoming album.

LAHORE: 

You don’t need to be familiar with Punjabi to sing along when Kinney Kinney Jana Billo De Ghar plays on the radio. There are always just a handful of lucky singers whose debut numbers become instant hits, and Abrarul Haq’s Billo De Ghar is one such example. The bhangra folk singer enjoyed his time in the spotlight and gave his fans fun Punjabi tunes to groove to until he decided to gradually step away from the fore. And following what could be called a hiatus, Abrar has now made a comeback with the release of Pani Da Bulbula, original sound track (OST) of Zinda Bhaag.

Pani Da Bulbula — a rendition of a track originally sung by Yaqoob Atif Bulbula in the ’70s — is a song Abrar remembers humming and listening to as a child. “I look at it as a spiritual message which says everything is a bubble of water and has a fleeting nature. Everything is perishable, whether it’s alive or not,” explains Abrar. “So why the fighting and thirst for power?”

“The success [of the song] has been more than what I had expected. The way it has been accepted by the public, I think it’s a milestone for cinema’s revival,” he says, adding that music has an important role to play in the film’s industry’s resurgence.

Abrar feels the music industry has changed and the desire to create good music has faded away. “Before, people loved music. And now, music has become secondary and the perks [that come with being a musician] have become the priority,” he regrets. “Maybe it’s destiny or lack of creativity, but there is something wrong.” Back in the day, bands like Junoon and other pop musicians who had genuine mass appeal existed, reminisces the singer. And he feels this isn’t the case anymore.

His debut in Coke Studio this season will be a breath of fresh air and he is thrilled with the prospect. He feels it’s the only platform in today’s time where a blend of Eastern and Western tunes takes place — it’s where music is digestible and acceptable, he says.

“The public’s liking is generally unpredictable,” Abrar continues about his contribution to Coke Studio 6. “But I think people will say that the songs sound different, and the mystic poetry will come forward as well in a positive manner.” About his music, he says, “I am just a man of the people — one who has always tried to include his voice in his poetry.”

An altruistic Abrar

When Abrar isn’t in a studio recording music, he’s busy with social work. With the assistance of his organisation Sahara Welfare Trust, Abrar is currently working on building a medical college. “To be honest, if my popularity graph can improve through music, then my social welfare organisations receive a lot of help,” he explains. “We need to raise a lot of money for that and by improving my music, I can help in that.”

He admits his music has always been politically-charged. “I think the more politically aware you get, the more in-depth your lyrics become,” he says, referring to deep, meaningful poetry. “But it’s not like I have left light poetry. That is still there, too.”

About his eighth studio album, which is expected to release in the coming months, Abrar reveals there will be a total of 10 tracks which will bring together all his recent endeavours — entertainment, politics and social work. “It will be an amalgamation of different thoughts and feelings,” he says, adding there will be songs on terrorism, love, mothers, friendship, bhangra and a spiritual kalam.

Affleck wants Larry David in 'Man of Steel' sequel

Ben Affleck wants Larry David in Man of Steel sequel. PHOTO: AFP

LOS ANGELES: Actor Ben Affleck reportedly wants actor Larry David to make a cameo appearance in “Man of Steel” sequel.

Affleck has been roped in to play Batman in the movie.

David and Affleck have been talking about the idea of the former playing the role of Superman’s enemy, Mr Myxlplyx, in the movie, that features both Batman and Superman, reports radaronline.com.

“They chatted about the idea with earnest abandon throughout the course of Emmy weekend. Larry has long been courted by the big budget superhero industrial complex, being linked to roles in the Sam Raimi ‘Spider-Man’ sequels nearly a decade ago,” said a source.

David trusts Affleck and is considering the offer.

The Kind Executioner: Of Bhutto’s final moments

Pakistani writer’s script has been shortlisted in Hollywood Screenplay Contest. PHOTO: FILE

Pakistani-American writer Mumtaz Hussain’s script The Kind Executioner was shortlisted in the drama category amongst the official finalists of the Hollywood Screenplay Contest last week. Now, Hussain is ready to transform this script, which portrays the relationship between late Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his executioner, into a movie.

