India has followed the United Arab Emirates in backing off from a threat to ban popular services on Blackberry devices, amid growing global concern over access to encrypted information.
The Ministry of Home Affairs said Research in Motion, the Canadian maker of the smartphones, has agreed to an interim arrangement for lawful interception of Blackberry messenger services – an instant messaging application – and pledged to provide a final solution by January.
“Accordingly, the... services will continue to be available,” the ministry said in a statement. (PA)
30,000 join run to commemorate bombing victims
More than 30,000 people, including Bollywood actors, yesterday joined an anti-terror run to commemorate 100 people who died in bombings two years ago in the north-east Indian state of Assam.
The two-mile run in Gauhati was a mark of protest against violence in a region plagued by insurgency, and Bollywood actor Zarine Khan said it was “a movement against terrorism”.
The five blasts on October 30, 2008 killed 100 civilians and injured 300. They were blamed on a group demanding Bodo tribal independence. (PA)
Three soldiers killed, three wounded in Philippines violence
Communist rebels have killed three army soldiers and wounded three others in an ambush in a northern Philippine province where the insurgents are active, police said yesterday.
Regional police spokesman Superintendent Leon Talleo said the casualties were from the 41st Infantry Battalion.
He said they were aboard a truck passing through Abra province’s Licuan-Baay township when they were fired upon by New People’s Army guerrillas early yesterday.
He said rebels later ambushed reinforcements on two trucks and an armoured personnel carrier, but there were no casualties in the second attack. (PA)
Four dead in Antarctica crash
All four people in a French helicopter that crashed in rough weather in Antarctica were confirmed dead yesterday, Australian and French rescuers said.
Another helicopter from the Dumont-d’Urville scientific station in Antarctica flew to the site of the crashed aircraft and a doctor on board confirmed the deaths.
The helicopter crashed on Thursday night and was carrying four French citizens – a pilot, a mechanic and two employees of the French Polar Institute. (PA)
Four killed in building collapse
A three-storey building collapsed in Rio de Janeiro yesterday, killing at least four people and injuring 15.
Fire department spokesman Jadyr Sabbas said more could be trapped under the concrete as 30 people are said to have lived in the building in Cidade Nova.
The victims include an elderly woman, a man and two children. (PA)
Ex-president buried
Argentina’s former president Nestor Kirchner was buried following two days of mourning that saw tens of thousands fill the streets to pay their respects.
Mr Kirchner, 60, who died of a heart attack last Wednesday, was laid to rest in his family’s small pantheon in a cemetery in Rio Gallegos, capital of southern Santa Cruz province, where he and his wife began their political careers.
He was president from 2003 until 2007, when his wife Cristina took office after he stepped aside to make room for election. (PA)
Microsoft buys chipmaker
Canesta, which makes 3D imaging chips, is to be bought by Microsoft for an undisclosed amount.
The deal comes less than a week before Microsoft starts selling Kinect, an add-on for Xbox 360 that can interpret players’ body movements, using them to control what happens in the game.
Washington-based Microsoft worked with another 3D sensor company, PrimeSense, in building Kinect. It had also acquired 3DV, a PrimeSense competitor, but did not end up using its technology. Canesta, based in Sunnyvale, California, said the acquisition was expected to close before the end of the year. (PA)