Facebook sues analytics firm Rankwave over alleged data misuse Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg was in Paris on Friday to meet President Emmanuel Macron Facebook is suing a South Korean firm it accuses of unlawfully using data to sell marketing and advertising. The social network is asking a judge to force Rankwave to allow it to audit the firm’s activities to see if user data was obtained and potentially sold. A source at Facebook told the BBC it was as yet unable to say how much data or how many users may be affected. The network said the move would "send a message to developers that Facebook is serious about enforcing our policies". "Facebook was investigating Rankwave’s data practices in relation to its advertising and marketing services," said Jessica Romero, Facebook's director of platform enforcement. "Rankwave failed to co-operate with our efforts to verify their compliance with our policies, which we require of all developers ..

Sri Lanka attacks: The family networks behind the bombings Image copyright Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Image caption A statue amid debris at St Sebastian's Church in Negombo, Sri Lanka, following the Easter Sunday bombing For many Sri Lankans, it was a horrific shock to learn that local Muslims could have been behind the suicide attacks that killed more than 250 people last month. How could a small group have planned such a devastating wave of bombings undetected? The clues were there in mid-January, when Sri Lankan police stumbled upon 100kg (220lb) of explosives and 100 detonators, hidden in a coconut grove near the Wilpattu national park, which is a remote wilderness in Puttalam district on the west coast of the country. Police were investigating attacks on statues of the Buddha by suspected Islamist radicals elsewhere in the country. Four men from a newly formed "radical Muslim group" were arrested. Three months later, suspected Islamists blew themselves up in packed churche..

'Hostages freed' by French in Burkina Faso Image copyright AFP Image caption Frenchmen Laurent Lassimouillas (l) and Patrick Picque were among four captives freed Four foreign hostages have been freed by French forces in the West African country of Burkina Faso, the French government says. Two of those released were French, while the other two were said to be an American woman and a South Korean woman, it said. Two French soldiers were killed during the rescue raid, the statement from the French presidency said. The hostages had been kidnapped in neighbouring Benin earlier this month. Their release was secured through a military operation conducted on Thursday night in the north of Burkina Faso, the Elysée palace said. Frenchmen Patrick Picque and Laurent Lassimouillas disappeared in the remote Pendjari National Park in Benin on 1 May. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. Yo..

US seizes North Korean coal ship for violating sanctions Image copyright AFP Image caption The Wise Honest was said to have been used to transport coal and heavy machinery The US says it has seized a North Korean cargo ship, accusing it of violating international sanctions. The justice department said the ship was used to transport coal, North Korea's largest export but subject to a UN export ban. The vessel was initially impounded in Indonesia in April 2018. It is the first time the US has seized a North Korean ship for breaching sanctions and comes amid worsening relations between the two. North Korea's missile and nuclear programme Everything about North Korea in nine charts In pictures: Growing up in North Korea A meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump ended without agreement in February with the US insisting North Korea give up its nuclear programme and Pyongyang demanding sanctions relief. North Korea has carried out two weapo..

Thai student activist released on royal pardon Image copyright Reuters Image caption Jatupat Boonpattararaksa received a royal pardon Thailand has released a student activist jailed for sharing a profile of King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Facebook. Jatupat Boonpattararaksa, better known as Pai Dao Din, received a royal pardon shortly before the end of a two-and-a-half year prison term. He was arrested in 2016 for sharing the profile published by BBC Thai, days after the king ascended the throne. He was sentenced under lese-majeste law which bans criticism of the monarchy. He left prison early on Friday morning, according to BBC Thai, with his family and friends waiting for him. Mr Jatupat was one of more than 2,600 people to share the online profile published two days after the new king ascended the throne in December 2016. An opponent of the military-backed government who has taken part in numerous protests, he was the only person to be prosecuted over the article. Thailand's les..

Trade war: US raises tariffs on $200bn of Chinese goods Image copyright Getty Images The US has more than doubled tariffs on $200bn (£153.7bn) worth of Chinese products, in a sharp escalation of their damaging trade war. Tariffs on those Chinese goods have risen to 25% from 10%, and Beijing has vowed to retaliate. The move comes as high-level officials from both sides are attempting to salvage a trade deal in Washington. Only recently, the US and China appeared to be close to ending months of hostilities. China has said it will hit back with "necessary countermeasures". How will China respond?In the past, Beijing has responded immediately to new tariffs imposed by the US on Chinese products. The US-China trade war has weighed on the global economy and created uncertainty for businesses and consumers. The situation could become worse still, as Mr Trump has also warned he could "shortly" introduce 25% duties on $325bn of Chinese goods. Trade talks between Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He a..

Inside the silent nation of Brunei Image caption Golden mosques and Arabic signs greet visitors stepping into the tiny nation of Brunei Brunei has become the focus of global attention for its decision to impose harsh Islamic punishments for offences such as adultery and sodomy - but in the country itself there is silence, as the BBC's Jonathan Head reports. At first glance you could be in Singapore. The roads are smooth and well maintained, the city carefully landscaped with plenty of trees and space for pedestrians. Bandar Seri Bagawan - the capital city of Brunei - is safe, orderly and very quiet. It is the conspicuous domes of the mosques, some dazzlingly gilded, the large signs in Arabic script and the prominent pictures showing the bearded figure of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah that tell you this is Brunei. Brunei: What you need to know What it is like to be an LGBT person in Brunei The country is one of the few absolute monarchies left in the world. The sultan has complete exe..

When spelling goes wrong: Famous typos from Trump to Nasa Image copyright Getty Images/Donald Trump Twitter/Nasa Image caption Mr Trump and Nasa space agency have made high-profile writing errors Even the most meticulous proofreaders make mistakes from time to time. Typos, spelling mistakes and grammatical errors are irritants to some, sources of mirth to others and can lead to ridicule for those responsible. Nobody is perfect, yet some blunders are far more costly and humiliating than others. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), for example, recently printed 46 million new bank notes with a glaring spelling mistake. The word "responsibility" was erroneously spelled "responsibilty" on a newly minted A$50 ($35; £27) featuring Edith Cowan, Australia's first female MP. Australia's A$50 note misspells responsibility Why spelling mistakes don't really matter Trump's new word breaks internet Not surprisingly, the gaffe has been widely mocked on social media, but it is fa..

Eurovision 2019: Kate Miller-Heidke sings on depression 'breakthrough' Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Australia's Eurovision song entry, Zero Gravity, is about post-natal depression Australia is an unlikely participant in the Eurovision Song Contest. On Saturday, Kate Miller-Heidke will perform as the country's first publicly chosen contestant and as Gary Nunn writes, she's bringing an unusual subject to the stage. Miller-Heidke limps into the room in Sydney wearing doctor-ordered comfy trainers. She is only recently out of a week-long hospital stay to treat a foot injury that almost dashed her hopes of walking out on stage in Tel Aviv. "I had a potentially deadly foot injury. Horrendous timing!" she says. The injury, a bacterial skin infection called cellulitis, happened while she was wearing "stupid stilettos" on Tel Aviv's cobblestone streets, she says, while filming Australia's Eurovision "postcard" - the introduction before each count..