Hussain says his project, which is in English, is a piece of fiction derived from the last years of Bhutto’s life. “I am delighted to learn that my script has been appreciated because I am working hard to make this film my singular achievement,” Hussain told APP. The writer hails from Jhang but has lived in New York for the past couple of years.

The production will portray the relationship between the popular prime minister and his executioner Tara Masih, who believed Bhutto (executed in 1979) was a saviour of Pakistan. The script, which was evaluated by a team of writers and experts, is said to be intense in terms of both its dialogue and drama.

The Kind Executioner will be an attempt to cinematically answer questions in the audience’s mind by symbolism, and Hussain is confident that the average Pakistani, who doesn’t really have an interest in history or politics, will be able to enjoy it. He promises it will be meaningful, with unique transformations and expressions. He did not disclose too many details as he is keen on preserving the audience’s curiosity till the project is ready for release.

Hussain has held several exhibitions as a modern artist and has also published a collection of short stories in Urdu.

The winning scripts of the Hollywood Screenplay Contest, the body that has shortlisted Hussain’s film, the winning scripts are forwarded to several leading production companies and literary agencies. The screenplays are scored and evaluated on a multi-point scale with criteria including concept, structure, plot, pacing, character, dialogue, style, theme and marketability

Samsung Galaxy Round brings curve to smartphones

Samsung's curved Galaxy Round smartphone.

(Credit: Samsung)

Samsung has won the race to be the first phone manufacturer this fall to launch a curved smartphone.

The company announced late Tuesday that the new Galaxy Round incorporates the latest in screen technology, along with other unique features.

The device resembles the Galaxy S3 and S4, but it has slight dip in the middle that causes the phone to curve along a vertical axis. The phone's body itself is rigid, so it doesn't actually flex or bend -- but rather has a stationary curve that is said to fit the contours of a person's face. The company said the curvature lets people controls their apps, music, and photos in a new way.

"As a result of its unique curved design, users can take advantage of round integration experiences like the Roll Effect that enables user to check information such as date, time, missed call and battery easily when home screen is off, and the Gravity Effect for creating visual interaction with the screen by tilting the device," Samsung said in a statement.

"When the Galaxy Round's display is off while the music player is running, a short press to the left of the device will play the previous track while a short press to the right will play the next track. For pictures and videos, the Side Mirror feature enables users to gain access to list of the album content with a left and right tilt."

The Galaxy Round has a 5.7-inch, 1080p screen with an HD Super AMOLED display. The device is 7.9mm thick, weighs 154g, and has a 2800mAh battery. It runs Android 4.3, has 3GB of RAM, and a 2.3GHz quad-core processor. The smartphone also has a 13-megapixel camera.

The product release comes as Samsung faces a slowdown in its core smartphone market. This means the company must find other ways to wow buyers and get them to pay for new devices. A curved display could be one factor that attracts those consumers.Rumors have been floating the last few weeks that Samsung was working on a curved smartphone, and photos of the device evenleaked on the Web earlier Tuesday.

Curved displays, however, are not an entirely new concept. Nokia and Apple have reportedly been working on curved displays for years, and LG apparently plans to launch a curved smartphone dubbed the G Flex within a few weeks.

The Galaxy Round will first launch in South Korea in "luxury brown," and more colors are forthcoming. It's not yet clear when the company plans to launch the smartphone internationally

DisplaySearch: Apple readying phablet, Retina MacBook Air

iPhone will get big. A lot bigger, display analyst predicts.

(Credit: Apple)

Apple appears to be planning a phablet, a Retina MacBook Air, and a 1.6-inch iWatch in its 2014 lineup, according to a research note from NPD DisplaySearch.

In addition to the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 (some are calling it a 4.8-inch design), DisplaySearch anticipates a phablet-sized 5.7-inch iPhone with a 1,920x1,080 display (see chart at bottom), based on data from the supply chain of manufacturers in Asia.

