Business Headlines
Stocks fall as worries about Greek debt return
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 1:08 P.M.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks have halted their steady climb after renewed concerns about Greece's ability to pay its debts left investors questioning a global economic recovery....
Employers, citing Mass. law, leery of health rules
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 1:05 P.M.
BOSTON (AP) -- Massachusetts has fined more than a thousand companies over $18 million for failing to offer medical insurance to their workers - a precursor of what some business owners fear could happen on a national scale if President Obama signs a sweeping health care overhaul....
EU Commission calls for European loans for Greece
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 1 P.M.
BRUSSELS (AP) -- The European Commission urged Germany and other eurozone governments Friday to put up a package of government-to-government loans to ease Greece's financial plight and end weeks of financial turmoil and speculation....
Bair says Senate bill must be tweaked
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 1 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said Friday loopholes need to be filled in new Senate legislation to ensure an end to the disastrous "too-big-to-fail" approach that brought the government rushing in to bail out big banks in the financial crisis....
Icahn launches hostile bid for all of Lions Gate
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 12:53 P.M.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Activist shareholder Carl Icahn raised the stakes in his yearlong dispute with Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. on Friday, launching an all-out bid to take over the movie studio following disagreements over its spending....
The four cities that best weathered the recession
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 12:48 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Call them the Final Four: The four large cities that have made it through the Great Recession with the smallest increases in unemployment....
Obama, Democrats lobbying hard for health vote
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 12:45 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama and Democratic leaders lobbied intensively for historic health care legislation Friday, striving to resolve a last-minute dispute over Medicare while gaining another precious "yes" 48 hours ahead of a climactic vote....
Oil settles near $80 a barrel
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 12:37 P.M.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Oil prices slumped at the end of the week, tumbling Friday close to $80 a barrel as continued uncertainty about Greece's economy helped lift the dollar higher....
Appeals court rules bank loans can be disclosed
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 12:19 P.M.
NEW YORK (AP) -- A federal appeals court ruled Friday that the Federal Reserve can reveal information to news agencies seeking to learn about loans that private banks received from the 12 Federal Reserve Banks as they used government bailout money to survive the banking crisis....
Strike looms as talks between BA, union collapse
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 11:43 A.M.
LONDON (AP) -- A three-day strike by British Airways cabin crew affecting thousands of travelers is going ahead Saturday after last-ditch talks between the airline's management and union leaders collapsed....
Boeing accelerates production of 747, 777 models
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 10:52 A.M.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Boeing Co. will speed up production plans for its 777 and 747 models in anticipation of greater demand from commercial airlines....
Nintendo aims to get consoles in schools
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 10:50 A.M.
LONDON (AP) -- Could Nintendo's Mario be swapping his world of magic mushrooms and ravenous dinosaurs for the staid confines of the classroom?...
ALL BUSINESS: Don't blame shorts for Lehman demise
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 10:11 A.M.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Remember when everybody blamed short sellers for the demise of Lehman Brothers?...
EADS considering new bid for Pentagon tanker
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 10:05 A.M.
PARIS (AP) -- Aerospace and defense company EADS said Friday it is considering a new bid for a $35 billion Pentagon contract for midair refueling tankers but will only compete if it has a fair chance against rival Boeing Co....
2-week port strike in Finland ends
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 9:57 A.M.
HELSINKI (AP) -- A port strike that shut down most of Finland's foreign trade has ended, National Conciliator Esa Lonka said Friday....
Europe's bruised economies search for way forward
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 7:57 A.M.
MADRID (AP) -- The wreckage of Spain's economic growth model stands neatly aligned on the roads leading out of Madrid - row after row of unsold houses, windows dark, for-sale signs out front....
British stocks get surprise Lloyds profit boost
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 7:27 A.M.
LONDON (AP) -- Britain's benchmark stock index was the only main market up Friday after the part-nationalized Lloyds Banking Group issued a buoyant business update. Profit-taking after strong gains this week and renewed fears about the Greek debt crisis kept investors on edge elsewhere....
Spain weighs 10-year plan to overhaul economy
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 7:22 A.M.
