WhatsappMessaging app introduces new group chat features – here's everything you need to know

The new improvement features also include protection so users can't be repeatedly added to groups they've left.

playWhatsapp introduces new group chat features – here's everything you need to know (Whatsapp blog)

WhatsApp has introduced a number of new features for group chats, in a bid to make the platform more interactive and engaging.

The new improvement features also include protection so users can't be repeatedly added to groups they've left. These features are available for Android and iPhone users globally.

“Groups have been an important part of the WhatsApp experience, whether it's family members connecting across the globe or childhood friends staying in touch over the years. Today, we're sharing improvements that we've made to groups.

“These features are available for Android and iPhone users,” Whatsapp said in a blog post released on Tuesday, May 15, 2018.

New features for groups and group admins:

• Group description: A short blurb found under group info that allows you to set the purpose, guidelines, or topics for the group. When a new person joins a group, the description will show up at the top of the chat.
• Admin controls: In group settings, there's now a control that allows admins to restrict who can change the group's subject, icon, and description.
• Group catch up: When you've been away from a group chat, quickly catch up on messages that mention or reply to you by tapping on a new @ button that appears at the bottom right corner of the chat.
• Participant search: Find anyone in a group by searching for participants on the group info page.

Also READ: This is why your inbox is full of privacy policy updates

Admins can now remove admin permissions of other group participants, and group creators can no longer be removed from the group they started.

In January 2018, Whatsapp also introduced new app that makes it easier for companies to connect with customers in a more fore convenient way.

WhatsApp Business - a free-to-download Android app for small businesses - makes it easier for businesses to respond to customers, separating customer and personal messages, and creating an official presence.

The Whatsapp Business features include business profile, messaging tools, messaging statistics, account type and Whatsapp web.

Aisha Buhari Orders Arrest Of Her ADC Over N2.5 Billion Fraud.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s wife, Aisha, has ordered the arrest of her own Aide De Camp, Sani Baba-Inna alleging that he defrauded her, Premium Timesreports.

According to Mrs Buhari, Baba-Inna, a chief superintendent of police, failed to remit huge donations from politicians and business people that he received in her name.

The President’s wife as a result of this, requested the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to arrest and compel Mr. Baba-Inna to refund the money, put at over N2.5billion.Baba-Inna was immediately arrested and remained in detention since Friday, with relatives having no access to him, family members say.

Since he was confronted with the allegation, Mr. Baba-Inna has strongly maintained his innocence,  maintaining  that he received no donation from anyone on behalf of his boss.

Outcome Of Police Investigation

Following the petition, the Police, last Friday, arrested Mr Baba-Inna and carried raided his home in the Garki District of Abuja.

However, the outcome of the raid and checks on his bank account showed that money of such magnitude was not in those locations.

When Mrs Buhari was informed of the outcome of police investigation, the source said the first lady flared up and accused the police of colluding “to protect one of their own”.

She then reportedly asked the Department of State Services, DSS to take over the case and get her money back”.

SSS Wades In

On the orders of the wife of the president, DSS operatives reportedly took custody of Mr Baba Inna.

The News platform confirm that Mr Baba-Inna was in custody at the headquarters of his agency in Abuja.

“He was handed over by the Police and investigation is ongoing,” he said.

A member of the Baba-Inna family also informed us that the DSS allowed Hassana, the wife of the ADC to meet him today.

 

UPDATED: Women’s Basketball World Cup: Nigeria defeat Argentina, set to battle Greece for quarter-final slot.

The Nigeria Women’s Basketball team moved closer to qualifying for the quarter-final of the ongoing FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Spain after they defeated their counterparts from Argentina 75-70 in their last group game on Tuesday.

D’Tigeress had promised to avenge the defeat suffered by the Super Eagles at the last FIFA World Cup against Argentina in Tuesday’s game, and they did just that as they overpowered the South Americans to edge closer into securing a slot among the last eight teams.

