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  • Seeing and believing: Virtual reality set to conquer living rooms

    Anyone, anywhere would be able to strap on a headset in their living room and be able to experience events anywhere in the world – or outside of it – as if they were really there.

    Virtual reality (VR) technology was long seen as the next big thing. But real reality always seemed to get in the way.

    For years, it was the costly and bulky equipment; More recently, the sparse investment in software because of a lack of consumer-ready headgear.

    Now, that could change.

    Oculus, the VR business bought for $2 billion by Facebook Inc last year, said this week it would start shipping a consumer version of its Rift headset in early 2016, raising hopes that investment in VR software will finally take off.

    “I have been waiting for virtual reality since I was a little boy 30 years ago,” said Ben Schachter, an analyst at Macquarie Securities in New York.

    “Our view is that things are radically different this time.”

    About 2.7 million VR headsets, including versions aimed at app and content developers, could be sold in 2015, according to technology consultancy KZero.

    With the launch of more consumer-friendly versions, total VR sales are expected to jump to 39 million in 2018, helping software companies alone rake in $4.6 billion – up from a projected $129 million this year.

    “We believe that many very deep-pocketed companies will be in this space soon,” Schachter said.

    Sony Corp and Taiwan’s HTC Corp are among the big hardware makers planning to launch consumer headsets – HTC by the end of 2015 and Sony next year.

    Oculus partnered with Samsung Electronics Co Ltd to build the developer version of the South Korean company’s mobile VR headset, Gear VR Innovator Edition, which was released in the United States in December. Samsung is expected to release a consumer-version Gear VR by the end of the year.

    “This is the right time for early stage investors,” said Mike Rothenberg, founder and CEO of Rothenberg Ventures, a San Francisco venture capital firm that has invested in VR startups.

    Santa Barbara, California-based WorldViz plans to release a number of VR software apps, which can be used in industries such as oil and gas, aerospace, education, and entertainment this year, and expects revenue to double, founder and President Peter Schlueer said.

    “TRUE TRANSITION”

    Gaming and entertainment apps are expected to drive initial uptake of VR hardware.

    But the advent of user-friendly and low-cost gear will also spur adoption by educational institutions, the military and industry.

    Ford Motor Co, for instance, uses VR headsets to help test car designs.

    Oculus has not disclosed pricing for the consumer Rift. Co-founder Nate Mitchell has said it will be “affordable” but pricier than the Gear VR, which costs around $200.

    EON Reality, based in Irvine, California, and NextVR, headquartered in Laguna Beach, California, are among the most prominent software companies hoping to cash in on the VR boom.

    “At the end of the day, content is going to be the most important piece, because if that doesn’t work, it doesn’t matter what type of hardware device you have,” EON Reality Chief Executive Mats Johansson said.

    Mary Spio, president of Next Galaxy Corp, a Miami Beach company whose Netflix-like platform delivers VR content, said software makers have been waiting for proof of success of the hardware.

    “I think we are going to see a slow build up of content and then we will start to see an avalanche of content maybe a few months after the Oculus (Rift) hits,” Spio said.

    “I think that 2016 really is going to be when we see that inflection, the true transition for virtual reality.” – Reuters

  • Why gold threatens Ivory Coast’s peace

    Nestled among the cocoa plantations of western Ivory Coast is a gold mine that does not feature on any official maps. It is not run by an industrial mining company, nor does it pay taxes to the central government.

    Prospectors search for gold at a gold mine near the village of Gamina, in western Ivory Coast.

    The unlicensed mine is a key part of a lucrative business empire headed by the deputy commander of the West African nation’s elite Republican Guard, United Nations investigators allege.

    He is one of the principal players in a network of senior officers – former rebel commanders who have integrated into the Ivorian army – that has seized control of mines that generate tens of millions of dollars a year, and that engages in illegal taxation, smuggling and racketeering, they say.

    Gold prospectors are seen at a gold mine near the village of Gamina, in western Ivory Coast.

    Interviews with more than two dozen military insiders, diplomats, U.N. officials, local authorities, analysts and miners also reveal that the network of former rebels continues to maintain loyalist fighters under their exclusive control. A confidential U.N. arms inventory, reviewed by Reuters, showed that one former rebel commander possesses enough weapons – from surface-to-air missiles to millions of rounds of ammunition – to outgun the Ivorian army.

