Vietnam's booming Internet scene is littered with failed startups that tried to take on Google and other entrenched U.S web companies. That's not deterring a newly launched Russian-Vietnamese outfit which believes it can unseat the American search engine in this fast-growing Asian market and also contend with a jittery, authoritarian government seeking to clamp down on freedom of expression online.

Like Google rivals elsewhere, Coc Coc, or "Knock Knock" in English, believes the ubiquitous search engine doesn't get the nuances of the local language. It says its algorithms make for a better, quicker search in Vietnamese, while its local knowledge means the information served will be more relevant — and hence more valuable.

A large rainforest plant known as a corpse flower because of its awful smell has bloomed again at an Ohio State University greenhouse, and there's more excitement because another corpse flower there is expected to open soon, a spokeswoman said.

A 6-foot (1.8-meter) titan arum, nicknamed Woody after former Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes, opened Tuesday to reveal its bold, reddish-purple color and release its rotting-flesh smell a little over two years after it first flowered.

Lebanese members of the Syrian leader's Alawite sect fear their tiny community will be a casualty of the civil war raging in the neighboring country.

Already, Sunni Muslim extremists have stoned a school bus, vandalized stores and beaten or stabbed a number of men in a wave of attacks against Lebanese Alawites, stoking fears of even more violence should Syrian President Bashar Assad be removed from power.

FIFA has extended bans for nine players found guilty of match-fixing in Lebanon to apply worldwide.

A Lebanese player has been banned from all soccer-related activities for life, and eight Estonian players each received one-year suspensions.

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion says it will offer its once-popular BlackBerry Messenger service on competing devices.

CEO Thorsten Heins said Tuesday that the time is right to offer BBM on rival devices. He says iPhone and Android versions will be available for free.

Nokia Corp. on Tuesday unveiled its first Lumia smartphone with a metal cover, low-light camera features and new social network apps. But the new model failed to impress investors, who sent the company's stock down more than 5 percent.

The features on the Lumia 925 — slimmer and lighter that the flagship Lumia 920 — will be soon available in the full Lumia Windows 8 range, Nokia said. They include an 8.7 megapixel camera that can take photos in low light conditions and snaps 10 images at once. It enables sharing on various social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Tumblr, Flickr and Instagram.

Microsoft says a planned update to its Windows 8 operating system will be made available for free later this year.

The update is meant to address complaints and confusion that have been blamed for deepening a slump in personal computer sales. Microsoft isn't saying what kind of changes will be introduced with the release of the new system, though Microsoft plans to make a preview version available next month. The release of the final version is expected in time for the holiday season.

The CEO of BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion will deliver a keynote speech amid speculation that he'll introduce a lower-priced version of the BlackBerry at the company's annual three-day conference in Orlando, Fla.

CEO Thorsten Heins is set to speak Tuesday morning. RIM unveiled new, versatile BlackBerrys earlier this year after delays allowed Apple and others to dominate the smartphone market.

The sun has fired off a massive flare, the strongest solar eruption this year.

The powerful flare occurred Sunday and erupted on the side of the sun that was not facing Earth. While the planet was not hit with radiation, space weather forecasters say the solar blast briefly disrupted high-frequency radio signals.

Is it a boy? A girl? Prince William and the former Kate Middleton aren't telling, and palace officials are not revealing where the royal baby will spend its first few months, since renovation of their future home at Kensington Palace is taking longer than expected.

William's tour of duty as a search-and-rescue pilot in Wales is scheduled to wrap up around September, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as the pair is formally known, are preparing to move from an isolated cottage on a Welsh island to new digs at Kensington Palace in central London.