Secret iPhone panorama camera mode discovered by hacker

An iPhone hacker has discovered that iPhones running the iOS 5 operating systems have a hidden panoramic camera mode.

It’s great for snap happy iPhone users, but Apple might not be so pleased because it’s a function that isn’t officially ready for use.

Once it is switched on users can take continuous photos while panning the camera from left to right.

Samsung Seeks Sales Ban on Apple IPhone 4S in France, Italy

Samsung Electronics Co. will seek to ban Apple Inc.'s iPhone 4S in France and Italy on patent- infringement claims, escalating the dispute between the world's two biggest makers of smartphones and ...

Apple stumble seen opening door for rivals

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks in front of an image of an iPhone 4S at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California October 4, 2011.


Rival smartphone makers are seen having a chance of exploiting a rare letdown by Apple in the launch of its new iPhone 4S model, which failed to wow fans, and grab a bigger share of the most lucrative part of the phone market, analysts said today.

They also noted, however, that Apple has decided to keep older iPhone models and slash their prices, which could help the company expand sales in lower-end and developing markets, where Nokia and Samsung have dominated.






“Apple no longer has a leading edge, its cloud service is even behind (Google’s mobile operating system) Android; it can only sell on brand loyalty now,” said Gartner analyst C.K. Lu in Taipei.

“Users may wait to buy the next iPhone; if they can’t wait, they may shift to brands with more advanced specs.”

The iPhone – introduced in 2007 with the touchscreen template since adopted by rivals – has proved to be the gold standard in the booming smartphone market, and its surging sales have hit the ambitious plans of many competitors.

But shares in Samsung Electronics , HTC and LG Electronics , which all make phones using Google’s Android operating system, ended higher after Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S at its Cupertino, California headquarters overnight.

In Europe shares in Nokia and Ericsson, half-owner of Sony Ericsson smartphone venture, were both 2.4 per cent higher by 0815 GMT today.

“Nokia should benefit from the fact that Apple chose not to play the design card this time around and that unlike some rumours, there will not be anything new aimed at the key mid-range market,” analysts from Nordea said in a note.

The new iPhone 4S is identical in form to the previous model, disappointing fans who had hoped for a thinner, bigger-screened design of a product that had not been updated for more than a year.

While the device’s high-tech wizardry such as voice commands – for sending messages, searching for stock prices and other applications – caught the attention of many analysts, it might not be enough to make it a must-have for consumers.

“Major concerns for Samsung had been that its smartphone momentum will decelerate with Apple’s new iPhone, but that is now less of a concern as the new iPhone failed to excite many,” said Kim Young-chan, an analyst at Shinhan Investment Corp in Seoul.

Today Samsung also said it would file for a sales ban on the new iPhone with courts in France and Italy, alleging that the phone infringed its mobile technology patents, widening an already extensive legal battle with its arch rival.

MID-MARKET STRATEGY

Apple also revealed yesterday that it is cutting the price of the previous iPhone 4 model to US$99 on a network service contract, and said the even older 3GS model will be available for free on contract. This allows Apple to hit the low-end smartphone market it had once eschewed.

Even before the low-cost phone, Apple was set to exponentially grow its China business as it stitches deals with operators in the world’s largest mobile phone market, home to more than 900 million subscribers.

Apple faces a tough battle in India, the world’s second-biggest market for mobile phones with more than 850 million subscribers, where smartphones account for just over 5 per cent of the total mobile handset sales.

“Very aggressive pricing in the higher-end category of smartphones is unlikely in India in the near future, primarily because the volumes are not strong enough to justify that kind of play in that segment,” said Deepak Kumar, research director at IDC India.

TOP SELLING SMARTPHONE

Phones based on Google’s Android, which is available for free to handset vendors such as Samsung, HTC, LG and Motorola , have a greater combined market share than Apple’s iPhone, which is still the world’s biggest-selling smartphone.

“There are still many consumers who don’t have the iPhone experience, and Apple still has a lot of markets and carriers to enter, so when there’s a new model with better specs, it helps to lift shipments,” said Ming-chi Kuo, analyst at Concord Securities in Taipei.

“The iPhone 4S targets users who are expiring on their two-year 3GS contract.”

Apple sold a record 20.3 million iPhones in the April-June quarter, with analysts estimating Samsung smartphone sales at 19 million handsets, well ahead of Nokia’s 16.7 million.

The lukewarm reception given for the new phone also hit shares in Apple’s suppliers.

Taiwan’s Hon Hai , Apple’s biggest supplier, was down 1.9 per cent, while casing company Foxconn Technology fell 6.9 per cent. Camera module maker Largan Precision shed 6.6 per cent.

“The casing companies should be the most-hit, correcting from the previous rise, because the market has expected a metal case for the new iPhone,” said Mike Fang, a fund manager of Paradigm Asset Management.

