Unlocked, SIM-free iPhone 5S now sold through Apple

The iPhone 5S is now available unlocked at SIM-free.

(Credit: Josh Lowensohn/CNET)

People who like their phones unlocked and SIM-free can now pick up an iPhone 5S in that state directly through Apple.

Available via Apple's online store, the new unlocked iPhone 5S requires a GSM-compatible SIM, which means it'll work on AT&T and T-Mobile but not on Sprint or Verizon. It also means buyers will have to pick up a SIM from their carrier of choice.

With no carrier subsidy, the phone sells at full retail -- $649 for the 16GB model, $749 for the 32GB edition, and $849 for the 64GB version. An unlocked iPhone 5S that comes with a T-Mobile SIM has already been on Apple's Web site selling at the same prices. Apple promises a ship time of one to two weeks for the SIM-free edition and three to five business days for the unlocked T-Mobile version.

Consumers curious about the pros and cons of an unlocked iPhone should read Apple's "About the Unlocked iPhone" Web page.

England ‘bounced out’ in Ashes opener

ON FIRE: Rejuvenated Australia pacer Mitchell Johnson blitzed England with a haul of five for 42 to lead his country to an emphatic 381-run victory in the first Ashes Test on Sunday. PHOTO: AFP

BRISBANE: Mitchell Johnson on Sunday vowed to continue his fearsome short-pitched bowling throughout the Ashes series after his man-of-the-match performance in Australia’s emphatic 381-run win over England at the Gabba.

The Australians dismissed England for 179 late on the fourth day to complete a commanding performance.

The left-arm speedster was the difference between the sides with his assault on the batsmen finishing with nine wickets for 103 in the match; the all-rounder also hit 64 in Australia’s first innings.

Johnson regularly clocked up speeds of almost 150 km/h and often hurled down short-pitched deliveries which unsettled the England batsmen on the bouncy Gabba pitch.

“I like bowling short, especially at the Gabba,” he said. “I think when you’ve got conditions like that, personally I like bowling the short ball and I think it worked very well.

“I think you can get inside a batsman’s head. It could be a very different wicket down in Adelaide [second Test], but out there [Gabba] it was definitely going through nicely. I’ll keep doing it. It’s working.”

Johnson, who blasted out Jonathan Trott twice cheaply in the Gabba Test, said he felt fear from the England number three facing him during the match.

“He’s been thinking about the short ball from what I’ve seen in the nets, practising a lot of short ones,” Johnson said of Trott.

“As a fast-bowler you give a bit of a stare and have a look into the eyes and … I don’t know, there might have been a little bit of fear there, maybe.”

However, England captain Alastair Cook defended Trott and said, “He’s had a tough game, he knows that. You have to remember that the guy’s class though.”

Meanwhile, Australia will stick with a winning team after Sunday naming an unchanged 12-man squad for the second Test in Adelaide, starting on December 5.

Coach Darren Lehmann said he left the way open to add extra players if required following Australia’s huge win over England.

Overworking Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and in particular the injury-prone Ryan Harris is a danger for Australia given the tight turnaround between Adelaide and the third Test in Perth, and the fact that their fast bowling depth is already stretched.

But Lehmann said for a side that has only just broken a nine-match winless streak, winning every match is important.

“We said we would pick the best side possible as long as everyone is 100% fit,” said Lehmann.

“Every Test is important at the moment, obviously good result here but we’ll concentrate on Adelaide. You pick the side that’s going to win the Test match.

A tale of two tail-enders: Pakistan's debutants star in 23-run win

Anwar Ali grabbed two wickets for 24 runs. PHOTO: AFP

CAPE TOWN: Face-saving performances by two debutants saw Pakistan claim a historic win 23-run victory in Cape Town on Sunday after dismissing star-studded South African lineup out for just 195 runs in 48.1 overs, ESPNCricinfo reported.

Debutants Anwar Ali and Bilawal Bhatti shone with impressive performances with both bat and ball.

Anwar claimed the two crucial wickets of Jacques Kallis and David Miller after making the top individual score from Pakistan’s side (43), and was awarded Man-of-the-match for his performance.

The short but skiddy and pacy Bilawal also snatched three wickets to follow up his 25-ball 39 runs, that gave Pakistan a defendable total.

South Africa now trail the three-match series by 0-1.

Chasing the relatively small target of 219, the Proteas suffered two early setbacks inside four overs as Hashim Amla got bowled off Junaid Khan and Graeme Smith fell prey to a a very tight stumping call off the bowling of Mohammad Hafeez.

In the 13th over, Bilawal Bhatti bowled Quinton de Kock for 19 runs. Afridi bowled AB de Villiers for a score of 10 soon afterwards.

With the sturdy Jacques Kallis on the crease, though, South Africa looked set to achieve the target until one of Anwar Ali’s deliveries sneaked under his bat and onto the stumps.

