Pak News Wire

A real app for an ‘Invisible Boyfriend’

<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/826381/a-real-app-for-an-invisible-boyfriend/"> 				<img alt="" height="120" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/826381-by-1422016752-598-160x120.jpg" width="160" /> 			</a> 			Welcome to 2015: An app can now create a fake boyfriend for its users. It’s called <a href="https://invisibleboyfriend.com/" target="_blank">Invisible Boyfriend</a>, and for only $ 24.99 a month, you can gain access to its significant other-creating services, The full version includes 100 texts, 10 voice-mails and one handwritten note. You also get to make your own story about how you and your fake partner met. As the app is still in beta mode, you can try the first 10 texts for free. “Invisible Boyfriend” uses real humans, not bots, according to <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/21/living/feat-invisible-boyfriend-girlfriend/">CNN</a> and the respondents have been trained, There is also an <a href="https://invisiblegirlfriend.com/?_ga=1.179056228.1347103614.1421782979" target="_blank">Invisible Girlfriend</a> service, so that no one feels left out. But both girl and boy subscription services officially launched on Tuesday. According to the <a href="https://invisibleboyfriend.com/blog/who-we-are" target="_blank">company’s blog</a>, the service is not just for people who want to fake a significant other. It is also meant to create a “safe space for you to practice texting with a real human if you’re out of practice.” <div> CEO Matthew Homann thought up the service many years ago after a divorce and bought the domain InvisibleGirlfriend.com for $ 7, CNN reports. Homann put the idea on the back burner until 2013, when he pitched it to a St. Louis hackathon and won the contest. </div> The app is just in its beginning stages, but Homann and his hundreds of employees are already thinking about new ways to improve it. Down the road, they hope “Invisible Boyfriend” will provide gifts at work and deliver flowers to users on Valentine’s Day.

A real app for an ‘Invisible Boyfriend’

Welcome to 2015: An app can now create a fake boyfriend for its users. It’s called Invisible Boyfriend , and for only...

Was Tutankhamun’s beard glued back on?

Was Tutankhamun’s beard glued back on?

Ebola vaccine on way to West Africa

Ebola vaccine on way to West Africa

The first doses of the Ebola vaccine have been loaded on to a flight to West Africa, according to a spokesperson from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) ...

Smith inspired Australia beat England

<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/826387/smith-inspired-australia-beat-england/"> 				<img alt="" height="120" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/826387-smit-1422017828-100-160x120.jpg" width="160" /> 			</a> 			HOBART: Steve Smith’s incredible summer continued when he produced an unbeaten century to guide Australia to a three-wicket victory over England in a tri-series one-day international in Hobart on Friday. Promoted to the captaincy with regular skipper George Bailey suspended for a second slow over rate breach in 12 months, Smith’s unbeaten 102 enabled Australia to chase down England’s imposing total of 303 for eight. Australia, also missing the rested David Warner and Shane Watson, made 304 for seven to win with just one ball to spare and remain undefeated in the competition, guaranteeing themselves a berth in Sunday’s final. Ian Bell’s brilliant 141 set up the England total, which appeared to be enough for much of the game. England was still in pole position when Brad Haddin strode to the wicket for Australia with the home side at 216 for five. Another 88 runs were needed from 76 balls, but Haddin’s 42 off 29 balls as part of a quickfire 71-run stand turned the game. Smith, who hit four centuries in Australia’s four-Test series against India that finished earlier in the month, faced 95 balls, hitting six fours and one six. He paid tribute to the efforts of Haddin and conceded his own confidence was sky high. “It’s nice to get a few runs again tonight and get the boys over the line,” said Smith. “I’ll never forget this summer. “I’ve really enjoyed it, I’ve just got to try and keep going and score runs while I’m going well. “I thought Haddin really took the pressure off me in the end today.” England captain Eoin Morgan said his team didn’t make enough in the latter stages of their innings. “We played good cricket in stages,” he said. “Ian Bell was magnificent but the last 10 overs let us down a little bit. “Credit to Australia for how they bowled at the death.” When the two sides previously met earlier in the tournament, England was beaten by four wickets with more than 10 overs remaining. However, England bounced back with an impressive nine-wicket win over India in Brisbane on Tuesday and carried that form into Friday’s innings. After being sent in to bat, England got off to a great start through Bell and fellow opener Moeen Ali. Bell, who was unbeaten on 88 against India, made his fourth one-day international century before being caught by Starc from the bowling of rookie paceman Gurinder Sandhu, who finished with figures of 2-49. He faced 125 balls, hitting 15 fours and one six, and passed two significant milestones during the innings. Bell started the innings just five runs shy of becoming only the second Englishman to pass 5,000 one-day international runs. In his 153rd one-day international, he passed that mark in the third over, and later went on to overtake Paul Collingwood as England’s highest-ever runs scorer in the format as he neared his century. His opening partnership of 113 with Ali, who scored 46, set up the English innings. It ended in bizarre fashion, however, with Australia completing a team hat-trick in the last three balls. Two batsmen, Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler, were run out while Ravi Bopara was bowled by Mitchell Starc.   Like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EtribuneSports">Sports on Facebook</a>, follow <a href="https://twitter.com/ETribuneSports">@ETribuneSports</a> on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.