That's the same resolution in many 10-inch-class devices and would match the 5-inch resolution of Samsung's Galaxy S4.

Other goodies expected from Apple include: 

• Big iPad : a 12.9-inch iPad with a 2,732×2,048 resolution display. 
• iPad Mini 2: sporting a 7.9-inch 2,048×1,536 display, matching the resolution of the larger 9.7-inch iPad. 
• Retina MacBook Air: Finally, a Retina version of the popular Air. The new MBA may have a smaller 12-inch screen boasting 2,304×1,440 resolution. (Or slightly larger if you compare it to the current 11.6-inch MacBook Air.) 
• iWatch 1.3-inch and 1.63-inch iWatch with 320×320 flexible AMOLED display. 
• Apple TV: 55-inch, a 65-inch 4Kx2K screen. 

More details can be found in the DisplaySearch chart at bottom.

The note from David Hsieh does not begin on a high note, however.

"Over the past several years, Apple has been an early adaptor of display technology as well as a critical part of the supply chain...However, rapid developments in technology and manufacturing of LCD and OLED displays have challenged Apple's leadership in display adoption," Hsieh said.

"Other smart phone brands like HTC, Huawei, Nokia and Sony are all gearing up with higher resolution, larger displays, as are the tablet PC makers, led by Google and Amazon," he said.In other words, lots of mobile players can match or beat Apple's Retina display technology now.

In closing, Hsieh believes that Apple is planning to revamp nearly all of the displays in its products over the next year, which would "indicate that Apple, once again, intends to count on display technology for new product innovation."

NPD DisplaySearch expects an iWatch with a 320x320 flexible AMOLED display and a phablet-sized iPhone.

Mad Catz Mojo Android console packs Tegra 4 for £220

Mad Catz, best known for its bonkers game controllers and cavalier attitude to spelling, has a new Android console for your expert consideration, called the Mojo. Like the Ouya, it plugs into your telly and lets you play the cream of the Google Play Store in 1080p.

Coming in December, it'll set you back £220, and includes a Bluetooth controller, which Mad Catz adorably dubs the CTRLr.

That's more than twice the price of the £99 Ouya, so what are you getting for your extra cash? There's a more powerful 1.8GHz Tegra 4 chip, which should outperform the Ouya's 1.7GHz Tegra 3. It has a more up to date USB 3 input, compared to the Ouya's USB 2, giving faster data transfer.

The Mojo is roomier too, with double the internal storage at 16GB, and with twice the RAM, at 2GB. You can expand the storage with the microSD slot in the back, too. It's running Android 4.2.2, a slightly newer version of Google's OS than the 4.1 that the Ouya's software is based on.

It should therefore be a more capable gaming rig than the Ouya, and compares with top-end smart phones, and gaming tablets such as the Nvidia Tegra Note.

As well as the latest Android games, such as FIFA 14, it'll stream movies over your network and via apps such as Netflix and Lovefilm. It has full access to the Google Play Store and Nvidia's specialist TegraZone gaming store too.

Nevertheless, it's a lot of money to splash out on a tiny box. You can get a PlayStation 3 with 500GB of storage for less -- just £209 at Amazon at the moment. Similarly, a 250GB Xbox 360 with the full console version of FIFA 14 thrown in will set you back £165. Both have Netflix and Lovefilm, and tonnes of other apps too, as well as extensive -- if much pricier -- online game collections.

Alternatively, a new Nexus 7 with a similar quad-core processor and the same 16GB of storage (although unexpandable) will run you £199. And it has a Full HD screen, so you can play it on the bus.

The Ouya was a tremendous Kickstarter success last year, but its poor build quality and not-quite-ready software have disappointed some fans and most reviewers.

Can you see a future for Android consoles like the Mojo and Ouya? What would make them compelling? Get your mojo going in the comments, or on the free-for-all that is our Facebook page.