MADRID (AP) -- Spanish ministers approved Friday a wide-ranging 10-year reform plan designed to wean the economy off its dependence on construction and create broader, more sustainable growth as the country fights to climb out of recession....
China tells Washington to cool yuan pressure
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 7:03 A.M.
BEIJING (AP) -- China is sending a Cabinet official to Washington in a bid to defuse trade tensions, the government said Friday, as it called on U.S. leaders to cool the "politicization and emotionalization" of a currency dispute....
Lloyds Banking Group expects profit this year
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 5:38 A.M.
LONDON (AP) -- Britain's Lloyds Banking Group PLC said Friday it expects to report a profit this year as trading has so far been strong and provisions for bad assets are not as large as previously forecast....
Shell makes deep oil strike in Gulf of Mexico
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 5:03 A.M.
AMSTERDAM (AP) -- Royal Dutch Shell PLC says it has made a significant discovery of oil 25,000 feet below the surface in the Gulf of Mexico....
Daimler to keep stake in EADS
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 4:50 A.M.
FRANKFURT (AP) -- Germany's Daimler AG said Friday it doesn't plan to exercise an option to sell its sizable stake in aerospace and defense contractor EADS NV, the Franco-German company....
Rio Tinto, Chinalco to develop West Africa mine
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 4:43 A.M.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- Mining giant Rio Tinto Ltd. and China's Chinalco have signed a deal to develop an iron ore reserve in the West African country of Guinea....
IMF: Europe needs plans for bank collapse
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 4 A.M.
BRUSSELS (AP) -- The head of the International Monetary Fund says the European Union needs to come up with "a fire brigade" to deal with the collapse of banks that operate across several countries....
Will The Real 'Music City' USA Please Stand Up
NPR - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 4 A.M.
While the music festival South by Southwest attracts thousands of industry types to Austin, Texas, other locales are trying to make sure the host city doesn't get too much credit as being the "music city." Places like Nashville, Seattle and even the state of Louisiana have sent contingents to Austin to promote their own ties to music.
Universal Music To Test Lower Price Of CDs
NPR - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 4 A.M.
The world's largest music company is lowering the price of CDs. Universal Music is rolling out a test to see whether a $10 price ceiling will encourage consumers to buy more compact discs. Over the last decade, CD sales have dropped by more than half.
Billionaire Investor Wannabe Rock Star?
NPR - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 4 A.M.
Warren Buffett can be seen in a video dressed and singing like Axel Rose of Guns and Roses. The video was made by employees of Buffett's car insurance company Geico. Every year Geico workers put together a music video for their annual meeting. They told Time magazine that this year they wanted to come up with the most "ridiculous" outfit they could think up for their billionaire owner.
ECB's Trichet warns of speculative debt trading
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 3:58 A.M.
BRUSSELS (AP) -- The European Central Bank's chief warned Friday that credit default swaps "should not be misused in a speculative manner," backing European leaders eager to curb market pressure on government debt....
Recession hurting cruise ship builders
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 3:19 A.M.
MIAMI (AP) -- The cruise industry is rebounding, but not for the companies who build the increasingly elaborate ships....
Health care bill extends wage tax to investments
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 3:17 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- High-income families would be hit with a tax increase on wages and a new levy on investments under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul bill....
Samsung aims for double-digit sales growth
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 3:16 A.M.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- Samsung Electronics predicted a strong 2010 as economic expansion in advanced and large developing economies gains speed and said it is aiming for double-digit sales growth from last year's record high....
Japan police recommend charges in Prius crash
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 3:14 A.M.
TOKYO (AP) -- Japanese police are recommending charges against a driver who says his Toyota Prius crashed because of brake failure after an analysis of data from the car showed no defects....
Could school bus ads save school budgets?
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 2:57 A.M.
SEATTLE (AP) -- School districts have imposed all sorts of drastic cuts to save money during the down economy, canceling field trips and making parents pay for everything from tissues to sports transportation....
Euro lower at $1.3580 in European morning trade
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 2:09 A.M.
FRANKFURT (AP) -- The euro is lower against the dollar in European morning trade after Greece said it may turn to the International Monetary Fund for aid if the EU does not agree to a rescue package....
