Afghan Vice President passes away

KABUL-

Afghan vice president Field Marshal Mohammad Qasim Fahim, a leading commander in the alliance that fought the Taliban, died Sunday. He was 57.

Fahim was an ethnic Tajik who was an ally of Ahmad Shah Massoud, the charismatic Northern Alliance commander who was killed in an al-Qaida suicide bombing two days before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

President Hamid Karzai’s office said Fahim died from an illness.

Karzai called Fahim a true patriot and said his death was “a huge loss for Afghanistan.” He also expressed his condolences to the Afghan nation and Fahim’s family.

Fahim served as a vice president and defense minister in Karzai’s first administration and most recently was the first of two vice presidents. But he was best remembered as a former warlord who fought against the Soviets when they were occupying the country and went on to battle with Massoud against the Taliban, who were ousted in 2001.

Karzai’s spokesman Aimal Faizi said the government has called for a three-day mourning period and flags would be lowered to half-staff.

Presidential candidate Hedayat Amin Arsala said Fahim’s death “will affect the future political development,” but he didn’t elaborate.

Boring' Bayern would not go unbeaten in England, insists Lehmann

The ex-Arsenal goalkeeper believes the Bavarians have it far too easy in Germany and suggests that their dominance makes them unappealing to watch

Jens Lehmann has suggested that Bayern Munich would encounter a far higher level of competition in England as they prepare to face Arsenal in the Champions League.

Die Roten have been formidable this season, dropping only four points in the Bundesliga so far, as they look to defend the German title as well as the DFB-Pokal and Champions League trophies they won in the 2012-13 campaign.

However, though admitting that the Bavarians are an impressive outfit, Lehmann has criticised the standard of opposition that they face domestically, stating that many sides seem to concede defeat before a ball has been kicked.

"I have to say the challenges they are facing in the Bundesliga are not too high," the 44-year-old told The Guardian.

"Their opponents really don't know how to play them. They don't even find a way of trying.

"[For example] Schalke were down 4-0 after 30 minutes," he continued, citing the Royal Blues' 5-1 defeat at the Allianz Arena on March 1.

"That was a little bit embarrassing. I'd like to see a team scoring against them let's say in the 80th minute and being 1-0 up. Then I would like to see how they respond. So far nobody has managed to take that sort of lead.

"Bayern wouldn't go unbeaten in the English league. The depth of the Premier League in terms of quality is higher, even if it is not at the top any more.

"Watching them is a little bit boring as well. They start playing around the back just in case they are pressurised and then slightly go forwards. It's not a pacey game going forward. They step forward bit by bit until they are in the final third and then they have great quality players who can make the difference."

Lehmann, part of Arsenal's 'Invincibles' who enjoyed an undefeated Premier League campaign in 2003-04, stated that Bayern are very much capable of emulating that feat in Germany and will also more than likely overcome his former club in the Champions League last-16.

"Doing better than going unbeaten is not possible," he mused. "That's the maximum. You can't do more.

"Actually, sometimes that means more than winning the Champions League in terms of consistency. Consistency always tells you about the quality of a team. I think they will become unbeaten champions.

"You always have chances," he added in response to the Gunners' chances of overcoming their 2-0 first-leg defeat at the hands of Bayern. "But not a lot. Bayern have learned from last year's experience. They know they are facing some danger."

Arsenal face Bayern at the Allianz Arena in their Champions League last-16 second leg on Tuesday.

This mobile app works only when you are drunk!

For those who love to party and get high but do not want to disclose their drinking habits to family or friends, this mobile application can help them "black out" all evidence of previous night from smart phones and social media.

Named Livr, this app only opens when you are drunk.

"The beauty of the 'Blackout' button is that it encourages anybody using Livr to just be themselves, to not censor themselves," Avery Platz, one of its creators, was quoted as saying.

A "Morning After Report" can be sent to other users showing off any antics from the previous night.

Photos are only uploaded to the app and can only be seen by other drunk people.

How does it function?

It works with a breathalyser that plugs into the charging port of an iOS or Android device.

To open the app, users blow on the "breathalyser" to get a blood alcohol content (BAC) reading.

It works with a breathalyser that plugs into the charging port of an iOS or Android device. (Photo credit: livr-app.com)

"If their BAC is above the legal limit for driving, the app and social network opens. The higher the BAC, the more features are unlocked," co-creator Kyle Addison added.

These features include a "Drunk Dial" option that randomly calls the number of another Livr user.

The "Hot Spots" feature is a map that shows nearest bars and clubs.

Pressing the "Blackout Button" cleans all evidence, including photos and call history, from the device.

"The app is intended for responsible adults of legal drinking age. It is purely intended for entertainment purposes," the creators posted on the Livr website.

"Do not drink and drive. Do not drink excessively," they added.

Watch: The working of the Livr App

A prime minister who pays to get Facebook likes!

British Prime Minister David Cameron is being mocked for his ‘endless ego’ after paying to win friends on Facebook.

Tory Party chiefs have spent thousands on advertisements on the social media site to encourage users to ‘like’ the Prime Minister’s page.
And the strategy has worked. Just over a month ago, Mr Cameron was almost 20,000 ‘likes’ behind Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s 80,000 – but now he has 127,000.