In Japan, the country’s second-largest mobile carrier KDDI will sell Apple’s new iPhone, ending rival operator Softbank’s reign as the sole provider in Japan.

US arms makers said bleeding secrets to cyber foes

Top Pentagon contractors have been bleeding secrets for years as a result of penetrations of their computer networks, current and former US national security officials say.

The US Defense Department, which runs its own worldwide eavesdropping, spying and code-cracking systems, says more than 100 foreign intelligence organisations have been trying to break into US networks.

Some of the perpetrators “already have the capacity to disrupt” US information infrastructure, Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn, who is leading remedial efforts, wrote last fall in the journal Foreign Affairs.

Joel Brenner, the National Counterintelligence executive from 2006 to 2009, said most if not all of the big defense contractors’ networks had been pierced.



“This has been happening since the late ‘90s,” he told Reuters yesterday. He identified the main threats as coming from Russia, China and Iran.

“They’re after our weapons systems and R&D,” or research and development, said Brenner, now with the law firm of Cooley LLP in Washington.

Lockheed Martin Corp, the Pentagon’s No. 1 supplier by sales, said on Saturday that it had thwarted “a significant and tenacious” attack on its information systems network that it detected May 21. Ten days later, the company says its still working to restore full employee access to the network while maintaining the highest level of security.

Lockheed, which is also the US government’s top information technology provider, said it had become “a frequent target of adversaries from around the world.” A spokeswoman said it said it used the term “adversaries” only in a general sense.

Lockheed builds F-16, F-22 and F-35 fighter jets as well as Aegis naval combat system, THAAD missile defense and other big-ticket weapons systems sold to US allies. It has not disclosed which of its business units was targeted.

Cyber intruders were reported in 2009 to have broken into computers holding data on Lockheed’s projected US$380 billion-plus (RM1.151 trillion-plus) F-35 fighter programme, the Pentagon’s costliest arms purchase.

Other big Pentagon contractors include Boeing Co, Northrop Grumman Corp, General Dynamics Corp, BAE Systems Plc and Raytheon Co. Each of these declined to comment on whether it believed its networks had been penetrated.

James Miller, the principal deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, said last May that the United States was loosing terabytes of data in cyber attacks, enough to fill “multiple Libraries of Congress.” The world’s largest library, its archive totaled about 235 terabytes of data as of April, the Library of Congress says on its web site.

“The scale of compromise, including the loss of sensitive and unclassified data, is staggering,” Miller told a Washington forum.

US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who led a Senate Intelligence Committee cyber task force last year, said in March that cybercrime has put the United States “on the losing end of what could be the largest illicit transfer of wealth in world history.”

Retired Air Force General Michael Hayden, a former director of central intelligence and ex-head of the Pentagon’s National Security Agency, said no network was safe if it had Internet access.

“You can isolate a network, a classified network,” he told Reuters in an interview last year. “Maybe you can get a certain level of confidence that you are not penetrated. But if you are out there connected to the world wide web you are vulnerable all the time.”

Anup Ghosh, a former senior scientist at the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, said there had been a string of intrusions into networks of US defense contractors, security companies and US government labs, including the US Energy Department’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, since the start of this year.

The advantage is with the intruders, said Ghosh, who worked on securing military networks for DARPA from 2002 to 2006 and now heads Invincea, a software security company.

“We’ve failed to innovate in the area of information security,” he said in an email yesterday. “We’re fighting today’s battles with the equivalent of cold-war era defenses.”

Obama’s Beast comes a cropper in Dublin -US Presidential Cadillac

The US Presidential Cadillac, nicknamed “The Beast” for its bomb-proof features, failed to make it out of the US Embassy in Dublin today when it became stuck on a ramp.

Barack Obama and his wife, en route to his ancestral home in County Offaly, had to abandon the car after the collision in front of waving crowds in Dublin.

Specially built for Obama, the General Motors vehicle boasts its own oxygen supply in case of chemical attack and armour-plated doors

Some features revealed:

* 8 inches thick armor-plated doors, weighing the same as a cabin door on a Boeing 757 airliner.
* Driver’s window: tough enough to withstand armour-glencing bullet. The only window that opens – by just three inches – allows the driver to talk to the secret service agents running alongside.
* Driver’s Compartment includes standard steering wheel, but the dashboard is installed with a communication center and GPS tracking system.
* The boot contains an independent oxygen supply and advanced fire-fighting system.
* Defense systems include pump-action shotguns, night-vision cameras and tear-gas cannons. Supplies of the President’s blood will also be kept on board in case he needs emergency medical treatment.
* The petrol tank is amour-plated, while also being filled with specially designed foam to prevent it from exploding if the armor is penetrated.
* Tyres on the limousine are Kevlar-reinforced, puncture- and shred-resistant, with special steel rims that allow the car to continue driving even if the tyre is missing.
* The bodywork is made up of a combination of dual-hardness steel, aluminium, titanium and ceramic material to break up possible projectiles.
* Rear Seat: Obama’s seat has an executive packages featuring desktop, laptop computer with wi-fi, state of the art satellite phone and direct line to the vice president and Pentagon.

