Through the Loubnaniyoun NGO, the U.S. Government is supporting the Lebanese Health Ministry's effort to create a mobile application that enables citizens to access, apply for, and receive approvals for over 100 essential public health services, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richard said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the signing ceremony the ministry and Loubnaniyoun, Richard described the app as a “groundbreaking initiative.”

Google announced new steps to help struggling news organizations Monday -- including an end to a longstanding "first click free" policy to generate fresh revenues for publishers hurt by the shift from print to digital.

The moves come amid mounting criticism that online platforms are siphoning off the majority of revenues as more readers turn to digital platforms for news.

Twitter is testing allowing tweets to be expanded to 280 characters -- double the existing limit -- in the latest effort to boost flagging growth at the social network.

Saudi Arabia will lift its ban on internet calling applications on Wednesday, authorities said, easing restrictions online as the conservative kingdom faces new criticism over censorship.

A few extra-keen cities in developed countries are using internet technology to cut energy bills, fight crime and ease traffic congestion. Now everyone else wants to know how they got so far.

New York, Singapore, Taipei, Barcelona and London are regarded now as what techies call “smart cities” due to efficient use of a speedy internet and wireless connections. Lesser known hotspots include Charlotte in the United States and Lyon, France. These cities make up just a partial list.

Syria's civil war has been one of the modern world's most brutal conflicts and one of its most heavily filmed. Hundreds of thousands of amateur videos uploaded to YouTube document every heartbeat of the war over the past seven years, from momentous events like cities under bombardment to intimate scenes like a father cradling his dead children.

Syrian activists fear all that history could be erased as YouTube moves to rein in violent content. In the past few months, the online video giant has implemented new policies to remove material considered graphic or supporting terrorism, and hundreds of thousands of videos from the conflict suddenly disappeared without notice. Activists say crucial evidence of human rights violations risks being lost — as well as an outlet to the world that is crucial for them.

"One more thing." With that phrase, Apple paid homage to its late co-founder Steve Jobs for the 10-year anniversary of the iPhone on Tuesday when it unveiled its latest — and, at $999, its most expensive — new version of the device, the iPhone X.

CEO Tim Cook called it "the biggest leap forward" since the first iPhone. ("X" is pronounced like the number 10, not the letter X.) It loses the home button, which revolutionized smartphones when it launched; offers an edge-to-edge screen; and will use facial recognition to unlock the phone.

Spain's data protection watchdog said Monday it has slapped Facebook with a fine of 1.2 million euros ($1.4 million) for failing to prevent its users' data being accessed by advertisers.

The most popular "streamripping" site, in which millions of users have converted YouTube videos into audio files, shut down Thursday faced with a legal campaign by the music industry.

YouTube-mp3.org, a site in Germany started in the bedroom of computer science student Philip Matesanz, was inaccessible on Thursday with no further message.

German IT security experts said Thursday that they had found "serious flaws" in the ballot software being used for the September 24 elections in which Chancellor Angela Merkel is seeking a fourth term.