Smith inspired Australia beat England

HOBART: Steve Smith’s incredible summer continued when he produced an unbeaten century to guide Australia to a three-...

India clears cows, dogs, dust for Obama Taj Mahal trip

<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/826370/india-clears-cows-dogs-dust-for-obama-taj-mahal-trip/"> 				<img alt="" height="120" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/826370-tajmahalindiacleaningobama-1422010414-694-160x120.jpg" width="160" /> 			</a> 			AGRA, INDIA: As he scrubs the road to India’s Taj Mahal on his knees for less than five dollars a day, Ramjeet beams with pride at the thought of US President Barack Obama admiring his handiwork. “If everything is clean then he will be impressed,” said the aching man as he took a rest with another 10 kilometres (six miles) of road still to be scoured by him and his co-workers. “It’s hard on the knees and back,” admitted the cleaner, who is being paid just 300 Indian rupees (around $ 4.80) a day for his part in a massive makeover. Ramjeet, who does not have a last name, is one of 600 cleaners mobilised in the city of Agra ahead of Tuesday’s visit by the US president and First Lady Michelle Obama to the world’s most famous temple of love. Apart from cleaning white lines on the roads, authorities have been rounding up stray dogs, clearing cows from the streets, and have ordered a lockdown around the complex. “There are a lot of spit stains and such that need to be washed away. The streets need to be spick and span,” said India’s former chief achaeologist KK Mohammed, who has guided world leaders around the white marbled mausoleum. “You cannot have a VVVIP of the world come to the Taj Mahal and let him see that,” Mohammed told AFP. The spruce-up, which comes after Modi himself launched a national clean-up campaign last October, reflects a wider determination to ensure the Obamas get to see India at its finest. In the capital Delhi, workers have been coating buildings and bollards with fresh paint ahead of the Obamas’ attendance at a military parade on Monday. But the frenzy has been most intense in Agra, no stranger to hosting heads of state or royalty such as Britain’s late Princess Diana. The Obamas’ visit will be covered by a massive press pack and organisers want to ensure a picture-perfect backdrop. Pradeep Bhatnagar, chairman of the Taj Trapezium Zone, a buffer region around the monument, said ongoing beautification work has been halted for 10 days to allow dust to settle before the guests arrive. Suresh Chand, who is in charge of the clean-up, said stray dogs — a common sight in any Indian city — have been rounded up, and more than two tonnes of rubbish pulled from the nearby polluted Yamuna river in just two days. Another official said cows and buffaloes roaming the streets also “would have to go”. “When a guest comes to our house then we have to do something better than the normal,” said Chand, Agra municipal council’s chief engineer. Inside the Taj complex, a dozen barefoot women were busy trimming lawn edges with trowels. “Obama, Obama,” one lady, who has worked at the Taj for more than two decades and earns 100 Indian rupees a day, said with a grin. Some 3,000 police are on duty and will conduct boat patrols of the river, said Agra police senior superintendent Rajesh Modak. Tourists will be turned away while the Obamas are touring the Taj, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb for his beloved empress who died during childbirth in 1631. Locals teeming the alleys around the Taj — which took 20,000 labourers 16 years to build — said they have been ordered to stay indoors. Not everyone is happy about the lockdown, with some saying it has made them feel like criminals. “You can’t go outside, you can’t go onto the roof, you can’t go outside to the bathroom — it’s like a curfew,” grumbled Anil Kumar Sonkar, who runs a sweet shop a stone’s throw from the Taj. “We should be open for business and Obama should be allowed to come and sample my world-famous petha,” said Sonkar of the sweet made from sugar and pumpkin. A similar shutdown occurred during US president Bill Clinton’s visit in 2000, prompting him to ask officials if he was visiting a ghost town, according to locals. “We were (then) rounded up and made to stand in a line and Mr Clinton came past in his car and shook our hands,” said Sunehri Lal, as he watched children play in a rubbish heap. “If Obama did something like that, it would be overwhelming.”