This OBAMOBILE is worth US $300,000 but it’s not available on the market.

Malicious attack hits a million web pages

A sophisticated hacking attack, which experts say is the largest of its kind ever seen, has managed to insert malicious code into website


More than one million website pages have been hit by a sophisticated hacking attack that injects code into sites that redirect users to a fraudulent software sales operation.

The so-called “mass-injection” attack, which experts say is the largest of its kind ever seen, has managed to insert malicious code into websites by gaining access to the servers running the databases behind the Internet, according to the technology security company that discovered it.

Websense, which first found evidence of the attack earlier this week, has called it ‘LizaMoon,’ after the site to which the malicious code first directed its researchers.



Users can see that they are being redirected when they attempt to visit an infected address, and can close the window with no ill effects, said Patrik Runald, a senior manager of security research at Websense.

The attack has largely affected small websites so far, he said, with no evidence that popular corporate or government websites have been compromised.

If users do not close the window after typing an infected address, or clicking an infected link, they are redirected to a page showing a warning from ‘Windows Stability Center’ — posing as a Microsoft Corp security product — that there are problems with their computer and they are urged to pay for software to fix it.

Websense said the site appeared to be set up by sophisticated fraudsters out to make money, but it was not clear whether the site also planted malicious software on users’ computers if they made a purchase on the site, or if the operation was linked to an identity theft scam.

The presentation of the bogus website, as shown by Websense, is high quality but clearly fraudulent. Microsoft has no product called ‘Windows Stability Center”. The company did not immediately have a comment on the attack.

Websense said some third-party Web addresses containing information about podcasts available on Apple Inc’s iTunes service had been compromised, but said Apple appeared to have prevented the malicious links from working. Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

The attack may take some time to be tamed, warned Runald, as researchers first have to identify the software being compromised, and then website operators have to install updated software.

“Attacks like this tend to stay for a very long time,” he said. “Once they are onto something, it tends to stay with us. This LizaMoon event won’t disappear over a day.”

China in talks to build Colombian rail link to rival Panama Canal

China is in talks with Colombia to build a rail link that would join the South American country's Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

The railway would rival the Panama Canal, which has brought masses of trade to Colombia's South American neighbour.

Ships using the canal account for roughly five per cent of world trade.

The 140-mile 'dry canal' would run from the Pacific coast to a new city near Cartagena, pictured, on the northern Atlantic coast of the country

The planned rail line would run alongside the Panamanian border

China is proposing to build a railway in Colombia that would rival the Panama Canal, pictured, which has brought masses of trade to Colombia's South American neighbour

The proposed 140-mile 'dry canal' would run from the port of Cupica on the Pacific coast, through the gulf of Uraba and onto a new city near Cartagena on the northern Atlantic coast of Colombia.

It would help to boost trade with Asia while also helping in the export of material to the rest of South America.

The Asian superpower is particularly interested in importing coal from Colombia, which is the fifth biggest producer of the raw material in the world.

China is heavily dependent on coal for its power stations and steel industry and imported 164.83 million tons of the raw material last year.

The proposed line would help in carrying coal from mines to the Pacific coast.

The talks are 'quite advanced', Colombia's president Juan Manuel Santos told the Financial Times.

China is Colombia's second-biggest trade partner, with over $5bn of business done between the two countries in 2010.

'The studies [the Chinese] have made on the costs of transporting per tonne, the cost of investment, they all work out,' said Santos.

Also on the cards is a 490-mile railway line which would run to the port of Buenaventura on the west coast, allowing quick and easy exports of material from Colombia's heartland across the Pacific.

Google launches Twitter workaround for Egypt

Google Inc said yesterday it has launched a new service for people in Egypt to send Twitter messages without requiring an Internet connection, amid widespread anti-government protests in the country.

Google said the new service allows people to dial a telephone number and leave a voicemail, which is automatically translated into a message on Twitter.

Facebook denies it’s to launch branded phones with HTC

Of the estimated more than 350 million people who log on to Facebook each month, the social network provider says 250 million use mobile devices.


Facebook has no plans to launch Facebook-branded phones with Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC, it said today, following reports that it planned to launch an official tie-up next month.

“This is really just another example of a manufacturer who has taken our public APIs (application programming interfaces) and integrated them into their device in an interesting way,” said Dan Rose, head of business development at Facebook.



London business newspaper City A.M. had reported that HTC would unveil two new Facebook-branded mobile phones at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month, in a story that was widely picked up in other media.

“The rumours around there being something more to this HTC device are overblown,” Rose told journalists at a company event in London. Asked whether the device would be Facebook-branded, he answered: “No.”

