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Facebook and Instagram launch celebrity scam ad crackdown

Celebrities including Elon Musk and Martin Lewis repeatedly feature in ads for products they have not endorsed.




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TikTok founder becomes China's richest man

Zhang Yiming's fortune has leapt to almost $50bn, according to a newly published rich list.




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Instagram lowering quality of less viewed videos 'alarming' creators

The revelation has sparked concern among some creators it may impact their reach on the platform.




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'I was moderating hundreds of horrific and traumatising videos'

The BBC speaks to social media moderators, whose job it is to find and remove distressing and illegal content.




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UK Warriorborn Kindle Deal

We’re excited to let you know that Warriorborn has been selected for a Kindle Deal on amazon.co.uk starting 3/18/2024 and ending 3/18/2024. During this time the ebook will be £0.99!




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How a guitarist saved hundreds on a sinking cruise ship

Guitarist Moss Hills helped evacuate a sinking cruise liner after some of the crew jumped ship




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Only 1% of disability hate crimes result in a charge

Research by two charities finds that only 1% of disability hate crimes results in a charge




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Brown pays tribute to GB success

Prime Minister Gordon Brown pays tribute to the achievements of the British team at the Beijing Olympics.




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Britain may aim for third in 2012

Britain could revise its medals target for London 2012 following the team's success at the Beijing Olympics.




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More Britons 'to attend Olympics'

Public enthusiasm for attending the 2012 London Olympic Games has risen almost 30% following the Beijing Games, a survey for the BBC suggests.




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Public 'fearing Olympics failure'

Most Britons do not think the government is capable of successfully managing the 2012 Olympics, a survey suggests.




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Expanded distribution in the US for BBC World News

This week viewers to BBC World News have been watching a series of reports focusing on the Arab uprisings, two years after they first began. Correspondents have been in Damascus, Tunis, Cairo, the Syria-Lebanon border and elsewhere. Their eyewitness TV reporting is accompanied by further explanation and analysis on our website, bbc.com/news. These are expert journalists, with years of experience and knowledge, living the story on behalf of the audience. They demonstrate our commitment to reporting the world, and bringing clarity to complex events.

Until now, however, viewers in the world's biggest TV market, the US, have found it hard to access BBC reporting of this kind. The market is saturated with TV channels, but for the past couple of years we've been very focused on securing widespread carriage on the distribution systems which bring TV into most homes.

So today the BBC is delighted to announce we have agreed to a partnership with the US cable giant - Time Warner Cable - and through this and other deals, a further 10 million homes in the US will have access to BBC World News 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

This means by the end of this year we will be available in 25 million homes, including those in most of the major markets - New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston. There is still some way to go before we can say we have reached everyone - but 2012 has been a year of significant breakthroughs for us in the US.

The BBC is already well-known in America through its partnerships with public radio, through the success of our website BBC.com/news, and because of our nightly broadcast on public television fronted by Katty Kay. We believe our brand of high-quality, intelligent and non-partisan journalism has something to offer US audiences, and we're determined to make access to our services as simple as possible.

The timing could not be better. We're just a few weeks away from the first broadcasts of BBC World News from our brand new headquarters in central London. Three new studios, a big investment in production and journalism, and working more closely with BBC journalists working in English and 27 other languages - it's more than just a new home, it's a new start. We're delighted to share that even more widely.

Richard Porter is controller of English at BBC Global News



  • BBC World News

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The Great British class calculator

We've had a huge response to our class calculator this week, particularly across social media, following a major survey by BBC Lab UK. The survey suggests that traditional categories of working, middle and upper class are outdated and we all fit in to one of seven new classes.

The class calculator - which lets you work out where you might fit in amongst the new categories - has attracted about six million page views on the BBC News site, making it the second most popular article of 2013 to date. (The most viewed article this year has been the helicopter crash in Vauxhall in January.) Nearly 1.9 million of those views have come from those of you accessing the site on mobiles and tablets.

But one thing that really stands out is how widely the story has been shared across social media, with more than 300,000 shares so far. More than a quarter of links to the calculator have come from social networking sites.

More than half a million referrals came from Facebook alone, and about 107,000 from Twitter. This is a much higher number than we usually see shared across social media. If you compare the class calculator with the other top stories of the week, usually about 5% of known referrals come from social media sites.

So why has it proven so popular with our audience? Michael Orwell, a producer at BBC Lab UK, worked closely on the survey and said one of the best things about the project was that the audience contributed to new research with top academics.

The calculator itself, produced by the BBC News Visual Journalism team in collaboration with BBC Knowledge and Learning, lets everyone engage with the new model and discover where they might fit in.

Steve Herrmann is editor of the BBC News website.




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When will VAT be added to private school fees?

Labour says removing the current tax exemption will help to fund 6,500 new teachers in England.




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School leaders know fixing problems a marathon, not a sprint

But school leaders do not agree on how quickly the government should be pacing itself.




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Too much debt or value for money? Students divided over tuition fee rise

University fees are rising to £9,535, meaning students will be left in more debt after their course.