Despite the stuttering start from the Nigeran girls in the first quarter, it was D’Tigress that still had the lead at the end of the 1st quarter by 19 points to 13.

The Argentines, however, clawed their way back and reduced the lead at a time to just one point but before the end of the second quarter cum halftime. D’Tigress who did not let their heads fall ensured that they were leading by 3 points as the score by halftime was 32-29.

As expected, the technical prowess of the two coaches was put to test going into the third quarter and it was the Argentines that came out more smoking as they caught up with D’Tigress 38-38 as the game progressed.

Though it was tied at 47-47 two minutes to end of the third quarter, Evelyn Akhator’s jump shot at the death ensured that Nigeria kept the lead at 51-48 at the end of the pulsating third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the game went to the wire before D’Tigress pulled away to win 75-70.

The Nigerian team will now battle against Greece for a place In the quarter finals proper.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been edited to reflect the fact the D’Tigress are yet to qualify for the quarter-finals.

NLC declares indefinite warning strike over minimum wage.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has declared the starting of an indefinite warning strike to press the Buhari administration to adopt a new minimum wage for workers.

The strike will start Wednesday morning.

Its sister labour group, the Trade Union Congress, had earlier on Tuesday announced it would begin strike from the early hours of Thursday, following the federal government’s failure to honour its ultimatum on the new minimum wage.

Both unions had earlier said the organised labour’s demand to reconvene a tripartite committee on the national minimum wage for workers was not met, and that the leaders have cautioned the federal government against foot-dragging on the new minimum wage.

Last Thursday, the NLC resolved to commence an indefinite nationwide strike after the expiration of the 14-day ultimatum given to the federal government which will elapse Wednesday.

In a press statement Wednesday, signed by the NLC General Secretary, Peter Ozo-Eson, the congress resolved that the strike commence in the midnight of Wednesday.

“Representatives of organized labour, after due consultation and meetings, have therefore agreed that all unions and our Civil society allies should embark on a warning strike from midnight of Wednesday, 26th September, 2018,” the statement said.

“All affiliates and state councils are therefore expected to mobilize their members nationwide to ensure total compliance.”

“The nationwide warning strike will remain in force until further directives are conveyed,” the release read.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/286429-breaking-nlc-declares-indefinite-warning-strike-over-minimum-wage.html

Almost half of UK internet users 'harmed' online

Almost half of internet users in the UK have suffered "harm" online, suggests research.

The harms include bullying and harassment as well as attacks by malware or cyber-thieves.
The study by regulator Ofcom sought to quantify the type and severity of harm that going online could do to people.
Interactions via social networks and email were deemed to be the most likely to cause harm.

Closer look

The study questioned almost 2,000 Britons and found that 45% reported they had suffered some form of harm online.
Ofcom looked at harm in four areas:

• online content that people see, hear or watch
• interactions with other users
• data and privacy
• cyber-security and hacking

Bad experiences included unwelcome attention via social media, trolling and bullying as well as theft of data or personal information.
Across all these categories, roughly 20% of people reported that their experience had been "very harmful".
About 20% of those questioned said they reported offensive or harmful content when they encountered it. Hate speech, harassment and illegal sexual content were most likely to be reported.
In addition, many of those questioned were concerned about the effect on children of easy access to the net and potentially harmful content or interaction.
The research has been released shortly before Ofcom boss Sharon White gives a speech at the Royal Television Society conference in which she is expected to say the harms have arisen because of a lack of regulation.
"While the regulation of online content has evolved in recent years, there are significant disparities in whether and how it is regulated," she said in a statement released alongside the research.
Ms White suggested that some of the principles underlying what the UK's broadcasters can show could help shape regulation for social media and other online platforms.