Mobile is an increasingly important driver of traffic to Facebook, which says 250 million users a month access the social network on mobile devices.

HTC was the manufacturer of the first Google-branded phone, the Nexus One.

The four inch gadget that helps British soldiers to pinpoint Taliban snipers

The device will be trialled this month with the Parachute Regiment in Afghanistan.

British soldiers are to test a revolutionary new device which can pinpoint the exact position of enemy snipers 1,000 yards away.

The tiny computerised ‘sniper spotter’, which has been developed by Army scientists at the top-secret Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in Wiltshire, identifies the shooter’s location in an instant, enabling British troops to fire back immediately and accurately.

The new high-tech gadget – just 4in square and weighing 11oz – is worn on a soldier’s arm. It is connected to a shoulder sensor which pinpoints the location.



The detector’s powerful acoustic processing technology evaluates the enemy position by determining the target’s co-ordinates on a small screen with an arrow indicator.

Simultaneously it bleeps a warning into a headset connected to the device.

The Boomerang Warrior-X processor is the most advanced detector on the market. It has been refined by the scientists from a US system used in Iraq.

The small square-shaped detector will also allow Joint Tactical Air Controllers to forward exact locations of the enemy to fighter pilots for an air strike.

Sources say each unit – known officially known as the Compact Soldier Worn Shooter-Detector System – costs £10,000. An initial 1,000 have been ordered for British troops in Afghan¬istan’s southern Helmand province. If trials are successful, more soldiers will be issued with it later this year.

The way the technology works is a closely guarded secret, but the unique software provides constant updates on the enemy’s location – even if they move position while being fired at.

A senior source said: ‘This bit of kit could be a life-saver. An earlier, larger model was used by US forces in Iraq and in parts of Afghanistan, but this is a first for us and it is being seen as revolutionary.

‘It works on acoustics and when a round is fired the small display panel highlights an arrow indicating the direction of fire, which is a major help in returning fast and accurate fire.’

Parents horrified as children run up massive bills Smurfing the web

Huge bills: Thousands of parents have downloaded the games assuming because they're free to download, they're free to play

Paying the cost: Kelly Rummelhart had an unexpected bill after four-year-old son Sawyer played The Smurfs' Village

Computer giant Apple has come under fire for introducing ‘hidden and underhand’ charges into children’s games which many parents thought were free to play.

The US firm has made millions of pounds by developing a new generation of games to play on gadgets such as the iPad and iPhone.

Thousands of British parents have downloaded the games, assuming that because they are free to download they are free to play.

But they have been horrified to discover that children have run up huge bills by buying credits which allow them to progress faster and farther through the game.

The offending games, which include The Smurfs’ Village, Zombie Farm and Tap Zoo, all operate along similar lines and encourage players to build up a virtual community.





Anyone taking part can progress farther and faster if they buy credits as they go along.

In theory, purchases can only be made if the person playing the game enters a password.

But many have discovered to their cost that if they enter the password, for whatever reason, and hand the device to the child within 15 minutes, he or she can make payments without re-entering the password.

Angry parents say Apple failed to provide any advance warning of the payments at the time of download and say that young children do not understand the few notices about payments which do crop up as they play the games.

Adam Williams, of consumer watchdog Which? Mobile, said: ‘It is pretty underhand to have these extra charges in games that are aimed at children.’

One of the most lucrative games is The Smurfs’ Village, which was only introduced last month but which has already topped the download charts.

Players build a village for the Smurfs. To progress through the game they buy credits called Smurfberries, sold in quantities at prices ranging from £5.99 to £59.99.

At the start of the game players are told that it is free to play but there is an option to purchase extra credits.

There is no other reference to charges until players click on to the shop to make their purchases.

One furious father in London, who asked not to be named, has complained to Apple after his daughter ran up a bill of £90.

He said: ‘The first we knew about it was when my wife looked at her credit card bill and saw that she was being charged just under £90 by the Apple Store.

'At first we couldn’t work out what the charges were for. It only became clear when we spoke to our nine-year-old daughter.

‘She had run up the charges by buying extra Smurfberries. She thought she was just playing the game in the normal way and she had no idea she was spending any money.

'Clearly, Apple should have warned parents in advance about the charges and they should refund any bills run up in this way.’

Another British father vented his fury online after his child ran up a £110 bill.

He wrote: ‘The reason this game is out-grossing its rivals is because it is a rip-off and a fraud.’

In the US Kelly Rummelhart, 36, from California, ended up with a credit-card bill for $66 (£42) after her four-year-old son Sawyer used her iPad to play The Smurfs’ Village.

She said: ‘Never in my wildest dreams did I think they would be charging things on it.’

Capcom, which publishes The Smurfs’ Village, has pledged to increase the number of warnings in the game.

Zombie Farm, where players build up an army of warring zombies, is published by the California-based firm The Playforge.

