Jan 21, 2019
Venezuela 'foils national guard rebellion' against Maduro
EPA Members of Venezuela's National Guard have been arrested after they allegedly revolted against the government of President Nicolás Maduro, the defence ministry said in a statement. The men reportedly seized weapons from a National Guard command post in the Cotiza area of the capital, Caracas. The ministry of defence said a "Small group" of National Guard members had stolen weapons from a security post in the Petare neighbourhood of Caracas and taken four officers hostage before making...
Jan 18, 2019
Twitter warns that private tweets were public for years
Private tweets sent by users of Twitter's Android app could have been exposed publicly for years. Twitter said it had discovered a security flaw which meant "Protected" tweets became public when some changes were made to accounts. Twitter said it had started to let affected users know about the bug. Twitter said it was also issuing a public notice about the error because it could not confirm the exact number of accounts that had been affected and wanted to reach those it could not identify by...
Jan 18, 2019
Zimbabwe blocks Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter amid crackdown
Zimbabwe has shut down the internet indefinitely amid an intensifying crackdown on protests against a hike in fuel prices. Access to Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter has been intermittently blocked since protests broke out on Monday. Riot police have been clashing with protesters in the capital, Harare, and the southern city of Bulawayo after they lit fires and blocked roads using rocks. Whether you get online using the phone line at home or access the internet over a mobile phone network, the...
Jan 17, 2019
Facebook tackles Russians making fake news stories
Facebook has removed 500 pages and accounts allegedly involved in peddling fake news in Central Europe, Ukraine and other Eastern European nations. Facebook said the accounts were loosely connected to Russian state groups known to push fake news. The organisations running the networks of pages posed as independent news sources and regularly put out information about a variety of subjects including weather, travel, sports, economics and politics. Detective work by Facebook, aided by police and...
Jan 15, 2019
US President Donald Trump serves fast food to White House guests
National college football champions, the Clemson Tigers, tucked in to a takeaway dinner during their visit to the White House.
Jan 14, 2019
A church under surveillance by a man in a Toyota
This is the story according to Father Volodymyr - a Russia-trained priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - of how a delegation from the town council, with a supporting cast of local political "Activists", had come to the church to execute an order ejecting him and his family from rooms they had occupied for some 20 years. Across Ukraine, congregations and priests are switching, voluntarily or otherwise, from Father Volodymyr's branch of the church, known as the Moscow Patriarchate -...
Jan 12, 2019
US driver in 'Bird Box blindfold' crashes in Utah
Police in the US state of Utah have taken the unusual step of urging residents not to drive blindfolded after an online challenge inspired by a horror film led to a crash. A teenager with her hat over her eyes drove into oncoming traffic in the city of Layton while taking part in the so-called "Bird Box Challenge". The craze has come from the Netflix film Bird Box, starring Sandra Bullock. Police have requested that the driver be charged with reckless driving, Lt Lyman said. In the film,...
Jan 10, 2019
#SaveRahaf: How Twitter saved a Saudi woman
Fleeing her Saudi family in Kuwait, Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, 18, sent out a series of tweets pleading for help from an airport hotel room in Bangkok. Tweets carrying the #SaveRahaf hashtag continued to gain momentum and by mid-Sunday afternoon, it was in more than half a million tweets, according to Twitter. The BBC's South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head, who was part of a network of foreign journalists closely charting Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun's case, said the enormous publicity driven...
Jan 10, 2019
Ford to cut thousands of jobs in turnaround plan
Carmaker Ford has announced plans for a major shake-up of its operations in the UK and mainland Europe. Ford is talking to unions about measures to reduce costs, including focusing on more profitable models and exiting less profitable markets. Ford says there will be a "Reduction of surplus labour" across all its business functions. Ford operates two engine factories in the UK, at Dagenham, east of London, and Bridgend in Wales, as well as a joint venture with the gearbox manufacturer Getrag...
Jan 10, 2019
CES 2019: Amazon and Google Assistant carve up tech expo
No matter who makes the hardware, the virtual aide linked to or packaged inside is likely to be one of two: either Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant. Amazon has made it hassle-free to add Alexa to products, by offering the assistant on a single chip - the Alexa Connect Kit. Still, in time, Bloom customers may be able to choose to talk to Google Assistant instead of Alexa. Amazon is estimated to have 41% of the global smart speaker market while Google comes in second, taking 28%. Alexa's...
