web analytics

ARY NEWS

Web Desk

  • Karachi water crisis going from bad to worse

    Sources confided to ARY News that nexus of Karachi Water and Sewerage Board and water tanker mafia has fuelled the water crisis in the city.

    Citizens have questioned the source of water supply to hydrants despite the prevailing crisis in the city.

    Reports suggest that almost 70 percent of Karachi is without water with Malir, Korangi, Orangi Town, SITE, Metroville, North Karachi, Landhi, Shireen Jinnah Colony, Baldia Town among the worst hit areas where even drinking water is not available.

    Moreover, the continuous load shedding at pumping stations including Dhabeji is making the situation worse.

    A report authored by late Parveen Rahman of the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP) back in 2008 and published in a local newspaper suggested that Karachi’s water tanker mafia, which generates an estimated Rs49.6 billion annually, siphons off over 272mgd — or 41 per cent — of the water from the city’s bulk distribution system every day and then sells the commodity at exorbitant rates to residents and industries suffering from the water scarcity that is largely caused by the activities of the water tanker mafia itself.


    Karachi Water Crisis by arynews

  • Salman to resume ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ shoot

    Good news for fans of Dabangg Khan! Bollywood’s macho superstar is back with full force and fans are bound to see him on the silver screen! After his five year imprisonment sentence was suspended, Salman will resume shooting for Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

    According to reports, the movie was almost complete and only a few shooting scenes involving Salman were left. The film’s release was in jeopardy after the actor was slapped with a five year imprisonment sentence by Indian courts for a hit and run case involving the actor. However, once Salman appealed against the decision, the courts granted the troubled actor bail int he hit and run case. After bring granted bail, Salman is expected to fly to the beautiful locales of Kashmir in order to wrap up the shoot for Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

    Bajrangi Bhaijaan has an ensemble cast to its name, such as Kareena Kapoor Khan and Emraan Hashmi. The movie will also feature famed Badlahpur star Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who will star with Khan for the second time (their first being Kick).

    Salman has his hands full this year with numerous projects, such as the above named movie and another film titled Prem Ratan Dhan Payo. The actor stars in the movie alongside famed Bollywood beauty Sonam Kapoor.

    It’s good to know that the Bollywood star is back with a bang and leaving no stone unturned in resuming his work. The prison sentence and the subsequent bail no doubt rattled Chulbul Panday a great deal, but the actor has shown a tremendous amount of resilience in fighting the sentence and remaining strong. After being granted bail, Salman had taken to Twitter as well as his sister Arpita, to express their happiness and thank fans for their continued support.

     

  • Zulfiqar Mirza’s tussle with PPP an old issue, says Gillani

    Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani, speaking to media on Sunday, said that Pakistan had good relations with all the countries including Afghanistan during his tenure as prime minister.

    He added that Zulfiqar Mirza’s tussle with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is an old issue.

    The former premier stated it is upto the judicial commission to decide about the alleged rigging in the polls.

    “We accepted the results of the elections despite that the polls were rigged. We had already stated that the elections were of the Resident Officers (ROs)”, he said.

  • NA-122 verdict: PTI plans rally in Lahore with ‘Azadi container’

    Sources told that PTI has decided to bring ‘Azadi container’ from Islamabad to Lahore, which will feature in the party’s rally if the verdict is announced coinciding with the PTI claims.

    PTI chief Imran Khan has asked party leaders to mobilize people and direct workers to get ready for the rally, sources added.

    National Database Regulatory Authority (NADRA) on Saturday submitted the forensic report of NA-122 votes to the election tribunal, in which it said that over 92,000 votes could not be authenticated while 73,478 votes were confirmed through thumb impressions.

    Speaker Ayaz Sadiq of PML-N was declared winner in the Lahore National Assembly constituency in 2013 general elections  against PTI Chief Imran Khan.

  • Bollywood stars shower their mothers with love

    Mother’s Day is celebrated around the world to recognize mothers and the hard work they put in for their children. B-town’s most popular and noteworthy celebs did not shy away from paying glowing tributes to their mommies and shared special messages for their mothers.

     

     

  • Mother’s Day- historical background and relevance

    The world celebrates Mother’s Day today, in recognition of every mother’s countless sacrifices for her children. The intent and purpose behind celebrating this event on an international basis is to raise awareness in the world regarding the role of mothers and her role in shaping the lives of children.

    Events, seminars and processions are carried around the world to highlight the respect of mothers in society and the difficulties they go through to mould the lives of their children. However, on this day, it is also pertinent to mention the fact that not all mothers are fortunate in the world to be loved and recognized by their offspring. There are those unfortunate amongst ourselves who force their mothers and parents to seek refuge in old homes, instead of their own homes.

    It should be kept in mind that the tradition of celebrating Mother’s Day is an ancient one which has been derived from civilizations of past. Greeks celebrated this day in honor of their Goddess Gaia, whom they referred to as the mother of all goddesses.

    In 16th century England, 40 days before Easter, people used to celebrate a day known as ‘Mothering Sunday’. The United States started celebrating Mother’s Day from the year 1872.

    In 1911, Mother’s Day was celebrated in a state of the USA and ever since then, the second Sunday of May every year is marked as Mother’s Day.

  • Transporters strike in Quetta enters 23rd day

    The transporters in Balochistan’s capital had called a strike 22 days ago when the provincial government had ordered the bus stations to be shifted.

    The passengers are facing severe problems due to the strike. The bus owners have stated that the strike will not end till the government withdraws its decision.

  • 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.