Apr 6, 2020
Coronavirus: Defence firm Babcock to make 10,000 ventilators
Best-known for phones and computers, Apple has now turned its hand to making face shields for medical workers. Apple chief executive Tim Cook tweeted on Sunday that it has designed and is now making the protective gear. The tech giant plans to make more than one million shields a week, which will be shipped first to US medical workers and then distributed globally. Apple has pulled in designers, engineers and suppliers to shape, produce and ship the face shields. With a worldwide shortage of...
Apr 2, 2020
Brazil: Amazon land defender Zezico Guajajara shot dead
The body of Zezico Guajajara, of the Guajajara tribe, was found near his village on Tuesday. The Guajajaras are one of Brazil's largest indigenous groups with some 20,000 people. It is not clear who killed Zezico Guajajara on Tuesday. In a statement issued on Wednesday, indigenous leader Olimpio Guajajara described him as "Another fellow warrior - a man who defended life". "The Guardians have been mercilessly targeted by powerful logging mafias illegally exploiting the valuable hardwoods in...
Mar 31, 2020
Coronavirus: Amazon workers strike over virus protection
Pressure is building on Amazon and other delivery firms to improve protections for workers worried about getting infected with coronavirus. Some US workers at Amazon and US food delivery firm Instacart are threatening strikes, and have accused the firms of not providing proper protections. The company, which is looking to hire 100,000 more warehouse workers in the US to help address the surge in orders, has also said it would boost pay for warehouse staff around the world, including $2 per...
Mar 31, 2020
Coronavirus: American Airlines to seek $12bn in state aid
American Airlines has confirmed it will seek $12bn of financial support from the US government because of the impact of coronavirus. Under the massive $2.2tn coronavirus relief bill passed by the US Congress last week, $50bn was set aside for airlines with half given as grants. American Airlines, the world's biggest by passenger numbers, said it hoped to be back to flying a full schedule by then. Global airlines have struggled as countries worldwide have grounded the majority of passenger...
Mar 31, 2020
Apple buys weather app Dark Sky
Apple has purchased the weather predicting app Dark Sky and plans to shut down the Android and Wear OS versions. Dark Sky is known for its hyper-local weather predictions and ability to forecast minute by minute. The Dark Sky app cost $3.99 in the US and £3.99 in the UK. Android users who still have an active subscription of Dark Sky when it stops operating in July will receive a refund. Dark Sky's API - the software that transmits information between the app and its users - will be...
Mar 27, 2020
Coronavirus: Trump orders 'time-wasting' General Motors to make ventilators
US President Donald Trump has ordered General Motors to make ventilators for coronavirus patients after attacking the car giant's chief executive. Mr Trump said that "GM was wasting time" and action was needed to save American lives. GM has been working with medical device manufacturer Ventec Life Systems, to build ventilators at the GM factory in Kokoma, Indiana. Mr Cuomo again emphasised a need for more medical supplies, saying the state's peak is expected to come in 21 days and there is...
Mar 24, 2020
US tech giants team up to tackle coronavirus
Amazon is teaming up with researchers funded by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates to pick up and deliver coronavirus test kits. The Gates Foundation-backed Seattle Coronavirus Assessment Network is learning how the infection spreads. Amazon Care will assist the work by delivering test kits to people's homes and then picking them up for researchers. The partnership could help improve coronavirus testing in the US as it lags behind other countries in getting people checked for the virus. The US...
Mar 23, 2020
Coronavirus: Trump boosts National Guard funding to fight virus
US President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of National Guard troops in the three states hardest hit by the coronavirus outbreak. Troops will be used in New York, California and Washington to deliver medical aid and set up medical stations after the number of deaths nationwide rose to 471 and infections to 35,244. The medical stations the National Guard will set up have a capacity of 4,000 beds, 2,000 of which will go to California, 1,000 to New York and 1,000 to Washington state. Mr...
Mar 19, 2020
Coronavirus: Facebook group helps parents and kids during isolation
As families self-isolate, one mum created a group to share fun tips and ideas for engaging children.
Mar 17, 2020
Amazon: Staff told to work overtime as virus spikes demand
Amazon has said it will hire 100,000 warehouse and delivery workers in the US to deal with a surge in sales during the coronavirus pandemic. Like Amazon, US supermarket chains, including Albertsons, Kroger and Raley's, are hiring extra workers as they see online demand rise. Amazon said it would increase hourly wages by $2 in the US, £2 in the UK, and €2 in Europe. The company did not say whether it would also be taking on new workers in the UK. Last week Amazon said it would provide up to...