Japanese fish dealers welcome tuna ban rejection
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 1:47 A.M.
TOKYO (AP) -- Japanese fish dealers on Friday welcomed the rejection of a proposed trade ban on Atlantic bluefin tuna - a prized ingredient of sushi - while urging that existing quotas be more strictly enforced to protect the species from overfishing....
Fargo floods turn farm fields into sprawling lakes
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 12:48 A.M.
KRAGNES, Minn. (AP) -- For farmer Brian Thomas, getting to town for errands is no simple matter these days as floodwaters cover fields and sections of country roads in the rural areas near Fargo, N.D....
Food experts: TV, travel have made cheese trendy
AP - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 12:45 A.M.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Americans who grew up on grilled cheese and macaroni have developed more adventuresome tastes in adulthood, experimenting with a broader range of cheeses and often seeking the sharper flavors that have traditionally been popular in Europe....
Austinites Angle For A Piece Of SXSW Cash Cow
NPR - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 MIDNIGHT
The South by Southwest music festival bills itself as "the premier destination for discovery." It's also the destination for truckloads of cash, as music and art fans flock to Austin, Texas, each March. Last year's event brought nearly $100 million to the city, according to one analyst.
Toyota Deals Get Customers Back To Showrooms
NPR - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 MIDNIGHT
Thanks to specials like zero percent financing and price cuts, Toyota sales have risen sharply. A recent Edmunds.com dealer survey finds that so far this month, Toyota has regained the same market share of sales it had before the gas pedal recall.
Toxic Assets Market Awaits Rebound
NPR - FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 MIDNIGHT
During the peak of the housing market, the value of the mortgages that got stuffed into those complicated mortgage bonds known as toxic assets was more than $3 trillion. But now the market has stalled, in part because many sellers are waiting for the economy to improve.
Hollywood and Bollywood join arms to fight piracy
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 10:13 P.M.
MUMBAI, India (AP) -- Hollywood and Bollywood linked arms Thursday to fight piracy, with the announcement of a coalition among the Motion Picture Association of America and seven Indian companies to tackle counterfeiting in one of the world's largest film markets....
Student aid linked to health care gets a trim
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 8:04 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Congressional Democrats on Thursday trimmed their original student loan plans, reduced spending for community colleges, and eliminated early childhood money from a broad rewrite of a college aid bill piggybacked on to fast-track health care legislation....
Viacom, YouTube air dirty laundry in legal battle
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 6:37 P.M.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Viacom Inc. and Google Inc.'s YouTube site began airing each other's dirty laundry Thursday, providing a tantalizing peek at the wheeling and dealing that triggered a bitter battle over the copyright laws governing the Internet....
Gov't says chemical maker pleads guilty to bribery
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 5:09 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Specialty chemicals maker Innospec Inc. pleaded guilty Thursday to federal charges of bribery, defrauding the United Nations and violating the U.S. embargo against Cuba, U.S. authorities said....
Wind farm plans stir up storm over military radar
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 4:32 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. military is growing increasingly concerned that proposed wind farms can disrupt or block radar designed to detect threats and protect America's skies, a problem that is stalling the alternative energy projects around the country....
A Southern-style taste of health care politics
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 4:14 P.M.
COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP) -- It may not bode well for Rep. Travis Childers that many voters in his rural Mississippi district have stronger opinions about President Barack Obama's health care plan than they do about the Democratic congressman....
Feds: brakes weren't applied on crashed NY Prius
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 4:09 P.M.
HARRISON, N.Y. (AP) -- Computer data from a Toyota Prius that crashed in suburban New York City show that at the time of the accident the throttle was open and the driver was not applying the brakes, U.S. safety officials said Thursday....
Obama backs senators' immigration overhaul outline
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 4:08 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama, facing criticism from advocates of immigration reform, pledged Thursday "to do everything in my power" to get immigration legislation moving in Congress this year....
Sex.com creditors say domain's too hot for NY sale
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 3:46 P.M.
NEW YORK (AP) -- The suitors for Sex.com have been put off for now....