    A senior Ivorian army officer said that the network represents a parallel force within the military that threatens the stability of the country, which has emerged from a 2011 civil war as one of Africa’s fastest growing economies.

    Elections in October are expected to return President Alassane Ouattara for a second and final term. But some former rebel commanders are loyal to rival political figures. As politicians position themselves to follow Ouattara, they risk dragging the country back into turmoil.

    “I don’t know how we’re going to sort this out,” said the senior army officer. “They (the former rebel commanders) are completely out of our control.”

  • Naltar tragedy: Foreign delegations arrive in Pakistan

    According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office, delegations from the above named countries also included DNA experts who would the Pakistani government in identification of the crash victims. The statement further stated that an air ambulance was expected soon to take the Dutch ambassador.

    The fatal crash occurred on Friday 8th May 2015 in Gilgit Baltistan, Naltar. The chopper was en route to Naltar from Gilgit that a sudden vibration was observed following which the heli started whirling. The situation prompted pilots to attempt crash landing and the aeronauts tried landing it despite losing control.

    The tail rotor of the ill-fated Mi-17 reportedly stopped functioning, which balances the torque of the main rotor. During the episode, the chopper suddenly lost altitude, then lifted a bit upward while shifting its direction several times, and finally collided with a building.

     

  • Houthis accept five-day truce in Yemen proposed by Saudi Arabia

    Neighboring Saudi Arabia had said on Friday that the ceasefire could begin on Tuesday if the Houthi militia agreed to the pause.

    Supported by the United States, a Saudi-led coalition began air strikes against the Houthis and army units loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh on March 26 with the aim of restoring the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

    The Houthis say their campaign is aimed at fighting al Qaeda militants and to combat corruption.

    “Any military violation of the ceasefire from al Qaeda and those who stand with it and support it and fund it will be responded to by the army and security and the popular committees,” Colonel Sharaf Luqman, spokesperson for the Houthi-allied army, said in a statement published by Saba news agency.

    A Houthi statement issued late on Saturday said they would deal “positively” with any efforts to lift the suffering of the Yemeni people, a sign that they would accept the ceasefire.

    Houthis also asked for a political dialogue under the auspices of the United Nations to resume in order to resolve the conflict.

    The ceasefire, which was set to allow time for donors to coordinate aid supplies, is due to come into force at 11 p.m. on Tuesday.

    International concern about the humanitarian situation has grown as the strikes have killed more than 1,300 people, sent locals fleeing from their homes and destroyed infrastructure – leading to shortages of food, medicine and fuel.

    The Houthis’ acceptance of a truce follows intensified coalition bombing of Houthi strongholds in Yemen’s north since Friday night, when Riyadh called on civilians to evacuate the province of Saada, a northern city where support for Houthi rebels is strongest.

    Three airstrikes targeted ex-president Saleh’s residence in the capital Sanaa at dawn on Sunday, but Yemeni news agency Khabar said the former president and his family were unhurt. (Reuters)

  • Fifty inmates and 12 police killed in Iraq prison break: officials

    After a riot erupted, dozens of prisoners escaped from the Al-Khalis facility about 80 km (50 miles) northeast of Baghdad, security and police officials said.

    Militants of Islamic State, the group sometimes known as ISIS which has seized large areas of Iraq and Syria, broke in with the help of explosives to free 30 inmates and get into the jail’s weapons stores, said Amaq News Agency, which supports the group.

    The agency said Shi’ite militiamen then stormed the prison and killed about 60 militants in clashes.

    “ISIS was responsible for the killings and the release of ISIS prisoners,” said Oudi Al-Khadran, mayor of the town where the prison, which holds hundreds of people convicted of terrorism, is located.

    That account was confirmed by Colonel Ahmed al-Timimi of the Diyala province security operations center.

    It was not clear if any high-profile prisoners were held at Al-Khalis, said the head of Diyala’s security committee, Seyyid Sadiq al-Husseini.

    “The inmates started fighting among themselves, which drew the attention of the police guards who went to break up the fight,” said a police source, asking not to be named.

    “Then the prisoners attacked them, stripped them of their weapons and started a riot while also managing to capture the armory of the prison.”

    Authorities declared a curfew in Al-Khalis and raided houses in search of escaped convicts, said another police source.

    The Iraqi government, which is backed by U.S. air strikes in its campaign against Islamic State, is also trying to contain widespread sectarian violence.