Earlier, the visitors put up another lacklustre performance which was salvaged largely due to efforts from the tail-enders.

An out of sorts lineup ended up with 131 for seven in 36 overs before a 74-run partnership between debutants Bilawal Bhatti (39) and Anwar Ali (43) rescued them at 131 for seven to take them to 218 in 12 overs.

After Pakistan had won the toss and opted to bat first, openers Ahmed Shehzad and Nasir Jamshed managed to hold the first wicket partnership for 49 slow runs.

But disciplined bowling from the South African bowlers ensured that wickets fell at regular intervals after the first partnership.

Vice captain Mohammad Hafeez, who is now known for being rather partial to Dale Steyn, gifted the paceman his wicket once again.

Jamshed was dismissed for 24, Shehzad for 35 and Hafeez for only five.

Neither captain Misbahul Haq nor Umar Akmal could contribute significantly, and were dismissed with scores of 13 and zero respectively. Promising youngster Sohaib Maqsood played a long, but slow innings on his way to 22 while Shahid Afridi lived briefly for his cameo of 26 runs.

But if anyone from the Pakistani unit showed the intent and power of genuine batters, it was ironically the series debutants Anwar Ali and Bilawal Bhatti.

Bhatti, who made his debut in the Twenty20 series that ended on Friday, smashed 39 from 25 balls with the help of two sixes, one against Kallis and another against Morkel.

Anwar Ali stayed unbeaten at 43 from 55 balls with the help of six fours.

The duo easily looked more fearless than any of the other batsmen in the Pakistan lineup.

Earlier, South Africa welcomed return of veteran all-rounder Jacques Kallis for his first one-day international since February 2012, while Test captain Graeme Smith was also back in the side after missing the last three matches of the recent series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates because of post-concussion syndrome.

Misbahul Haq, who was not part of the Twenty20 squad, returned to captain Pakistan.

South Africa had beaten Pakistan 4-1 in a one-day series in the United Arab Emirates that concluded earlier in November.

Teams

Pakistan: Misbahul Haq (captain), Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Sohaib Maqsood, Umar Akmal (wkt), Shahid Afridi, Bilawal Bhatti, Saeed Ajmal, Junaid Khan, Anwar Ali.

South Africa: AB de Villiers, (captain), Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Jacques Kallis, JP Duminy, David Miller, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir.

Umpires: Johan Cloete (RSA), Chris Gaffaney (NZL)

TV umpire: Bruce Oxenford (AUS)

Match referee: Chris Broad (Z

Humaima Made us all proud.

We did update our readers about Humaima’s about-to-start Bollywood career with an upcoming film ‘Shaatir’, in which Humaima will be seen sharing the screen with Bollywood’s most controversial actor Emran Hashmi. Humaima, after earning much of respect and fame for her acting skills within Pakistan, is really hopeful for her debut film in India.

It comes as no surprise that like all his previous movies, even Emran’s character in the Shaatir demands some bold scenes which, Humaima has refused to shoot. This has shocked the director of the film while her fans in Pakistan are found appreciating her decision.

This is perhaps a different news coming all the way from Bollywood regarding the Pakistani celebrities, who most of the time are ready to do any role, decent or bold, in India.

The movie is expected to make its release soon in 2014.

All for now, please share your views about it

Sectarian strife: ‘Ulema should do more to promote harmony’

PML-N MNA Hamza Shahbaz. PHOTO: FILE

LAHORE: 

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hamza Shahbaz said on Saturday the ulema must actively promote religious harmony and tolerance.

He was talking to a delegation of ulema from Sargodha at Model Town.

The delegation included Mufti Tahir Masood, Mufti Shahid Masood, Qari Abdul Waheed, Qari Ahmed Ali Nadeem, Qari Waqar Ahmed, Maulana Javed Qadri, Maulana Abdullah Saeed Hashmi, Mian Muhammad Ilyas, Mian Munir Ahmed and Mian Anwar Khursheed. MNA Hamid Hameed was also present on the occasion.

Shahbaz said those involved in the Rawalpindi sectarian riots would be arrested and brought to justice.

“It is the duty of every person in the society to advise their children and other people to shun religious extremism and sectarianism,” he said.

He said although the situation had improved due to the commendable role of the ulema, they needed to do more.

“After the Rawalpindi tragedy, religious leaders of all schools of thought have played a commendable role in stopping sectarian violence,” he said.

He urged the delegation to not forget their role in maintaining sectarian harmony.

Shahbaz said the ulema could play a key role in promoting peace and brotherhood by activating peace committees.

He praised the ulema of all sects for helping the government control the law and order situation in Sargodha in the wake of the sectarian riots last week.

“Sargodha is my second home because the people of the city elected Nawaz Sharif,” he said.

