STATES GET GO-AHEAD TO BUILD ELECTRIC CAR CHARGING STATIONS

States are being given the go-ahead to build a nationwide network of electric vehicle charging stations that would place new or upgraded stations every 50 miles (80 kilometers) along interstate highways, part of the Biden administration’s plan to spur widespread adoption of the zero-emission cars.

MUSK HELPING RESTORE TONGAN INTERNET; VIRUS OUTBREAK GROWING

Entrepreneur Elon Musk is helping reconnect Tonga to the internet after a volcanic eruption and tsunami cut off the South Pacific nation more than three weeks ago, according to officials, while repairs on an undersea cable are proving more difficult than first thought.

LOVE & LOGINS: WHO GETS CUSTODY OF PASSWORDS IN A BREAKUP?

Emily Taffel didn’t pull the password plug when she divorced her first husband, and she didn’t cut off the boyfriend who followed. Now remarried with four stepchildren, she continues as a model of civility when it comes to exes and logins.

SAMSUNG UNVEILS NEW PHONES AS PREMIUM MARKET SHARE SHRINKS

Samsung is trying to reclaim lost ground in the coveted high end of the smartphone market with a new lineup of Galaxy S models designed to appeal to consumers who are increasingly sharing videos of their antics on TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and other popular apps.

HOUSE PASSES BILL TO BOOST US COMPUTER CHIP PRODUCTION

Democrats muscled legislation through the House that they say positions the United States to better compete with China economically and on the global stage by strengthening the domestic semiconductor industry and shoring up strained supply chains.

A SIGN OF RANSOMWARE GROWTH: GANGS NOW ARBITRATE DISPUTES

Cyber criminal gangs are getting increasingly adept at hacking and becoming more professional, even setting up an arbitration system to resolve payment disputes among themselves, according to a new report by the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom that paints a bleak picture of ransomware trends.

Shares Of Facebook Parent Meta Plunge 23% On Lower Profits

Newly renamed Meta is investing heavily in its futuristic “metaverse” project, but for now, relies on advertising revenue for nearly all its income.

Japanese Game Maker Nintendo's Profits Hurt by Chips Crunch

Nintendo’s profit for the nine months through December slipped 2.5%, as shortages of computer chips hurt production, the Japanese video game maker behind the Super Mario and Pokemon franchises said Thursday.

THE END: FACEBOOK-BACKED DIGITAL CURRENCY DIEM SOLD TO BANK

A once-ambitious but now faltering Facebookbacked digital currency project known as Diem is dead, its assets sold to bank holding company Silvergate Capital.

SAMSUNG REPORTS ROBUST PROFIT BASED ON CHIP STRENGTH

Samsung Electronics Co. said this week its operating profit for the last quarter rose by more than 53% from the same period last year as it continued to thrive during the pandemic while relying on its dual strength in parts and finished products.

FAITH IN THE METAVERSE: A VR QUEST FOR COMMUNITY, FELLOWSHIP

Under quarantine for COVID-19 exposure, Garret Bernal and his family missed a recent Sunday church service.

SLOW DOWN: STATES GET INFRASTRUCTURE CASH FOR SPEED CAMERAS

Drivers, beware: Speed cameras could be on their way to a location near you thanks to President Joe Biden’s infrastructure law.

FBI CONFIRMS IT BOUGHT SPYWARE FROM ISRAEL'S NSO GROUP

The FBI has confirmed purchasing NSO Group’s powerful spyware tool Pegasus, whose chronic abuse to surveil journalists, dissidents and human rights activists has long been established.

DIGITAL WARFARE TECH AT SEA HELPING US FOES EVADE SANCTIONS

Technology to hide a ship’s location previously available only to the world’s militaries is spreading fast through the global maritime industry as governments from Iran to Venezuela — and the rogue shipping companies they depend on to move their petroleum products — look for stealthier ways to circumvent U.S. sanctions.