But some players, who are encouraged to buy brain food in the advanced stages, have described it as a con.

A spokesman for The Playforge insisted that it was possible to play the game without making any additional purchases.

There has been similar criticism of Tap Zoo, in which players build up a zoo.

A spokesman for Apple said: ‘A password is required to purchase any goods on the App Store, including using in-app purchases.

'And parents can use our parental control settings to restrict app downloading and turn off in-app purchasing.’

PocketGems, the publisher of Tap Zoo, and Capcom, were unavailable for comment

Eight virus types cause almost all cervical cancer

Scientists have identified the eight human papillomavirus (HPV) types responsible for more than 90 per cent of cervical cancer cases worldwide and say they should be the targets for the next generation of vaccines.

Drugmakers GlaxoSmithKline and Merck & Co. already make vaccines against HPV strains that cause many cases of cervical cancer, which is the second most common cancer in women worldwide and is expected to kill 328,000 this year.

In a large study looking at 60 years of data from 10,575 cases of invasive cervical cancer across 38 countries, an international team of scientists led by Silvia de Sanjose of the Catalan Institute of Oncology in Barcelona examined which types of HPV contributed most to the global incidence of the disease.

Their results, published in the Lancet medical journal on Monday, showed that eight HPV types — types 16, 18, 45, 33, 31, 52, 58, and 35 in descending order of frequency — were responsible for more than 90 per cent of cases.

GSK’s vaccine Cervarix and Merck’s Gardasil protect against HPV types 16 and 18, and, through cross-protection, partially also against HPV types 31 and 45.

Many wealthy countries have started HPV immunisation programmes with these shots for girls before they become sexually active, but the vaccines are generally too expensive and inaccessible for most people living in poorer nations.

De Sanjose said the study’s findings reinforced “the rationale for prevention of cervical cancer through use of existing vaccines” and would aid the development of second-generation vaccines against multiple HPV types.

Around 80 per cent of the world’s cervical cancer cases now occur in developing countries and the disease is caused by high-risk and sexually transmitted types of HPV.

Of the more than 118 different HPV types that have been identified, about 40 infect the genital tract and 12 are known to be cancer-causing, the scientists explained.

In their study, which involved cancer cases from Europe, North America, central South America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania, the researchers also identified several rare HPV types — types 26, 30, 61, 67, 69, 82, and 91 — which can also cause cervical cancer but account for only one per cent of cases worldwide.

In a commentary about the study in the Lancet, Cosette Wheeler of the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center in the United States described the research as “a Herculean effort that might be the benchmark for all time”.

The results “clearly support future directions for cervical screening and type-specific triage, establish the potential worldwide impact of current HPV vaccines, and set priorities for next-generation vaccines”, she wrote.

Final India decision on BlackBerry on Aug 30

India will take a final decision on August 30 on whether to block some BlackBerry services over which the country has security concerns, a senior government source said yesterday.

The maker of the smartphone, Canada’s Research In Motion, faces an August 31 deadline to give India the means to track and read its secure email that officials fear have the potential to be misused by militants.

The source, who is close to the negotiations with RIM, said Indian security and telecom agencies will hold “technical” meetings with the firm tomorrow and Friday for a solution.

“We are hopeful of arriving at a positive solution,” the source said.

If RIM fails to comply then it would be cut out of one of the world’s fastest-growing telecoms market.

If RIM fails to comply then it would be cut out of one of the world’s fastest-growing telecoms market.

India’s security agencies are currently testing ways to access corporate email on BlackBerry devices by obtaining encrypted data in a readable format. India said last week it would allow the messenger service to continue beyond the deadline as it had been assured access to the services.

India is one of a number of countries putting pressure on RIM, which has built the reputation of the BlackBerry, popular with business professionals and politicians, around confidentiality.

Governments such as Saudi Arabia’s fear it could become a tool to plan militant attacks or for those breaking Islamic laws.

A shutdown would affect about one million users in India out of a total 41 million BlackBerry users worldwide, allowing them to use the devices only for calls and Internet browsing.

India testing ways to access BlackBerry emails

India’s security agencies are testing ways to access corporate email on Blackberry devices by obtaining encrypted data in a readable format, a government source said today.

Research In Motion faces an August 31 deadline to give Indian authorities the means to track and read BlackBerry Enterprise email and its separate BlackBerry Messenger service.

The government, concerned about the potential for militants to use the secure BlackBerry network to carry out attacks, has vowed to shut the services if RIM fails to comply, cutting it out of one of the world’s fastest-growing telecoms market.

An RIM technical team in New Delhi has been working with the department of telecoms and security agencies to find a way out.

RIM uses powerful codes to scramble, or encrypt, email messages as they travel between a BlackBerry device and a computer known as a BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) that is designed to secure those emails.

