Hacking threat spurs vehicle recall by Fiat
DETROIT – Fiat Chrysler has decided to recall about 1.4 million cars and trucks in the U.S. just days after two hackers revealed that they took control of a Jeep Cherokee SUV over the Internet.
The company also disclosed in government documents that the hackers got into the Jeep through an electronic opening in the radio and said it would update software to close it. On Thursday, Fiat Chrysler sealed off a loophole in its internal cellular telephone network with vehicles to prevent similar attacks, the automaker said in a statement.
Hydrogen gas linked to explosion at beach
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A mysterious blast on a Rhode Island beach likely was caused by the combustion of hydrogen gas that had built up because of a corroded copper cable under the sand, investigators announced Friday.
Officials have spent nearly two weeks trying to figure out what happened on July 11 at Salty Brine Beach in Narragansett, when witnesses heard a large boom and a woman from Connecticut was sent flying through the air into a jetty. Police almost immediately ruled out an explosive device or intentional act.
FCC approves merger of AT&T, DirectTV
WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission voted Friday to approve AT&T’s $49 billion acquisition of DirecTV, blessing the biggest merger of the year and ending a months-long negotiation between AT&T and the nation’s top telecom regulator.
The deal gives AT&T control of DirecTV’s 20.4 million customers and valuable programming, turning it into a media giant in addition to a telecommunications company.
As part of the deal, AT&T has agreed to conditions, including promising to expand high-speed Internet to 12.5 million households, schools and libraries. AT&T also agrees not to favor its own or partner content over its networks – a requirement aimed at protecting nascent streaming video services.
Associated Press and The Washington Post