He said several development projects had been planned for the city. He said work on these projects would be started soon.

Earlier, the delegates discussed their proposals for promoting religious harmony and stressed the need for activating peace committees.

Shahbaz assured the ulema that the senior leadership of PML-N would be taken into confidence for implementing their proposals and accepting their demands.

If there were more positives, I would stay, says Webber

Red Bull’s Mark Webber will complete 12 seasons of racing in grands prix when he steers his car around for the final time at the Brazilian Grand Prix. PHOTO: AFP

SAO PAULO: Mark Webber admitted that he had accepted the inevitability of his age but remained determined to bow out of Formula One on a high note in Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix.

The Australian will complete 12 seasons of racing in grands prix when he steers his Red Bull car around the Interlagos circuit for the final time.

“I’m on a little bit of a slippery slope now,” said Webber, 37, who will go sportscar racing with the Porsche team next season.“You’ve to be careful not to test it too much in terms of your performance and what you used to be able to do.

“I still think I’m driving well but I don’t want to be around not driving well.” Popular and respected for his affability, approachability and honesty, Webber said he had not allowed the finale to his Formula One career to hit him emotionally.

“I think on Sunday it’ll be a little bit different but it still feels like a normal race at the moment,” he said. “I’m looking forward to Sunday in many ways, in terms of pushing for a good result.

“But also I’m ready to stop and looking forward to the extended winter that I’ll have and the new challenges around the corner.”Typically blunt, he added, “I wouldn’t be leaving if there weren’t things I was happy to leave behind. If there were more positives than negatives, then I would stay.

“[However], it’s inevitable that you’re going to miss certain parts. But there comes a time when you’ve got to let go.”

I’ve learned a lot from him: Vettel

Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel rejected suggestions he and Webber do not enjoy a good relationship.

He stressed how successful they had been as a pairing and how much he would miss the Australian as a teammate.

“Obviously we didn’t always have the best relationship on a personal level,” he explained. “But in terms of working professionally together for the team, we have been very strong.

“Both of us have tried very hard to improve the car. The fact that he will not be around next year will surely be a loss for the team and a loss for myself. “I’ve learned a lot from him. I can stand up straight and say that there were many times and places where I benefitted from him.

“You could obviously say the same thing the other way around.”

Relations between the 26-year-old German and Webber have always been competitive, if not strained, notably when they were both involved in the 2011 title battle and also when Vettel disobeyed team orders to snatch victory from Webber at this year’s Malaysian Grand Prix.

“You know, generally people have a worse impression than the relationship that we have,” said Vettel. “People tend to forget how successful we have been.”

English Premier League: Sturridge saves Liverpool in derby thriller

Suarez and Sturridge scored a goal each, to take their individual tally to nine this season, as Liverpool came from behind to level 3-3 against Everton. PHOTO: REUTERS

LONDON: 

Daniel Sturridge came off the bench to earn Liverpool a 3-3 draw at Everton with an 89th-minute equaliser in a richly entertaining Merseyside derby on Saturday.

A brace from Romelu Lukaku had put Everton on the brink of a first win over their city rivals in seven matches, but Sturridge’s header gave Liverpool a share of the spoils after a frenetic Premier League encounter at Goodison Park.

Liverpool took a fifth-minute lead when Philippe Coutinho neatly controlled the ball on his knee and volleyed home after Luis Suarez flicked on a Steven Gerrard corner.

The hosts equalised three minutes later, Kevin Mirallas converting a Ross Barkley knock-down, only for Suarez to restore Liverpool’s lead in the 19th minute by whipping a 25-yard free-kick into the bottom-right corner.

Mirallas was fortunate to avoid a red card for a knee-high foul on Suarez before half-time, with referee Phil Dowd electing only to book him.

Joe Allen spurned a superb chance to extend the visitors’ lead when he shot wide with the goal at his mercy and Liverpool were punished in the 72nd minute when Lukaku tucked away an equaliser.

Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard produced a point-blank reflex stop to keep out a header from Suarez and with eight minutes to play Lukaku claimed his second goal with a bullet header from Mirallas’s left-wing corner.

Everton would have moved up to third place with victory – level on points with Liverpool – but Sturridge had the final say when he smartly headed past Howard from a Gerrard free-kick.

Anderson pleads for chance to save United career

Manchester United midfielder Anderson has pleaded with manager David Moyes to give him a chance to impress as the Premier League champions prepare for their visit to Cardiff on Sunday.

Anderson has only started two games under Moyes, with his last a lacklustre showing in a shock defeat against West Bromwich Albion in September.

However, Michael Carrick will miss United’s trip to face Cardiff as he is out for a number of weeks with an Achilles problem, leaving a spot open in midfield which Anderson is hoping to fill.

“I want to make an impact,” said Anderson. “When I have a chance, I have to take it. I’m happy at the club and everything is fine.