Sony joins new 'controller wars'
03 June 2009
Sony has given the public the first view of its new game controller for the Sony PlayStation 3.
The Motion Controller for PS3 uses two controllers that work in conjunction with the Sony PlayStation Eye.
The firm said it was a technology demo, but then said the new system would be available early next year.
The news follows Microsoft's announcement on Monday of a controller-free control system it is calling Project Natal.
3D gaming
The Motion Controller for PS3 works in a similar way to Nintendo's Wii controller. A sensor sits on top of the TV and detects the position, distance and movement of two controllers held in a user's hand.
The creator of the Sony EyeToy, Dr Richard Marks, who heads up the team developing the Motion Controller for PS3, said the new system was sparking the imagination of game developers.
"We expect this to be a great casual gamers' experience, but we also want to enable some more gamers' games. We think this would be a great experience too," he said.
During the demonstration, the developers showed what the Sony PlayStation Controller was capable of, enabling users to wield weapons, fire a bow and arrow, write on screen and manipulate objects in a virtual environment.
Returning Woods targets Memorial victory
Tiger Woods begins the build-up to his defense of the U.S. Open crown by bidding for a fourth title at the prestigious Memorial tournament in Ohio.
Woods subsequently won his 14th major at Torrey Pines before undergoing reconstructive knee surgery which sidelined him for nine months.
Woods has a victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and has not finished outside the top 10 in five other strokeplay tournaments he has played since his comeback.
His last appearance came as he finished eighth at the Players Championship and the 33-year-old has been practicing hard with coach Hank Haney.
"I'm really looking forward to competing again at the Memorial tournament and I've been working hard on my game since the Players Championship," Woods wrote in his monthly newsletter on his personal Web site www.tigerwoods.com.
But Woods, despite his good record since returning, is anxious to step up a gear.
Al-Qaeda 'kills British hostage'
Downing Street says there is "strong reason to believe" that a British citizen has been killed by al-Qaeda militants in north-west Africa.
Edwin Dyer was kidnapped in Niger in January, but was being held in Mali.
The group had said it would kill Mr Dyer if the British government refused to release radical Muslim cleric Abu Qatada from a UK prison.
UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown condemned what he called an "appalling and barbaric act of terrorism".
Abu Qatada is awaiting extradition to Jordan, where he was convicted of terrorism offences in his absence and faces life in jail.
Condolences
Mr Dyer, who spoke fluent German and had been working in Austria, was kidnapped in Niger on 22 January, close to the border with Mali.
He was captured along with a number of other European tourists, including two Swiss and one German. The group had been visiting the Anderamboukane festival on nomad culture.
source: bbc.com
Dozens still missing in Taliban kidnapping
Two dozen people believed to have been kidnapped by the Taliban were still missing Wednesday, Pakistani authorities said.
The Pakistani army rescued a group of 80 students and staff members Tuesday, but 48 people remained unaccounted for from Monday's abduction, police said.
Forty-six are students, and two are teachers, police said.
The abduction took place in the northwest tribal region, where the military has waged a bloody battle against Taliban insurgents, police said.
Militants attacked a convoy of 27 vehicles carrying 350 students and teachers that departed Razmak Cadet College in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas;
No survivors found in wreckage of Air France jet, official says
Jobim made the announcement after meeting with relatives and friends of Brazilians who were among the 228 people aboard Flight 447 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, France.
Two debris fields were found about 650 km (400 miles) northeast of the Fernando de Noronha Islands, an archipelago 355 kilometers (220 miles) off the northeast coast of Brazil -- or at latitude 2 north, longitude 30 west, the Ministry of Defense said on its Web site.
One of the fields was 5 km (3 miles) long and that both lie near the flight path between Rio de Janeiro and Paris.
Among the wreckage was an airplane seat, metal debris, an orange float, a drum and an oil spill, the posting said. See map of suspected crash zone »
Brazilian air force planes spotted the debris field Tuesday morning, but it was not until a French commercial vessel arrived on the scene that the debris' origin was confirmed. The planes searched 10,000 square kilometers (3,861 square miles) of ocean throughout the day and will continue to search for more debris overnight, the Brazilian Air Force Said.
Two Netherlands-flagged vessels were expected to arrive in the area later in the day; a Brazilian navy ship was expected to arrive Wednesday, officials said. Brazilian air force jets were continuing to comb the area for other debris, and a U.S. P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft was assisting as well.
Panel to oversee realty projects
Tuesday 11 November 2008 by Dubai
The Dubai Government has formed a high-level committee that will oversee and decide on the launch of future real estate projects in the emirate in view of the global economic slowdown, a top government official said yesterday.
The committee, which was formed in October this year, consists of Dubai-based master developers and a few private developers, Nasser Al Shaikh, Director-General of the Dubai Department of Finance, told Emirates Business.
"For the first time, a committee has been formed to oversee the real estate development in Dubai and help synchronise projects of various developers with the intention of securing future supply."
The panel will not be looking at projects that have already been launched, Al Shaikh said, adding, "no projects will be called off, and the committee will only decide on anything to be launched in future.
"Master developers control 70 per cent of the supply in Dubai’s property market and if all these parties work together then we can strike a balance between the future demand and supply. However, we are not trying to influence or control supply in the market." He said the committee will not govern private developers and they can continue with their projects.
Perceptions that the UAE realty is set for a correction have strengthened recently. Prices are expected to peak in the first half of 2009, but a decline is expected in the second half of the next year. However, developers said analysts have failed to interpret and take note of the sound economic fundamentals of the emirate.
Al Shaikh reiterated that infrastructure projects will continue and only the yet-to-be launched real estate developments will be under scrutiny of the committee.
Ruling out government plans to inject any funds into the real estate sector, he said: "All the master developers have sufficient cash flow and they do not require funding from the government."
A draft law to settle property disputes is also being drawn up. Judge Abdul Qader Mousa, Head of Dubai property court told our sister publication, Al Emarat Al Youm, that the new law will replace the federal civil procedures law.