Brussels attacks could alter Apple-FBI battlekjkt

SAN FRANCISCO — The government blinked in its fight with Apple over the San Bernardino iPhone.

But this landmark privacy battle is far from over, say legal experts, especially with public opinion likely to swing again toward national security after the latest terrorist attacks in Belgium.

"It's another turn in a long road," says associate professor Mark Grabowski, who teaches Internet law at Adelphi University in New York. "Maybe they find out how to unlock the iPhone, but there is a broader goal (accessing data) beyond this case."

The Department of Justice's request late Monday that U.S. court postpone its hearing with Apple, with the explanation it may have found an outside party to help the FBI unlock the seized iPhone of a San Bernardino shooter, blew a gaping hole in the FBI's previous argument. Law enforcement had insisted only Apple could gain access to the iPhone found with Syed Farook who, with another shooter, killed 14 and injured 22 on Dec. 2.

End of the road for the FBI?

Not necessarily. The  act of terrorism in Brussels on Tuesday, which killed at least 30 people and wounded 230, could rekindle the government's resolve just as the terrorist assault in California last year prompted the FBI's clash with Apple,  cyber security experts say.

The FBI "will use this terrorist attack to advance its case," says Avivah Litan, a vice president at market researcher Gartner. "The public reacts very strongly to these types of incidents, and insists the government needs to do what is necessary to get the bad guys."

It was that sentiment, Litan and others say, that emboldened the bureau to undertake its very public cause against Apple. San Bernardino, they claim, checked all the boxes in the FBI's quest to find an air-tight case to push for weakened encryption on smartphones and other digital devices.

If encrypted data are  an "element" in the bombings at the Brussels airport and subway station, there is renewed support for the FBI's argument, adds Paul Rosenzweig, a law professor at George Washington University, who also advises tech start-ups.

But the events in Belgium could also buttress Apple's argument about the importance of avoiding loopholes in its encryption.

Security codes, staff changes and other critical infrastructure are stored in the computing cloud and encrypted at most major airports, says Evan Greer, campaign director of Fight for the Future, a non-profit that supports Apple.

"If the FBI had its way weakening encryption with Apple, it makes most airports that much more vulnerable to these attacks, not less," Greer says. "The FBI's case was never about Apple or an iPhone, but setting a larger precedent. They (FBI) won't back down."

The FBI has said it's testing this new method from an undisclosed outside party, and it will update the court by April 5.

Speaking late Monday, before the attack in Europe, an Apple attorney involved in the FBI square-off acknowledged the Silicon Valley company may find itself at legal loggerheads in a few weeks as it continues to match wits with hackers in a digital arms race. The attorney asked not to be identified because of the delicate nature of the ongoing case with the FBI.

While support for Apple has grown in the past month,— 42%-30% favor Apple, with 28% not choosing a side, according to a poll by Vrge Analytics before Tuesday's events — the calculus could change after Brussels, concedes Tom Galvin, a partner at Vrge Analytics.

The standoff, highlighting a broader issue of whether a tech company should be compelled to provide technological support to extract troves of digital data it collects and stores, is a decades-old theme pitting law enforcement against technologists.

The stakes now are higher with the increased frequency of terrorist attacks and major hacking breaches, Greer and Litan say

Ishrat Jehan: 'Would Congress Act Only If Modi Was Killed,' Asks BJP..

Home Minister Rajnath Singh criticised Congress over Ishrat Jehan case

NEW DELHI:  The opposition Congress was under attack in Parliament today over the Ishrat Jehan case, with the ruling BJP accusing P Chidambaram of manipulating documents when he was home minister.

"Like Rajiv Gandhi was killed, would (PM Narendra) Modi have to die before the Congress took action?" questioned BJP lawmaker Nishikant Dubey, initiating a discussion in the Lok Sabha. He also referenced Sonia Gandhi's "Maut ke Saudagar (merchants of death)" barb for Narendra Modi and said: "Were they trying to do maut ka sauda (business over death)?"

Mr Chidambaram is accused of rewriting government documents to say that there was no proof that 19-year-old Ishrat Jehan, killed in 2004 by Gujarat police officers, was a terrorist.

The Gujarat police said Ishrat, and three others shot dead with her, were involved in a plot to kill then Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh said key documents are missing from his ministry.

