DUBAI: Gulf business hub the United Arab Emirates said Sunday it will halt key BlackBerry services that breach laws and raise security concerns, a move Saudi Arabia may follow according to unconfirmed reports. The UAE suspension would kick in on October 11 and last until a legal solution was reached, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) said in a statement on its website. It said the decision was taken “after failing to make progress in repeated attempts to make BlackBerry services compatible” with the Gulf state’’s legislation. “Due to its technical nature, some BlackBerry services, like the messenger, email, and web browsing, remain beyond the implementation of local laws,” the TRA said. These services could “allow individuals to commit violations without being subject to legal accountability, which would lead to dangerous implications on the social, judicial and national security.” “In the public interest, we have today informed the providers of telecommunications services in the country of our decision to suspend the BlackBerry services of messenger, email and electronic browsing,” TRA chief Mohammed al-Ghanem said in the statement. Ghanem said the suspension would remain in force “until a solution compatible with the telecommunications laws in the country is reached.” Saudi Arabia was expected to block BlackBerry messaging, an official at a telecommunications company in the kingdom said on Sunday, while another firm denied the claims. “Orders are expected from the (telecommunications) regulator” to suspend BlackBerry’’s popular messenger service in the kingdom, one official said on condition of anonymity. But an official from another Saudi company dismissed the claim. “We continue to provide a full service,” he said, declining to be named. BlackBerry has more than 700,000 subscribers in Saudi Arabia and 500,000 in the UAE, a country that has established itself as a major business hub mainly in the bustling emirate of Dubai. In anticipation of communication problems that would arise from cutting the service, Ghanem said providers Etisalat and Du have been told they should offer alternatives. “Providing alternative offers that would guarantee the continuity of messenger, email and web browsing to personal and business clients is at the top of our priorities,” he said. The UAE’’s largest telecoms provider, Etisalat, acknowledged the decision and pledged to provide solutions for users. “Etisalat’’s focus at the current time is to make sure its valued customers experience continuity of mobility services,” the state-majority-owned operator said in a statement. “In line with its commitment towards its customers, Etisalat will soon be announcing a range of alternative mobility products and services for its existing BlackBerry customers,” it added. Du also said it would respect the decision. “As a communication provider in the country, we have to always operate within the regulations of TRA,” it said in a statement carried by state news agency WAM. The debate over control of BlackBerry services in the oil-rich UAE became heated last week amid complaints that data belonging to local users was stored abroad by the BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM). The TRA said last week that the BlackBerry service could allow people to use some of its applications “inappropriately.” The decision comes as Paris-based media watchdog Reporters without Borders accused the UAE of “harassing and arresting users of BlackBerry Messenger who allegedly tried to organise a protest” against an increase in petrol prices. “We call for an end to this government witch-hunt against BlackBerry Messenger users who tried to get their fellow citizens to join them in a protest,” it said on Thursday, claiming that one of the organisers, Badr Ali al-Dhohori, 18, has been in custody in Abu Dhabi since July 15. In July last year, RIM charged that an update issued by Etisalat was actually spyware, and that it enabled unauthorised access to information stored on the user’’s smartphone. The UAE telecommunications authorities control access to the Internet, filtering out material including nudity, pornography, and some political websites.
Written on August 2, 2010 | Posted in
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WASHINGTON: Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, was summoned to Washington Tuesday and has spent the day apologizing for disparaging comments published in a Rolling Stone article about the contentious relationship between him, his staff and the Obama White House. One of the general’’s assistants has already resigned in the wake of the article. Below are some of the quotes that led to McChrystal being “ordered to appear” at a White House meeting on Afghanistan Wednesday. On President Obama: After Mr. Obama’’s was sworn into office, McChrystal felt the new president looked “uncomfortable and intimidated” while meeting with a dozen senior military officials in a Pentagon room known as the Tank, according to a source familiar with the meeting. Following McChrystal’’s first one-on-one meeting with the president, an aide said the general left disappointed. “It was a 10-minute photo op,” the adviser said. “Obama clearly didn”t know anything about him, who he was. Here’’s the guy who’’s going to run his [expletive] war, but he didn”t seem very engaged. The Boss was pretty disappointed.” McChrystal termed the president’’s three-month review of the U.S. military situation in Afghanistan before deciding to send more troops a “painful” time. “I was selling an unsellable position.” On Vice President Joe Biden: Last fall, McChrystal dismissed the counterterrorism strategy Biden advocated in Afghanistan as “shortsighted,” adding that it would lead to creating “Chaos-istan” in the country. In the piece, McChrystal and his staff” openly mock the vice president: “Are you asking about Vice President Biden?” McChrystal said. “Who’’s that?” “Biden?” said a top aide. “Did you say: Bite Me?” On Jim Jones, the U.S. national security adviser and a retired four-star general: A McChrystal aide calls Jones a “clown” who is “stuck in 1985″ – an apparent reference to Jones” experience in the Cold War. On Richard Holbrooke, U.S. Special Representative to Afghanistan: “Oh, not another e-mail from Holbrooke,” McChrystal said with a groan while checking his BlackBerry. “I don”t even want to open it.” According to the piece, the general didn”t bother “to conceal his annoyance” after reading the diplomat’’s greeting out loud and returning the device to his pocket. “The Boss says he’’s like a wounded animal,” one of the general’’s staff members told said. “Holbrooke keeps hearing rumors that he’’s going to get fired, so that makes him dangerous. He’’s a brilliant guy, but he just comes in, pulls on a lever, whatever he can grasp onto.” On U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry: In January, The New York Times published an article about the contents of a classified cable Eikenberry wrote that criticized McChrystal’’s strategy. “I like Karl, I”ve known him for years, but they”d never said anything like that to us before,” McChrystal said, letting the Rolling Stone writer know he felt “betrayed” by the leak. “Here’’s one that covers his flank for the history books. Now if we fail, they can say, ”I told you so.”” On Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: Clinton stood out as one of the few people in the article McChrystal’’s team liked. “Hillary had Stan’’s back during the strategic review,” an adviser told the Rolling Stone writer. “She said, ”If Stan wants it, give him what he needs.”” On Members of Congress: Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., were pointed out as politicians McChrystal’’s team didn”t like when an aide told the writer they “turn up, have a meeting with (Afghan President Hamid) Karzai, criticize him at the airport press conference, then get back for the Sunday talk shows. Frankly, it’’s not very helpful.”
Written on June 22, 2010 | Posted in
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The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has not only blocked usage of the social networking sites Twitter and Facebook, but also Blackberry services until further notice.
In a recent big the government of Pakistan banned Facebook on 19th May, 2010 against the ‘Draw Muhammad Day’ in which caricatures were to be made of our beloved Prophet (P.B.U.H). Though the ban received mix response from the users but Facebook issued a statement saying that they were disappointed on the action taken by
Written on May 20, 2010 | Posted in
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