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Panama Case Decision

2017-07-28T06:05:00.002-07:00

Panama case decision

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF PAKISTAN

(ORIGINAL JURISDICTION)

PRESENT:

MR. JUSTICE EJAZ AFZAL KHAN

MR. JUSTICE SH. AZMAT SAEED

MR. JUSTICE IJAZ UL AHSAN

C. M. A. NO. 4978 OF 2017 IN CONSTITUTION PETITION NO. 29 OF 2016 ETC.

(Report by JIT).

AND

C. M. A. NO. 2939 OF 2017 IN CONSTITUTION PETITION NO. 29 OF 2016 ETC.

Imran Ahmed Khan and others. …Applicant(s)

Versus

Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif,

Prime Minister of Pakistan. …Respondent(s)

AND

CONSTITUTION PETITION NO. 29 OF 2016.

(Under Article 184 of the Constitution)

Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi. …Petitioner(s)

Versus

Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif,

Prime Minister of Pakistan, etc. …Respondent(s)

AND

CONSTITUTION PETITION NO. 30 OF 2016.

(Under Article 184 of the Constitution)

Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed. …Petitioner(s)

Versus

Federation of Pakistan through Secretary Law,

Justice and Parliamentary Division, etc. …Respondent(s)

AND

CONSTITUTION PETITION NO. 03 OF 2017.

(Under Article 184 of the Constitution)

Siraj-ul-Haq, Ameer Jamat-e-Islami, Pakistan. …Petitioner(s)

Versus

Federation of Pakistan through Ministry of

Parliamentary Affairs, Islamabad and others. …Respondent(s)

………………

Const. Ps. No. 29-30/2016 & 03/2017. 2

IN ATTENDANCE.

(in Const. P. 29/2016).

For the petitioner(s): Syed Naeem Bokhari, ASC

Mr. Sikandar Bashir Mohmand, ASC

Mr. Fawad Hussain Ch., ASC

Mr. Faisal Fareed Hussain, ASC.

Ch. Akhtar Ali, AOR.

Assisted by :

Barrister Maleeka Bokhari.

Shahid Naseem Gondal, Adv.

Kashif Nawaz Siddiqui, Adv.

M. Imad Khan, Adv.

For respdt. No. 1: Khawaja Harris Ahmed, Sr. ASC.

Assisted by:

M. Amjad Pervaiz, ASC

Saad Hashmi, Adv.

Adnan Khawaja, Adv.

For respdt. No. 2: Mr. Akbar Tarar, APGA.

Mr. Arshad Qayyum, Spl. Prosecutor.

Ch. M. Fariid-ul-Hassan, Spl. Prosecutor.

Mr. Imran-ul-Haq, Spl. Prosecutor.

Mr. Ajmal Aziz, Spl. Prosecutor.

For respdts. 3 to 5 : Mr. M. Waqar Rana, Addl. A. G.

Mr. M. S. Khattak, AOR.

Assisted by :

Barrister Asad Rahim Khan.

For respdts. 6 to 9: Mr. Salman Akram Raja, ASC.

Syed Rifaqat Hussain Shah, AOR.

Assisted by :

Asad Ladha, Adv.

Ghulam Sabir Malik, Adv.

Usman Ali Bhoon, Adv.

M. Shakeel Mughal, Adv.

Aftab Zafar, Adv.

For respdt. No. 10: Dr. Tariq Hassan, ASC.

Syed Rifaqat Hussain Shah, AOR.

Const. P. 30 of 2016.

For the petitioner(s): Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, (in person)

For the respdts. 1 & 3: Mr. M. Waqar Rana, Addl. A. G.

Mr. M. S. Khattak, AOR.

Const. Ps. No. 29-30/2016 & 03/2017. 3

Assisted by :

Barrister Asad Rahim Khan.

For respdt. No. 2 : Mr. Akbar Tarar, APGA.

Mr. Arshad Qayyum, Spl. Prosecutor.

Ch. M. Fariid-ul-Hassan, Spl. Prosecutor.

Mr. Imran-ul-Haq, Spl. Prosecutor.

Mr. Ajmal Aziz, Spl. Prosecutor.

For respdt. No. 4: Khawaja Harris Ahmed, Sr. ASC.

Assisted by:

M. Amjad Pervaiz, ASC

Saad Hashmi, Adv.

Adnan Khawaja, Adv.

Const. P. No. 03 of 2017.

For the petitioner(s): Mr. Taufiq Asif, ASC.

Assisted by :

Atif Ali Khan, ASC.

Ajmal Ghaffar Toor, Adv.

Saifullah Gondal, Adv.

Sher Hamad Khan, Adv.

For respdts. 1 to 3: Mr. M. Waqar Rana, Addl. A. G.

Mr. M. S. Khattak, AOR.

Assisted by :

Barrister Asad Rahim Khan.

For respdt. No. 4: Khawaja Harris Ahmed, Sr. ASC.

Assisted by:

M. Amjad Pervaiz, ASC

Saad Hashmi, Adv.

Adnan Khawaja, Adv.

Date of Hearing: 17th to 21st July, 2017.

(Judgment Reserved).

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Const. Ps. No. 29-30/2016 & 03/2017. 4

J U D G M E N T

EJAZ AFZAL KHAN, J.- This judgment is in continuation of our

judgments dated 20.04.2017 in Constitution Petitions No. 29, 30 of 2016 and

Constitution Petition No. 03 of 2017 which ended up in the following order of

the Court :

“By a majority of 3 to 2 (Asif Saeed Khan Khosa and Gulzar Ahmed, JJ)

dissenting, who have given separate declarations and directions, we

hold that the questions how did Gulf Steel Mill come into being; what

led to its sale; what happened to its liabilities; where did its sale

proceeds end up; how did they reach Jeddah, Qatar and the U.K.;

whether respondents No. 7 and 8 in view of their tender ages had the

means in the early nineties to possess and purchase the flats; whether

sudden appearance of the letters of Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jaber Al-

Thani is a myth or a reality; how bearer shares crystallized into the

flats; who, in fact, is the real and beneficial owner of M/s Nielsen

Enterprises Limited and Nescoll Limited, how did Hill Metal

Establishment come into existence; where did the money for Flagship

Investment Limited and other companies set up/taken over by

respondent No. 8 come from, and where did the Working Capital for

such companies come from and where do the huge sums running into

millions gifted by respondent No. 7 to respondent No. 1 drop in from,

which go to the heart of the matter and need to be answered.

Therefore, a thorough investigation in this behalf is required.

2. In normal circumstances, such exercise could be conducted by

the NAB but when its Chairman appears to be indifferent and even

unwilling to perform his part, we are constrained to look elsewhere

and therefore, constitute a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) comprising of

the following members :

i) a senior Officer of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), not below

the rank of Additional Director General who shall head the team

having firsthand experience of investigation of white collar crime and

related matters;

ii) a representative of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB);

iii) a nominee of the Security & Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP)

familiar with the issues of money laundering and white collar crimes;

iv) a nominee of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP);

v) a seasoned Officer of Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) nominated by its

Director General; and

vi) a seasoned Officer of Military Intelligence (M.I.) nominated by its

Director General.

3. The Heads of the aforesaid departments/ institutions shall

recommend the names of their nominees for the JIT within seven days

from today which shall be placed before us in chambers for nomination

and approval. The JIT shall investigate the case and collect evidence, if

any, showing that respondent No. 1 or any of his dependents or

benamidars owns, possesses or has acquired assets or any interest

therein disproportionate to his known means of income. Respondents

No. 1, 7 and 8 are directed to appear and associate themselves with

the JIT as and when required. The JIT may also examine the evidence

and material, if any, already available with the FIA and NAB relating to

or having any nexus with the possession or acquisition of the aforesaid

flats or any other assets or pecuniary resources and their origin. The JIT

Const. Ps. No. 29-30/2016 & 03/2017. 5

shall submit its periodical reports every two weeks before a Bench of

this Court constituted in this behalf. The JIT shall complete the

investigation and submit its final report before the said Bench within a

period of sixty days from the date of its constitution. The Bench

thereupon may pass appropriate orders in exercise of its powers under

Articles 184(3), 187(2) and 190 of the Constitution including an order

for filing a reference against respondent No. 1 and any other person

having nexus with the crime if justified on the basis of the material

thus brought on the record before it.

4. It is further held that upon receipt of the reports, periodic or

final of the JIT, as the case may be, the matter of disqualification of

respondent No. 1 shall be considered. If found necessary for passing an

appropriate order in this behalf, respondent No. 1 or any other person

may be summoned and examined.

5. We would request the Hon’ble Chief Justice to constitute a

Special Bench to ensure implementation of this judgment so that the

investigation into the allegations may not be left in a blind alley.”

2. The Hon’ble Chief Justice of Pakistan constituted the

implementation Bench consisting of Ejaz Afzal Khan, J., Mr. Justice Sh. Azmat

Saeed and Mr. Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan. The Bench vide order dated 05.05.2017

constituted the JIT consisting of Mr. Amer Aziz, an Officer of (BS-21) who is on

deputation with NIBAF, Mr. Bilal Rasool, Executive Director, SECP, Mr. Irfan

Naeem Mangi, Director NAB, (BS-20). Brig. Muhammad Nauman Saeed from

ISI, Brig. Kamran Khurshid from M.I. and Mr. Wajid Zia, Additional Director

General (Immigration), FIA to head the JIT.

3. The JIT undertook the task thus assigned and submitted a

complete investigation report on 10.07.2017. Parties to the proceedings were

provided the report of the JIT and a weeks’ time to go through it. Khawaja

Harris Ahmed, learned Sr. ASC appearing on behalf of respondent No. 1

submitted a CMA expressing his reservations about the report. Dr. Tariq

Hassan, learned ASC for respondent No. 10 also filed a CMA expressing his

reservations about the report. Learned ASC appearing for petitioner in Const. P.

No. 29 of 2016, Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, petitioner appearing in person in

Const. P. No. 30 of 2016 and learned ASC appearing for the petitioner in Const.