FAA CLEARS VERIZON AND AT&T TO TURN ON MORE 5G CELL TOWERS

Federal safety regulators say they have cleared the way for Verizon and AT&T to power up more towers for new 5G service without causing radio interference with airplanes.

A LIKELY POOR JOBS FIGURE FOR JANUARY COULD PROVE TEMPORARY

Last month, U.S. employers might have shed jobs for the first time in about a year, potentially raising alarms about the economy’s trajectory.

Samsung Reports Robust Profit Based on Chip Strength

Samsung Electronics Co. said Thursday its operating profit for the last quarter rose by more than 53% from the same period last year as it continued to thrive during the pandemic while relying on its dual strength in parts and finished products.

JAPAN'S MITSUBISHI, ENERGY BODY JOIN GATES' NUCLEAR PROJECT

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency have signed an agreement to participate in a next-generation nuclear energy project with TerraPower, a company started by Bill Gates.

PICASSO HEIRS LAUNCH DIGITAL ART PIECE TO RIDE ‘CRYPTO' WAVE

Pablo, meet Crypto. Heirs of Pablo Picasso, the famed 20th-century Spanish artist, are vaulting into 21st-century commerce by selling 1,010 digital art pieces of one of his ceramic works that has never before been seen publicly — riding a fad for “crypto” assets that have taken the art and financial worlds by storm.

NORTH CAROLINA CHOSEN FOR SUPERSONIC PASSENGER JET PLANT

A Colorado-based aviation company announced this week that it has chosen a North Carolina airport as the manufacturing site for next-generation supersonic passenger jets.

HOT STUFF: LAB HITS MILESTONE ON LONG ROAD TO FUSION POWER

With 192 lasers and temperatures more than three times hotter than the center of the sun, scientists hit — at least for a fraction of a second — a key milestone on the long road toward nearly pollution-free fusion energy.

DC, 3 STATES SUE GOOGLE SAYING IT INVADES USERS' PRIVACY

The District of Columbia and three states are suing Google for allegedly deceiving consumers and invading their privacy by making it nearly impossible for them to stop their location from being tracked.

TESLA POSTS RECORD PROFIT, WON'T PRODUCE NEW MODELS IN 2022

Tesla Inc. on Wednesday posted record fourth-quarter and full-year earnings as deliveries of its electric vehicles soared despite a global shortage of computer chips that has slowed the entire auto industry.

‘SOLD BY AMAZON' PROGRAM ENDS FOLLOWING STATE INVESTIGATION

Amazon will end its “Sold by Amazon” program after an investigation by Washington state’s attorney general found it was anticompetitive and violated antitrust laws, according to court documents filed this week.

Q&A: INTERNET GUARDIAN RON DEIBERT OF CITIZEN LAB

The internet watchdog Citizen Lab has been remarkably effective in calling to account governments and private sector firms that use information technology to put people in peril.

UK'S BENTLEY POURING BILLIONS INTO ELECTRIC CAR OVERHAUL

Luxury automaker Bentley said this week it is pouring billions into upgrading manufacturing to accelerate its electric vehicle development plan, joining other auto brands shifting away from gasoline engines.

David Bowie's Extensive Music Catalog Is Sold to Warner

The extensive music catalog of David Bowie, stretching from the late 1960s to just before his death in 2016, has been sold to Warner Chappell Music.

After Wave of Cancellations, Delta Sees Recovery in 2022

Delta Air Lines lost $408 million in the final quarter of 2021, dragged down by a COVID-19 surge that rocked the airline in December, and the carrier predicted Thursday that it will suffer one more quarterly loss before travel perks up in spring and summer.

19-year-old Woman Sets Record For Solo Global Flight

Home! And no longer alone.

RED CROSS: HACK EXPOSES DATA ON 515,000 VULNERABLE PEOPLE

The International Committee of the Red Cross, which is best known for helping war victims, says hackers broke into servers hosting its data and gained access to personal, confidential information on more than a half-million vulnerable people.