Two-track economy: 9.7% unemployment, $200K cars
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 3:44 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- For the super-rich and everyone else, the economic recovery is taking place in two very different gears....
Focus Shifts To 'Black Boxes' After Toyota Crashes
NPR - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 3 P.M.
Questions about Toyota and sudden acceleration have prompted new interest in the "black boxes" on cars. Event-data recorders typically contain information about speed and acceleration in the seconds before a serious crash. The information is increasingly used in accident investigations.
Apple director, ex-auto executive York dies
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 2:25 P.M.
DETROIT (AP) -- Jerome York, an Apple Inc. board member and a financial wizard credited with turning around Chrysler and IBM, died Thursday of a brain aneurysm. He was 71....
Calif. board to study requiring condoms in porn
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 1:39 P.M.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- California's worker safety board voted Thursday to further study a proposal that would require porn actors to wear condoms during sex scenes....
FedEx sees economic recovery spreading
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 12:53 P.M.
NEW YORK (AP) -- FedEx says the global economic recovery is broadening, as the U.S. economy gains steam and Asia continues to show strong growth....
Owners threaten to shut down New Jersey nuke plant
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 11:07 A.M.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) -- Owners of the nation's oldest nuclear power plant are threatening to shut it down rather than build cooling towers mandated by New Jersey environmental regulators....
Pelosi: GOP, insurers ready to attack health bill
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 10:13 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is predicting an all-out assault by Republicans and the insurance industry as Democrats prepare to push their health care overhaul through Congress....
HP settles patent violation cases with importers
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 9:54 A.M.
PALO ALTO, Calif. (AP) -- Hewlett Packard Co. said Thursday that it has reached a settlement with three companies that have been accused of infringing on the printer company's patents for ink cartridges....
Global Reality Challenges IMF's Free Market Gospel
NPR - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 9:24 A.M.
In a notable turnaround, the International Monetary Fund recently acknowledged that some developing countries might benefit from controls on capital inflows. IMF research found that countries with such regulations were better equipped to weather recent global economic crises.
Microsoft rival: browser downloads double
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 9:18 A.M.
BRUSSELS (AP) -- Norway's Opera said Thursday that downloads of its browser more than doubled after Microsoft Corp. was forced to give European users a choice of Web software to settle European Union antitrust charges....
Apple director, ex-auto exec York hospitalized
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 8:48 A.M.
DETROIT (AP) -- A spokeswoman says Apple Inc. board member and former auto industry executive Jerome York has been hospitalized in Pontiac, Mich....
Obama extolls health bill's deficit reduction help
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 8:34 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama says his health care overhaul would be the most significant effort to reduce the nation's deficit since the balanced budget act of the 1990s....
Barnes & Noble makes CEO switch
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 8:25 A.M.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Barnes & Noble changed CEOs Thursday, elevating the president of its Web site to lead the company, a surprise move that highlights the importance of digital books to the bookseller's future....
EADS CEO looks to expand in US
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 7:56 A.M.
NEW YORK (AP) -- The CEO of European plane maker EADS said Thursday that his company is looking for a "medium-sized" acquisition in the U.S. following a failed bid for a $35 billion Pentagon contract....
Teva to buy German generic drug maker Ratiopharm
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 7:50 A.M.
FRANKFURT (AP) -- Israeli drug maker Teva has beaten out rivals Pfizer and Actavis to acquire German generic drug maker Ratiopharm GmbH - in a deal announced Thursday worth some euro3.6 billion, or nearly $5 billion....
Leading indicators rise more slowly in February
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 7:39 A.M.
NEW YORK (AP) -- A gauge of future economic activity rose 0.1 percent in February, suggesting slow economic growth this summer....
Porsche takes top spot in dependability study
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 7:33 A.M.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Porsche shot to the top of a closely watched study of long-term vehicle dependability, overtaking U.S. and Japanese rivals, J.D. Power and Associates said Thursday....
Consumer prices were unchanged in February
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 7:01 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Consumer prices were flat last month, as the weak economy limits the ability of companies to charge more for goods and services....