P. No. 03 of 2017, by picking up the thread from where they left off, sought to

canvass at the bar that the JIT has collected sufficient evidence proving that

Const. Ps. No. 29-30/2016 & 03/2017. 6

respondent No. 1, his dependents and benamidars own, possess and have

acquired assets which are disproportionate to their known sources of income;

that neither respondent No. 1 nor any of his dependents or benamidars before

or during the course of investigation could account for these assets, therefore,

he has become disqualified to be a Member of Parliament. They further stated

that certified copies of the correspondence between Mr. Errol George, Director

Financial Investigating Agency and the Anti-Money Laundering Officer of

Mossack Fonseca & Co. (B.V.I.) Limited collected through Mutual Legal

Assistance prove that respondent No. 6 is the beneficial owner of the Avenfield

apartments, therefore, the document showing her as trustee is a fabrication on

the face of it for which she is liable to be proceeded against for forgery and

using forged documents; that use of Calibri Font, which became commercially

available in 2007, in the preparation of the trust deed in February 2006 is

another circumstance leading to the inference that it was forged and

fabricated; that narrative of Tariq Shafi vis-à-vis receipt of AED 12 million from

sale of 25% shares of Ahli Steel Mills formerly known as Gulf Steel Mills is false

on the face of it which has been confirmed by the JIT in its report; that

whatever has been stated in Qatri letters remained unsubstantiated as the

Qatri Prince neither appeared before the JIT nor ever stated his point of view

through any other legally recognizable means; that respondents were given

ample opportunities to provide the trail of money and answer the questions

asked in the order of the Court dated 20.04.2017 but they throughout have

been evasive; that the discrepancies between the first Qatri letter and affidavit

of Mr. Tariq Shafi show that neither of them is credible; that the spreadsheet

attached with the second Qatri letter too is of no help to the respondents as it

is neither signed nor supported by any documentary evidence; that the entire

story about trail of money is seriously marred by inconsistencies surfacing in

the statements of the respondents recorded by the JIT; that story of

Const. Ps. No. 29-30/2016 & 03/2017. 7

transporting machinery from Dubai to Jeddah and thereby establishing Azizia

Steel Company Limited still awaits proof; that how the entire amount running

to SAR 63.10 million could be utilized by respondent No. 7 notwithstanding he

was entitled to only 1/3rd finds no explanation therefor, the sources

establishing Hill Metal Establishment have not been proved; that failure of

respondent No. 1 to disclose his assets deposited in his account on account of

his being Chairman of Capital FZE would also call for his disqualification, as it

being an asset for all legal and practical purposes was required to be disclosed

under Section 12(2)(f) of the Representation of the People Act, 1976; that the

respondent denied withdrawal of salary, but payment of salaries to all

employees electronically, through the Wage Protection System, under

Ministerial Resolution No. (788) for 2009 on Wage Protection used by United

Arab Emirates Ministry of Labour and Rules 11(6) and 11(7) of the Jebel Ali Free

Zone Rules, would belie his stance; that the assets of respondents No. 7 and 8

have surprisingly grown manifold overnight notwithstanding all of their

business enterprises run in loss; that the facts and figures showing inflow and

outflow of Hill Metals Establishment also appear to be fudged and fabricated

when seen in the light of the material collected during the course of

investigation by the JIT; that material already brought on the record and

collected through the JIT leave no doubt that the assets of respondent No. 1,

his children and benamidars are disproportionate to their known sources of

income and that their failure to satisfactorily account for them would inevitably

entail disqualification of respondent No. 1 in terms of Section 9(a)(v) of the

National Accountability Bureau Ordinance, 1999.

4. Learned Sr. ASC appearing for Respondent No. 1 contended that

JIT overstepped its mandate by reopening the case of Hudabiya Paper Mills

when it was not so directed by the Court; that another investigation or inquiry

shall also be barred by the principle of double jeopardy when the Reference

Const. Ps. No. 29-30/2016 & 03/2017. 8

relating to the said Mills was quashed in the case of Hudabiya Paper Mills

Limited. Vs. Federation of Pakistan (PLD 2016 Lahore 667); that no evidence

has been collected by the JIT showing respondent No.1 to have any nexus with

the Avenfield apartments, Hill Metals Establishment, Flagship Investment

Limited or any other business concern run by respondent no. 7 and 8; that all

the material collected and finding given by the JIT do not deserve any

consideration inasmuch as they are beyond the scope of investigation

authorized by the order of this Court; that the investigation conducted by the

JIT cannot be said to be fair and just when none of the respondents was

questioned about or confronted with any of the documents tending to

incriminate them and that the JIT exceeded its authority while obtaining

documents from abroad by engaging the firm of the persons happening to be

their near and dear. Such exercise, the learned Sr. ASC added, cannot be

termed as Mutual Legal Assistance by any interpretation nor can the

documents thus obtained be vested with any sanctity in terms of Section 21(g)

of the National Accountability Bureau Ordinance, 1999. He next contended that

no weight could be given to the finding of the JIT when it is not supported by

any authentic document. An investigation of this type, the learned Sr. ASC

added, which is a farce and a breach of due process cannot form basis of any

adverse verdict against respondent No. 1. The learned Sr. ASC to support his

contention placed reliance on the cases of Khalid Aziz. Vs. The State (2011

SCMR 136) and Muhammad Arshad and others. Vs. The State and others

(PLD 2011 SC 350).

5. Learned ASC appearing on behalf of respondents No. 6, 7, 8 and

9 contended that Avenfield apartments are owned and possessed by

respondent No. 7, and that the trail of money and the way it has culminated in

the acquisition of the Avenfield apartments stand explained by Qatri letters;

that respondent No. 6 besides being a trustee of the apartments at some stage

Const. Ps. No. 29-30/2016 & 03/2017. 9

of time has not been their beneficial owner, therefore, the correspondence

between Errol George, Director FIA and Mossack Fonseca & Co. (B.V.I.) Limited

or the certified copies thereof obtained through an MLA request cannot be

relied upon unless proved in accordance with law and that the JIT report and

the material collected by it during the course of investigation per se cannot

form basis of a judgment in a proceeding under Article 184(3) of the

Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

6. Learned ASC appearing on behalf of respondent No. 10

contended that assets of respondent No. 10 have been audited and examined

from time to time but no irregularity was ever found in any of them; that the

respondent has accounted for whatever assets he owns, possesses or has

acquired; that his assets were also subject matter of Reference No. 5 of 2000

which was quashed in the case of Hudabiya Paper Mills Limited. Vs.

Federation of Pakistan (supra); that another criminal proceeding cannot be

initiated when everything has been accounted for down to the rupee. The

learned ASC by producing the income tax returns from 2007 to 2016, wealth

tax returns from 1981-1982 to 2000-2001 and from 2009 to 2016 contended

that every asset is property vouched and documented; that the finding of the

JIT has no legal or factual basis; that no conclusion much less sweeping can be

drawn on the basis of such report; that 91 times increase in his assets from

1992-1993 to 2008-2009 shown in the JIT’s report is based on miscalculation;

that the respondent cannot be impaled on the same charge by imputing a

wrongdoing without any tangible evidence; that failure on the part of the FBR

to provide the relevant record cannot be construed to the detriment of the

respondent when it has been with the NAB Authorities throughout and that

with this background in view, it would be rather unjust to thrust the

respondent in another treadmill of tiresome trial before the Accountability

Court.

Const. Ps. No. 29-30/2016 & 03/2017. 10

7. We have carefully gone through the record, the report

submitted by the JIT and considered the submissions of the learned ASCs, Sr.

ASC of the parties as well as the learned Additional Attorney General for

Pakistan.

8. We have already dealt with the background of the case and

detailed submissions of the learned ASCs for the parties in paras 1 to 12 of the

majority judgment authored by one of us (Ejaz Afzal Khan, J) and notes written

by my learned brothers Mr. Justice Sh. Azmat Saeed and Mr. Justice Ijaz ul

Ahsan. What necessitated the constitution of JIT has been highlighted in para

19 of the judgment which reads as under :-

“19. Yes, the officers at the peak of NAB and FIA may not cast their

prying eyes on the misdeeds and lay their arresting hands on the

shoulders of the elites on account of their being amenable to the

influence of the latter or because of their being beholden to the

persons calling the shots in the matters of their appointment posting

and transfer. But it does not mean that this Court should exercise a

jurisdiction not conferred on it and act in derogation of the provisions

of the Constitution and the law regulating trichotomy of power and

conferment of jurisdiction on the courts of law. Any deviation from the

recognized course would be a recipe for chaos. Having seen a deviation

of such type, tomorrow, an Accountability Court could exercise

jurisdiction under Article 184(3) of the Constitution and a trigger happy

investigation officer while investigating the case could do away with

the life of an accused if convinced that the latter is guilty of a heinous

crime and that his trial in the Court of competent jurisdiction might

result in delay or denial of justice. Courts of law decide the cases on the

basis of the facts admitted or established on the record. Surmises and

speculations have no place in the administration of justice. Any

departure from such course, however well-intentioned it may be,

would be a precursor of doom and disaster for the society. It as such

would not be a solution to the problem nor would it be a step forward.

It would indeed be a giant stride nay a long leap backward. The

solution lies not in bypassing but in activating the institutions by

having recourse to Article 190 of the Constitution. Political excitement,

political adventure or even popular sentiments real or contrived may

drive any or many to an aberrant course but we have to go by the Law

and the Book. Let us stay and Act within the parameters of the

Constitution and the Law as they stand till the time they are changed

or altered through an amendment therein.”

9. A careful examination of the material so far collected reveals

that a prima facie triable case under Section 9, 10 and 15 of the Ordinance is

made out against respondents No. 1, 6, 7 and 8 vis-à-vis the following assets:-

“(i) Flagship Investments Limited.

(ii) Hartstone Properties Limited;

(iii) Que Holdings Limited;

(iv) Quint Eaton Place 2 Limited;

Const. Ps. No. 29-30/2016 & 03/2017. 11

(v) Quint Saloane Limited (formerly Quint Eaton Place Limited).

(vi) Quaint Limited;

(vii) Flagship Securities Limited;

(viii) Quint Gloucester Place Limited;

(ix) Quint Paddington Limited (formerly Rivates Estates Limited);

(x) Flagship Developments Limited;

(xi) Alanna Services Limited (BVI);

(xii) Lankin SA (BVI);

(xiii) Chadron Inc;

(xiv) Ansbacher Inc;

(xv) Coomber Inc; and

(xvi) Capital FZE (Dubai).”

So is the case against respondent No. 10 vis-à-vis 91 times increase (from

Rs.9.11 million to 831.70 million) in his assets within a short span of time. What

to do in the circumstances has already been dealt with in the majority

judgment in the words as follows:-

“Any liability arising out of these Sections has its own trappings. Any

allegation leveled against a holder of public office under these

provisions of law requires an investigation and collection of evidence

showing that he or any of his dependents or benamidars owns,

possesses or has acquired assets etc disproportionate to his known

means of income. Such investigation is followed by a full-fledged trial

before an Accountability Court for determination of such liability. But

where neither the Investigation Agency investigated the case, nor any

of the witnesses has been examined and cross-examined in an

Accountability Court nor any of the documents incriminating the

person accused has been produced and proved in accordance with the

requirements of Qanoon-e-Shahadat Order, 1984, nor any oral or

documentary pieces of evidence incriminating the person accused has

been sifted, no verdict disqualifying a holder of public office could be

given by this Court in a proceeding under Article 184(3) of the

Constitution on the basis of a record which is yet to be authenticated.

