CHINA USED TV, TIKTOK STARS IN DISCREET OLYMPICS CAMPAIGN

A “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” TV star, a Paralympic swimmer and a self-described “brand king” were among the Instagram and TikTok influencers who were paid by Chinese officials for a discreet campaign that promoted the Beijing Winter Olympics, new Justice Department documents reveal.

CALIFORNIA PLAN AIMS TO TRIPLE SALE OF ELECTRIC CARS BY 2026

California wants electric vehicle sales to triple in the next four years to 35% of all new car purchases, an aggressive target set as part of the goal to phase out the sale of gas-powered cars by the middle of next decade.

AMAZON: IMDB TV WILL BE RENAMED AMAZON FREEVEE

Amazon announced its free streaming service IMDb TV will be renamed Amazon Freevee.

AMAZON ADDS 5% ‘FUEL AND INFLATION SURCHARGE' TO SELLER FEES

Amazon is taking a step to off set its rising costs, announcing this week it will add a 5% “fuel and inflation surcharge” to fees it charges thirdparty sellers who use the e-commerce giant’s fulfillment services.

TWITTER SAYS IT'S TESTING AN ‘EDIT' BUTTON

Twitter tweeted that it is indeed working on a way for users to edit their 280-character messages, although it says the project has nothing to do with the fact that edit-function fan Elon Musk was just revealed as the company’s largest shareholder and now sits on its board.

IF YOUR BANK MERGES, SHOULD YOU SHOP AROUND OR STAY PUT?

Bank mergers and acquisitions happen regularly and can lead to streamlined services and better offerings for consumers, but they can also sometimes create challenges like less access to branches or customer service difficulties.

YELLEN CALLS FOR CRYPTO REGULATION TO REDUCE RISKS, FRAUD

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says more government regulation is needed to police the proliferation of cryptocurrency and ward off fraudulent or illicit transactions.

US ELECTRIC VEHICLE TAX CREDITS ENDING FOR NEW TOYOTA BUYERS

Toyota customers soon won’t be able to get U.S. federal tax credits for buying electric or hybrid vehicles.

CHINESE HACKERS REPORTEDLY TARGET INDIA'S POWER GRID

India’s power sector has been targeted by hackers in a long-term operation thought to have been carried out by a state-sponsored Chinese group, a U.S.-based private cybersecurity company detailed in a new report.

TESLA SELLS 310,000 VEHICLES IN 1Q, DESPITE LOGISTICS ISSUES

Tesla delivered 310,000 vehicles in the first quarter, up roughly 68% from the same period in 2021, the company said.

META: RUSSIAN INVASION DRIVING MORE DISINFORMATION ONLINE

Hackers aligned with Russia broke into the social media accounts of dozens of Ukrainian military officers and were working to upload videos of defeated and surrendering Ukrainian soldiers when the plot was disrupted, according to a report Thursday from Meta that details a troubling increase in social media disinformation this year.

ELON MUSK JOINS TWITTER BOARD AFTER AMASSING MASSIVE STAKE

Elon Musk is joining Twitter’s board of directors a day after revealing that he’d become the social media platform’s largest shareholder with a 9% stake.

AIRLINES REDUCE CANCELLATIONS, BUT US FLIGHT PROBLEMS LINGER

Air travel in the United States improved after a rocky weekend that left thousands of flyers stranded by thunderstorms in Florida, technology problems at the busiest domestic airline and labor problems at another carrier.

Waymo to Expand Autonomous Vehicle Rides to San Francisco

Waymo’s self-driving ride-hailing service is branching out to San Francisco.

CHIP SHORTAGE FORCES GM TO PAUSE PRODUCTION AT INDIANA PLANT

General Motors is shutting down its pickup truck factory in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for two weeks next month because the company has run short of computer chips.

FACEBOOK RESORTS TO OLD SMEAR TACTICS AGAINST TIKTOK

Eleven years ago, Facebook was caught redhanded after it hired a prominent public relations firm to try to plant stories harshly criticizing Google’s privacy practices in leading news outlets.

IN YOUR DEBT: FORGET THE FED, PAY OFF YOUR CREDIT CARD DEBT

The cost of everything keeps creeping up.

AS RUSSIA SEES TECH BRAIN DRAIN, OTHER NATIONS HOPE TO GAIN

Russia’s tech workers are looking for safer and more productive professional pastures.

WAR TRANSFORMS UKRAINIAN BROTHERS' GAMING YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Starting out with funny videos and chat over Mario Kart racing games, two Ukrainian brothers have added a somber tone to their YouTube channel popular with young Japanese with updates from their country that bring the harsh realities of war closer to Japan.

US, EU SIGN DATA TRANSFER DEAL TO EASE PRIVACY CONCERNS

The European Union and United States made a breakthrough in their yearslong battle over the privacy of data that flows across the Atlantic with a preliminary agreement that paves the way for Europeans’ personal information to be stored in the U.S.

VIETNAMESE CARMAKER TO BUILD ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN N CAROLINA

A Vietnamese automaker announced plans to build a plant in North Carolina to manufacture electric vehicles, promising to bring 7,500 jobs and ending the state’s streak of near-misses for landing carmakers.

US INVESTIGATING AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE COMPANY'S CRASH REPORT

A small maker of autonomous vehicle systems could be in hot water with U.S. highway safety regulators over how much time elapsed before it reported the crash of one of its test vehicles last fall.

PARTY'S OVER: DUBAI'S MONTHSLONG EXPO 2020 COMES TO A CLOSE

The world’s fair in Dubai, a tech-saturated site teeming with talking robots and solar canopies, sought to be the future.

MEDIA MEASURING COMPANY NIELSEN TO BE ACQUIRED IN $16B DEAL

Nielsen is being acquired for $16 billion, including debt, about a week after the media measurement company rejected a smaller offer earlier this month.

A KEY INFLATION GAUGE SETS 40-YEAR HIGH AS GAS AND FOOD SOAR

An inflation gauge that is closely monitored by the Federal Reserve jumped 6.4% in February compared with a year ago, with sharply higher prices for food, gasoline and other necessities squeezing Americans’ finances.

US SEEKS NEW LITHIUM SOURCES AS DEMAND FOR BATTERIES GROWS

The race is on to produce more lithium in the United States.

Alibaba Raises Buyback to $25b to Boost Slumping Stock

Alibaba Group, the world’s biggest e-commerce company, increased a share buyback to $25 billion from $15 billion to prop up a stock price that has fallen by more than half since the ruling Communist Party tightened control over tech industries by launching regulatory crackdowns.

THAILAND BANS CRYPTOCURRENCY PAYMENTS FOR GOODS AND SERVICES

Thailand’s securities regulator announced Wednesday that it is barring the use of cryptocurrencies for payment of goods and services.

MEGHAN'S 1ST SPOTIFY PODCAST TO FOCUS ON FEMALE STEREOTYPES

The first podcast from Prince Harry and Meghan’s partnership with Spotify will focus on harmful labels and stereotypes applied to women.

SHOULD YOU INVEST IN A FRIEND'S BUSINESS?

Ben & Jerry’s was started by childhood best friends. Four grad school buddies founded Warby Parker. A long friendship-turned-partnership brought Clear to TSA security lines across the U.S. A shopping trip between two pals launched size-inclusive clothing brand Universal Standard.