"Two letters from the then home secretary to the attorney general in 2009 have gone missing. The then attorney general had vetted two affidavits regarding the case. Those are also not available," Mr Singh said.

Without naming Mr Chidambaram, the home minister raised the alleged amendments.

"There should be no politics on terror. Be it the Ishrat Jehan or any other case, no government should do flip-flops," he said, adding: "Those who call themselves secular, they tried to give communal colour to terrorism, coined the term saffron terror. This happened for the first time in the world. We will not accept it in any way in the country."

Terrorist David Coleman Headley's statement to a Mumbai court that Ishrat was linked to the terror group Lashkar e Taiba revived the political row over the case.

Headley's statement was seized by the BJP to reiterate that the Congress portrayed Ishrat as an innocent student shot dead on the orders of the Gujarat government, mainly to tarnish Mr Modi.

"This was done to malign the Gujarat government and then Chief Minister (Narendra Modi). This was a conspiracy," Rajnath Singh said as Congress members shouted slogans relentlessly.

Is it the beginning of the end for Apple's strong run?

Walter Price, lead manager of the Allianz Technology trust, looks at how China's recent troubles have impacted the biggest technology brands based in the Silicon Valley. The domestic Chinese market has been in meltdown over the last few weeks. First, the government moved to curb volatility by clamping down on short selling. Then, China surprised investors by weakening its currency by almost 2% after a weekend of poor trade data and prompting a sell-off in global equities at the end of the month. Related articles Pidcock, Mobius, Rock: How concerned should investors be about China contagion? How will the Year of the Monkey swing for global investors? Tech unicorns, $100 oil and recovering Brazil: Saxo Bank's 10 'outrageous predictions' for 2016 How are you positioning your portfolio in light of recent market sell-offs? The key lessons from Silicon Valley's tech companies As a technology manager, what happens in China – and its implications for the wider economy and Asian consumer – is obviously a concern. We have around 5% of our portfolio in China, albeit in Hong Kong listed shares rather than in the A-share market. The Chinese economy is undoubtedly slowing and, while we do not believe there will be a recession, there is pressure on certain sectors. Some companies selling into China's economy will be vulnerable. For example, sales in the auto industry, where competition is increasing, have been disappointing. A number of industrial companies, such as Otis Elevators, have shown real weakness too. There is also pressure on luxury goods because of the crackdown on corruption. But the slowdown may well be beneficial for other sectors, like internet companies, where we have a number of holdings. These companies are still seeing strong revenues because pricing is generally better on the internet and there are still lots of great deals at a time when consumers are becoming more price sensitive. 3108-apple-by-numbers-boxFalling apple There are fears it could be the beginning of the end for Apple's outperformance too. Most recently, Apple fell into bear market territory for the first time in several years this month. But Apple shares also saw a significant dip when the group announced its results in mid-July. On the face of it, this is slightly baffling. Its results were still well within its guidance. Certainly, the company missed projections for revenue forecasts and its iPhone sales were not as strong, but it is still predicting £1bn in sales for the Apple Watch. Part of the problem is that Apple has been exceeding expectations for so long, an expectation that it will beat them all is now baked into the share price. One analyst suggested Apple shareholders had become 'spoilt' by the company constantly beating estimates. We believe it probably is the end of Apple's outperformance. While there is good new user conversion within the US, outside the US, it is mostly a replacement cycle. In China, for example, Apple has been successful at getting the high end of the market, but we are sceptical about the extent to which it will make inroads further down the value chain. It has strong competitors in Xiaomi, a privately owned Chinese electronics company, and others. Bad deals Meanwhile, elsewhere in the tech sphere, Microsoft recently wrote down $7.6bn in connection with its Nokia deal as the reprioritisation of the business continues. This is more than the $7.2bn it paid for the phone group in the first place and confirms the view that this was one of the worst deals in corporate history. The premise on which the deal was done was fundamentally flawed and the consultants who dreamt it up were guilty of some woolly thinking. Certainly, Nokia was the number two player in the phone business, but their analysis neglected to note that Apple makes 90% of the profits in the mobile phone business. The second largest player makes no money at all. This meant Microsoft spent its giant cash pile on a business that, in effect, has no return.

Sri Sri Tweets 'Not Satisfied' With Green Court Order: 10 Developments...

