Here's the top five news stories people searched for via Google in 2019.

The head of the US Federal Aviation Administration has admitted that mistakes were made in approving Boeing's 737 Max plane for flight, before two deadly crashes involving the aircraft. Steve Dickson told US lawmakers that the FAA would not approve the plane's return to the skies before the end of year. Also today, we look at the latest moves on the currency markets as UK voters go to the polls.

Farmers under the auspices of Nigeria Farmers Group and Co-operative Society have introduced new machines in the processing of rice to give the product a boost. The farmers say they were motivated by the FG's closure of the country's land borders.

Digital experts in Lagos are advocating the adoption of consumer-centric innovation beyond the creation of apps. At the Art of Technology in Lagos, Managing Director of Rack Centre, Ayotunde Coker spoke to CNBC Africa’s Christy Cole for more.

Already tagged Nigeria’s commercial capital – Lagos State says it is now on a mission to seal a spot as the country’s technology and innovation hub. CNBC Africa's Christy Cole spoke to Special Assistant to Lagos State Governor on Technology and Innovation, Olatunbosun Alake, that Lagos is making moves to remove communication barriers between the state and its tech ecosystem as well as turbo-charge levers of innovation within the state.

Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat told CNBC Africa’s Christy Cole that the purpose of the Lagos Innovation Master Plan and the Lagos Solutions Hub launched at the Art of Technology in Lagos is to bring the state's tech ecosystem together and remove communication barriers between the tech industry and government.

The FBI issued a pre-holiday warning regarding the various security risks that could result from purchasing a smart TV. At the low end of the risk spectrum, they can change channels, play with the volume, and show your kids inappropriate videos.

Waste car batteries usually end up on the scrapheap. But a German engineer has made it his mission to recycle them - by extracting the valuable raw materials they contain.

Google's Country Manager for Nigeria, Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor says emerging technological innovations provide growth acceleration opportunities for Nigeria as well as solutions to Africa’s problems in radically different ways. CNBC Africa's Christy Cole caught up with her on the side-lines of Zenith Bank’s Tech Fair in Lagos.

Larry Page and Sergey Brin are stepping down as CEO and president of Google's parent company Alphabet - we tell you more. Also, the US-China trade war could last through the 2020 US election, and Tesla's Elon Musk testifies in a defamation lawsuit against him.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has faced court over accusations that he defamed a rescue diver when he called him "pedo guy." The plaintiff can win the case if he proves that Musk's tweeting was "negligent."

Astronauts perform a spacewalk outside the International Space Station. This spacewalk is a third in the series of spacewalks aimed at repairing the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, a cosmic ray detector.