A woman walks past a Blackberry billboard in Mumbai August 17, 2010





Indian telecom officials said they had been told by RIM the only way an email could be intercepted is when it temporarily stores itself in an Enterprise server in a decrypted form while travelling between two BlackBerry devices.

Indian agencies are now checking if they have the technology to monitor emails when they get briefly stored in an Enterprise server.

It is not possible to unscramble emails at any other stage. RIM says it does not have a master key that controls every system in its network.

“There have been a number of suggestions offered and this is one of them. A technical team will check those suggestions over the next few days,” a senior government source, who did not want to be identified, told Reuters.

In a letter to the Interior ministry, seen by Reuters, the telecoms ministry said if the solution is not acceptable to the government, mobile phone operators would be instructed to stop offering the Enterprise email services on Blackberry platform.

India said this week that it would allow the messenger service to continue beyond the deadline as it had been assured access to the services, but could shut down the secure email service if access is not given by then.

India is one of a number of countries putting pressure on RIM, which has built the reputation of the BlackBerry, popular with business professionals and politicians, around confidentiality.

Governments such as Saudi Arabia’s fear it could become a tool to plan militant attacks or for those breaking Islamic laws.

A shutdown would affect about one million users in India out of a total 41 million BlackBerry users worldwide, allowing them to use the devices only for calls and Internet browsing.

India to reprieve some BlackBerry services

India will allow BlackBerry’s messenger service to continue beyond an August 31 deadline, but could shut down its secure email service if access is not given to its encrypted data by then, a senior government source said.

A technical team from Research In Motion began discussions with India’s telecommunications ministry and intelligence agencies yesterday, the source said, seeking to address security worries over some of BlackBerry’s services.

“Discussions have started today. They will continue this week and whole of next week. Discussions are on both the services,” said the source on condition of anonymity.

The government expects some sort of technical solution from RIM to emerge during the discussions, he said.

RIM has assured India of access to the Messenger service by September 1.





When asked if BlackBerry would be allowed to operate after August 31, he said: “BlackBerry services, including phone, SMS and Messenger will run, not sure about enterprise mail.”

Research In Motion has assured India of manual access to BlackBerry instant messages by September 1, and automated access by year-end. They are yet to get assurances for its more secure corporate email, sources said.

Also yesterday, at least three mobile operators confirmed they received letters from the Department of Telecommunications giving them a deadline to put in place monitoring capability for BlackBerry Messenger and secured Enterprise email services.

“We have received a letter ... asking us to ensure that legal intervention capability is put in place for BlackBerry services by 31 August 2010,” a statement from operator Tata Teleservices said.

New Delhi says it will shut down BlackBerry services if RIM does not allow access to its messaging or secured email, threatening its future in the world’s fastest-growing telecoms market.

India is one of a number of countries putting pressure on RIM, which has built the reputation of the BlackBerry, popular with business professionals and politicians, around confidentiality.

Governments such as Saudi Arabia’s fear it could become a tool for militants to plan attacks or for those breaking Islamic laws.

A shutdown would affect about one million users in India out of a total 41 million BlackBerry users worldwide, allowing them to use the devices only for calls and Internet browsing.

“The onus is on service providers to ensure that they have some sort of interception mechanism in place before the deadline ends,” a senior Interior security official told Reuters.

“It is binding upon them and the DoT (Department of Telecommunications), which is the nodal agency, will ensure that it is followed strictly, in the interest of national security.”

A source at one of India’s biggest telecom operators said the government wanted a “suitable interception and monitoring” solution in readable format for the law enforcement agencies.

According to a government source, RIM has already assured India of limited access to BlackBerry instant messages by September 1.

RIM has lost more than 11 per cent of market capitalization since the beginning of August, when governments in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates said they would also consider a ban.

India to target Google, Skype messaging next

India may shut down Google and Skype Internet-based messaging services over security concerns, the Financial Times reported today, as the government threatened a similar crackdown on BlackBerry services.

The Financial Times quoted from the minutes of a July 12 meeting between telecommunication ministry security officials and operator associations to look at possible solutions to “intercept and monitor” encrypted communications.

“There was consensus that there more than one type of service for which solutions are to be explored. Some of them are BlackBerry, Skype, Google etc,” according to the department’s minutes. “It was decided first to undertake the issue of BlackBerry and then the other services.”





Yesterday, the Indian government became the latest of several nations that have threatened to cut off Research In Motion’s encrypted BlackBerry email and instant messaging services if the Canadian company does not address national security concerns.

India has set an August 31 deadline for RIM. It wants access in a readable format to encrypted BlackBerry communication, on grounds it could be used by militants. Pakistani-based militants used mobile and satellite phones in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people.

India’s demands follow a deal with Saudi Arabia, where a source said Research In Motion agreed to give authorities codes for BlackBerry Messenger users. The United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Algeria also seek access.

Officials say RIM had proposed tracking emails without sharing encryption details, but that was not enough.