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not changed his plan to open world famous guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's mega festival tomorrow on the banks of the river Yamuna, which has been shadowed by controversies over the massive environmental damage and reports of a shaky stage. Here are 10 developments in the story: Sri Sri's "World Culture Festival" was given the go-ahead by the National Green Tribunal yesterday with fines and conditions, amid concerns over the damage to the fragile ecology of the Yamuna flood plains. Sri Sri's Art of Living has to pay Rs. 5 crore as fine and pay for restoration of the area. The guru said he would appeal the decision: "We are not satisfied. We will appeal. Satyamev Jayate," he tweeted last night. The three-day event will feature yoga and meditation sessions, peace prayers and cultural performances. President Pranab Mukherjee has cancelled his attendance. Sources say PM Modi will attend "unless his office says otherwise". PM Modi is unlikely to sit on the giant stage that has been set up covering almost six football fields, after a civic team said it was wobbly and unsafe. A separate enclosure is being set up for the prime minister close to the gate. Security concerns were also put forth by the elite Special Protection Group that protects the country's top leaders. The tribunal noted that there is evidence that the "flood plains have been drastically tampered with, the natural flow of the river has been destroyed and reeds, grasses and natural vegetation on the river bed have been removed." A seven-acre stage has been set up for over 35,000 artistes and visitors from 150 countries. Many temporary bridges, ramps, mobile towers and a parking area are also being built over a 1,000-acre area on the Yamuna banks. Art of Living has told the court that it has spent Rs. 26 crore. A group of experts appointed by the tribunal had told NDTV that Art of Living must pay around 100 crores to undo the environmental damage. The green court was told that no permission was granted to the festival by the Water Resources Ministry, the police or fire safety. City planner Delhi Development Authority or DDA has been asked to pay 5 lakhs and firmly told that it cannot grant clearances like this in future. Facing opposition questions yesterday, the central government defended the event, saying "Sri Sri's intentions must not be questioned." Even Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that "politics and controversies" should be "put to rest" after the court clearance.

Chasing Vijay Mallya, From London To His 'Secret' Country Home

Vijay Mallya's "secret" country home in the UK was difficult to hunt down without an exact postal address.

LONDON/HERTFORSHIRE, ENGLAND:  The world's most famous can be seen at the Madame Tussauds wax museum on Baker Street in the heart of London. Two buildings away is the home of industrialist Vijay Mallya.

He has not been seen recently at this home; the Supreme Court has asked for a notice to be sent to him through the Indian Embassy in London believing he has been in the UK since March 2.

The court issued notice to Mr Mallya yesterday on a petition by 17 banks to stop him from leaving India over the massive debt owed to them by his grounded Kingfisher airlines. The government, however, told the court that he had already left last week.

The amount owed by his company is around 9,000 crores, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the court.

Mr Mallya's "secret" country home in the UK was difficult to hunt down without an exact postal address.

But at the Tiwen village in Hertforshire, about an hour away from London, his fame served as a good guide.

Most locals know where Mr Mallya lives. "He visits the local pubs regularly. Even yesterday a lady in a Black Audi car with 'Force India' written on it was here to meet him. I can tell when he is in town because there is a buzz around he moves around in several fancy cars. His house is among the biggest in our county." said a villager.

Mr Mallya had several visitors in the last two days at this country home, the villagers noted.

"Ladywalk" is the biggest bungalow on Queen Hoo road. It is spread over 30 acres, barricaded with metal gates wall to wall and is more contemporary than Victorian, with CCTV cameras at the entrance.

The staff at the bungalow initially indicated that Vijay Mallya was in. But on learning that a media crew was asking, they clammed up and said Mr Mallya wasn't there.

State-of-the-art interiors and a battery of expensive cars accessorize the bungalow in the quiet, verdant English village. At the 'White Horse' pub a few meters away, the staff shared that 'VJ' (Vijay Mallya) is a regular. "The last time he was here not long ago, he came as part of a big group of young girls and two young men," said an employee.

Though he remains an Indian citizen, Mr Mallya, a Rajya Sabha member, has been a UK resident for almost 28 years.

On Monday, on a request from creditor banks, the court blocked a $75 million or Rs. 515 crore settlement between Mr Mallya and Diageo, which requires the businessman to step down as chairman of United Spirits.

But it has emerged that more than half of a $75 million (Rs. 515 crore) settlement due to Mr Mallya from the British firm Diageo has already been paid.