Whistleblower tells Congress that Facebook products harm kids and democracy. Past controversies over Facebook's role in Russian attempts to influence the 2016 election and the social network's lax handling of user data in the Cambridge Analytica case were crises that rocked the company and spurred internal reform. Ms. Haugen left Facebook in May after nearly two years. In a profile in the Journal, she said she had grown frustrated by what she saw as the company's lack of openness about its platforms' potential for harm and unwillingness to address its flaws. Frances Haugen, a former product manager hired to help protect against election interference on Facebook, said she decided to go public with her allegations to prompt change at the company. ... Ms. Haugen has told the Journal that she went to the job at Facebook hoping to help it fix its weaknesses. Less than a day after a report aired on “60 Minutes” from a whistleblower detailing company practices that prioritized profits over safety, both Facebook and Instagram went down for more than six hours on Monday. An update to Facebook's routers that coordinate network traffic went wrong, sending a wave of disruptions rippling through its systems. As a result, all things Facebook were effectively shut down, worldwide.

China is facing a massive power shortage due to an increase in coal prices and stricter emission norms. Residents of North-East China are left without electricity due to a power crunch. The government has ordered several companies to halt production in order to manage power shortages in the country. An increase in demand for power from industries has led to a hike in coal prices. But will the power shortage in China affect the export market? #China #Chinapoweroutage #powercrisis #NEWS9 #XiJinping

China is expected to dominate the cryptocurrency market. China had imposed a blanket ban on cryptocurrencies earlier

The war of words between Beijing and Taipei is continuing to escalate, following a record number of Chinese jets flying into Taiwan's defence zone. China’s show of force is being seen as a campaign of intimidation, ahead of Taiwan’s National Day celebrations this weekend. The rhetoric from China is also ramping up after Washington urged Beijing to stop its military activities. Regional correspondent for The Guardian, Helen Davidson, says tensions have worsened in recent years. ?