India clears cows, dogs, dust for Obama Taj Mahal trip

AGRA, INDIA: As he scrubs the road to India’s Taj Mahal on his knees for less than five dollars a day, Ramjeet beams ...

‘Dirty’ Havana’s star celebrates ugly

‘Dirty’ Havana’s star celebrates ugly

Cult Cuban author Pedro Juan Gutierrez says he is interested in the ethics of the poorest, but critics say his acclaimed work is pornographi...

Is proton therapy the ‘magic bullet’ for cancer?

Is proton therapy the ‘magic bullet’ for cancer?

Saudi King Abdullah: patient reformer who battled hardliners

<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/826286/saudi-king-abdullah-patient-reformer-who-battled-hardliners/"> 				<img alt="" height="120" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/826286-bestlargking_abdullahafp_gi_AFP-1421977445-901-160x120.jpg" width="160" /> 			</a> 			RIYADH: Saudi King Abdullah was in his early 80s when he ascended the throne in 2005 but he sprang into action in a campaign to free the kingdom from its long dependence on oil and the influence of hardliners. Tapping into the absolute monarchy’s massive oil wealth, Abdullah, who died Friday aged around 90, had launched projects to build new economic cities, universities and high-speed railways. He tried to convert the country from a breeding ground for Islamic radicals into a moderate, constructive partner in global politics. In 2011, Abdullah withstood the convulsions of the Arab Spring uprisings that ousted several leaders in the region, splashing out from vast surpluses of cash to try to keep people content. More recently, Saudi Arabia has been among several Gulf countries taking part in a US-led air campaign against the Islamic State group in Syria. His nation also unflinchingly led Gulf countries in ignoring calls by other producers to cut oil output to curb the sliding price of crude. But over the years, Abdullah’s age and commitment to consensus allowed entrenched conservatives to resist his reforms, amid a lack of clarity about the future path of the monarchy. Bid to smooth succession Since the death in 1953 of King Abdul Aziz bin Saud, the founder of Saudi Arabia, the throne has systematically passed from one of his sons to another — brothers and half-brothers. But many of Abdul Aziz’s sons are dead or aged. Two crown princes, Sultan and Nayef, died in 2011 and 2012. Abdullah’s half-brother Salman, the crown prince who was named king in a royal statement Friday, is in his late 70s and in poor health. In March 2014, Abdullah named another half-brother, Prince Moqren, as a second heir to his throne, in an unprecedented move aimed at ensuring a smooth succession. The royal statement Friday named Moqren, the youngest of Abdul Aziz’s sons, the new crown prince. Abdullah established the Board of Succession in 2006 to institutionalise the process of transition, which would normally exercise its prerogatives after his death. Unstained by the profligacy tainting many of the Saudi rulers, Abdullah was hugely popular with his subjects, cherishing the traditional desert life of the Bedouin. Behind his thick, always jet-black moustache and goatee and gentle demeanour, he had a shrewd grasp of regional politics. He was the 13th son of King Abdul Aziz, but the only son of Abdul Aziz by his mother, a member of the Shammar Bedouin tribe. That left Abdullah with a relatively weak faction among the many princes of his generation. In the 1960s he was entrusted with the command of the national guard, the country’s second army. He held that job until turning it over to one of his own sons in 2009. The job allowed him to build close relations with the kingdom’s myriad tribes who filled the guard’s ranks, one of the main pillars of his authority. Abdullah became crown prince when his half-brother Fahd ascended the throne in 1982. Yet his path was still not clear when Fahd suffered a debilitating stroke in 1995, and he faced rivalry from within Fahd’s Sudairy clan. Human rights concerns Since the late 1990s, Abdullah fostered important changes. He developed the consultative Shura council, strengthened the country’s finances and began modernising the unwieldy sharia-based legal system. He took Saudi Arabia into the G20 group of leading economies and the World Trade Organisation. And he challenged conservatives by supporting progressive clerics, creating human rights organisations and launching a science university that, for the first time, permitted men and women students to mix freely. Nevertheless, his kingdom is still strongly criticised for a dismal human rights record, including the imprisonment of dissidents. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world which does not allow women to drive. Women are required to dress in black from head to toe and still need permission from a male guardian to work and marry. Saudi Arabia has stepped up its use of the death penalty, usually by beheading, despite repeated appeals from the United Nations and human rights watchdogs. Abdullah led the nation’s grudging response to Islamic extremism after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, which bared al Qaeda’s deep roots inside Saudi Arabia. Although he expressed opposition, he permitted the US military to use Saudi facilities and bases for the invasion of Iraq, but only for logistical support. In 2002 he parented the pathbreaking Arab Peace Initiative, which offered Israel blanket recognition from 22 Arab states in return for an independent state for the Palestinians. In public he has been a committed supporter of diplomacy to solve conflicts, calling for a peaceful solution to Iran’s nuclear threat. But US State Department documents disclosed by WikiLeaks quoted him as privately calling for a US military attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities to “cut off the head of the snake”.

