Russian internet giant Yandex on Wednesday launched  its first ever smartphone, ending several weeks of suspense for tech fans over the highly anticipated launch.

Facebook's number two executive Sheryl Sandberg, long seen as the "adult" at the youthfully-managed firm, has found herself the center of controversy over her role in pushing back at a growing chorus of criticism of the social media giant.

A prominent feminist and author with strong political connections, Sandberg has drawn fire in particular over an embarrassing effort to probe George Soros, the billionaire investor, after he assailed the online network as a "menace to society."

Google said Wednesday it was expanding its "virtual" telecommunication service that was limited to select Android-powered smartphones to a wider range of devices, including iPhones.

Freshly renamed "Google Fi" service aims to take on traditional carriers by letting people pay based on how much data they use and roam internationally.

Google workers on Tuesday posted an open letter calling on the internet giant to abort plans for "a censored search" service in China or risk setting a dangerous precedent.

Britain and the Netherlands fined ride-hailing giant Uber more than one million euros (dollars) on Tuesday for hiding a huge data breach for more than one year.

Facebook said on Monday a "war room" set up to defend the social network from abuses aimed at influencing elections in Brazil and the US has gone quiet.

Hi-tech Singapore is planning to roll out a swarm of drones for tasks that include delivering parcels, inspecting buildings and providing security, but safety and privacy concerns mean the initiative may hit turbulence.

Samsung Electronics apologized Friday for illnesses and deaths of some of its workers, saying it failed to create a safe working environment at its computer chip and display factories.

The announcement by the South Korean technology giant came weeks after the company and a group representing ailing Samsung workers agreed to accept compensation terms suggested by a mediator and end a highly-publicized standoff that went on for more than a decade. The company's apology was part of the settlement.

Embattled Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Tuesday he has no plans to resign, sounding defiant after a rough year for the social platform.

Facebook on Tuesday said it shut down more accounts aimed at influencing the US midterm election and that it is exploring a possible link to Russia.

"As we've continued to investigate, we detected and removed some additional Facebook and Instagram accounts," head of cybersecurity policy Nathaniel Gleicher said in an update posted at the social network.