Zorro shares a report from CNBC: Facebook missed projections on revenue and global daily active users this quarter after struggling with data leaks and fake news scandals. The company reported its second-quarter earnings after the bell on Wednesday. Shares were down as much as 10 percent. CNBC summarizes the results: Earnings per share: $1.74 vs. $1.72 per a Thomson Reuters consensus estimate Revenue: $13.23 billion vs. $13.36 billion per a Thomson Reuters consensus estimate Global daily active users (DAUs): 1.47 billion vs. 1.49 billion, according to a StreetAccount and FactSet estimate North American DAUs: 185 million vs. 185.4 million, according to a FactSet estimate European DAUs: 279 million vs. 279.4 million, according to a FactSet estimate Average revenue per user (ARPU): $5.97 vs. $5.95, according to a StreetAccount and FactSet estimate

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An anonymous reader writes: In a letter sent today, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden asked officials from three government agencies (NIST, NSA, DHS) to come up with solutions and procedures that mandate the removal of Adobe Flash content from all US government websites by August 1, 2019. The Senator is urging US government officials to act in light of Adobe's Flash end-of-life date scheduled for the end of 2020, after which Adobe announced it would cease to provide any technical support for the software. Senator Wyden is hoping to avoid a situation like the one of Windows XP, which US government agencies still use, despite Microsoft retiring the operating system back in 2014. Besides removing Flash from its websites, the Senator would also want Flash removed from computer of employees by the same August 1, 2019 deadline.

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Footballer Mesut Ozil's resignation from the German national team has triggered a debate on racism and integration.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's gift of a soccer ball to U.S. President Donald Trump last week set off a chorus of warnings -- some of them only half in jest -- that the World Cup souvenir could be bugged. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham even tweeted, "I'd check the soccer ball for listening devices and never allow it in the White House." It turns out they weren't entirely wrong. From a report: Markings on the ball indicate that it contained a chip with a tiny antenna that transmits to nearby phones. But rather than a spy device, the chip is an advertised feature of the Adidas AG ball. Photographs from the news conference in Helsinki, where Putin handed the ball to Trump, show it bore a logo for a near-field communication tag. During manufacturing, the NFC chip is placed inside the ball under that logo, which resembles the icon for a WiFi signal, according to the Adidas website. The chip allows fans to access player videos, competitions and other content by bringing their mobile devices close to the ball. The feature is included in the 2018 FIFA World Cup match ball that's sold on the Adidas website for $165 (reduced to $83 in the past week).

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Russian President Vladimir Putin's gift of a soccer ball to U.S. President Donald Trump last week set off a chorus of warnings -- some of them only half in jest -- that the World Cup souvenir could be bugged. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham even tweeted, "I'd check the soccer ball for listening devices and never allow it in the White House." It turns out they weren't entirely wrong. From a report: Markings on the ball indicate that it contained a chip with a tiny antenna that transmits to nearby phones. But rather than a spy device, the chip is an advertised feature of the Adidas AG ball. Photographs from the news conference in Helsinki, where Putin handed the ball to Trump, show it bore a logo for a near-field communication tag. During manufacturing, the NFC chip is placed inside the ball under that logo, which resembles the icon for a WiFi signal, according to the Adidas website. The chip allows fans to access player videos, competitions and other content by bringing their mobile devices close to the ball. The feature is included in the 2018 FIFA World Cup match ball that's sold on the Adidas website for $165 (reduced to $83 in the past week).

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Victoria Gill takes a looks at four key moments in the search for life on the red planet.

Facebook says accounts used by a right-wing Brazilian activist group were removed for spreading misinformation.

Facebook says accounts used by a right-wing Brazilian activist group were removed for spreading misinformation.

The raids come days after a UN-brokered ceasefire helped halt an earlier wave of attacks that hit the besieged enclave.

The raids come days after a UN-brokered ceasefire helped halt an earlier wave of attacks that hit the besieged enclave.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says " Russia has acted in a manner unworthy of a great nation" by annexing Crimea.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says " Russia has acted in a manner unworthy of a great nation" by annexing Crimea.

Every day, tens of thousands of people stream into Google offices wearing red name badges. They eat in Google's cafeterias, ride its commuter shuttles and work alongside its celebrated geeks. But they can't access all of the company's celebrated perks. They aren't entitled to stock and can't enter certain offices. Many don't have health insurance. Bloomberg: Before each weekly Google all-hands meeting, trays of hors d'oeuvres and, sometimes, kegs of beer are carted into an auditorium and satellite offices around the globe for employees, who wear white badges. Those without white badges are asked to return to their desks. Google's Alphabet employs hordes of these red-badged contract workers in addition to its full-fledged staff. They serve meals and clean offices. They write code, handle sales calls, recruit staff, screen YouTube videos, test self-driving cars and even manage entire teams -- a sea of skilled laborers that fuel the $795 billion company but reap few of the benefits and opportunities available to direct employees. Earlier this year, those contractors outnumbered direct employees for the first time in the company's twenty-year history, according to a person who viewed the numbers on an internal company database. It's unclear if that is still the case. Alphabet reported 89,058 direct employees at the end of the second quarter. The company declined to comment on the number of contract workers.

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Saudi-UAE coalition says an oil tanker was slightly damaged due to an attack by the Houthi fighters.

Saudi-UAE coalition says an oil tanker was slightly damaged due to an attack by the Houthi fighters.