Dedicated public servant: First female ASP from lower Sindh ready to clean house

My parents' dedication to my educational pursuits paid off, says ASP Suhai Aziz Talpur .

KARACHI: 

ASP Suhai Aziz Talpur, the first woman from lower Sindh to join the police at this rank, was once shunned by her relatives. And only because her parents thought she deserved to be educated.

“When my parents decided to enroll me at a school, most of our relatives started taunting my family. So much so, that my family had to leave our village and move to a nearby town,” she recalled. “But the moment I cleared my Central Superior Services (CSS) exams and was told that I’d be joining the police department as an assistant superintendant police (ASP), the same people started approaching me by claiming to be my long-lost relatives. This is the power of education and being a female, I am proud to have this power.”

At the age of 25, Suhai will be the first woman from lower Sindh [Thatta, Badin, Tando Muhammad Khan, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot and Tharparkar districts] to join the police in November. “My first preference was district management group and the police force was second. My percentage in the exams, however, qualifies me to join the police force. I know the uniform has its own power and I will try my best to use it for good.”

Strong roots

Suhai belongs to a lower middle class family of Bhai Khan Talpur village in Tando Muhammad Khan district. Her father Aziz Talpur, a political activist and writer, always dreamt big for his daughter. “My relatives cut off ties with me because I wanted Suhai to study as they were only in favour of religious education,” Aziz told The Express Tribune. “But I vowed to provide my daughter quality education. Now I know my efforts were successful.”

Suhai started her primary education at a private school in Tando Muhammad Khan and joined Bahria Foundation for her intermediate studies.

Her educational path then led her to pursue BCom from the Zubaida Girls College, Hyderabad. “My family wanted me to become a chartered accountant but I found the job to be very dull as it had no social value,” she said. “That is when I appeared for CSS and cleared it in first attempt.”

She credited her success to hard work and her upbringing. “My parents are nationalists. As a child, they used to emphasise that I memorise Sindhi poetry. This developed my interest in literature and history, leading me to secure top marks in both the subjects in the CSS exams.”

(Un)suitable candidates

Although small in number, female officers have managed to make it to the top on their own.

Earlier, only two women in Sindh cleared the CSS and were working in the police department on senior posts – ASP Irum Awan and Shehla Qureshi.

Awan was the first female ASP to be posted in Ghotki, a district known for tribal clashes and dacoit culture. “I worked hard to stop honour killings as I could understand the plight of the victims,” she said.

Three other female officers enjoy senior positions but they joined through the Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC) or were political appointees. Naseem Ara Panhwar, from Mirpurkhas, serves as the SSP in the driving licence branch. She was appointed in 1995 when the Pakistan Peoples Party-led government had directly recruited DSPs in the police through the SPSC. “It’s a tough but appealing job,” she said. “More young and vibrant women should come forward because not only do they have equal potential as their male counterparts but they would also be in a better position to solve women’s issues.”

SP Traffic Jalees Fatima and Establishment ADIG Noushaba Kausar are two other female officers who have been given high ranks in the department.

Showdown: 4K vs. Blu-ray movies

So far, we have seen enough 4K demonstration clips from the various TV makers to know that they looked absolutely breathtaking on all ultra high-definition (UHD) TVs. But can the same level of clarity be expected for actual 4K movies, which are not shot to deliberately show off the panels' higher resolution? Not to mention, many movies are also shot to retain a softer "film look" unlike these crisp and highly sanitized promotional materials.

While we didn't manage to secure a Sony FMP-X1 UHD player loaded with 4K Hollywood films, we were able to loan a signal generator from the company instead. Preloaded in the machine are snippets of two native 4K movies, After Earth and Total Recall. Granted, these sample clips are not the actual full-length films and may not accurately represent most 4K movies, but they do offer a glimpse of what we can expect.

After Earth

This is how After Earth looks like on a Sony Bravia KD-65X9004 UHD TV. All screenshots were taken via a Canon EOS 600D dSLR fitted with an EF 23-105mm F4 L lens at ISO100. Note that these images have been cropped and resized from the original pictures. No additional sharpening were applied.

There are plenty of fine details to feast your eyes in this particular scene, especially with the dense vegetation.
(Credit: Philip Wong/CNET)

You should be able to differentiate various facial features, such as the eyes, nose and mouth, in this close-up.
(Credit: Philip Wong/CNET)

Check out the see-through display on the arm, which was rendered with clearly discernable text and graphics.
(Credit: Philip Wong/CNET)

No sign of jagged edges, also commonly known as jaggies, despite lots of diagonal and curvy lines in this shot.
(Credit: Philip Wong/CNET)

Total Recall

For Total Recall, we were also able to compare between the 4K and Blu-ray versions using an LG 65LA9700 and 55LM9600, respectively. Both sets feature similar LED-backlighting, which should minimize any variation in terms of screen contrast.