Jan 9, 2019
Miss Algeria beauty queen Khadija Ben Hamou hits back at racist abuse
The first dark-skinned winner of the Miss Algeria beauty pageant has hit back at critics who have hurled racial abuse at her on social media. "I will not back down because of the people who criticised me," Khadija Ben Hamou told Algerian news site TSA. Slurs about her skin colour, nose and lips have been made about her on Facebook and Twitter. Ms Ben Hamou took part in 20 rounds of the competition before being crowned Miss Algeria 2019 on Saturday. Ms Ben Hamou told TSA, "Do not judge people...
Jan 9, 2019
Amazon boss Jeff Bezos and wife MacKenzie divorce
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his wife, MacKenzie, are to divorce after a 25-year marriage. "After a long period of loving exploration and trial separation, we have decided to divorce and continue our shared lives as friends," the couple said in the statement. Amazon, formed 25 years ago, this week eclipsed Microsoft to become the world's most valuable listed company. Jeff Bezos, 54, who founded Amazon, is the world's wealthiest man according to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index, with an estimated...
Jan 8, 2019
CES 2019: Samsung adds rival Apple's iTunes to smart TVs
Samsung has said that from spring 2019 its new smart TVs will include iTunes - software made by rival tech firm Apple. The move was "a true first", senior Samsung executive Dave Das told the CES tech show in Las Vegas. Besides access to iTunes, the smart TVs will also feature AirPlay 2 support - allowing users to stream videos, photos and music from Apple devices. Samsung's previous generation of smart TVs will also gain the features via a firmware update. The BBC has contacted Apple to ask...
Jan 8, 2019
Uber shootings: Driver pleads guilty to six murders
An Uber driver accused of killing six people at random in a shooting spree in the US state of Michigan in 2016 has pleaded guilty to murder, attempted murder and firearms offences. Mr Dalton had earlier reportedly told police that he was made a "Puppet" by the Uber application, which directed him to shoot people at random over a five-hour period in February 2016. Although none of the victims were Uber customers, police said Mr Dalton continued to pick up passengers during the shooting spree...
Jan 6, 2019
Syria conflict: Bolton says US withdrawal is conditional
AFP The withdrawal of US troops from Syria depends on certain conditions, US National Security Adviser John Bolton says, in a further indication that the process is being slowed down. US officials said American forces had been given 30 days to leave Syria. He told reporters there was no timetable for a US withdrawal from Syria but that there was not an unlimited commitment. Mr Netanyahu said he would discuss Iran's ambitions in Syria when he met Mr Bolton on Sunday evening. Over the...
Jan 5, 2019
China's economic slowdown: How worried should we be?
Adding to the worries, China's stock market was the world's worst performer last year, ending with a loss of 28%. This week Apple said slowing sales in China meant it would not meet sales expectations, triggering sharp falls on global stock markets. In September, Nike said sales in Greater China shot up 24%. Lululemon, another activewear maker, also reported strong sales growth in China last year. Louis Kuijs, head of Asia economics at Oxford Economics, sees GDP growth "Bottoming out" around...
Jan 4, 2019
Huawei staff punished after official tweet posted 'via iPhone'
Two Huawei employees who sent a message from the Chinese telecom firm's Twitter account using an iPhone device have been punished, a memo says. Chinese companies have been trying to steer employees toward Huawei products and away from US rival Apple. Last year, Huawei overtook Apple in the number of handsets shipped worldwide, making it second only to Samsung. On Friday, a report by Reuters news agency - citing an internal company memo - said that the Huawei staff involved in the Twitter...
Jan 3, 2019
Death Note: Netflix under fire over Belgium train crash images
Netflix has come under fire for using images in its film Death Note said to be taken from a deadly train crash in Belgium in 2010, local media report. A scene in the film, a horror inspired by a Japanese manga series, reportedly uses shots of a crash involving two passenger trains that killed 19 people. A spokesman for the Belgian rail operator SNCB, Dimitri Temmerman, said the company had not been informed of any decision to include the images by the streaming service provider. One survivor...
Jan 3, 2019
Apple shares close nearly 10% lower after sales warning
Apple shares start Thursday US trading down 8.5% in the wake of Wednesday's warning about China sales.
Jan 2, 2019
Netflix removes Hasan Minhaj comedy episode after Saudi demand
Netflix has removed from its streaming service in Saudi Arabia an episode of a satirical comedy that was critical of the kingdom's rulers. The second episode of Patriot Act, with US comedian Hasan Minhaj, was removed following an official complaint that it had violated Saudi anti-cybercrime law. In the episode that was removed, Minhaj criticises Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October. The streaming service...