We must draw a line of distinction between the scope of jurisdiction of

this Court under Article 184(3) of the Constitution and that of the

Accountability Court under the Ordinance and between the

disqualifications envisioned by Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution

and Section 99 of the ROPA and the criminal liabilities envisioned by

Sections 9, 10 and 15 of the Ordinance lest we condemn any member

of Parliament on assumptions by defying the requirements of a fair

trial and due process. We cannot make a hotchpotch of the

Constitution and the law by reading Sections 9 and 15 of the Ordinance

in Articles 62, 63 of the Constitution and Section 99 of the Act and pass

a judgment in a proceeding under Article 184(3) of the Constitution

which could well be passed by an Accountability Court after a fullfledged

trial. Nor could we lift Sections 9 and 15 of the Ordinance,

graft them onto Article 63 of the Constitution, construe them

disqualifications and proceed to declare that the member of

Parliament so proceeded against is not honest and ameen and as such

is liable to be disqualified. A verdict of this nature would not only be

unjust but coram non judice for want of jurisdiction and lawful

authority. If a person is sought to be proceeded against under Section

9(a)(v) and 15 of the NAB Ordinance resort could be had to the mode,

mechanism and machinery provided thereunder. Let the law, the

Investigation Agency and the Accountability Court and other Courts in

the hierarchy take their own course. Let respondent No. 1 go through

all the phases of investigation, trial and appeal. We would not leap

Const. Ps. No. 29-30/2016 & 03/2017. 12

over such phases in gross violation of Article 25 of the Constitution

which is the heart and the soul of the rule of law. We also don’t feel

inclined to arrogate to ourselves a power or exercise a jurisdiction

which has not been conferred on us by any of the acts of the

Parliament or even by Article 184(3) of the Constitution. Who does not

know that making of a statement on oath in a trial lends it an element

of solemnity; cross-examination provides safeguards against

insinuation of falsehood in the testimony; provisions of Qanoon-e-

Shahadat Order regulate relevancy of facts, admissibility of evidence

and mode of proof through oral and documentary evidence and thus

ensure due process of law. We for an individual case would not

dispense with due process and thereby undo, obliterate and annihilate

our jurisprudence which we built up in centuries in our sweat, in our

toil, in our blood.”

10. The same theme was reiterated by my learned brother Mr.

Justice Sh. Azmat Saeed by holding as under :-

“22. It is evident from a bare reading of the aforesaid provisions

that the prosecution must establish that a person or his spouse or

dependent or benamidar owns or possesses a property. If the aforesaid

allegation is proved then the accused must give an explanation as to

the source of legal funds for acquiring such property and upon his

failure to do so, he becomes liable for punishment under the aforesaid

law. Such punishment not only includes fine and imprisonment but also

disqualification from holding a public Office, including that of Member

of the Majlis-e-Shoora for a period of 10 years under Section 15 of the

NAB Ordinance, 1999. Reference, in this behalf, can be made to the

judgments, reported as (1) Iqbal Ahmed Turabi and others v. The State

(PLD 2004 SC 830), (2) Ghani-ur-Rehman v. National Accountability

Bureau and others (PLD 2011 SC 1144), (3) Abdul Aziz Memon and

others v. The State and others (PLD 2013 SC 594), (4) The State

through Prosecutor General Accountability, National Accountability

Bureau, Islamabad v. Misbahuddin Farid (2003 SCMR 150), (5) Syed

Zahir Shah and others v. National Accountability Bureau and another

(2010 SCMR 713), (6) Muhammad Hashim Babar v. The State and

another (2010 SCMR 1697) and (7) Khalid Aziz v. The State (2011 SCMR

136).

23. In none of the aforesaid cases was any person convicted

without a definitive finding that the assets were in fact owned or

possessed by the accused, his spouse, his dependents or benamidars.

And thereafter, the accused had failed to account for the source of

funds for acquiring the said property and if the explanation was found

unsatisfactory, conviction followed.”

11. Almost the same view was expressed by my learned brother Mr.

Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan in the words which reads as under:-

“58. Where there is an allegation that a holder of public office or

any of his dependents or benamidars owns or possesses any assets or

pecuniary resources which are disproportionate to his known sources

of income which he cannot reasonably account for he can be convicted

of an offence of corruption and corrupt practices and upon such

conviction, penal consequences would follow. However, such

conviction can only be recorded by an Accountability Court under the

NAO, after a proper trial, recording evidence and granting due process

rights guaranteed by the Constitution to the accused. To transplant the

powers of the Accountability Court and to attach such powers to the

jurisdiction of this Court under Article 184(3) of the Constitution has

neither been prayed for by the petitioners nor can it be, in our opinion,

done without stretching the letter of the law and the scheme of the

Constitution. Further, such course of action would be violative of the

Const. Ps. No. 29-30/2016 & 03/2017. 13

principles enshrined in Articles 4 and 25 of the Constitution, which

guarantee to every citizen the right to be dealt with in accordance with

law, equality before law and entitlement to equal protection of law.

Adopting any other mode would set a bad precedent and amount to a

constitutional Court following an unconstitutional course. This, we are

not willing to do, in the interest of upholding the rule of law and our

unflinching and firm belief in adherence and fidelity to the letter and

spirit of the Constitution.”

12. The argument that the JIT overstepped its authority by

reopening the case of Hudabiya Paper Mills when Reference No. 5 was quashed

by the High Court does not appear to be correct as the JIT has simply made

recommendations in this behalf which can better be dealt with by this Court if

and when an appeal, before this Court, as has been undertaken by Special

Prosecutor NAB, is filed and a view to the contrary is taken by this Court.

13. The next question emerging for the consideration of this Court is

whether respondent No. 1 as a Chairman of the Board of Capital FZE is entitled

to salaries and whether the salaries if not withdrawn being receivable as such

constitute assets which require disclosure in terms of Section 12(2) of the

Representation of the People Act, 1976 and whether his failure to disclose

them would entail his disqualification? The word asset has not been defined in

the Representation of the People Act, 1976, (“ROPA”), therefore, its ordinary

meaning has to be considered for the purposes of this case. The word asset as

defined in Black’s Law Dictionary means and contemplates “an asset can be (i)

something physical such as cash, machinery, inventory, land and building (ii) an

enforceable claim against others such as accounts receivable (iii) rights such as

definition of the word receivable as used in the above mentioned definition as

given in the Black’s Law Dictionary is also relevant which means and

contemplates “any collectible whether or not it is currently due. That which is

due and owing a person or company. In book keeping, the name of an account

which reflects a debt due. Accounts receivable a claim against a debtor usually

Const. Ps. No. 29-30/2016 & 03/2017. 14

arising from sales or services rendered”. The word ‘receivable’ also has similar

ring and connotation according to Business Dictionary which reads as under:-

“Accounting term for amount due from a customer, employee, supplier (as a

rebate or refund) or any other party. Receivables are classified as accounts

receivable, notes receivable etc and represent an asset of the firm”.

The definitions reproduced above leave no doubt that a salary not withdrawn

would nevertheless be receivable and as such would constitute an asset for all

legal and practical purposes. When it is an asset for all legal and practical

purposes, it was required to be disclosed by respondent No. 1 in his

nomination papers in terms of Section 12(2) of the ROPA. When we

confronted, the learned Sr. ASC for respondent No. 1, whether the said

respondent has ever acquired work permit (Iqama) in Dubai, remained

Chairman of the Board of Capital FZE and was entitled to salary as such, his

reply was in the affirmative with the only addition that respondent No. 1 never

withdrew any salary. This admission was reiterated in more categorical terms in

the written arguments filed by the learned Sr. ASC for respondent No. 1 in the

words as under:-

“So far as the designation of Respondent No. 1 as Chairman of the Board is

concerned, this was only a ceremonial office acquired in 2007 when the

respondent No. 1 was in exile, and had nothing to do with the running of the

Company or supervising its affairs. Similarly, the respondent No. 1 did not

withdraw the salary of AED 10,000. Thus, the salary shown in the Employment

Contract in effect never constituted an “asset” for the respondent No. 1.”

It has not been denied that respondent No. 1 being Chairman of the

Board of Capital FZE was entitled to salary, therefore, the statement that he did

not withdraw the salary would not prevent the un-withdrawn salary from being

receivable, hence an asset. When the un-withdrawn salary as being receivable

is an asset it was required to be disclosed by respondent No. 1 in his

nomination papers for the Elections of 2013 in terms of Section 12(2)(f) of the

ROPA. Where respondent No. 1 did not disclose his aforesaid assets, it would

amount to furnishing a false declaration on solemn affirmation in violation of

the law mentioned above, therefore, he is not honest in terms of Section

Const. Ps. No. 29-30/2016 & 03/2017. 15

99(1)(f) of the ROPA and Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution of the Islamic

Republic of Pakistan.

14. As a sequel to what has been discussed in paragraphs 7 to 11 the

following directions are made:-

i) The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) shall

within six weeks from the date of this judgment prepare

and file before the Accountability Court,

Rawalpindi/Islamabad, the following References, on the

basis of the material collected and referred to by the Joint

Investigating Team (JIT) in its report and such other

material as may be available with the Federal Investigating

Agency (FIA) and NAB having any nexus with the assets or

which may subsequently become available including

material that may come before it pursuant to the Mutual

Legal Assistance requests sent by the JIT to different

jurisdictions:-

a) Reference against Mian Muhammad Nawaz

Sharif (Respondent No. 1), Maryam Nawaz Sharif

(Maryam Safdar) (Respondent No. 6), Hussain

Nawaz Sharif (Respondent No. 7), Hassan Nawaz

Sharif (Respondent No. 8) and Capt. (Retd)

Muhammad Safdar (Respondent No. 9) relating to

the Avenfield properties (Flats No. 16, 16-A, 17 and

17-A Avenfield House, Park Lane, London, United

Kingdom). In preparing and filing this Reference,

the NAB shall also consider the material already

collected during the course of investigations

conducted earlier.

b) Reference against respondents No. 1, 7 and

8 regarding Azizia Steel Company and Hill Metal

Establishment, as indicated above;

Const. Ps. No. 29-30/2016 & 03/2017. 16

c) Reference against respondents No. 1, 7 and

8 regarding the Companies mentioned in

paragraph 9 above;

d) Reference against respondent No. 10 for

possessing assets and funds beyond his known

sources of income, as discussed in paragraph 9

above;

e) NAB shall also include in the proceedings all

other persons including Sheikh Saeed, Musa Ghani,

Kashif Masood Qazi, Javaid Kiyani and Saeed

Ahmed, who have any direct or indirect nexus or

connection with the actions of respondents No. 1,

6, 7, 8 and 10 leading to acquisition of assets and

funds beyond their known sources of income;

f) NAB may file supplementary Reference(s) if

and when any other asset, which is not prima facie

reasonably accounted for, is discovered;

g) The Accountability Court shall proceed with

and decide the aforesaid References within a

period of six months from the date of filing such

References; and

h) In case the Accountability Court finds any

deed, document or affidavit filed by or on behalf of

the respondent(s) or any other person to be fake,

false, forged or fabricated, it shall take appropriate

action against the concerned person(s) in

accordance with law.

