BlackBerry blackout: how it happened

The internet blackout that afflicted Blackberry users for more than three days this week was caused by a complex series of hardware and software failings at RIM, the Canadian firm behind the smartphone brand.

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The Queen is presented with a white BlackBerry Bold by RIM chief executive Mike Lazaridis (right). 

Tweet nothings: some BlackBerry owners are calling for compensation Photo: AP

Engineers at its European headquarters in Slough, Berkshire, as well as its corporate base in Waterloo, Ontario, are still investigating what went so badly wrong. According to industry sources, however, a picture is beginning to emerge.

While Slough is the site of RIM’s European headquarters, and is also in charge of operations in the Middle East and Africa, it is not the physical location of the stacks of networking equipment that actually serve the tens of millions of BlackBerry users in these regions.

The firm is famously tight-lipped on such matters, but it is widely known within the mobile industry that the machines are actually maintained at its site in Egham, Surrey.

The problems began on Monday at around 10AM BST. Mobile networks noticed that BlackBerry internet traffic had fallen away completely. Senior RIM executives confirmed to them that there was a problem, and that an urgent investigation had been launched.

Brief outages are reasonably common in the internet industry and at this stage there was no indication that this one would lead so many customers to vow to abandon their BlackBerry in favour of rival smartphones. 

By Christopher Williams, Technology Correspondent

7:30AM BST 14 Oct 2011

The Obedient Wife Club... from the makers of the Polygamy Club

The Obedient Wife Club, perhaps unsurprisingly, was brought to you by the same people who dreamed the Polygamy Club in 2009 to encourage Malaysia’s Muslim men to take multiple wives.

Ashaari Muhammad Photo: EPA

Both were the brainchild of a group called Global Ikhwan, a business organization set up by former member of a religious cult, Al-Arqam.

It was banned in 1994 by the Malaysian government because its members believed the founder, Ashaari Muhammad, could wash away their sins and put off death.

Most of the Polygamy Club’s member belonged to the sect. The club’s aim was to promote polygamy which is not common among Malaysia’s Muslim men, as the Ashaari clan believed it should be.

The club claims its noble aim is to help single mothers, reformed prostitutes and women regarded as past marriageable age by increasing the pool of willing husbands.

From such beginnings it was only a short jump to the Obedient Wife Club set up in June with the stated aims of curbing social ills like prostitution, domestic violence and divorce. It now has about 800 members in Malaysia, and branches in Singapore, Indonesia and Jordan. 

By Ian MacKinnon, in Bangkok

2:15PM BST 14 Oct 2011

Utusan Ordered To Pay RM60,000 In Damages To Khalid Samad

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14 (Bernama) -- The High Court today ordered Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Berhad to pay RM60,000 in compensatory damages to Shah Alam Member of Parliament Khalid Abdul Samad for publishing an article defamatory to him in its newspaper two years ago.

High Court Judge Dr Prasad Sandosham Abraham awarded the amount to Khalid after hearing submissions from both parties on assessement of damages.

Dr Prasad said in awarding the amount, he had taken into consideration that the article had not directly referred to Khalid, and the original author of the article had not been sued by Khalid.

Gadis hilang ikut rakan Facebook

MOHD. SABRI bersama isterinya, Nur Hafizah Nordin (dua dari kiri) menunjukkan gambar Nurul Nur Syawaltie yang hilang dari rumah di Kangar semalam.

KANGAR – Seorang bapa runsing apabila anak perempuannya lari dari rumah dipercayai mengikut rakan lelaki yang dikenali melalui laman sosial, Facebook sejak tiga hari lalu.

Menurut Mohd. Sabri Samat, 35, kehilangan anaknya, Nurul Nur Syawaltie, 14, disedari apabila dia tidak pulang ke rumah selepas tamat waktu persekolahan di Sekolah Menengah Putra di sini Rabu lalu.

Prominent businessman eyes SUPP Piasau top post

Hii King Chiong

 MIRI: Prominent businessman and philanthropist Hii King Chiong yesterday announced his decision to go for the

SUPP Piasau chairman post during branch elections next month.

The present chairman of SUPP Piasau, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan, announced he was stepping down shortly after he was defeated by a DAP political novice Alan Ling Sie Kiong during the April 16 state election.

Prior to the election, Dr Chan, who is also SUPP chairman, was holding the following portfolios – Deputy Chief Minister, Minister of Industrial Development, and Minister of Tourism and Heritage.