Current account deficit rises to $115.6B in 4Q
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 5:51 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The current account trade deficit widened in the fourth quarter, reflecting an improving economy, but the imbalance for all of 2009 fell to the lowest point in eight years. Economists believe the deficit will increase in 2010 but not return to the record heights seen before the recession....
AP IMPACT: Gov't bank auditors got big bonuses
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 5:38 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Banks weren't the only ones giving big bonuses in the boom years before the worst financial crisis in generations. The government also was handing out millions of dollars to bank regulators, rewarding "superior" work even as an avalanche of risky mortgages helped create the meltdown....
Siemens to cut 4,200 jobs at IT business
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 5:21 A.M.
BERLIN (AP) -- German industrial conglomerate Siemens AG said Thursday it will cut 4,200 jobs worldwide at its information technology unit as it restructures the business....
UK public sector debt climbs above 60 pct of GDP
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 4:38 A.M.
LONDON (AP) -- Public sector debt in the United Kingdom climbed above 60 percent of GDP in February as government agencies borrowed another 12.4 billion pounds ($19 billion), the Office for National Statistics said Thursday....
Gov't orders recall of 1.2 million high chairs
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 4:12 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government is announcing a recall of some 1.2 million high chairs, saying they pose a fall hazard to children....
US ambassador urges China cooperation on Iran
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 4:08 A.M.
BEIJING (AP) -- Beijing needs to take seriously American concerns about the value of the Chinese currency, but bilateral disputes should not impede cooperation on global issues such as climate change and Iran's nuclear program, the U.S. ambassador to Beijing said Thursday....
North Korea's Leader Has Billions In European Bank
NPR - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 4 A.M.
According to Britain's The Daily Telegraph, North Korea's aging leader Kim Jong Il has $4 billion hidden away in European banks. The money reportedly comes from sales of nuclear and missile technology, drugs and currency counterfeiting. South Korean officials say the money used to be in Switzerland, until the government there tightened regulations to fight money laundering.
Wachovia Settles Money Laundering Case
NPR - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 4 A.M.
Banking giant Wachovia has agreed to pay $160 million to settle a federal investigation into laundering of South American drug money. The deal, announced by the U.S. attorney in Miami, said the bank had laundered the money since at least 2003 using Mexican exchange houses.
U.S. Urges China To Ease Currency Controls
NPR - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 4 A.M.
U.S. officials continue to pressure China over its currency policy. In Beijing Thursday, the U.S. ambassador to China repeated Washington's frustration over Beijing's policy of keeping its currency artificially low in order to boost exports.
Google Still Threatening To Leave China
NPR - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 4 A.M.
Google has been threatening to pull out of China. Since it was attacked by hackers two months ago, Google said it would no longer cooperate with Beijing's Internet censorship. Loretta Chao of The Wall Street Journal talks to Renee Montagne about whether Google's position is a moral stance or a business calculation.
Top Irish ex-banker arrested over alleged fraud
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 3:55 A.M.
DUBLIN (AP) -- The former chairman of Anglo Irish Bank Corp. was arrested Thursday on suspicion of committing fraud after he hid more than euro70 million ($100 million) in personal loans from shareholders....
Report fails to shed light on SoCal runaway Prius
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 3:21 A.M.
EL CAJON, Calif. (AP) -- A California Highway Patrol officer responding to a report of a runway Toyota Prius last week arrived to find a Border Patrol agent near the driver with emergency lights on....
Nissan to make electric vehicle in Britain
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 3:09 A.M.
TOKYO (AP) -- Nissan Motor Co. said Thursday it will make its electric vehicle, the Leaf, in England from early 2013 as the automaker gears up for global sales of the zero emission car....
China Mobile says 2009 profit up 2.3 percent
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 3:07 A.M.
BEIJING (AP) -- China Mobile Ltd., the world's biggest phone carrier by subscribers, said Thursday its 2009 profit rose 2.3 percent over a year earlier and warned it faces growing competition....
Strikes in Greece over proposed tax law overhaul
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 2:03 A.M.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Greek taxi drivers and many gas station owners are striking against a proposed overhaul of tax laws under the government's efforts to overcome its debt crisis....
Australia concerned about Rio Tinto trial
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 1:24 A.M.