15. As a sequel to what has been discussed in paragraphs 13

above, the following declaration and direction is issued:-

i) It is hereby declared that having failed to disclose

his un-withdrawn receivables constituting assets from

Capital FZE, Jebel Ali, UAE in his nomination papers filed

for the General Elections held in 2013 in terms of Section

12(2)(f) of the Representation of the People Act, 1976

Const. Ps. No. 29-30/2016 & 03/2017. 17

(ROPA), and having furnished a false declaration under

solemn affirmation respondent No. 1 Mian Muhammad

Nawaz Sharif is not honest in terms of Section 99(f) of

ROPA and Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution of the Islamic

Republic of Pakistan, 1973, therefore, he is disqualified to

be a Member of the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament);

ii) The Election Commission of Pakistan shall issue a

notification disqualifying respondent No. 1 Mian

Muhammad Nawaz Sharif from being a Member of the

Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) with immediate effect,

whereafter he shall cease to be the Prime Minister of

Pakistan; and

iii) The President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is

required to take all necessary steps under the Constitution

to ensure continuation of the democratic process.

16. The Hon’ble Chief Justice of Pakistan is requested to nominate

an Hon’ble Judge of this Court to supervise and monitor implementation of this

judgment in letter and spirit and oversee the proceedings conducted by the

NAB and the Accountability Court in the above matters.

17. This Court commends and appreciates the hard work and efforts

made by Members of the JIT and their support and ancillary staff in preparing

and filing a comprehensive and detailed Report as per our orders. Their tenure

of service shall be safeguarded and protected and no adverse action of any

nature including transfer and posting shall be taken against them without

informing the monitoring Judge of this Court nominated by the Hon’ble Chief

Justice of Pakistan.

18. We also record our appreciation for the valuable assistance

provided to us by Mr. Naeem Bokhari, ASC; Khawaja Harris Ahmed, Sr. ASC; Mr.

Salman Akram Raja, ASC; Dr. Tariq Hassan, ASC; Mr. Taufiq Asif, ASC; Sheikh

Rasheed Ahmed, petitioner in person, Mr. Ashtar Ausaf Ali, Attorney-General

Const. Ps. No. 29-30/2016 & 03/2017. 18

for Pakistan; Mr. Waqar Rana; Additional Attorney-General for Pakistan and

Mr. Akbar Tarar, Acting Prosecutor-General, NAB and their respective teams.

19. These petitions are thus disposed of in the terms mentioned

above.

JUDGE

Announced on 28.07.2017 at Islamabad in open Court.

JUDGE

‘Approved For Reporting’

M. Azhar Malik

Const. Ps. No. 29-30/2016 & 03/2017. 19

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF PAKISTAN

(ORIGINAL JURISDICTION)

PRESENT:

MR. JUSTICE ASIF SAEED KHAN KHOSA

MR. JUSTICE EJAZ AFZAL KHAN

MR. JUSTICE GULZAR AHMED

MR. JUSTICE SH. AZMAT SAEED

MR. JUSTICE IJAZ UL AHSAN

C. M. A. NO. 4978 OF 2017 IN CONSTITUTION PETITION NO. 29 OF 2016 ETC.

(Report by JIT).

AND

C. M. A. NO. 2939 OF 2017 IN CONSTITUTION PETITION NO. 29 OF 2016 ETC.

Imran Ahmed Khan and others. …Applicant(s)

Versus

Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif,

Prime Minister of Pakistan. …Respondent(s)

AND

CONSTITUTION PETITION NO. 29 OF 2016.

(Under Article 184 of the Constitution)

Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi. …Petitioner(s)

Versus

Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif,

Prime Minister of Pakistan, etc. …Respondent(s)

AND

CONSTITUTION PETITION NO. 30 OF 2016.

(Under Article 184 of the Constitution)

Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed. …Petitioner(s)

Versus

Federation of Pakistan through Secretary Law,

Justice and Parliamentary Division, etc. …Respondent(s)

AND

CONSTITUTION PETITION NO. 03 OF 2017.

(Under Article 184 of the Constitution)

Siraj-ul-Haq, Ameer Jamat-e-Islami, Pakistan. …Petitioner(s)

Versus

Federation of Pakistan through Ministry of

Parliamentary Affairs, Islamabad and others. …Respondent(s)

………………

Const. Ps. No. 29-30/2016 & 03/2017. 20

IN ATTENDANCE.

(in Const. P. 29/2016).

For the petitioner(s): Syed Naeem Bokhari, ASC

Mr. Sikandar Bashir Mohmand, ASC

Mr. Fawad Hussain Ch., ASC

Mr. Faisal Fareed Hussain, ASC.

Ch. Akhtar Ali, AOR.

Assisted by :

Barrister Maleeka Bokhari.

Shahid Naseem Gondal, Adv.

Kashif Nawaz Siddiqui, Adv.

M. Imad Khan, Adv.

For respdt. No. 1: Khawaja Harris Ahmed, Sr. ASC.

Assisted by:

M. Amjad Pervaiz, ASC

Saad Hashmi, Adv.

Adnan Khawaja, Adv.

For respdt. No. 2: Mr. Akbar Tarar, APGA.

Mr. Arshad Qayyum, Spl. Prosecutor.

Ch. M. Fariid-ul-Hassan, Spl. Prosecutor.

Mr. Imran-ul-Haq, Spl. Prosecutor.

Mr. Ajmal Aziz, Spl. Prosecutor.

For respdts. 3 to 5 : Mr. M. Waqar Rana, Addl. A. G.

Mr. M. S. Khattak, AOR.

Assisted by :

Barrister Asad Rahim Khan.

For respdts. 6 to 9: Mr. Salman Akram Raja, ASC.

Syed Rifaqat Hussain Shah, AOR.

Assisted by :

Asad Ladha, Adv.

Ghulam Sabir Malik, Adv.

Usman Ali Bhoon, Adv.

M. Shakeel Mughal, Adv.

Aftab Zafar, Adv.

For respdt. No. 10: Dr. Tariq Hassan, ASC.

Syed Rifaqat Hussain Shah, AOR.

Const. P. 30 of 2016.

For the petitioner(s): Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, (in person)

For the respdts. 1 & 3: Mr. M. Waqar Rana, Addl. A. G.

Mr. M. S. Khattak, AOR.

Const. Ps. No. 29-30/2016 & 03/2017. 21

Assisted by :

Barrister Asad Rahim Khan.

For respdt. No. 2 : Mr. Akbar Tarar, APGA.

Mr. Arshad Qayyum, Spl. Prosecutor.

Ch. M. Fariid-ul-Hassan, Spl. Prosecutor.

Mr. Imran-ul-Haq, Spl. Prosecutor.

Mr. Ajmal Aziz, Spl. Prosecutor.

For respdt. No. 4: Khawaja Harris Ahmed, Sr. ASC.

Assisted by:

M. Amjad Pervaiz, ASC

Saad Hashmi, Adv.

Adnan Khawaja, Adv.

Const. P. No. 03 of 2017.

For the petitioner(s): Mr. Taufiq Asif, ASC.

Assisted by :

Atif Ali Khan, ASC.

Ajmal Ghaffar Toor, Adv.

Saifullah Gondal, Adv.

Sher Hamad Khan, Adv.

For respdts. 1 to 3: Mr. M. Waqar Rana, Addl. A. G.

Mr. M. S. Khattak, AOR.

Assisted by :

Barrister Asad Rahim Khan.

For respdt. No. 4: Khawaja Harris Ahmed, Sr. ASC.

Assisted by:

M. Amjad Pervaiz, ASC

Saad Hashmi, Adv.

Adnan Khawaja, Adv.

Date of Hearing: 17th to 21st July, 2017.

(Judgment Reserved).

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Const. Ps. No. 29-30/2016 & 03/2017. 22

FINAL ORDER OF THE COURT

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) shall within

six weeks from the date of this judgment prepare and file before

the Accountability Court, Rawalpindi/Islamabad, the following

References, on the basis of the material collected and referred to

by the Joint Investigating Team (JIT) in its report and such other

material as may be available with the Federal Investigation Agency

(FIA) and NAB having any nexus with assets mentioned below or

which may subsequently become available including material that

may come before it pursuant to the Mutual Legal Assistance

requests sent by the JIT to different jurisdictions:-

a) Reference against Mian Muhammad Nawaz

Sharif, (respondents No. 1), Maryam Nawaz Sharif

(Maryam Safdar), (Respondent No. 6), Hussain Nawaz

Sharif (Respondent No. 7), Hassan Nawaz Sharif

(Respondent No. 8) and Capt. (Retd). Muhammad

Safdar (Respondent No. 9) relating to the Avenfield

properties (Flats No. 16, 16-A, 17 and 17-A Avenfield

House, Park Lane, London, United Kingdom). In

preparing and filing this Reference, the NAB shall also

consider the material already collected during the

course of investigations conducted earlier, as

indicated in the detailed judgments;

b) Reference against respondents No. 1, 7 and 8

regarding Azizia Steel Company and Hill Metal

Establishment, as indicated in the main judgment;

c) Reference against respondents No. 1, 7 and 8

regarding the Companies mentioned in paragraph 9 of

the judgment unanimously rendered by Mr. Justice

Ejaz Afzal Khan, Mr. Justice Sh. Azmat Saeed and Mr.

Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan;

Const. Ps. No. 29-30/2016 & 03/2017. 23

d) Reference against respondent No. 10 for

possessing assets and funds beyond his known

sources of income, as discussed in paragraph 9 of the

judgment unanimous rendered by Mr. Justice Ejaz

Afzal Khan, Mr. Justice Sh. Azmat Saeed and Mr.

Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan;

e) NAB shall also include in the proceedings all

other persons including Sheikh Saeed, Musa Ghani,

Kashif Masood Qazi, Javaid Kiyani and Saeed Ahmed,

who have any direct or indirect nexus or connection

with the actions of respondents No. 1, 6, 7, 8 and 10

leading to acquisition of assets and funds beyond

their known sources of income;

f) NAB may file supplementary Reference(s) if

and when any other asset, which is not prima facie

reasonably accounted for, is discovered;

g) The Accountability Court shall proceed with

and decide the aforesaid References within a period

of six months from the date of filing such References;

and

h) In case the Accountability Court finds any deed,

document or affidavit filed by or on behalf of the

respondent(s) or any other person(s) to be fake, false,

forged or fabricated, it shall take appropriate action

against the concerned person in accordance with law.

2. It is hereby declared that having failed to disclose his

un-withdrawn receivables constituting assets from Capital FZE Jebel

Ali, UAE in his nomination papers filed for the General Elections

held in 2013 in terms of Section 12(2)(f) of the Representation of

the People Act, 1976 (ROPA), and having furnished a false

declaration under solemn affirmation respondent No. 1 Mian

Muhammad Nawaz Sharif is not honest in terms of Section 99(f) of

Const. Ps. No. 29-30/2016 & 03/2017. 24

ROPA and Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic

of Pakistan, 1973 and therefore he is disqualified to be a Member

of the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament).

3. The Election Commission of Pakistan shall issue a

notification disqualifying respondent No. 1 Mian Muhammad

Nawaz Sharif from being a Member of the Majlis-e-Shoora

(Parliament) with immediate effect, whereafter he shall cease to be

the Prime Minister of Pakistan;

4. The President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is

required to take all necessary steps under the Constitution to ensure

continuation of the democratic process.

5. The Hon’ble Chief Justice of Pakistan is requested to

nominate an Hon’ble Judge of this Court to supervise and monitor

implementation of this judgment in letter and spirit and oversee the

proceedings conducted by NAB and the Accountability Court in the above

mentioned matters.

6. This Court commends and appreciates the hard work and

efforts made by Members of the JIT and their support and ancillary staff

in preparing and filing a comprehensive and detailed Report as per our

orders. Their tenure of service shall be safeguarded and protected and

no adverse action of any nature including transfer and posting shall be

taken against them without informing the monitoring Judge of this Court

nominated by the Hon’ble Chief Justice of Pakistan.

7. We also record our appreciation for the valuable assistance

provided to us by Mr. Naeem Bokhari, ASC; Mr. Makhdoom Ali Khan, Sr.

ASC., Mr. Shahid Hamid, Sr. ASC, Khawaja Harris Ahmed, Sr. ASC; Mr.

Const. Ps. No. 29-30/2016 & 03/2017. 25

Salman Akram Raja, ASC; Dr. Tariq Hassan, ASC; Mr. Taufiq Asif, ASC;

Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, petitioner in person, Mr. Ashtar Ausaf Ali,

Attorney-General for Pakistan; Mr. Waqar Rana; Additional Attorney-

General for Pakistan, Mr. Waqas Qadeer Dar, Prosecutor-General, NAB

and Mr. Akbar Tarar, Acting Prosecutor-General, NAB and their

respective teams.

8. These petitions are thus disposed of in the terms mentioned

above.

JUDGE

Announced on 28.07.2017 at Islamabad in open Court.

JUDGE

‘Approved for Reporting’

THE COLOR OF PEE

2016-01-18T06:21:00.000-08:00

Pet Bottles and Preforms - Mineral water - Beverages & House hold Items

2014-12-13T02:01:00.001-08:00

PLASTIC - PET BOTTLES

www.facebook.com/amcppet

2014-10-18T14:18:00.002-07:00

2014-10-07T12:09:00.000-07:00

GO NAWAZ GO

2014-09-27T02:26:00.000-07:00

2014-09-21T10:13:00.003-07:00

I Phone 6 PLUS

GENERAL	2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - A1522 (GSM), A1522 (CDMA), A1524
		CDMA 800 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 - A1522 (CDMA), A1524
	3G Network	HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 - A1522 (GSM), A1522 (CDMA), A1524
		CDMA2000 1xEV-DO - A1522 (CDMA), A1524
		TD-SCDMA 1900 / 2000 - A1524
	4G Network	LTE 700/800/850/900/1700/1800/1900/2100/2600 (1/2/3/4/5/7/8/13/17/18/19/20/25/26/28/29) - A1522 (GSM), A1522 (CDMA)
		LTE 700/800/850/900/1800/1900/2100/2600 TD-LTE 1900/2300/2500/2600 (1/2/3/4/5/7/8/13/17/18/19/20/25/26/28/29/38/39/40/41) - A1524
	SIM	Nano-SIM
	Announced	2014, September
	Status	Coming soon. Exp. release 2014, September

BODY	Dimensions	158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1 mm (6.22 x 3.06 x 0.28 in)
	Weight	172 g (6.07 oz)
		- Fingerprint sensor (Touch ID) - Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified)

DISPLAY	Type	LED-backlit IPS LCD, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
	Size	1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.5 inches (~401 ppi pixel density)
	Multitouch	Yes
	Protection	Shatter proof glass, oleophobic coating
		- Display Zoom

SOUND	Alert types	Vibration, proprietary ringtones
	Loudspeaker	Yes
	3.5mm jack	Yes

MEMORY	Card slot	No
MEMORY	Internal	16/64/128 GB, 1 GB RAM

DATA	GPRS	Yes
	EDGE	Yes
	Speed	DC-HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps; EV-DO Rev. A, up to 3.1 Mbps; LTE, Cat4, 150 Mbps DL, 50 Mbps UL
	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi hotspot
	Bluetooth	v4.0, A2DP, LE
	NFC	Yes (Apple Pay only)
	USB	v2.0

CAMERA	Primary	8 MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels, optical image stabilization, phase detection autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash
	Features	1/3'' sensor size, 1.5µm pixel size, geo-tagging, simultaneous HD video and image recording, touch focus, face/smile detection, HDR (photo/panorama)
	Video	1080p@60fps, 720p@240fps, optical stabilization
	Secondary	1.2 MP, 720p@30fps, face detection, FaceTime over Wi-Fi or Cellular

FEATURES	OS	iOS 8
	Chipset	Apple A8
	CPU	Dual-core 1.4 GHz Cyclone (ARM v8-based)
	GPU	PowerVR GX6650 (hexa-core graphics)
	Sensors	Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
	Messaging	iMessage, SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email
	Browser	HTML5 (Safari)
	Radio	No
	GPS	Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS
	Java	No
	Colors	Space Gray, Silver, Gold
		- Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic - AirDrop file sharing - Siri natural language commands and dictation - iCloud cloud service - iCloud Keychain - Twitter and Facebook integration - TV-out - Maps - iBooks PDF reader - Audio/video player/editor - Organizer - Document viewer/editor - Photo viewer/editor - Voice memo/dial/command - Predictive text input

BATTERY		Non-removable Li-Po 2915 mAh battery (11.1 Wh)
	Stand-by	(2G) / Up to 384 h (3G)
	Talk time	(2G) / Up to 24 h (3G)
	Music play	Up to 80 h

Apple’s ‘iPhone 5’: Rumor roundup for the new iPhone

2012-09-04T21:11:00.002-07:00

September is set to be a big month for consumer tech, especially with Apple’s expected Sept. 12 announcement of the iPhone. To ease you into a short work week, here’s a short primer on the rumors surrounding what Apple may have up its sleeve, and what it may be up against.

Release date: The big news event is expected on Sept. 12, but the iPhone is widely expected to hit store shelves on Sept. 21, as first reported by the blog iMore.

Last week, rumors popped up, however, that the Japanese company Sharp has fallen behind its production schedule of Apple screens. According to a report from Reuters, a source “familiar with Sharp’s production operations” said that there’s been some talk about Apple using financial incentives to get the manufacturer’s production yields back on track in order to avoid iPhone delays.

Screen: Sharp is one of the suppliers tapped to produce Apple screens, which are said to be one of the main features changing in this generation of the iPhone.

According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Apple may use a thinner screen that will allow the next smartphone to be even lighter than the current model.

The screen, of course, is also supposed to be larger — most reports put the size at a 4-inch diagonal, which is significantly more screen real estate than the 3.5-inch screen that currently graces the company’s phone.

Ways to Make Money with Your Website

2012-09-04T21:02:00.000-07:00

Direct Methods

1. PPC Advertising Networks

Google AdSense is the most popular option under this category, but there are also others. Basically you need to sign up with the network and paste some code snippets on your website. The network will then serve contextual ads (either text or images) relevant to your website, and you will earn a certain amount of money for every click.

The profitability of PPC advertising depends on the general traffic levels of the website and, most importantly, on the click-through rate (CTR) and cost per click (CPC). The CTR depends on the design of the website. Ads placed abode the fold or blended with content, for instance, tend to get higher CTRs. The CPC, on the other hand, depends on the nice of the website. Mortgages, financial products and college education are examples of profitable niches (clicks worth a couple of dollars are not rare), while tech-related topics tend to receive a smaller CPC (sometimes as low as a couple of cents per click).

The source of the traffic can also affect the overall CTR rate. Organic traffic (the one that comes from search engines) tends to perform well because these visitors were already looking for something, and they tend to click on ads more often. Social media traffic, on the other hand, presents terribly low CTRs because these visitors are tech-savvy and they just ignore ads.

List of popular CPC advertising networks:

2. CPM Advertising Networks

CPM advertising networks behave pretty much as PPC networks, except that you get paid according to the number of impressions (i.e., page views) that the ads displayed on your site will generate. CPM stands for Cost per Mille, and it refers to the cost for 1,000 impressions.

A blog that generates 100,000 page views monthly displaying an advertising banner with a $1 CPM, therefore, will earn $100 monthly.

CPM rates vary with the network, the position of the ad and the format. The better the network, the higher the CPM rate (because they have access to more advertisers). The closer you put the ad to the top of the page, the higher the CPM. The bigger the format (in terms of pixels), the higher the CPM.

You can get as low as $0,10 and as high as $10 per 1,000 impressions (more in some special cases). CPM advertising tends to work well on websites with a high page views per visitor ratio (e.g., online forums, magazines and so on).

