These are the stories making headlines today.
Carmakers and big tech struggle to keep batteries free from child labor
A CNN investigation has found that child labor is still being used to mine the valuable mineral at some operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This country produces about two-thirds of the world’s cobalt and is estimated to sit atop half of the globe’s reserves.
Israeli PM Netanyahu defends Iran accusations
Netanyahu told CNN’s “New Day” that a trove of documents, which he revealed in a TV address on Monday night, showed Iran had no intention of sticking to its commitments in the 2015 deal brokered with the international community. “They don’t want the world to know what I showed the world yesterday,” Netanyahu said.
Apple faces Wall Street ‘panic’ over iPhone
Apple is expected to announce plans to return between $100 billion and $150 billion to shareholders when it reports earnings results Tuesday for the first three months of 2018, according to analysts. The potential share buybacks and dividends follows the passage of the US tax bill late last year, which makes it cheaper for Apple to bring back the more than $250 billion it holds overseas.
Iran and Israel draw closer to war than ever
On a January weekend in 2015, an Israeli missile streaked across the country’s northern border into Syria. Among seven people killed were Jihad Mughniyeh, the son of one of Hezbollah’s founders, and a senior commander from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Mark Zuckerberg takes the stage at Facebook F8
The CEO is expected to address Facebook ‘s ongoing data privacy scandal while also trying to move forward with new product and feature announcements. The event comes more than a month after news broke that Cambridge Analytica, a data firm with ties to President Donald Trump’s campaign, accessed information from as many as 87 million Facebook users without their knowledge.
The French ‘bromance’ tree could be in quarantine for two years
The live oak tree is under the care of the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, according to the USDA official. The service “worked closely with French officials to facilitate the importation” of the tree, per a statement. It turns out there were actually two oak saplings, which arrived at Dulles International Airport on April 18.
CEO caught singing ‘We’re in the Money’ as Walmart deal lifts shares
“We’re in the money. The sky is sunny. Let’s lend it, spend it, send it rolling along,” crooned CEO Mike Coupe after Sainsbury’s announced plans to merge its business with Asda, the UK retailer owned by Walmart . The CEO was recorded singing before the start of a television interview, and the footage was later released by UK broadcaster ITV.
India worried as Taj Mahal changes colour
India’s Supreme Court has instructed the government to seek foreign help to fix what it described as a worrying change in colour at the Taj Mahal. “Even if you have the expertise, you are not utilising it. Or perhaps you don’t care,” court justices said.
Disguised women sneak into Iranian football match
Several Iranian women have caught people’s attention by revealing the lengths they go to to attend a football match. Donning beards and wigs, they disguised themselves as men so they could watch their team, Persepolis, play rivals Sepidrood at the Azadi stadium in Tehran last Friday.
Iran hits back at Israel over nuclear claim
Iran has called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “an infamous liar” over allegations he made about a secret Iranian nuclear weapons programme. Mr Netanyahu’s revelations have split Western powers, days before the US is due to decide on whether to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.
YouTube stars paid to sell cheating
YouTube stars are being paid to sell academic cheating, a BBC investigation has found. More than 250 channels are promoting EduBirdie, based in Ukraine, which allows students to buy essays, rather than doing the work themselves. YouTube said it would help creators understand they cannot promote dishonest behaviour.
Facebook to launch dating service
Facebook’s chief has said that 2018 has been an “intense year” for his firm. But Mark Zuckerberg also took the opportunity to unveil a dating service among other new products at his firm’s annual F8 developers conference in San Jose, California. He told his audience that the match-making feature would take privacy issues in mind and would launch “soon”.
Nigeria bans all codeine cough syrup
Nigeria has announced a ban on the production and import of cough syrup containing codeine after a BBC investigation into its role in an addiction epidemic. A health ministry spokesman told the BBC remaining stocks in shops could be sold with a prescription.
Instagram is taking on FaceTime with its own video chat feature
Snapchat may have pioneered the “stories” format, but it’s Instagram that’s taking it in new and exciting directions. At Facebook’s F8 conference, Instagram announced a new way for users to share content from third-party apps directly to Stories. Same goes for sharing to Facebook Stories.
Facebook announces plans to build ‘Clear History’ tool to combat privacy concerns
Facebook’s annual developer conference, F8, has historically been a celebration of the company’s greatest achievements and most exciting research. Not this year. In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which revealed millions of Facebook users’ information was being shared without their direct consent, the social network is preparing to answer tough questions about how it will handle user privacy in the future.
WhatsApp cofounder leaves following Cambridge Analytica scandal
The man who Mark Zuckerberg says taught him about the power of encryption is leaving the Facebook family. The departure of WhatsApp CEO and cofunder Jan Koum comes after Facebook’s biggest privacy scandal to date. And six months after WhatsApp cofounder Brian Acton left the company and joined the #DeleteFacebook movement.
‘Mean Tweets’ with the ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ cast gets very brutal, very fast
If you’re getting fed up of hearing everyone singing the praises of the Avengers, why not take a short break by listening to people hating on them. In the latest edition of “Mean Tweets” filmed for Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the likes of Chris Pratt, Scarlett Johansson, and Chris Evans read out some of the spectacularly harsh things people are saying about them on the internet.
Former Trump Doc Accuses President’s Lawyer, Bodyguard Of Raiding His Office
A New York doctor who served as President Donald Trump’s personal physician is alleging that Trump’s lawyer, bodyguard and an unidentified “large man” raided his office for medical records. Dr. Harold Bornstein tells NBC News that the alleged raid took place in February 2017, just two days after Bornstein told The New York Times he had been prescribing the hair growth medicine Propecia for Trump for years.
Facebook Investigates Claim That Employee Used ‘Privileged Access’ To Stalk Women
Facebook said it is investigating a claim that an employee used internal tools and data to stalk women online. Representatives for the social media company reportedly reached out to Jackie Stokes, founder of cybersecurity consulting firm Spyglass Security, after she tweeted the accusation about a Facebook engineer on Sunday.
