Bangladesh announced plans Thursday to monitor social media networks such as Facebook in a bid to identify bloggers who have been accused of insulting Islam and the Prophet Mohammed.

Chinese-made missiles have been used to shoot down two Syrian army helicopters, state media reported Thursday, adding their performance could boost the international sales appeal of Chinese weapons.

Beijing on Thursday repeated its offer of international talks on hacking, including with the United States, after President Barack Obama stepped up Washington's rhetoric on the issue.

China Mobile, the world's biggest mobile operator by subscribers, on Thursday said its 2012 net profit slowed to 2.7 percent, blaming intensified competition in the country.

Locked in a fierce battle in the smartphone market, South Korean giant Samsung unveils its latest device aimed at challenging Apple in its home market.

Google said it was tossing its Reader service and seven other products under a house cleaning campaign that has closed 70 of the Internet giant's features in the past two years.

President Barack Obama entered the fray Wednesday on cyber attacks from China, saying some intrusions affecting US firms and infrastructure were "state sponsored."

With the ringing of a ceremonial bell in space to mark a crew change, astronaut Chris Hadfield became the first Canadian to assume command of the International Space Station on Wednesday.

Google said Wednesday that it has bought a Canadian startup specializing in getting machines to understand what people are trying to say.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average set a new record closing for the seventh straight day Wednesday as US stocks registered small gains.

Facebook on Wednesday began rolling out new profile pages redesigned to clear away clutter from "Timelines" that chronicle member postings at the leading social network.

What is thought to be the world's largest ground-based observatory opened Wednesday in northern Chile, wielding unprecedented power to peer into the remotest regions of the universe.

Amazon.com on Wednesday ramped up its challenge to Apple's iPads by trimming the price of its large-screen Kindle Fire and making the tablets available in Japan and Europe.

Dutch thriller "APP", about a mysterious personal assistant application that takes over mobile phones, requires viewers for the first time to look at their smartphones in the cinema to view extra footage.

Andy Rubin, the brains behind the Google Android operating system which has become the dominant mobile platform, is stepping down as head of that division, the company said Wednesday.

Emerging from the worst drought in 50 years, US farmers are bracing for long-term challenges from climate change including blasting heat and more capricious rainfall.

The New York Times website is undergoing a major overhaul in an effort to become "cleaner" and more engaging, and also to improve the presentation of online ads.

Netflix on Wednesday took the long awaited step of letting US users share with Facebook friends what they have been watching at the film and television show streaming service.

Libya plans to invite bids from foreign firms for oil concessions by the end of 2013, Oil Minister Abdelbari al-Arussi told AFP on Wednesday, adding that Tripoli wants to increase its OPEC output quota.

The US Federal Trade Commission called Tuesday for potentially bedeviling fine print to be "clear and conspicuous" as ads follow people onto smartphone screens or online social networks.