List of popular CPM advertising networks:

3. Direct Banner Advertising

Selling your own advertising space is one of the most lucrative monetization methods. First and foremost because it enables you to cut out the middleman commissions and to determine your own rates. The most popular banner formats on the web are the 728×90 leaderboard, the 120×600 skyscraper, the 300×250 rectangle and the 125×125 button.

The downside of direct banner advertising is that you need to have a big audience to get qualified advertisers, and you will need to spend time managing the sales process, the banners and the payments.

Related links:

4. Text Link Ads

After Google declared that sites selling text links without the nofollow tag would be penalized, this monetization method became less popular.

Many website owners are still using text links to monetize their sites, though, some using the nofollow tag and some not.

The advantage of this method is that it is not intrusive. One can sell text links directly through his website or use specialized networks like Text-Link-Ads and Text-Link-Brokers to automate the process.

Text link marketplaces and networks:

5. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is a very popular practice on the Internet. Under this system you have a merchant that is willing to let other people (the affiliates) sell directly or indirectly its products and services, in exchange for a commission. Sometimes this type of advertising is also called CPA (cost per action) or CPL (cost per lead) based.

Affiliates can send potential customers to the merchant using several tools, from banners to text links and product reviews.

In order to find suitable affiliate programs you can turn to individual companies and publishers like Dreamhost and SEOBook, or join affiliate marketplaces and networks.

List of popular affiliate marketplaces and networks:

6. Monetization Widgets

The latest trend on the web are widgets that let you monetize your website. Examples include Widgetbucks and SmartLinks. Some of these services operate under a PPC scheme, others behave like text link ads, others yet leverage affiliate links.

Their main differentiator, however, is the fact that they work as web widgets, making it easier for the user to plug and play the service on its website.

List of companies that provide monetization widgets:

7. Sponsored Reviews

PayPerPost pioneered this model, with much controversy on the beginning (related to the fact that they did not require disclosure on paid posts). Soon other companies followed, most notably Sponsored Reviews and ReviewMe, refining the process and expanding the paid blogging model.

Joining one of these sponsored reviews marketplaces will give you the opportunity to write sponsored posts on a wide range of topics. Not all bloggers are willing to get paid to write about a specific product or website (because it might compromise the editorial credibility), but the ones who do are making good money out of it.

If your blog has a big audience you could also offer sponsored reviews directly, cutting off the commissions of the middleman.

List of sponsored reviews and paid blogging networks:

8. RSS Feed Ads

With the quick adoption of the RSS technology by millions of Internet users, website owners are starting to find ways to monetize this new content distribution channel.

Feedburber already has its own publisher network, and you can sign-up to start displaying CPM based advertising on your feed footer. Bidvertiser recently introduced a RSS feed ad option as well, with a PPC scheme.

Finally, some blogs are also opting to sell banners or sponsored messages on their feed directly. John Chow and Marketing Pilgrim are two examples.

Related links:

9. Sponsors for Single Columns or Events

If you website has specific columns or events (e.g., a weekly podcast, an interview series, a monthly survey, a special project) you could find companies to sponsor them individually.

This method increases the monetization options for website owner, while giving advertisers the possibility to target a more specific audience and with a reduced commitment.

Mashable illustrates the case well. They have several advertising options on the site, including the possibility to sponsor specific columns and articles, including the “Daily Poll” and the “Web 2.0 Invites.”

Problogger also runs group writing projects occasionally, and before proceeding he publicly announce the project asking for sponsors.

10.Premium Content

Some websites and blogs give away part of their content for free, and charge for access to the premium content and exclusive tools.

SEOMoz is a good example. They have a very popular blog that gives advice and information on wide range of SEO related topics. On top of that visitors can decide to become premium members. It costs $48 monthly and it grants them access to guides, tools and other exclusive material.

11. Private Forums

While the Internet is populated with free forums, there is also the possibility to create a private one where members need to pay a single or recurring fee to join.

SEO Blackhat charges $100 monthly from its members, and they have thousands of them. Obviously in order to charge such a price for a forum membership you need to provide real value for the members (e.g., secret techniques, tools, and so on).

Performancing also launched a private forum recently, focused on the networking aspect. It is called The Hive, and the monthly cost is $10.

These are just two examples. There are many possibilities to create a private and profitable forum, you just need to find an appealing angle that will make it worth for the members.

List of popular forum software:

12. Job Boards

All the popular blogs are trying to leverage job boards to make some extra income. Guy Kawasaki, ReadWriteWeb, Problogger… you name it.

Needless to say that in order to create an active and profitable job board you need first to have a blog focused on a specific niche, and a decent amount traffic.

The advantage of this method is that it is passive. Once you have the structure in place, the job listings will come naturally, and you can charge anywhere from $10 up to $100 for each.

List of popular job board software:

13. Marketplaces

Sitepoint is the online marketplace by excellence. Some websites and blogs, however, are trying to replicate that model on a smaller scale.

Depending on your niche, a market place that allows your visitors to buy, sell and trade products could work well. Over the time you could start charging a small fee for new product listings.

The problem with this method is that there are no standard software on the web, so you would need to hire a coder to get a marketplace integrated into your website.

You can see an example of a marketplaces being used on EasyWordpress and on Mashable.

14. Paid Surveys and Polls

There are services that will pay you money to run a small survey or poll on your website. The most popular one is called Vizu Answers.

Basically you need to sign up with them, and select the kind of polls that you want to run your site. Most of these services operate under a CPM model.

15. Selling or Renting Internal Pages

Million Dollar Wiki made this concept popular, but it was being used on the web for a long time around (check Pagerank10.co.uk for instance).

These websites sell for a single fee or rent for a recurring fee internal pages on their domain. Usually they have either high Pagerak or high traffic, so that people purchasing a page will be able to benefit in some way.

Implementing this method on a small blog would be difficult, but the concept is interesting and could be explored further.

16. Highlighted Posts from Sponsors

Techmeme probably pioneered this idea, but somehow it has not spread to other websites. The tech news aggregator displays editorial posts on the left column, and on the sidebar they have a section titled “Techmeme Sponsor Posts.”

On that section posts from the blog of the advertisers get highlighted, sending qualified traffic their way. Considering that the monthly cost for one spot is $5000 and that they have around 6 sponsors at any given time, it must be working well.

17. Donations

Placing a “Donate” link or button on a website can be an efficient way to earn money, especially if your blog is on a niche where readers learn and gain value from your content.

Personal development and productivity blogs, for instance, tend to perform well with donation based systems (one good example being Steve Pavlina).

A small variation of this method appeared sometime ago with the Buy Me a Beer plugin. This WordPress plugin enables you to insert a customized message at the bottom of each article, asking the readers to chip in for a beer or coffee.

18. In-text Adverting

In-text adverting networks like Kontera and Vibrant Media will place sponsored links inside your text. These links come with a double underline to differentiate them from normal links, and once the user rolls the mouse over the link the advertising will pop. Should the user click on it the site owner will make some money.

Some people make good money with this method, but others refrain from using it due to its intrusiveness. It is also interesting to note that very few mainstream websites have experimented with in-text advertising.

19. Pop-ups and Pop-unders

Pop-ups are a common yet annoying form of advertising on the Internet. If you are just trying to make a much money as possible from your website, you could experiment with them.

If you are trying to grow the traffic and generate loyal visitors, however, you probably should stay away from them. Just consider the hundreds of pop-up blockers out there: there is a reason why they are so popular.

Ad networks that use pop-ups:

20. Audio Ads

Also called PPP (Pay Per Play), this advertising method was introduce by Net Audio Ads. the concept is pretty simple: play a small audio advertising (usually 5 seconds) every time a visitor enters into your website. The user should not be able to stop it, creating a 100% conversion rate based on unique visitors.

The company is still rolling tests, but some users are reporting to get from a $4 to a $6 CPM. Regardless of the pay rate, though, this is a very intrusive form of advertising, so think twice before using it.

21. Selling the Website

Selling your website could be your last resource, but it has the potential to generate a big sum of money in a short period of time.

Market places on online forums like DigitalPoint and Sitepoint are always active with website buyers and sellers. Keep in mind that they most used parameter to determine the value of a website is the monthly revenue that it generates, multiplied by a certain number (the multiplier can be anything from 5 to 30, depending on the expectations of the seller, on the quality of the site, on the niche and other factors).

Some people also make money trading and flipping websites. They either create them from scratch or buy existing ones, and after some revamping they sell them for a profit.

Related links:

Indirect Methods

22. Selling an Ebook

Perhaps one of the oldest money making strategies on the web, using a website to promote a related ebook is a very efficient way to generate revenue.

You could either structure the website around the book itself, likeSEOBook.com, or launch the ebook based on the success of the website, like FreelanceSwitch did we the book How to be a Rockstar Freelancer.

Related links:

23. Selling a Hardcover Book

Many authors and journalists leverage their blogs or websites to sell copies of hardcover books. Examples include Guy Kawasaki, Seth Godin and Malcolm Gladwell.

While most of these people were already renowned authors before they created their website, one could also follow the other way around. Lorelle VanFossen did exactly that with her Blogging Tips book. First she built her authority on the subject via her blog, and afterwards she published the book.

List of self publishing and publishing services:

24. Selling Templates or WordPress Themes

As more and more people decide to get an online presence, website templates and WordPress themes become hotter and hotter.

On this segment you have mainstream websites like TemplateMonster, as well as individual designers who decide to promote and sell their work independently.

Brian Gardner and Unique Blog Designs are two examples of websites that make money with the sales of premium and custom WordPress themes.

25. Offering Consulting and Related Services

Depending on your niche, you could make money by offering consulting and related services. If you are also the author of your blog, the articles and information that you will share will build your profile and possibly certify your expertise on that niche, making it easier to gain customers.

Chris Garrett used a similar strategy. First he created a highly influential blog on the blogging and new media niche, and afterwards he started offering consulting services to clients with related problems and needs.

26. Creating an Email List or Newsletter

Email lists and newsletters represent one of the most powerful marketing and money making tools on the Internet. They offer incredible conversion rates, and the possibility to call people to action in a very efficient way.

Creating a big list is a difficult task though, so if you have a popular website you could leverage it to increase the number of subscribers on your list.

Yaro Starak is a famous Internet marketer, and if you visit his blog you will notice that right on top he has a section encouraging visitors to subscribe to his email newsletter. Yaro generates five figures in revenues each month from his email newsletters, proving that this method works.