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Jury shown video of father slapping Sara Sharif

The home video was filmed less than 13 months before Sara was found dead with multiple injuries.




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'My autistic son is like a prisoner in hospital'

Sebastian has been deemed fit for discharge but the 19-year-old has nowhere suitable to go.




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'Crisis for referees & fuel for toxic fan conspiracies'

David Coote's alleged video on Liverpool and former manager Jurgen Klopp fuels conspiracy theorists who question referees' integrity, says Phil McNulty.




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Post Office jobs and branches at risk in shake-up

Hundreds of head office workers are facing cuts and loss-making branches are under threat of closure.




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VW launches $5.8bn tie-up with Tesla rival Rivian

The firms will share EV technology as they face slowing demand and competition from Chinese rivals.




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Speed of cricket balls could stump housing scheme

Developers and Sport England disagree over the risk from cricket balls to future residents.




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Why Tesla, crypto and prisons are Trump trade winners

As the dust settles on a post-election stock market rally, some firms have already gained.




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First sighting of Belarusian political prisoner in more than 600 days

Maria Kolesnikova, jailed for her part in mass political protests in 2020, was allowed to see her father.




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Inside the secret summit that tried to stop deadly rap wars

Before Shakur's murder, Jones brought stars together to discuss state of hip-hop and try to end rap violence.




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British author Samantha Harvey wins Booker with space story

The first book set in space to win, Orbital follows astronauts in the International Space Station.




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Surge in Russian drone strikes test Ukrainian defences and devastate families

Russia is launching mass drone strikes on Ukraine. A 14-year-old girl was one of the latest victims.




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Watch: Tower falls as historic church destroyed by fire

Video shows the San Francisco Church in Iquique, Chile engulfed in flames, with smoke rising above it.




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'Nothing can bring a life back': Brazil dam collapse survivors speak as UK trial begins

A lawsuit against mining company BHP starts in London on Monday over the 2015 dam collapse.




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Divided Arizona contends with Trump's sweeping border plan

The state is likely to be on the frontline of the president-elect's immigration policies.




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Team criticised for picking YouTube star as striker

Argentine side Deportivo Riestra are accused of a "lack of respect" after picking a YouTube star as a striker in a top-flight match.




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Haiti's prime minister ousted after six months

The former UN official was brought in to lead Haiti through an ongoing, gang-led security crisis.




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At least 15 inmates killed in Ecuador prison fight

El Litoral prison is notorious for its deadly confrontations between members of rival gangs.




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Antrim crash out of Leinster SHC

Fourteen-man Westmeath earn a shock 0-14 to 0-12 win over Antrim in the Leinster Hurling Championship clash at Mullingar.




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Stockdale targeting Rio Olympics

Showjumper Tim Stockdale is setting his sights on competing at the Rio Olympic Games of 2016 at the age of 52.




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San Francisco win World Series

San Francisco Giants clinch their second World Series title in three years, sweeping Detroit Tigers 4-0.




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Adcock and White to renew pairing

Chris Adcock to renew badminton mixed doubles partnership with fiancee Gabby White.




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Funding boosts Hunt's Rio hopes

Nicky Hunt expects to challenge for a medal at Rio 2016 after learning she will receive full Olympic funding from Archery GB.




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MotoGP 2012: The British invasion

The racing outside the top class threatens to be as fierce as ever as British riders target the Moto2 and Moto3 titles this year




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Bring on the Olympics - Thomas

Geraint Thomas writes for BBC Sport after beating Australia to team pursuit gold in Melbourne thriller




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Boonen wins Paris-Roubaix classic

Belgian Tom Boonen becomes only the second rider to win the Paris-Roubaix classic for the fourth time.




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Hoy takes audacious keirin gold

Sir Chris Hoy concludes the World Track Cycling in Melbourne with a stunning ride to win the men's keirin gold medal.



  • Cycling - Track

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Brailsford ponders sprint options

British Cycling performance director Dave Brailsford refuses to reveal his sprint selection strategy for Sir Chris Hoy and Jason Kenny.



  • Cycling - Track

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Chris Hoy learned on girl's bike

Cyclist Sir Chris Hoy's first bicycle was a girl's bike the Olympic gold medallist's mother reveals.




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Maccarinelli facing title rematch

Enzo Maccarinelli is ordered to a rematch against Shane McPhilbin for the British cruiserweight title.




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Radcliffe backs 'Plastic Brits'

Paula Radcliffe insists Britain should get behind their Olympic athletes, even if they were born elsewhere.




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GB draw on Petitclerc experience

Canadian star helps Paralympic hopefuls




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Jenkins second in World Triathlon

Britain's Helen Jenkins finishes second in the opening round of the World Triathlon Series, behind Australia's Erin Densham.




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Merrien in top form for Marathon

Guernsey's Lee Merrien is in the form of this life as he prepares to try and qualify for the Olympics in Sunday's London Marathon.




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India Nature Watch - Thomisus sp on Tridax flower