The Financial Times report said representatives from two of the telecom operator associations present confirmed the details of the meeting earlier this month.

“At the last security meeting, the agencies were talking about BlackBerry. They were also coming out heavily on Skype and Google,” said Rajesh Chharia, president of the Internet Service Providers Association of India.

A shutdown would affect one million users in India out of the smartphone’s 41 million users. India is one of RIM’s fastest growing markets.

RIM, unlike rivals Nokia and Apple, operates its own network through secure servers located in Canada and other countries, such as Britain.

RIM’s shares ended more than two per cent lower at C$56.44 (RM171.86) in the Toronto market.

In a matter of a few weeks, the BlackBerry device — long the darling of the world’s CEOs and politicians, including US President Barack Obama — has become a target for its sealed email and messaging services with governments around the world.

BlackBerry maker tests three Saudi servers

Saudi Arabia and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion are testing three servers in the kingdom in a bid to resolve a row over the Canadian firm’s popular messaging service, a regulatory official told Reuters on Sunday.






“Three servers are being tested, one for each of the three mobile operators. We’re waiting for feedback (from the telecoms firms),” said an official from the Communications and Information Technology Commission’s technical department.

The official said the testing began after talks on Thursday between Research In Motion and the Saudi regulator.

Homemade ice cream in just 20 minutes

Speedy: The instant ice cream maker, on sale at Lakeland

Homemade ice cream may sound like a laborious way to satisfy impatient children on a sunny day.

But now a gadget is promising to whip up a batch of additive-free ice cream in only 20 minutes - and help mothers beat the pester power of their offspring.


Makers of the My Kitchen Ice Cream Maker say it is the perfect way to avoid an unplanned trip to the shops.

The machine works by quickly churning ingredients in a bowl pre-frozen in its freezer compartment.

Costing £39.99, it has been on sale in Lakeland stores since February, and sales have soared in the recent hot weather. Another machine, the American-made Zoku Quick Pop Maker which makes ice lollies in just seven minutes, has also been flying off the shelves since it was introduced by Lakeland last month.

The Ice Cream Maker churns out treats at record speed because the ice-cream mixture is placed in a bowl which has already been pre-frozen in the freezer compartment for 12 hours.

The bowl contains a special gel, similar to the contents of plastic ice packages used in cooler boxes, and can be used to make two batches of ice cream before it needs to be re-frozen.

Although children are likely to need a helping hand to boil up the ice cream mixture, creating the finished product couldn't be easier.

Parents simply pour the mixture into the machine and switch it on. An electric motor drives a paddle which, Lakeland says, creates perfect homemade ice cream in just 20 minutes.

A spokesman for Lakeland, which has 48 stores nationwide, said: 'Homemade ice creams and sorbets are so easy to make, and a brilliant way to use up summer fruit.

'They are a great way for both adults and little ones to cool down this summer.'

Lakeland believes the machine will be popular with those seeking a healthier treat because it can also be used to make frozen yoghurt and sorbets.

The 'Angel of Death': Special Forces' latest weapon is biggest flying howitzer in the world

Hell in the sky: The AC-130 Hercules - aka 'Angel of Death' fires its deadly load

This is the ‘Angel of Death’, the world’s biggest flying artillery gun – and the latest weapon being used by British and US Special Forces to defeat Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan.

Our exclusive picture shows the AC-130 Hercules aircraft unleashing its awesome firepower on the enemy 2,000ft below.

From a distance the plane – nicknamed the ‘Angel of Death’ because of the shape that its anti-missile flares take when they are fired – looks like a normal troop carrier.

But the aircraft, which is rarely deployed in daylight, carries a powerful Howitzer 105mm field gun which can ‘vaporise’ targets at a range of 1,200 yards.






Deadly weapon: The artillery gun Special troops call 'Spectre'.




'Fire': Troops load shells and prepare for the recoil

As the Hercules drops from 2,000ft to as low as 80ft above the battlefield, the Howitzer – normally used by ground troops – fires ten rounds a minute and has a back-up of three 25mm Gatling cannons spewing out 7,500 rounds every 60 seconds to produce the ultimate airborne gunship. Once a camera sited under the fuselage has fixed on the target, it sends the co-ordinates to an onboard computer – and the ‘Angel of Death’ is ready to unleash its deadly load.

To dampen the recoil and avoid pushing the Hercules off course as the Howitzer is fired, the gun is set on rollers which run on a small track fixed to the aircraft’s superstructure.

After the fire controller shouts ‘Fire’ the Howitzer leaps back on the track and hits a hydraulic buffer that sends it back to be reloaded. The high explosive 105mm shells, each packed with 5lb of TNT, rocket towards their target at 1,548ft per second.

On contact, the shells can destroy buildings and spread shrapnel over a ‘kill’ area of up to 1,500 yards.