List of software to manage email newsletters:

Samsung Galaxy Note II LTE live pictures and benchmarks

2012-08-31T17:09:00.002-07:00

The Galaxy Note II LTE is here and it looks identical to its LTE-less global counterpart. We asked around and turns out that the Note II LTE has the same innards as well - a quad-core Exynos 4412 Quad SoC with an additional LTE chip inside.

The Note II LTE feels large to hold but it isn't drastically bigger than the Galaxy S III, for example.

The screen is an absolute treat. The new differently-arranged pixel matrix really does make a difference with the screen on the Note II LTE. It looks very sharp and individual pixels are really hard to distinguish. It's much brighter than the screen on the original Note.

Moving on to benchmarks, where we've pitted the Note II LTE against heavy competition - namely the Xperia TX, T and V and a number of high-class quad-core contenders.

BenchmarkPi tests the core performance of the chipset. The Note II LTE calculated slightly faster than its quad-core competition but failed to match the per-core raw power of the Krait cores inside the Xperias.

JOKE

2012-08-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

10 Things to Success

2012-08-28T12:48:00.002-07:00

Apple’s big win in U.S. court today against Samsung

2012-08-27T16:29:00.005-07:00

Today was an important day for Apple and for innovators everywhere.

Many of you have been closely following the trial against Samsung in San Jose for the past few weeks. We chose legal action very reluctantly and only after repeatedly asking Samsung to stop copying our work. For us this lawsuit has always been about something much more important than patents or money. It’s about values. We value originality and innovation and pour our lives into making the best products on earth. And we do this to delight our customers, not for competitors to flagrantly copy.

We owe a debt of gratitude to the jury who invested their time in listening to our story. We were thrilled to finally have the opportunity to tell it. The mountain of evidence presented during the trial showed that Samsung’s copying went far deeper than we knew.

The jury has now spoken. We applaud them for finding Samsung’s behavior willful and for sending a loud and clear message that stealing isn’t right.

I am very proud of the work that each of you do.

Today, values have won and I hope the whole world listens.

Tim

100 Most Beautiful Countries

2012-08-27T15:17:00.000-07:00

100 Most Beautiful Countries

HD Artwork Pictures 2012

2012-08-27T14:24:00.001-07:00

HD Artwork Pictures

Earn money online

2012-08-23T11:16:00.001-07:00

Hello,

There are many ways to earn money online over internet, even we can not count, include some kinds of business too. Well in this short introduction i will cover some most easy, real and preferred way of making money online.

Earn Money By Providing Services

Web development
Web Designing and Graphics
Codding and integration
Teaching/Training Online
Online Quran Classes
Administration / Support / Help Desk
Money Exchange / Payment Processing
Secure Services for Digital Market Place
Consultancy (Live conferences calls)

Earn Money By Freelancing

Work for per hour rate or for exact price per project
Work at major sites like freelancer, ODesk, elance etc
All kinds of work available (you can do everything in which you are expert)

Earn Money by Online Marketing

Online sell/purchase.
SEO or SEM services
ClickBank
ebay or Amazon
Articles Marketing
Many more...almost same type of work on all other companies

Earn Money by affiliate Networks

There are count less affiliate networks where you can make money
Domain and hosting reseller
Digital Products selling or just deriving traffic
Almost every company have referring or affiliate system.

Earn Money by blogging

Video Blogging
Audio Blogging`
Articles blogging

By Sharing

By sharing Links
By sharing Files (Share-cash)
By sharing Videos (YouTube)
and many more..

By your website

Again lot of ways, i will only mention famous methods
Google Adsense
Infolinks
Adhitz
and other CPC Networks
CPA
Sharecash
Mywebrowser

Others...

Earn by investment
Earn by PTC sites
Earn by GPT sites
Earn by hyips (High yield investment programs)
and some other free ways

Top 3 Tuesday: Three Reasons to Upgrade to a BlackBerry 7 smartphone

2012-08-22T13:19:00.000-07:00

We’re trying out something new here at the Inside BlackBerry® Blog: Every Tuesday we’ll be bringing you a top three list of all things BlackBerry. So we’re kicking it off with a big one and making a bold statement here (we’re all about the #BeBold) – if you haven’t yet upgraded to BlackBerry® 7 OS from an older OS, we think it’s time, and that you’ll love the BlackBerry 7 OS as much as we do. If you’re still giving the #TeamBlackBerry love to an older OS, hey, we understand. Change is a big thing. We just wanted to take a minute to share our top three reasons to upgrade to a BlackBerry 7 OS-enabled smartphone. Hopefully, by the end of this blog post, you’ll be convinced that 7 is your lucky number!

1. Browser: Surfing the web on your BlackBerry smartphone has never been faster with this snappy OS. With BlackBerry 7 OS smartphones, pages load faster — and when you’re on the go, speed matters. Check out this video comparing previous BlackBerry® Curve™ smartphones with the slick BlackBerry Curve 9350 smartphone running BlackBerry 7 OS:

iPhone Flaw Allows SMS Spoofing, Says Hacker

2012-08-19T06:43:00.003-07:00

A hacker known for jailbreaking Apple devices claims that the iPhone is vulnerable to text message spoofing, even in the latest beta of iOS 6.

According to pod2g, this issue could allow scammers to send people to phishing Websites under the guise of a financial institution, or allow criminals to plant spoofed messages as false evidence on other peoples' phones. It also opens up other types of manipulation where the recipient thinks a message is coming from a trusted source.

As pod2g explains, all text messages are converted to a format called Protocol Description Unit, which spells out the many types of information an SMS needs to reach its destination. One of these information types is the UDH (User Data Header) indicator, which allows the user to change the reply address of the message.

The problem with the iPhone is that when the sender specifies a reply-to number this way, the recipient doesn't see the original phone number in the text message. That means there's no way to know whether a text message has been spoofed or not.

“In a good implementation of this feature, the receiver would see the original phone number and the reply-to one,” pod2g wrote. “On iPhone, when you see the message, it seems to come from the reply-to number, and you loose track of the origin.”

Other Handsets No Stranger to Spoofing

In fairness, the iPhone is not the only handset vulnerable to SMS spoofing. Plenty of Websites offer SMS spoofing as a service, one that isn't limited to Apple's handsets. The main issues seem to be that some phones, including the iPhone, are compatible with the UDH indicator that allows for alternative reply-to addresses, and that the iPhone in particular doesn't show the original address. It's not clear how many other phones on the market only show the reply-to number, and not the original.

Also worth noting: This flaw can only trick people into thinking a message comes from a trusted source. Any replies to that message would go to the contact who's being spoofed, so there's no danger of giving up sensitive information to a malicious source solely via text message.

In a blog post, pod2g says he will soon publicize a tool for the iPhone 4 that sends messages in raw PDU format, which will demonstrate the vulnerability. In the meantime--and as always--avoid following Web links from text messages that ask for logins, banking details or other sensitive information.

Microsoft Surface Could Be a Huge Hit at $199

2012-08-19T06:39:00.003-07:00

$199? An anonymous “inside source” told Engadget that the Microsoft Surface RT tablet will sell for the amazingly low price of only $199. It would be out of character for Microsoft, but if the pricing is truly that aggressive the Windows tablet could quickly claim significant market share.

Tips for Money Making Hobbies

2012-08-19T06:32:00.001-07:00

I’m not saying it’s possible to get rich by playing your violin at weddings, or by weaving baskets from pine needles, but earning money from a hobby is a nice way to get paid for doing something you would do anyhow.

This article is the first in a series that will explore how to turn a hobby into a source of side income. In the weeks and months ahead, I’ll describe general best practices, discuss potential pitfalls, and provide case studies culled from my friends, and from the stories of readers like you. (If you’d like to share your experience, please drop me a line.)

First, by way of introduction, here are some ground-rules for making money from hobbies.

Focus on something you love
Pursue something you’re passionate about. Choose a hobby that you enjoy, and find a way to make money from it. Don’t choose a hobby simply because it might make money and then dive into it with that aim in mind. You should be doing this hobby because you love it; any side-income should be secondary.

I love to write. I was struggling with debt. I began to read personal finance books, and then to summarize what I’d learned for my personal web site. From this, Get Rich Slowly was born. Now I make over a thousand dollars a month writing about personal finance. But I didn’t start this for the money — I started this because I was passionate about the subject.

Keep it fun. Don’t let it become a chore.

Be creative
If you’re interested in making money from a hobby but don’t know where to start, think outside the box. What skills do you have that others don’t? Define the term “hobby” broadly. Find something that you can do that most others cannot, something for which other people might be willing to pay.

At my day job, I have a customer whose wife loves to cook. She turned this hobby into a part-time job as a personal chef. She prepares meals in advance for wealthy clients. She spends a few hours a day preparing a week-long menu for people who pay her handsomely for her time.

I have a friend who likes to travel. One day he discovered that he could subsidize his journeys by writing about the places he visited, and by taking photographs. Now every couple of years he takes an all expense paid vacation. He’s doing something he’d do anyhow, and it doesn’t cost him a dime.

Don’t force it
Your hobby will not make you rich. In most cases, it won’t even net you enough to allow you to quit your day job. It’s quite possible, however, to earn enough money to make the hobby self-sustaining, to keep yourself in new tools and equipment.

My brother builds speakers and works with audio equipment as a hobby. He makes some money at it. (“Spending money,” he says.) Jeff notes, “It’s not hard to make money from a hobby. What’s difficult is trying to turn it into an actual business. Moving from a hobby to a business is a pain-in-the-ass.”

Often when you try to take your hobby to the next level, the joy goes out of it. Suddenly the extra income just isn’t worth it. When I tried to turn my computer-building hobby into a business, I hated it. There’s a balance to be achieved, and if you can find it, you can have a fun while earning extra income.

Don’t underestimate your ability
It’s easy to discount your abilities. When you truly love something, your prolonged experience can give you skills and knowledge that you don’t appreciate.

For example, I have a love for early 20th-century American pop culture. My brain is filled with facts and anecdotes about once-famous recording artists. I sometimes find myself under the impression that everybody knows who Billy Murray was, or is familiar with the song “Ukulele Lady”. But this isn’t common knowledge — it’s specialized.

The same concept holds true for you and your hobby. Know a lot about Napoleonic warfare? Start a blog about Admiral Nelson. Spend time tinkering with bicycles? Open a small-scale bike repair service. Not everybody knows what you know. Don’t sell yourself short.

Market yourself
This can be difficult. In order to actually earn income, you need customers. But just as most people have a tendency to underestimate their abilities, they also tend be uncomfortable with self-promotion.