Saudi King Abdullah: patient reformer who battled hardliners

RIYADH: Saudi King Abdullah was in his early 80s when he ascended the throne in 2005 but he sprang into action in a c...

Monk calls U.N. guest a ‘whore’

Monk calls U.N. guest a ‘whore’

The United Nations' top human rights official has called on Myanmar's leaders to "unequivocally condemn" an ultra-national...

U.S. naval ship grounded

U.S. naval ship grounded

An American naval cargo ship has run aground off the Japanese coast, east of Okinawa, and efforts are underway to refloat it, the U.S. Navy ...

Cuba’s cockfighting: Is it forbidden?

Cuba’s cockfighting: Is it forbidden?

You would think if something was not officially permitted in communist-controlled Cuba then it would be forbidden.

YouTubers interview Obama and things get weird

YouTubers interview Obama and things get weird

Umer Akmal vs Cristiano Ronaldo

<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/826340/umer-akmal-vs-cristiano-ronaldo/"> 				<img alt="" height="120" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/826340-akmalbhai-1422000335-150-160x120.jpg" width="160" /> 			</a> 			Umer Akmal just can’t get enough of himself. After changing his jersey number on the advice of his Pir, the batsmen  has now followed in the footsteps of famous footballers who sport ultra crazy haircuts for the main events of their sport.  The right-hand batsman decided to get creative in preparation for the World Cup and opted for a hairstyle almost identical to the the world’s top footballer Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo. The batsmen is also a superstitious guy. In a bid to change his luck, batsman Umar Akmal on the advice of his Pir has opted for number 3 to replace 96 on his shirt. According to Express News, Umar is fed up with his poor form and has asked for this change. “Umar will be wearing number 3 on his shirt in the World Cup while newcomer Haris Sohail has opted for 89 instead of 80 which he wore in the recent series against New Zealand,” the report said. <img alt="" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/0-LINE-1420726462.jpg" /> <a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/825796/superstitious-bunch-pakistan-cricketers-change-jersey-numbers-after-consulting-spiritual-advisers/" target="_blank">RELATED: Superstitious bunch: Pakistan cricketers change jersey numbers after consulting spiritual advisers </a> <img alt="" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/0-LINE-1420726462.jpg" /> Akmal recently became father to a baby girl and took to his Twitter account to share the exciting news. He was also sad to be leaving for the World Cup after spending only five days with his daughter, Harleen. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" width="500">Baby baba gona miss u alot I spend only 5 days with my daughter n hav 2 leave 4 the World Cup.<a href="https://twitter.com/NooramnaQ">@NooramnaQ</a> miss u 2 <a href="http://t.co/NgT9jFCGcy">pic.twitter.com/NgT9jFCGcy</a> — Umar Akmal (@Umar96Akmal) <a href="https://twitter.com/Umar96Akmal/status/557569610241675264">January 20, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Courtesy: <a href="http://www.paknewsinfo.com/umar-akmals-ronaldo-like-new-hairstyle-ahead-world-cup.html" target="_blank">Paknewsinfo</a> <img alt="" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/0-LINE-1420726462.jpg" /> <a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/818032/pcb-announces-final-15-man-world-cup-squad/" target="_blank">RELATED: PCB announces final 15-man World Cup squad</a> <img alt="" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/0-LINE-1420726462.jpg" />