Mar 16, 2020
Mumbai is India's most 'forgetful' city, says Uber
Mumbai is India's most "Forgetful" city, according to Uber's Lost & Found Index 2020, followed by Kolkata and Allahabad. This is an annual database compiled by the cab aggregator, based on what passengers in different countries leave behind in Uber's taxis. Uber found 3 August 2019 to be the "Most forgetful" day in its survey. India's capital, Delhi, ranked fourth among the 10 most forgetful cities, followed by the southern city of Bangalore at number 5. Uber found that Thursdays and Fridays...
Mar 16, 2020
Apple hit with record €1.1bn fine in France
France's competition authority has imposed a record €1.1bn fine on US tech giant Apple for what it sees as anti-competitive practices. It is the biggest fine ever imposed by the French regulator. The investigation began in 2012, following a complaint by eBizcuss, which sells Apple products as an Apple Premium Reseller. The authority's chief Isabelle de Silva said "Apple abusively exploited the economic dependence of these premium resellers on it and imposed unfair economic conditions on them...
Mar 13, 2020
Coronavirus: The Masters at Augusta is postponed over health crisis
The Masters has been postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak. The first men's major championship of the year was due to begin on 9 April at Augusta National in Georgia. Chairman of Augusta National Fred Ridley, said: "We hope this puts us in the best position to safely host the Masters Tournament and our amateur events at some later date." "Considering the latest information and expert analysis, we have decided at this time to postpone the Masters Tournament, the Augusta National...
Mar 13, 2020
Bill Gates steps down from Microsoft board to focus on philanthropy
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is stepping down from the company's board to spend more time on philanthropic activities. One of the world's richest men, Mr Gates has also left the board of Warren Buffett's massive holding company Berkshire Hathaway. He stepped down from his role running Microsoft in 2008. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App.
Mar 9, 2020
Twitter labels edited Biden video 'manipulated tweet'
Twitter has used its new "Manipulated media" tag for the first time on an edited video of a speech by Joe Biden. The tag, introduced on 5 March, tells readers when a picture or video has been "Significantly altered or fabricated". Twitter's manipulated media policy covers content that is "Likely to impact public safety or cause serious harm" including things that have been heavily edited. The social media giant has been criticised for taking at least 18 hours to place a manipulated tweet tag...
Mar 6, 2020
Coronavirus: Starbucks bans reusable cups to help tackle spread
Starbucks branches have temporarily banned reusable cups in response to the coronavirus outbreak. The coffee chain said customers would still receive a 25p discount for bringing reusable cups with them, but drinks would be served in paper cups. Great Western Railway and LNER have banned reusable cups on trains - but GWR scrapped the policy after days. UK train operator LNER said it had stopped accepting refillable cups on its trains "To help prevent possible contamination from handling cups...
Mar 5, 2020
#RIPTwitter trends as firm tests vanishing tweets
Twitter is testing a feature that will allow some tweets to disappear after 24 hours, it announced on Wednesday. The new feature called "Fleets" is similar to vanishing posts on Snapchat and Instagram Stories. Kayvon Beykpour, the company's product lead, said the new feature would allow people to post thoughts they might have felt uncomfortable sharing publicly. The vanishing messages will appear when a user's profile picture is clicked. Mr Beykpour acknowledged that Fleets did sound a lot...
Mar 5, 2020
Facebook removes 'deceptive' Trump census ads
Facebook has removed a series of misleading adverts from the Donald Trump campaign promoting "The Official 2020 Congressional District Census". Since 3 March, the Donald Trump campaign has been running Facebook ads calling for people to "Take the Official 2020 Congressional District Census". The advertisements were paid for by the "Trump Make America Great Again Committee", which is according to the Donald J. Trump website a "Fundraising committee authorized by and composed of Donald J. Trump...
Mar 3, 2020
Coronavirus: Twitter tells staff to work from home
Twitter has told its employees to work from home to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. In a blog post, the social media giant said it was mandatory for staff in Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea to work remotely. The company also said it was "Strongly encouraging" all of its 5,000 employees around the world to not come into work. Twitter's head of human resources Jennifer Christie said: "Our goal is to lower the probability of the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus for us - and the world...
Mar 3, 2020
Facebook 'rethinks' plans for Libra cryptocurrency
Facebook is reportedly rethinking its plans for its own digital currency after resistance from regulators. The Libra Association, which Facebook founded to create the currency, will continue its work, the reports said. Of earlier reports that it might drop Libra itself, the firm said: "Facebook remains fully committed to the project." Facebook announced in June last year that it would launch the Libra digital currency, with a goal of making payments easier and cheaper. Its partners in the...