This scene depicts an expansive cityscape, which is an excellent test of clarity between the 4K and Blu-ray formats.
(Credit: Philip Wong/CNET)

Besides a clear difference in pixel size and density, the signboard and tray-like object are also clearer in 4K.
(Credit: Philip Wong/CNET)

Pretty much the same observation with the earlier close-up, except that the 4K appears a tad sharper, too.
(Credit: Philip Wong/CNET)

We continue with the pixel peeping, but switched to this particular night scene with many high contrast portions.
(Credit: Philip Wong/CNET)

Both signboards rendered in 4K are generally more defined. Can you also see a brown line touching the letter A, too?
(Credit: Philip Wong/CNET)

4K offers slightly better clarity again, while jaggies can be observed on the lower part of the 1080p version.
(Credit: Philip Wong/CNET)

Good, but can be better

Having compared these footages extensively, the differences between native 4K and Blu-ray films are surprisingly subtle. Putting aside a marginal improvement in sharpness and clarity, you are unlikely to tell both video formats apart at a glance. Bear in mind that 4K is only four times better than Blu-ray in terms of resolution, while Blu-ray is a six-fold improvement over the DVD format.

Still, future 4K movies, whether they are available in 4K Blu-ray discs or broadcasted, can probably offer more than better image clarity. There is also the possibility of a smoother 60fps motion supported by HDMI 2.0 and richer hues proposed by the Rec. 2020 standard.

Here's another article illustrating the impressive video-upscaling performance of many UHD TVs, which are touted to offer comparable picture quality to full-HD TVs for Blu-rays and DVDs. However, with UHD panels priced at a premium, you’re probably better off with a standard full-HD TV to display these non-4K content, for now

Arab Spring to cost Middle East $800 billion – HSBC

The Arab Spring uprisings will end up costing Middle Eastern economies about $800 billion in lost output by the end of next year as countries struggle to restore stability, banking giant HSBC estimated on Wednesday.

In a research report, HSBC predicted that at the end of 2014, gross domestic product in the seven hardest-hit countries - Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Bahrain - would be 35 per cent lower than it would have been if the 2011 uprisings had not happened.

“The combination of a severe fiscal deterioration, and a decline in government effectiveness, security and the rule of law will weigh heavily on policymakers’ efforts, even to bring employment back to pre-revolution levels,” it said.

HSBC forecast GDP growth in the Middle East and North Africa would slow to 4.0 per cent this year, reviving only slightly to 4.2 per cent next year, from 4.5 per cent last year and 4.9 per cent in 2011.

That forecast included big differences between the oil-rich Gulf, which has mostly boomed, and troubled countries in North Africa.

Egypt, for example, is expected to grow just 2.2 per cent this year and 3.0 per cent next year as it faces heavy pressures on its state budget and external accounts – growth rates which many analysts believe are too low to cut its unemployment.

Partly because the Arab Spring lifted oil prices and encouraged governments to boost spending on social welfare in order to buy peace, Gulf countries have mostly prospered since 2011. HSBC expects Saudi Arabia to grow 4.3 per cent this year, falling slightly to 4.0 per cent in 2014.

But the bank said the Arab Spring had also damaged the Gulf economies, by increasing their dependence on oil-fuelled government spending and deterring politically sensitive policy reforms.

“Only for the Gulf’s wealthiest economies - Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait - does this approach look sustainable,” HSBC said. Other countries with lower ratios of oil wealth to population may yet suffer as a result of the Arab Spring, it added.

Legend Zindane.. even though my fav player is Ronaldo

The France legend lifted the award back in 1998 and has tipped his compatriot to follow in his footsteps on the back of his treble-winning exploits last term

Zinedine Zidane believes Franck Ribery deserves to win the Ballon d'Or over Cristiano Ronaldo but admits he could well miss out to Lionel Messi.

The Bayern Munich winger scored 11 goals and made 19 assists in all competitions last season as the Bavarians lifted the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and the Champions League.

However, he will face stiff competition from the Barcelona and Real Madrid stars - who have already lifted the individual prize in their careers - but Zidane has offered his backing to his compatriot.

"[Ribery and Ronaldo] both deserve to win it," the Real Madrid assistant coach told RMC. "But I would give it to Franck for what he did this year and especially the three major trophies he has won.