Umer Akmal vs Cristiano Ronaldo

Umer Akmal just can’t get enough of himself. After changing his jersey number on the advice of his Pir, the batsmen ...

Football: AFC ‘broad-minded’ on Iranian women ban

<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/826342/football-afc-broad-minded-on-iranian-women-ban/"> 				<img alt="" height="120" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/826342-iran-1422000155-972-160x120.JPG" width="160" /> 			</a> 			SYDNEY: Asia’s football body does not oppose Iranian laws banning women from stadiums, a senior official told AFP on Friday, after thousands flocked to watch the team at the Asian Cup. Enthusiastic male and female Iranian fans have provided a colourful spectacle at the tournament in Australia, in scenes which are forbidden in the Islamic republic. Asian Football Confederation (AFC) general secretary Alex Soosay said the body respects Iranian rules banning women from watching male athletes, an increasing source of controversy. “We’re very broad-minded,” said Soosay in an interview in Sydney. “In Australia there’s a big Iranian community and you can’t stop them from coming to the stadium because there’s no restrictions here. “Whereas in Iran, there has been some restrictions of women entering the stadium and watching a football match.” He added the AFC was “happy” to respect Iranian laws. The divide between the situation in Iran and Australia was laid bare when Iranian players were warned against taking “selfie” pictures with women fans. The head of the Iranian Football Federation’s moral committee said players risked being used as a ‘political tool’ after some photos circulated on social media. “National team players should be aware that they won’t be used as a political tool so that those who take pictures with them don’t use these photos against the players,” Ali Akbar Mohamedzade told Iran’s Shahrvand newspaper. Iran’s Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz steered clear of the subject when he responded with a firm, ‘no comment’ when asked to comment on the presence of women fans. Iran’s restrictions on women fans have been in the spotlight since a British-Iranian law graduate was jailed after she tried to attend a men’s volleyball match. Ghoncheh Ghavami, 25, was detained in June and she twice went on hunger strike before being released on bail last week pending a court verdict. The issue would be sure to reach prominence if Iran, one of only two bidders along with favourites UAE, wins the right to host the next Asian Cup in 2019. In Australia, thousands of female Iran fans, many wearing the team shirt and with their faces painted in the national colours, have attended Team Melli’s games in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Goalkeeper Alireza Haghighi and forward Karim Ansari Fard were both snapped with women fans. One female supporter held up an Iranian flag inscribed with a marriage proposal for Haghighi. Soosay said visiting female officials and media attending AFC events in Iran had always been allowed at the stadiums, provided they wear a head-covering. “You have to respect that they have to cover themselves. There is a code of attire which has to be respected. If it’s done in Iran there’s no issue at all,” he said. Three-time champions Iran, who last won the Asian Cup in 1976, take on bitter rivals Iraq in the quarter-finals later Friday in Canberra.   Like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EtribuneSports">Sports on Facebook</a>, follow <a href="https://twitter.com/ETribuneSports">@ETribuneSports</a> on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.

Football: AFC ‘broad-minded’ on Iranian women ban

SYDNEY: Asia’s football body does not oppose Iranian laws banning women from stadiums, a senior official told AFP on ...

Roger and out

Roger and out

Roger Federer will have to wait to win a record-extending 18th grand slam title after he lost to Andreas Seppi in the third round of the Aus...