    A car bomb in Baghdad on Saturday killed seven civilians and wounded 14 others, police and medical sources said. (Reuters)

  • Arkansas dog consumes over two dozen bullets

    “He acted like nothing was wrong until he threw up,” Benno’s owner, Larry Brassfield of Mountain Home, Arkansas, said on Friday adding that is when he discovered a nearly three-inch long bullet in the puddle.

    Brassfield noticed several 308-caliber rounds missing and rushed Benno to a veterinarian, where x-rays revealed a small arsenal in the animal’s stomach in the late April incident.

    Veterinarian removed 16 bullets from stomach of the dog.
    Veterinarian removed 16 bullets from stomach of the dog.

    “My first concern was not an explosion but poisoning,” said veterinarian Dr. Sarah Shelton, who feared Benno’s stomach acids would attack the metal to fatal effect.

    Shelton removed 16 cartridges from Benno’s stomach and left two in his esophagus rather than prolong the two-hour surgery, correctly calculating that the animal would soon expel them.

    In all, the dog had eaten 23 rounds.

    She said Benno’s prognosis is “excellent.”

    Malinois dogs, which physically resemble German Shepherds, are used as bomb-sniffers in Iraq and Afghanistan, and known for both their intelligence and work ethic, according to Animal Planet.

    Benno, meantime, has diligently returned to his old ways. Since his surgery, Brassfield says, Benno has consumed yet another of his wife’s bras.

    “It’s at least his fourth,” Brassfield said. – Reuters

  • ECP notifies JI victory in official results of PK-95 by-election

    According to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), JI’s Aizazul Mulk emerged victorious from the constituency after securing 20,000 votes followed by Awami National Party’s (ANP) Haji Bahadur Khan who won 16,439 votes.

    Qari Ziaul Haq Haideri of Rah-e-Haq Party was third as he bagged 3,024 votes.

    Voting turnout was 27% as 48,558 votes were casted in the elections in which 1273 were rejected.

    However, women did not cast their votes in several areas of the constituency. ECP also took notice of the issue.

    Aizazul Mulk is also the head of Lower Dir chapter of Jamaat e Islami. Mulk and Bhadaur both are popular among the masses in the constituency.

    The PK-95 seat fell vacant after JI emir Sirajul Haq resigned following his nomination as the party chief. He had secured the seat in the General Elections 2013.

  • Earthquake tremors felt in parts of Swat

    The epicentre of the 4.2 magnitude of earthquake was Koh-e Hindukush in Afghanistan. While its depth was measured 121 kilometers, a meteorological department official said.

    The jolts of the quake were also felt in parts of Khyber Pakhtonkhwa, however no reports of casualties or any damage were received.

    Tremors stirred panic among people who rushed out of their homes and remained outdoor for some time.

  • Toyota, Mazda in talks on expanding partnership: sources

    The two Japanese automakers already have a technology and production tie-up, and Toyota was now considering providing fuel-cell and plug-in-hybrid technology to Mazda, said the two sources, who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

    Mazda, in return, was considering offering its partner fuel-efficient gasoline and diesel engine technology under its proprietary SkyActiv series, the sources said.

    Mazda has been trying to develop FCVs on its own, but it has decided to team up with Toyota, which produces the Mirai, the world’s only mass-market fuel-cell car, the sources said.

    Toyota has said hydrogen FCVs offer the most promising zero-emission alternative to conventional cars since they have a similar driving range and refueling time.

    Toyota has already decided to share some of its patents concerning fuel cell technology for free, hoping this will speed up the development of the infrastructure.

    The Nikkei business daily reported the two companies intended to reach an agreement on the partnership soon.

    Toyota and Mazda officials said nothing has been decided. (Reuters)

  • Two police officers shot dead in US state: reports

    Forrest County Coroner Butch Benedict said both officers were shot Saturday in Hattiesburg and taken to hospital where they were confirmed dead, according to The Clarion-Ledger newspaper.

    At least one of the officers was alive when he entered the hospital, the newspaper reported.

    Officials did not say what the motive was for the attack.

    Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree urged residents to stay indoors while police searched for the shooter.

    Police said they believed the suspect stole a police car after the shooting, which was later found abandoned.

    The Clarion-Ledger said it was the first police killing in Hattiesburg in 30 years.

    A plainclothes police officer in New York died Monday after he was shot in the head by a suspect.

    He was the third on-duty officer killed in the past five months, following the shooting death of two other New York policemen in December. – AFP