Facebook would not reveal details of the advertising deal, but marketing experts say the campaign would have cost about £7,500 of party funds.
The bill is based on results, up to an agreed maximum, with Facebook charging about 50p per ‘like’.

Labour MP Sheila Gilmore said, ‘It looks as if David Cameron is buying popularity. There is no end to his ego, paying for fake Facebook friends.’
And a Lib Dem insider dismissed the strategy as ‘pretty pathetic’.

But the Tories said such campaigns were ‘above board’ and ‘common practice’ among businesses and American presidential candidates.

The Insider: PSG to resist Premier League interest in Cavani

The French club want the Uruguay international to stay in Paris, while Everton are winning the race to sign Gareth Barry despite potential competition from Newcastle
Edinson Cavani is a high-profile target of a number of leading Premier League clubs this summer.

But Paris Saint-Germain are privately adamant they will resist any offers for the prolific striker, who cost £53 million when he joined from Napoli last July.

The Uruguay international, 27, is believed to be unhappy at playing second fiddle to Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the French champions despite publicly claiming he is settled in France after early teething problems.

The Insider understands that Cavani's representatives met intermediaries of Manchester United and Chelsea in January, and Arsenal are also monitoring the player's situation ahead of the summer transfer window.

However, PSG's mega-rich Qatari owners do not need to cash in on the forward and want him to stay and build on what has been a promising debut season in the French capital.

Cavani has scored 22 goals in 25 matches in all competitions, including 14 in 22 in the French league. He began the season alongside Ibrahimovic in a 4-4-2 formation, but has also spent large periods playing wide in a 4-3-3 formation, as he has done at the San Paolo and for Uruguay.

Cavani, who scored on his comeback last weekend after three weeks out with a hamstring injury, has been in Uruguay this week to finalise the terms of his divorce.

The striker's camp know he would have to push strongly to get a move this summer, as the likelihood grows that he will remain in Paris for another season at least.

Woman dead for six years, discovered in car’s backseat

- MICHIGAN, USA

For six years the bills were paid, the grass was cut and no one noticed the body of the dead woman sitting in the back seat of a car in a garage of a residential Pontiac, Michigan USA neighbourhood.

Her mummified body was finally found this week by someone dispatched to check on the property that fell into foreclosure after the money ran out of her account and the mortgage payments stopped, police said on Friday.

“It is kind of the perfect storm for a mysterious set of circumstance and a challenge because of the extreme degradation of the body,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in a telephone interview.

The woman has not yet been positively identified, but it is thought she is a person who stopped working in 2008 and had set up all of her bills to be paid automatically from her bank account.

She is also thought to have worked as a contractor in the financial department for a major automobile company.

A neighbour cut her lawn, her mail was sent to the post office and there was no family living nearby, Bouchard said.

“The last withdrawal from her account was in March 2013,” he added.

Neighbors said the woman had family in Germany and would be gone for days or weeks at a time. When she was back home, she kept to herself.

“Nobody came over there to check on the lady. It’s weird. And it’s actually scary,” a neighbor who wished to remain anonymous told the local TV station.

A cause of death was under investigation.

I have Kushal and I can’t be happier: Bigg Boss 7 winner Gauahar -

Actor Gauahar Khan, who ­started dating TV actor Kushal Tandon ­during their stint in reality show Bigg Boss 7, says that their relationship has grown stronger ever since the show got over.

"Bahut log the jinho ne kaha tha ki humara ­relationship jaldi hi khatam ho jayega ya sirf TRP ke liye hai. But the fact is that Kushal is just as wonderful in the outside world as he was while we were in the house. Kuch toh log kahange, logo ka kaam hai kehna. The fact remains that we are a ­support system for each other. Bigg Boss gave me Kushal and I can’t be happier," says Gauahar, who is gearing up for her debut as a leading lady opposite actor Rajeev Khandelwal in ­filmmaker Rajeev Jhaveri’s film, Fever.

Gauahar Khan and Kushal Tandon pose for the camera.

Interestingly, the two love birds will soon be seen together for the upcoming season of an adventure-based reality show, Khatron Ke Khiladi. Ask her about the same and she says, "This show is completely different from Bigg Boss. I have achieved exactly what I came here to achieve which was to overcome my fear. I am a bag of fears. I have every fear ­possible including fear of height and fear of water. I am doing the stunts for myself and no one else," says Gauahar, adding, "May be I would not have done the show if Kushal was not there."

Lastly, when asked about her reaction on seeing actor Ajaz Khan, who had a public spat with Kushal and her ­during Bigg Boss 7, come as a wild card entry on Khatron Ke Khiladi, she says, "He got his five seconds of fame by claiming that Kushal quit the show seeing him. God bless him. But the fact is that he doesn’t exist for me. He is just milking ­publicity in our name."

Read: I love Kushal, won't lie about it: Gauhar after winning Bigg Boss 7

- See more at: http://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/television/i-have-kushal-and-i-can-t-be-happier-bigg-boss-7-winner-gauahar/article1-1192755.aspx#sthash.eFAg0O6i.dpuf