Codenamed ‘Spectre’ by the SAS and SBS in southern Afghanistan, the lethal war machines have been deployed to spread fear among the enemy.

During recent operations, British Special Forces troops have flown alongside American comrades to help pinpoint enemy targets and, in the words of one officer, ‘unleash hell’ against the Taliban.

The gunship is used against what intelligence chiefs list as ‘Tier 1 Taliban’ – top-level fighters, who are constantly hunted down by UK Special Forces units codenamed ‘Task Force 42’ and ‘Task Force 444’.

A Special Forces officer said last night: ‘When a group of key Taliban fighters are taken out it is referred to as ‘‘splashing the target’’ – a crude description, but it works for us.

‘The AC-130 really is the ultimate weapon. It is very accurate and simply vaporises the target and sends a powerful psychological message to the enemy.

‘We have called in Spectre many times and you know the minute it starts to unleash its fury the enemy melt away.

‘We have taken out several high-value targets on the border with Pakistan thanks to the support of the AC-130 crews.’

The ‘Angel of Death’ is operated by a total of 12 crew members. There are five officers – the pilot, co-pilot, navigator, fire control officer and electronic warfare officer. They are aided by seven enlisted staff – a flight engineer, TV operator, infra-red detection set operator, loadmaster and three aerial gunners. Their specially converted aircraft can stay in the skies for 12 hours at a time and is the largest airborne gun in the world.

The crew can carry several thousand 105mm Howitzer rounds, which weigh 40lb each. The Howitzer provides pinpoint accuracy and has top-secret sensors to protect it from missiles.

On operational flights, the plane is loaded with ten tons of ammunition.

Pilots rely on high-tech radar to track targets. It is supported by a top-secret night sensor system.

Further evidence of the plane’s killing power can be seen just behind the cockpit in the form of two 20mm Vulcan rotary cannons, which fire 7,200 rounds per minute.

The gunners who man the weapons are issued with shovels to clear the huge pile of empty ammunition cases as the cannons spew it out.

The artillery gun boasts a pilot-aiming sensor, laser range-finder and a powerful night-vision camera providing real-time information and footage to the gun commander who sits behind the pilots in a fire control centre.

Just in front of the port-side wing, the 105mm artillery gun is mounted alongside a smaller 40mm Bofors cannon.

Rapid-fire sniper takes out five Taliban soldiers from more than a mile away to save British patrol .28 seconds and 9 bullets to take out 5 taliban ambush team more than 1 mile away.

Feat of arms: The Corporal, his face obscured, and his L115A3 rifle

British sniper shot dead five Taliban gunmen in just 28 seconds to save the lives of comrades walking into an ambush.

The marksman felled the rebels from more than a mile away as they prepared to attack troops on foot patrol in Afghanistan.

The corporal - whose identity cannot be revealed for security reasons - has killed a record 37 enemy fighters during a four-month tour of duty.

But his most remarkable feat of arms came when he and the spotter who accompanies him saw the group of armed Taliban.

They were taking up positions to fire on a patrol that included the platoon commander in Helmand Province.

Hiding in an old fort, the sniper prepared his British-built L115A3 Long Range Rifle.


Parade: The Duchess of Cornwall greets soldiers from 4th Battalion The Rifles - including the unnamed sniper - at Bulford Camp, Wiltshire, yesterday

The firearm, which fires 8.59mm bullets at three times the speed of sound and uses a state-of-the-art telescopic sight, is so effective that it has been nicknamed The Silent Assassin.

Requesting permission to shoot - needed because the British had not yet been attacked - the corporal made sure the rebel leader was in the crosshairs of his sights.

He would have had to make precise calculations in a split-second on wind speed and other weather conditions to compensate for the drift of the rounds in flight.

Moments later his commander gave him the go-ahead to fire and in less than half a minute the five Taliban gunmen lay dead.

He said: 'They gave me the "weapons free". I engaged with the first insurgent. It took me nine rounds but I took him down with the ninth.

'Then the other four had moved closer, so I took them down as well.'
The sharp-shooter, a father of one who has been a sniper for nine years and serves with 4th Battalion The Rifles, added: 'My job is about taking care of the boys. It is not about how many you kill, it's about the team.'

Former SAS commander Andy McNab said: 'To bring down five targets in less than 30 seconds is a real achievement. When shot at, humans react just like animals. There are a couple of seconds where they will freeze, then they hit the ground or run.

'In this case the sniper would have had to hit, and kill, a moving target at a considerable distance.'
The corporal's achievement in June last year in the Nad'e Ali district of Helmand, was revealed after the Mail told of how fellow sniper Craig Harrison broke all military records by killing two Taliban machine gunners from more than a mile and a half away.

The Corporal of Horse - a rank in the Household Cavalry corresponding to Sergeant - felled the gunmen with consecutive bullets even though they were 1,070 yards beyond the official range of his rifle