There’s no shame in mentioning your money-making hobby to friends, family, and neighbors. You needn’t be pushy. Just mention it at natural points in the conversation. If you’ve decided to do some woodworking for cash, mention this when your uncle mentions he wants to buy a new bookshelf.

Marketing can be subtle, but it’s an absolute necessity if you hope to earn money from your hobby. People need to know you’re available before they can hire you.

Microsoft saying good-bye to Hotmail

2012-07-31T15:58:00.001-07:00

Microsoft's new Outlook.com address is pushing out Hotmail, Curiosity will soon meet Mars, and we look at the head-scanning technology used by EA Sports.

It's not often we get a shakeup in the email world, but say hello to Microsoft's new free email account, Outlook.com. It'll eventually be replacing Hotmail, but you might want to grab your name now. There's a new, clean look and it ties in your social media contacts. It's not too far off from what you may be used to already in Gmail, as you'll be able to tell from CNET's full overview of the features.

The Mars Science Laboratory rover, called Curiosity, will land on the red planet overnight Sunday to search for the building blocks of life and test if anything could live on Mars. Some saythis $2.5 billion mission could be the most important event in the history of planetary exploration.

The Apple TV streaming box just added an app for Hulu Plus. Users can pay for the $8 monthly subscription through iTunes.

There's a new way to tag on Twitter. Using the dollar sign before a ticker (such as $FB) will create a cashtag. When clicked, it takes you to the search result of the financials for that company. It's a concept that's already been used by Stocktwits, but that service does more than simply link to a search results page.

And today's show ends with a look at how EA Sports scans the faces of real players for its video games. A demonstration was held in New York's Grand Central Station as the Tottenham Hotspur players were scanned for FIFA Soccer 13.

Players sit still for a couple of minutes as 18 cameras capture images of every angle of their face. In the case of a game like FIFA, players give a neutral expression to create a base model. The computers will later animate those faces with different expressions. (Because there are so many players in a game, it would be a daunting task to capture every unique emotion and expression for every player. But they have the technology to do it.)

The photos will stay with the players for the life of their career, according to Nigel Nunn, the digital imaging lead for The Capture Lab. If players change hair, EA can make an update without needing a new photo.

The Capture Lab team has been traveling the globe to get as many teams as possible for EA's suite of games, but the work is far from over. Not every team will have this capture technology by the time FIFA 13 comes out in September, but more will make the cut for the next version.

Nunn said FIFA was the first to adopt this head-scanning technology, and other sports followed. "FIFA is cutting edge, they're always willing to try the next best thing. They're usually the first to invest in new technology."

Apple Just Told Everyone Not To Buy An iPhone For Two Months Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/apple just told everyone not to buy an iphone for two months 2012

2012-07-31T15:16:00.001-07:00

After Rene Ritchie at iMore broke the news that Apple was planning an event to announce the next iPhone for September 12, other news outlets confirmed his report citing a source familiar with the matter.

It sure seems like that "source" is either Apple PR, or someone at Apple authorized to confirm the date.

As a result, Apple has tacitly told the world to stop buying iPhones (unless it's an absolute must-buy purchase) until the middle of September.

What is coming in September? We believe a redesigned phone that will have a bigger screen and a high speed, 4G LTE wireless connection. In addition, the price of the iPhone 4S will probably fall to $100 and the price of the iPhone 4 will probably fall to $0, on contract. The iPhone 3GS, meanwhile, might get even cheaper unlocked, off contract.

So, if you can hold off, don't buy an iPhone for a few weeks.

Is the Olympics worth more than Google?

2012-07-28T22:35:00.002-07:00

(CNN) -- The Olympics may have started out as an idealistic showcase of amateur sporting prowess, but now it's a very big business.

In fact, it's one of the biggest brands in the world, claims a new report.

The four-yearly sporting spectacular -- rated second in scale behind soccer's World Cup -- is worth just over $47.5 billion according to valuation specialist Brand Finance. That leaves it behind only Apple ($70.6 billion) and above the corporate world's next biggest brand, Google ($47.4 billion).

These figures, based on the International Olympic Committee's financial statements, put the legacy of Pierre de Coubertin well above major sponsors such as Samsung ($38.2 billion), General Electric ($33.2 billion) and Coca-Cola ($31.1 billion).

The Frenchman -- who believed in the right for everyone to take part -- revived the Ancient Games in the late 1800s. Some 116 years after the first modern Olympics took place in Athens, the event is apparently now worth 134 times the National Bank of Greece ($354 million).

While the Hellenic economy is all but crippled in these difficult economic times, the Olympics -- originally dedicated to the gods, but now seemingly devoted to the dollar -- is experiencing significant financial growth.

In the four years since the Beijing Games, total revenue has increased 38% to $5.1 billion. Of that amount, broadcast revenue has boomed by 51% to $3.9 billion (compared to just $1.2 million in 1960) with the largest spend by continent in North America ($2.3 billion).

These numbers are expected to go up again as the Olympic cycle moves from London to Rio in 2016, with Brand Finance -- which has yet to rate soccer's World Cup or European Championship -- reporting that revenue will pass the $6 billion mark.

In fact, another report -- by Sportcal -- states that this four-year cycle will be worth $8 billion overall, covering London 2012 and Vancouver's 2010 Winter Games.

As the IOC retains only 10% of its income to cover operating costs, this represents a healthy profit -- much of which is plowed back into developing sport worldwide.

Facebook needs a new CEO

2012-07-28T19:04:00.001-07:00

Facebook has now gone through its first trial by fire as a public company, slightly exceeding revenue expectations (with $1.18 billion) but showing a big loss in its first reported quarter ($157 million). Facebook shares were pummeled in after-hours trading; the company’s market cap has been slashed in half in just 10 weeks.

This is a bad, bad situation for Facebook’s early shareholders, 97% of whom are individual, retail investors – unlike those at the other big tech titans, which are majority-held by institutions: Google (68%) and Apple (67%). That Facebook’s percentage is so high suggests that Facebook is a stock for the masses. The masses need a hero.

That hero is not Mark Zuckerberg. He needs to get out of the way – not because we can judge him a disaster based on a single’s earnings period, but because he isn’t playing to his strength. He’s letting down the average folks who saw something shiny and new, but are now seeing shades of overhyped tech redux.

Facebook needs its spiritual leader and chief innovator in a hoodie. But it doesn’t need him as CEO, placating investors in a collared shirt. There are plenty of people who could manage the Facebook business. But there’s only one Mark, who needs to focus on product strategy, not investor relations.

I’ve made no secret that I’m wary of Facebook’s prospects, that I don’t think it can become as successful as a business as it has been as a social network. Zuckerberg himself confessed the obvious only days ago: Mobile is the challenge, especially when it comes to making money. And it’s a big one as members increasingly use Facebook on smartphones and tablets instead of a traditional computer.

But the meta-problem for Facebook is how we think of the company. Now we think of it first as a company – not a service. Felix Salmon summed up the dilemma in a post headlined: “Why going public sucks …”

Zuckerberg — or any other CEO — has very little control over his company’s share price, but once a company is public, that’s all the public really cares about … Facebook could change the world – Facebook has already changed the world, and did so as a private company – but at this point people don’t care about that anymore. All they care about is the first derivative of the share price. And maybe the second.

The challenge, thus, is for Facebook to satisfy the Street as best it can under intense scrutiny, while continuing to innovate so that it extends its reputation as a game-changer (whether or not you like what it does and how it does it). Some people can keep these two plates spinning, but that’s a rare combination. You do need an innovative spirit in the corner office, but more important, you need incredible business savvy, swagger and salesmanship.

One quarter – the first, mind you – does not a verdict make. But Zuckerberg might consider this: If he isn’t the CEO and chief executive, he can concentrate on what he does really well, still strongly influence strategy, and silence critics who quite reasonably suggest that he doesn’t – can’t – have what it takes to run a company that went from 0 to 60 – billion dollars, that is – in seven years. Zuckerberg is at least partly responsible for the pipe dream that Facebook was worth $100 billion when it went public. He either strongly believed this, or was convinced or cowed by the underwriters. Neither speaks well of his CEO stripes.

I don’t think the Street would see a change in Zuckerberg’s status as a knee-jerk negative; founders go sideways all the time, for a variety of reasons, none necessarily associated with failure.

Bill Gates, to whom Zuckerberg has been favorably compared, stepped aside after a long run as Microsoft CEO to take the title of chief research and strategy officer (all right, Steve Ballmer may not be my best argument).

Dick Costollo succeeded Evan Williams as Twitter’s CEO. Williams now focuses on product direction.

Google’s Larry Page stepped aside for a while to let Eric Schmidt take the lead. He’s back in the corner office now, of course, but his biggest fiscal problem is how to make money on more than advertising alone (a problem Zuckerberg would kill for).

Even a case can be made for Apple: Jobs was fired, true, but his 11 years in exile arguably burnished him to return as perhaps one of the best CEOs in history, turning a floundering firm into the world’s largest public company.

Heck, even Craig Newmark’s realization that he wasn’t CEO material is informative. He demoted himself to customer support – and doesn’t even run that department – but is chairman of the board of Craigslist.

Zuckerberg is Facebook’s controlling shareholder and the chairman of the board, so nothing significant can be done without his acquiescence anyway. He’s a mere 28 – lots of time to invent and reinvent.

Web presence: Punjab govt footing bill for PML-N social media revamp

2012-07-28T18:51:00.002-07:00

LAHORE:

The Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) has hired two advertisement agencies for publicising and promoting its activities, party sources told The Express Tribune.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the party’s social media politics team after recommendations by the PML-N senior leadership and the Punjab government’s information technology-related officials, they added.

The meeting, chaired by party president Nawaz Sharif, took place at his Raiwind residence.

Punjab Board of Information Technology (PBIT) Chairman Umar Saif gave a presentation to the participants, discussing the PML-N’s current presence on social media and the appeal of the party’s manifesto for the youth.

PML-N constituted its team of social media experts to counter the web presence of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

According to some party officials, however, the team was hired by the Punjab government but has been utilised solely for PML-N objectives.

A well placed source in the PBIT said that two floors of the board’s offices at Arfa Karim Tower were currently occupied by the PML-N’s social media teams, who had been working day and night to accomplish the party’s social media goals.

He confirmed that the workers were hired by the Punjab government under PBIT, along with various other departments like the Punjab Sports Board.

The Punjab government set up a five-member committee last year to spruce up its image with a social media campaign. This team however, is apparently being utilised to promote PML-N’s social media presence.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated “Punjab Board of Investment and Trade” instead of “Punjab Board of Information Technology”. The error has been rectified.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 27^th, 2012.