Google is getting ready to sell wireless telephone services directly to U.S. consumers after reaching deals with carriers T-Mobile and Sprint, U.S. media reported Wednesday.

The move is likely to have big impacts on the U.S. wireless industry, potentially resulting in price cuts and improved speeds.

A group of pro-Syrian regime hackers briefly took over the Twitter account of France's Le Monde newspaper early Wednesday, tweeting several messages including one reading "Je ne suis pas Charlie".

The tweet was a negative reference to the "Je Suis Charlie" (I am Charlie) hashtag that became a popular way of showing solidarity in the wake of this month's Islamist attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo that left 12 people dead.

Dutch company ASML, which makes computer chip-making systems and is seen as a global hi-tech bellwether, on Wednesday announced a 2014 profit leap of 18 percent to 1.2 billion euros, driven by sales in the memory sector.

The company based in Veldhoven, southern Netherlands, said in a statement that its annual sales hit a "record" 5.86 billion euros ($6.78 billion), up 12 percent.

Microsoft will use an event Wednesday to offer a wider glimpse of the next version of Windows.

The company is planning to show off new features of its flagship operating system — and possibly an improved Internet browser and more uses for Microsoft's voice-controlled digital assistant, Cortana. Executives will also demonstrate how the new Windows is designed to provide a more consistent experience and a common platform for software apps on different devices, from personal computers to tablets, smartphones and even the company's Xbox gaming console.

Facebook said Tuesday it would step up efforts to limit circulation of bogus "news stories" in user feeds, saying it is an annoyance for members of the huge social network.

"We've heard from people that they want to see fewer stories that are hoaxes, or misleading news," said Facebook's Erich Owens and Udi Weinsberg in a blog post.

Britain's electronic spy agency GCHQ tapped emails of journalists at some of the world's top media organisations, the Guardian reported on Monday.

The report said GCHQ gathered emails from journalists at the BBC, the Guardian, Le Monde, NBC, the New York Times, the Sun, Reuters and the Washington Post.

Samsung Electronics, the world's largest smartphone maker, said on Tuesday it was considering a stock split that would placate existing investors and attract new ones with a more affordable share price.

Head of investor relations Robert Yi said the South Korean tech giant had been looking into a possible split "for a while" but was still debating the benefits of such a move.

The scientist behind a new talking robot in Japan says people should stop expecting robots to understand them, and instead try to chime in with robotic conversations.

Hiroshi Ishiguro's 28-centimeter (11-inch) tall button-eyed Sota, which stands for "social talker," is programmed to mainly talk with a fellow robot, and won't be trying too hard to understand human speech — the major, and often frustrating, drawback of companion robots.

British police arrested an alleged hacker in a joint operation with the FBI on Friday as the UK and U.S. prepared to unveil cyber security training including simulated attacks on Wall Street and the City.

The 18-year-old male suspect was detained in Southport, northwest England as part of an investigation into worldwide attacks on Sony's PlayStation and Microsoft's Xbox gaming platforms over Christmas.

Apple, Google and two other Silicon Valley companies have agreed to pay $415 million in a second attempt to resolve a class-action lawsuit alleging they formed an illegal cartel to prevent their workers from leaving for better-paying jobs.

The settlement filed Thursday in a San Jose, California, federal court revises a $324.5 million agreement that U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh rejected as inadequate five months ago. Koh indicated that she believed the roughly 64,000 workers in the case should be paid at least $380 million, including attorney fees.