"The problem is there is a guy [Messi] who has 55 goals."

Zidane has been working alongside Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti in a coaching capacity since the summer and was asked for this thoughts on the misfiring Karim Benzema, who has come in for criticism for his lack of goals.

The 41-year-old added: "When a football player is down, it is always difficult. You lose some confidence, freshness. However, he will never lose his qualities. He never gives up!"

Benzema has scored just two goals in La Liga this season, with los Blancos already five points adrift of rivals Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, who have perfect records so far this term

Ronaldo: I'd love to see a Messi or Ronaldo-type player for Brazil

The legendary striker admitted La Liga's leading pair would be welcomed with open arms into the Selecao, and backed Diego Costa's decision to represent the Spain national team

Former Brazil forward Ronaldo has revealed he would have no problem accepting foreign-born players into the national team, provided they were the calibre of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.

Speaking at a press conference in Rio de Janeiro, the 37-year-old explained that the Barcelona ace or Real Madrid star would be his first choice to represent the 2014 World Cup hosts, even ahead of former Argentina forward Diego Maradona.

"I would love it if there was a Messi or a Cristiano Ronaldo rejected by their country that could play in the Brazilian team," he said. “I would prefer Messi to Diego [Maradona], even though Diego is also my friend.”

Atletico Madrid’s Diego Costa’s desire to represent Spain at international level, despite being born in Brazil and playing two friendlies for the Selecao, has reignited the debate over international eligibility, but Ronaldo insisted that such developments are nothing new.

"Players who are not used in their own country and have a second citizenship are used by other countries," noted the former Barcelona and Real Madrid striker.

Ronaldo’s comments also come in the wake of reports that the England Football Association was considering using Manchester United’s Adnan Januzaj at senior level, if and when the winger becomes available.

The 18-year-old was born in Belgium, and under Fifa rules is also eligible to represent Albania, Kosovo, Serbia and Turke

Beyonce films in bomb shelter

Beyonce has filmed a new video in a bomb shelter.
The 'Halo' singer made a video at Greenham Common in Newbury, near London, which is a former Royal Air Force (RAF) base and the alleged site of a nuclear accident back in 1958.
The singer reportedly had the bunker swept for radiation before she would enter to ensure it was completely safe. 
A source told The Sun newspaper: 'Beyonce is shooting a music video for every track on her new album.
'The record has been delayed, so she wants to make a big splash when it eventually comes out. She wants to be in the UK with baby daughter Blue Ivy as Jay Z tours, so this was a good chance to shoot a video in the UK. It's an amazing location for a music video.'
Beyonce was originally believed to be releasing her fifth solo album this year, but although new tracks 'Standing on the Sun' and 'Grown Woman' were used in adverts and she previewed another song, 'Bow Down / I Been On', the album is yet to get a title or release date.
Her long-term collaborator Ne-Yo has said: 'Beyonce's the kind of artist where you're not gonna see it until it's right. And her fans, they love her so they'll be patient.'
Beyonce also recently completed her 'The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour'.

Queen Elizabeth kicks off Commonwealth Games countdown

Britain's Queen Elizabeth has kicked off the countdown to next year's Commonwealth Games.
The monarch placed a special message inside the baton during the official ceremony outside Buckingham Palace yesterday (09.10.13), which she will read out at the opening ceremony for the Glasgow-based games in July 2014.
The baton will now travel for over 120,000 miles around every Commonwealth country the world before it reaches its Scottish destination next summer.
Lord Smith of Kelvin, the Glasgow 2014 chairman, told crowds at the Palace: 'Years of planning and preparations have gone into putting on the Games and we have now reached the moment when the countdown really begins.
'The baton is a tangible object. Thousands of people will carry it, and they will bring the Commonwealth to life in front of our eyes. As the journey unfolds, we will see a vast diversity of people, of landscapes and of cultures.'
Former track cyclist and renowned Olympian Sir Chris Hoy was chosen to carry to baton along The Mall to the Queen, accompanied by the Scots Guards and Royal Scots Borderers.
Once the Queen's message - which she penned during her annual break at Balmoral - was concealed inside, the 87-year-old royal passed it on to former sprinter Allan Wells and Unicef ambassador Monica Dzonzi.
As the duo made their way out of the Palace gates, a host of other bearers - who included athletes, volunteers and schoolchildren involved with the 20th annual games - took turns holding it as they circled around the Queen Victoria Memorial.
The symbolic trophy was then taken to London's Marlborough House before leaving for India today (10.10.13).