Astronomers on Thursday announced that their new billion-dollar U.S. observatory has detected a gravitational wave, a phenomenon Albert Einstein predicted a century ago in his theory of general relativity. Here's what that breakthrough means.

WHAT IS A GRAVITATIONAL WAVE?

The closure of a factory park in North Korea jointly run by both Koreas has cost the impoverished North a rare source of legitimate hard currency. Seoul says it shut the Kaesong complex in response to the North's recent long-range rocket launch to keep its impoverished neighbor from using the money factories provided to fund its nuclear and missile programs.

With that hit to Pyongyang's already shaky finances gone, at least for now, here's a look at the North's economy and the external sources of income it maintains despite a raft of heavy international sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missiles program.

Iran says it is cracking down on Valentine's Day celebrations and shops engaging in them will be guilty of a crime.

Iranian news outlets reported the police directive Friday warning retailers against promoting "decadent Western culture through Valentine's Day rituals."

Make them an offer they can't refuse and a massive collection of "The Godfather" author Mario Puzo's papers can be yours.

The 45-box archive, which includes multiple drafts with handwritten revisions to both the novel and the screenplay, is being sold by Boston-based RR Auction on February 18.

Hozier is giving his latest single to charity.

"Cherry Wine" — which features in a live version on his self-titled debut record — is described by the 25-year-old Irish singer as "a love song written from the perspective of someone who is in an abusive relationship." So Hozier and his record labels have decided to donate all of the single's proceeds to several domestic abuse charities, including Women's Aid in the UK.

The coolest place to be on Broadway last year was inside the Studio 54 theater. To be more specific, it was in Alan Cumming's dressing room there.

That's where guests after "Cabaret" would go backstage to mingle and dance as Cumming played DJ. Those impromptu nights led to the concert series "Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs" at the elegant Cafe Carlyle last summer, a live CD of the concert and now a mini tour.

Uber says that it will pay $28.5 million to settle two lawsuits that said the ride-hailing firm misled customers about its safety procedures and fees.

The company told a federal judge in San Francisco that it wants to settle the class-action lawsuits by paying about 25 million riders who made U.S. trips between January 1, 2013, and January 31, 2016.

Visa is now a major shareholder in Square, the mobile payment services company co-founded and led by Jack Dorsey.

Shares of Square spiked 14 percent before the opening bell Friday.

Facebook lost a crucial legal battle Friday as a Paris court ruled the social network can be sued in France over its decision to remove the account of a French user who posted a photo of a famous 19th-century nude painting.

The ruling by the Paris appeals court could set a legal precedent in France, where Facebook has more than 30 million regular users. It can be appealed to France's highest court.

Brazilian laboratories say delays in providing kits to test for mosquito-borne dengue have forced them to store patient blood samples until the kits are delivered.

In Sao Paulo, the state government's Adolfo Lutz Institute says in a statement it has not received any of the 2,500 kits it requested from the Health Ministry five months ago.