Image copyright EPA

Image caption Social networks should remove hateful content within an hour, said Mr Juncker

The final form of regulation should be up to government and Parliament, said Ms White in the Ofcom statement. But she said looking at the way broadcasters handle freedom of expression, transparency and how the enforcement of regulations is handled could guide debate.
If fines are chosen as a punishment, online firms should also be subject to "meaningful financial penalties" if they flout rules or fail to protect users, said Ms White.
The call was echoed by Liam Byrne, Labour's shadow digital minister, who said net firms should "step up to their responsibilities".
The study comes as social media firms face increasing scrutiny over how they handle potentially harmful or inappropriate content.
Earlier this month, Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, said Google, Facebook and Twitter must remove extremist content within an hour or face hefty fines.
In his annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament, he said an hour was a "decisive time window".

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-45519507

Elon Musk sued for libel by British Thai cave rescuer

A British cave diver is suing tech billionaire Elon Musk for defamation after his repeated claims the diver is a child abuser.

Vernon Unsworth helped with the rescue of 12 Thai teenagers from a flooded cave in July.
Mr Musk has made several accusations against Mr Unsworth without evidence, including that he was a "child rapist".
The lawsuit seeks $75,000 (£57,000) in compensation and an injunction against Mr Musk to stop further allegations.
The filing also says Mr Unsworth is seeking "punitive damages" as well as the compensation, "to punish him for his wrongdoing and deter him from repeating such heinous conduct".
It says Mr Musk sometimes used his Twitter account and emails to "publish to the world false and defamatory accusations" against the Briton.
His account had over 22.5 million followers during this time, the filing states.
The South African-born head of Tesla previously tweeted it was "strange he hasn't sued me" when Mr Unsworth said he was considering legal action.

Image Copyright @elonmusk @elonmusk

Report

Mr Unsworth filed the suit in California. A separate suit will follow in London, the filing says.
"Musk's influence and wealth cannot convert his lies into truth or protect him from accountability for his wrongdoing in a court of law," Mr Unsworth's US attorney, L Lin Wood, said.

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How defamation works in the US

by Clive Coleman, BBC legal correspondent
The first amendment of the United States Constitution which protects free speech makes defamation a challenging legal action to bring.
A plaintiff (the person bringing the case) has to prove the statement made about them is false and that it has caused them material harm.
However, the toughest hurdle is that if the person bringing the case is regarded as a public figure - and 'public figure' is given a pretty wide interpretation - it has to be proved that the defendant acted maliciously.
In other words that the person making the statement knew it to be false and went on to make it.
Another way of putting it would be that it must be proved that the defendant knowingly lied with the intention of harming the plaintiff.

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The pair first clashed over Mr Musk's offer of a mini-submarine to help with the cave rescue.
The entrepreneur posted footage of the vehicle on Twitter and suggested it could be used to help save the trapped teens.

Image Copyright @elonmusk @elonmusk

Report

Mr Unsworth told CNN that the submarine was "just a PR stunt [that] had absolutely no chance of working" and said Mr Musk could "stick his submarine where it hurts".

• Why was Elon Musk at the Thai cave rescue?
• The full story of Thailand’s extraordinary cave rescue
• In pictures: Thai artists' huge mural of cave rescue heroes

The Tesla founder responded with a series of tweets accusing Mr Unsworth of paedophilia.
Although he later deleted the tweets and offered an apology to the diver, Mr Musk reignited the row earlier this month.
An email to Buzzfeed reporter Ryan Mac included the claim the Briton was a "child rapist", imploring the reporter to "find out what's actually going on" and suggesting the diver took no part in the cave rescue.
The billionaire also said he hoped Mr Unsworth would sue him.

Image copyright Reuters

Image caption Mr Unsworth, in orange, provided information for the rescue

Mr Unsworth did not take part in the dives but had previously explored the cave complex extensively.
He knew about the raised ledge known as Pattaya Beach where the boys and their football coach could have sought shelter, travelled into the caves shortly after they went missing and called in the two expert British divers who eventually found the trapped group.
Several divers told Buzzfeed that he had worked continuously on the rescue. "He was pivotal to the entire operation," said British diver Rick Stanton.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45551895