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Legal row over Carrier IQ 'surveillance' app claims

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1 December 2011 Last updated at 12:31 GMT Legal row over Carrier IQ 'surveillance' app claims Mr Eckhart demonstrated his findings via a video on YouTube A hidden application found on millions of smartphones can log almost everything a user does, claims a US security researcher. Trevor Eckhart unearthed the Carrier IQ application that runs largely unseen on many smartphone handsets. Mr Eckhart said the software could log locations, websites visited, key presses and many other parameters. Carrier IQ denied its code was spying. It threatened Mr Eckhart with legal action but later backed down. Advanced skills Mr Eckhart said he found Carrier IQ via work he had done on a security program, called Logging Test, which spotted which apps were running on an Android phone. His analysis revealed that Carrier IQ could be set up to record almost anything and everything done on a smartphone. Mr Eckhart found the code on Android s

US senator calls for answers on phone 'snooping'

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2 December 2011 Last updated at 12:02 GMT US senator calls for answers on phone 'snooping' Carrier IQ has been given two weeks to explain its actions by a US Senator The maker of the smartphone software that triggered a snooping row has been called to account by a US Senator. Senator Al Franken has written to Carrier IQ asking it to explain the "troubling" findings of security expert Trevor Eckhart . Mr Eckhart claimed Carrier IQ software could log everything people did on their smartphones but did not ask for consent to record data. Carrier IQ said its software helped diagnose faults, not spy on users. Sensitive data The row blew up after Mr Eckhart posted a video on YouTube that he said showed Carrier IQ could record a user's location, keystrokes and the websites they visited. Carrier IQ tried to silence Mr Eckhart with the threat of legal action but backed down following the intervention of the digital r

Egypt Islamists widen poll lead

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3 December 2011 Last updated at 15:12 GMT Egypt Islamists widen poll lead Many devout Egyptians gave their votes to Islamist parties Latest results from the Egyptian elections indicate that Islamist parties are likely to have a strong majority in the new parliament. The political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood and a more conservative Salafist Islamist party are leading, while secular liberals are behind. However, most candidates will have to go through to two further rounds of voting over the next six weeks. The Muslim Brotherhood called for the will of the people to be respected. Salafists second The BBC's Jon Leyne, in Cairo, says this is arguably the first fully free and fair election in Egyptian history. Analysis Jon Leyne BBC News, Cairo This is the first chance to see the strength of the Islamists, who look likely to win at least half of the seats in the new parliament. There are two ver

Yahoo shares up on report that Alibaba is preparing bid

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2 December 2011 Last updated at 02:23 GMT Yahoo shares up on report that Alibaba is preparing bid   There has been growing speculation about Alibaba preparing a takeover bid for Yahoo Shares in Yahoo rose on reports that China's Alibaba Group was preparing a takeover bid with private equity firms Blackstone and Bain Capital. Yahoo shares ended Thursday trading on the Nasdaq tech exchange 3.3% higher, having been 4.8% up at one point. Unconfirmed reports said the consortium may pay up to $20 per share - well above Thursday's close of $16.23 - valuing Yahoo at $25bn (£16bn). Alibaba, one of China's top internet firms, said it was weighing options. "Alibaba Group has not made a decision to be part of a whole company bid for Yahoo," said John Spelich, spokesman of Alibaba Group. Buying back stake? Alibaba has had a long association with Yahoo, but relations have taken a turn for the worse in recent years.

گلیوں میں پھرا کرتے تھے دو چار دیوانے

گلیوں میں پھرا کرتے تھے دو چار دیوانے   ہر شخص کا صدِ چاک لبادہ تو نہیں تھا   تھک   کر یونہی پل بھر کیلیے آنکھ لگی تھی سو کر نہ اٹھیں گے گو ارادہ تو نہیں تھا فیض احمد فیض   with courtesy of @hasan mujtaba

نام پر مبینہ جھگڑا: دلت لڑکے کا قتل

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نام پر مبینہ جھگڑا: دلت لڑکے کا قتل آخری وقت اشاعت:  جمعـء 2 دسمبر 2011 with courtesy of  BBC URDU نیرج کی عمر چودہ برس تھی بھارت کی ریاست اترپردیش میں پولیس کا کہنا ہے کہ ایک دلت لڑکے کو مبینہ طور پر اس لیے قتل کردیا گیا ہے کہ کیونکہ اسے کے والد نے اسکا وہی نام رکھا تھا جو اسکے ایک اعلٰی ذات پڑوسی کے بیٹے کا نام تھا۔ نیرج کی عمر چودہ برس تھی اور اسکی لاش تیئس نومبر کو ایک کھیت میں ملی تھی۔ یہ واقعہ بستی ضلع کے رادھوپور گا‎ؤں میں پیش آیا ہے۔ پولیس کا کہنا ہے کہ نیرج کے والد رام سمار سے ان کے پڑوسی جواہر چودھری نے اپنے دونوں بیٹوں کے نام بدلنے کے لیے کہا تھا کیونکہ جواہر چودھری اور رام کمار کے بیٹوں کے نام ایک جیسے تھے۔ نیرج کے قتل کے سلسلے میں جواہر چودھری کے دو دوستوں کوگرفتار کیا گیا ہے۔ رام سمار اور جواہر چودھری دونوں کے دو دو بیٹے ہیں اور ان دونوں کے نام نیرج اور دھیرج ہیں۔ بستی کے ایک سینیئر پولیس اہلکار کا کہنا ہے کہ اس بات پر دونوں خاندانوں میں بہت عرصے سے جھگڑا تھا۔ جواہر چودھری کا تعلق اعلٰی ذات سے ہے اور پولیس کے مطابق جواہر چودھری رام سمار

How animals predict earthquakes

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1 December 2011 Last updated at 01:53 How animals predict earthquakes By Victoria Gill Science reporter, BBC Nature with courtesy of BBC  Can pond-dwelling animals pick up pre-earthquake signals? Animals may sense chemical changes in groundwater that occur when an earthquake is about to strike. This, scientists say, could be the cause of bizarre earthquake-associated animal behaviour. Researchers began to investigate these chemical effects after seeing a colony of toads abandon its pond in L'Aquila, Italy, in 2009 - days before a quake. They suggest that animal behaviour could be incorporated into earthquake forecasting. “Start Quote When you think of all of the many things that are happening to these rocks, it would be weird if the animals weren't affected in some way” End Quote Rachel Grant The Open University The team's findings are published in the Interna