Feb 28, 2020
Jimmy Lai: Pro-democracy media tycoon arrested
One of Hong Kong's most high-profile entrepreneurs, the pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai, has been arrested for illegal assembly and intimidation. The founder of newspaper Apple Daily is accused of being involved in a banned anti-government march on 31 August. Apple Daily is frequently critical of Hong Kong and Chinese leadership. According to an Apple Daily report, 71-year-old Mr Lai was arrested at his home and taken to a Kowloon police station. Mr Lai is also suspected of criminally...
Feb 27, 2020
Quaden Bayles: Bullied boy's family turns down trip to Disneyland
The family of an Australian boy who gained global fame in a viral video after he was bullied have turned down a crowdfunded trip to Disneyland and vow to give the money to charity instead. Yarraka Bayles posted a clip of her son, Quaden, crying after he was targeted at school for his dwarfism. More than $308,000 has since been given to an online campaign. YARRAKA BAYLES. The family said they would like to give the money to two charities: Dwarfism Awareness Australia, and the Balunu Healing...
Feb 26, 2020
Creator of New York City subway map Michael Hertz dies
MTA Michael Hertz, the man who designed the map of the New York City subway system, has died aged 87. In the 1970s his firm, Michael Hertz Associates, was hired by city transport officials to redesign the old map. A native of New York's Brooklyn borough, Mr Hertz previously helped create transit maps for Houston and Washington DC before undertaking the New York project for the city's Metropolitan Transportation Authority. In an effort to remove some of the straight lines that were disliked by...
Feb 23, 2020
Dubs or subs? Parasite renews debate on how to watch foreign films
The South Korean dark comedy film Parasite had a historic awards season sweep - and in the process, reignited the debate over whether subtitles or dubbing is the best way to watch a movie that isn't in your native language. As director Bong Joon Ho accepted the first-ever best foreign language picture Golden Globe for a South Korean film, he said: "Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films." How you watch a foreign film is a...
Feb 23, 2020
We will 'fight to the death' to save the Amazon rainforest
Six months on, Nomia Iqbal went to the Brazilian Amazon for a new BBC programme, My World, to ask young people how they see the future of this crucial region. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has said that indigenous people's special land and cultural rights should be scrapped. It is a policy which worries Maristela: "This new government hates indigenous people but I am really proud to be indigenous, and as women it is our role to fight for our land." Maristela's cousin, 22-year-old Juliana...
Feb 23, 2020
Hunters: Jewish groups criticise Holocaust portrayal in Amazon show
AFP Several Jewish groups have criticised Amazon for fictitious depictions of the Holocaust in its new series Hunters. Amazon did respond immediately to criticism of Hunters but told the BBC it was "Listening to feedback" about controversial book sales. Karen Pollack, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, told the BBC such portrayals risked fuelling Holocaust denial, and lent a tone of "Flippant entertainment" to the programme. Amazon has recently come under fire for selling...
Feb 21, 2020
Wells Fargo reaches $3bn fake accounts settlement
Wells Fargo, a major US bank, has agreed to pay $3bn to resolve a government investigation into its sales practices, including opening fake customer accounts. Since 2018, Wells Fargo has been operating under an order from the US Federal Reserve that limits its growth. "The conduct at the core of today's settlements - and the past culture that gave rise to it - are reprehensible and wholly inconsistent with the values on which Wells Fargo was built," he said. The prosecutors said the bank's...
Feb 20, 2020
Samsung explains mystery alert sent overnight
Samsung has apologised after it accidentally sent an alert to thousands of devices overnight. Affected devices received a notification from Find My Mobile in the early hours of Thursday morning. Some customers complained on social media that it had woken them up, while others worried their device had been hacked. In a statement, Samsung said the alert had been sent unintentionally to a "Limited number" of devices. It appeared to affect any device with Samsung's Find My Mobile installed,...
Feb 19, 2020
Facebook expresses 'deep concern' after Singapore orders page block
Facebook has expressed concern after it was ordered by Singapore to block access to a news site's page. Facebook said it was "Legally compelled" to comply with the order to block access from Singapore, but said the order was "Deeply concern[ing]". Authorities said the States Times Review had in January put up a Facebook post which "Falsely claimed that Singapore had run out of face masks". The notice said Facebook was "Legally required to tell you that the Singapore government says this post...
Feb 17, 2020
French reforms: Why France is resisting Macron's push on pensions
The pensions issue has also served as a rallying-cry for all those with other grievances against President Macron. The proposed law would radically overhaul the country's post-war pension system, merging the 42 existing private and public sector regimes into one, universal points-based system. The number of French people who actually understand the pensions reform can probably be counted in fingers and toes. The government has set up a working group to report on ways of balancing out the...