Australia bans Huawei from selling 5G tech
Beijing, Aug 23 : Chinese tech company Huawei said on Thursday that the Australian government has blocked it from providing 5G technology for the country's wireless networks.
Huawei, one of the world's biggest makers of smartphones and telecommunications equipment, said that the government had informed it of the decision, reports CNN.
"This is an extremely disappointing result for consumers. Huawei is a world leader in 5G," the Chinese company said on Twitter.
The announcement follows reports that the Australian national security agencies were concerned about alleged ties between Huawei and the Chinese government.
The Australian government said in a statement on Thursday that the involvement of telecom equipment suppliers "who are likely to be subject to extrajudicial directions from a foreign government that conflict with Australian law" could mean the country's wireless carriers are unable "to adequately protect a 5G network from unauthorised access or interference".
The statement however, did not mention China or Huawei by name.
Huawei has repeatedly rejected the security concerns, insisting that it is "a private company, owned by our employees with no other shareholders".
Australia's relationship with China has come under considerable strain in the past 18 months as Canberra's focus on Beijing's influence in domestic affairs has increased, the Guardian reported.
In March 2017, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop gave a speech in Singapore in which she warned China that "democracy and democratic institutions are essential for nations if they are to reach their economic potential".
That December, Australia introduced its foreign interference and espionage bills to parliament, both of which were explicitly tied to fears of Chinese influence.
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MP boat tragedy: Death toll climbs to 13; body of last missing person recovered
Jabalpur (PTI): The bodies of a five-year-old boy and his uncle were recovered from Bargi Dam in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur district on Sunday morning, raising the death toll in the cruise boat tragedy to 13, police said.
The boat, around 20 years old and operated by the state tourism department, capsized during a storm on Thursday evening.
"The bodies of Mayuram (5) and his uncle Kamraj (around 50), an employee of the Ordnance Factory in Khamaria, were found floating and were fished out of the dam," Bargi Sub Divisional Officer of Police Anjul Ayank Mishra told PTI over the phone.
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All 13 missing persons identified have now been accounted for, he said, adding the bodies were sent to a government hospital for postmortem.
Teams comprising around 20 Army divers airlifted from Agra, along with personnel from the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and local divers, were involved in the search operation, the police said.
Of the 41 identified passengers on board the vessel, 28 were rescued after the incident, according to the police.
The CCTV footage near the boarding point showed 43 people heading towards the boat, though the identities of 41 passengers have been confirmed so far, they said.
The state government on Friday ordered a probe into the incident and dismissed three crew members. It also banned the operation of similar vessels in the state.