Jan 2, 2019
Netflix removes Hasan Minhaj comedy episode after Saudi demand
The streaming service has removed in Saudi Arabia an episode of a comedy show critical of the kingdom.
Jan 2, 2019
#ShutdownStories: The impact of the government shutdown
The partial US government shutdown has entered the new year as President Donald Trump's border wall standoff with Congress remains unresolved. The partial shutdown means about 25% of the US federal government has no funding. "Any shutdown of the federal government can disrupt or delay research projects, lead to uncertainty over new research, and reduce researcher access to agency data and infrastructure," Mr Holt said. Many local spots are offering discounts to government employees to help...
Jan 2, 2019
Apple blames China for sales forecast cut
Apple has warned investors about its growth in the most recent quarter, citing weaker sales in China. That is down from its November forecast of at least $89bn - a prediction that had already disappointed investors. The firm's shares have already fallen more than 28% since it offered investors that outlook. In a letter to investors on Wednesday, chief executive Tim Cook said the firm's miss was due primarily to China. "In fact, most of our revenue shortfall to our guidance, and over 100% of...
Jan 1, 2019
Kentucky police mourn doughnut truck fire
Police in Kentucky have posted a tweet mourning the loss of a doughnut truck, which was destroyed after catching fire. The driver of the Krispy Kreme Doughnuts vehicle noticed smoke billowing from the back as he drove through Lexington. While no one was hurt in the fire, all the doughnuts in the back were reportedly destroyed. Lexington Police Department posted images online of heartbroken officers at the scene of the fire in the south-east of the city, near the corner of Man O' War Boulevard...
Dec 30, 2018
2018: BBC Tech's biggest stories and what happened next
When tech historians of the future look back at 2018, it may stand out as the year that the wheels came off Facebook or at least its original platform. It's no surprise to see articles related to Facebook's various scandals secured it three of the spots in BBC Tech's most-read stories list for 2018. The London-based consultancy only became a household name after a report in the Observer explained how the firm had made use of millions of harvested Facebook accounts' details, while a follow-up...
Dec 30, 2018
DoubleTree Portland hotel fires staff who evicted black guest
The DoubleTree Portland hotel has fired two staff members, after they were caught on video evicting an African-American guest who was using his phone in the lobby. Jermaine Massey, 34, was accused of "Loitering" by a security guard, who told him police had been called to "Escort him off the property". Mr Massey, who was returning a call from his mother, explained that he was a guest at the Oregon hotel. On 29 December, the DoubleTree hotel chain, which is owned by Hilton, tweeted that it has...
Dec 28, 2018
Six arrested for killing, eating endangered langur monkey
Six men have been arrested in Vietnam for killing and eating an endangered monkey and live-streaming it on social media. The men, aged 35-59, filmed themselves eating a langur monkey in November and streamed the video on Facebook. Vietnamese langur monkeys are one of the world's most endangered primate species, living only in the north. "It took time for us to figure out the suspects involved," police told AFP. In a statement, police added that one of the men bought the monkey from a hunter...
Dec 28, 2018
Bandersnatch: The critics' verdicts on Black Mirror's interactive adventure
An interactive, choose your own adventure-style episode of Black Mirror has dropped on Netflix. As the episode progresses, viewers are invited to make the lead character's choices for him - decisions that send the plot in different directions. Carla Engelbrecht, Netflix's director of product innovation, added: "There are literally millions of permutations of the story, and your decisions matter." The "Choice points" then become more significant, and potentially more life-changing for Stefan...
Dec 24, 2018
Google and Amazon urged to follow Apple's 'anti-gay app ban'
Campaigners have thanked Apple for removing an app from its store that they said stigmatised LGBT people. Apple's store now says the app is not available, but the tech firm has not commented on the matter. Living Hope Ministries' app had been on the iOS App Store for several years, but was flagged as objectionable by Truth Wins Out on Thursday. Although it is not known whether he had anything to do with the subsequent removal of the app from Apple's online store, Truth Wins Out personally...
Dec 20, 2018
Subtle Asian Traits: When memes become a diaspora phenomenon
SUBTLE ASIAN TRAITS For many people of Asian descent living overseas, a Facebook group called Subtle Asian Traits has become a cultural phenomenon. "We were always sharing memes and jokes about Asian culture and growing up in a foreign country and kind of just wanted a place to share them together," co-founder Kathleen Xiao, 18, tells the BBC. Anne Gu, 18, another founder, says they were thrilled when the group hit 1,000 members but "Now it's just gone insane". SUBTLE ASIAN TRAITS. Other...