SYDNEY (AP) -- Australia expressed disappointment Thursday that charges of stealing business secrets against one of its citizens would be tried in a closed court in China, and some lawmakers doubted the mining executive involved would get a fair hearing....
Research monkey deaths prompt calls for crackdown
AP - THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 12:57 A.M.
SPARKS, Nev. (AP) -- Workers at a Nevada research lab were checking on a primate room when they came across a ghastly sight: Thirty dead monkeys were essentially cooked alive after someone left the heater on. Two others were near death and had to be euthanized....
EPA: More pets injured by flea and tick products
AP - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2010 10:07 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Products intended to treat cats and dogs for fleas and ticks kill hundreds of pets each year and injure tens of thousands, the Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday as it outlined plans to make the products safer....
More than 100 complaints lodged over fixed Toyotas
AP - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2010 10:07 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Complaints of sudden acceleration in Toyotas repaired under recalls have nearly doubled in the past two weeks, according to an Associated Press analysis of government data....
Italy sees self as resilient to economic collapse
AP - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2010 9:38 P.M.
MILAN (AP) -- As Greece wins at least temporary respite from its debt troubles, will Italy be the next to face a crisis?...
Kraft to cut salt in its North American foods
AP - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2010 7:27 P.M.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Kraft Foods Inc. said Wednesday that it will cut the salt in its products that are sold in North America by an average of 10 percent over the next two years to appeal to health-conscious consumers....
Computer programmers indicted in NY Madoff fraud
AP - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2010 7:24 P.M.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Two former employees accused of helping fraudulent Wall Street financier Bernard Madoff (MAY'-dawf) program an old computer to generate false records have been indicted....
SEC boss: Agency examining companies
AP - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2010 5:30 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The head of the Securities and Exchange Commission confirmed Wednesday that the agency is investigating several companies' actions in the run-up to the financial crisis of 2008....
Convicted embezzler given tax break, then arrested
AP - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2010 4:30 P.M.
LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- A convicted embezzler who snagged a $9.1 million business tax credit from the state of Michigan was arrested Wednesday on a parole violation, a day after he appeared on stage with Gov. Jennifer Granholm as she announced the credits....
Was Ala. snack food heir's death tied to business?
AP - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2010 4:11 P.M.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- An angry letter and a bag of Golden Flake chips were taped inside Major Bashinsky's abandoned car when it was found near downtown Birmingham....
Senate OKs jobs bill for Obama's signature
AP - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2010 3:33 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Companies that hire unemployed workers will get a temporary payroll tax holiday under a bill that easily won congressional approval Wednesday in what Democrats hope is just the first of several election-year measures aimed at boosting hiring....
New CFO says GM has chance to make 2010 profit
AP - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2010 3:17 P.M.
DETROIT (AP) -- If the economy cooperates and auto sales recover a bit, General Motors Co. has a reasonable chance of turning a full-year profit in 2010, its new chief financial officer said Wednesday....
Calif. politics has short sellers facing big bills
AP - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2010 3:16 P.M.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- What should have been a legislative afterthought is threatening to become a financial purgatory for thousands of California taxpayers hit by the housing crisis....
Brazil: Protests over proposed oil law change
AP - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2010 2:55 P.M.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Rio de Janeiro to protest against changes in an oil royalties law that would drain the city's coffers....
Fed boss makes case to keep all banking duties
AP - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2010 2:35 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Wednesday urged Congress not to scale back the Fed's regulatory authority over banks. He said the Fed needs the information it gleans from its bank oversight to set interest rates and gauge the health of the banking system....
FACT CHECK: Obama plan only slows premiums rise
AP - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2010 2:23 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Buyers, beware: President Barack Obama says his health care overhaul will lower premiums by double digits, but check the fine print....
Prescription-drug heists on the rise
AP - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2010 2:11 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The $75 million heist at a pharmaceutical warehouse in Connecticut this week was just the most audacious example of a growing phenomenon: Thieves are stealing large quantities of prescription drugs for resale on the black market....
NJ: Asian casino boss has mob ties in China
AP - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2010 2:02 P.M.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) -- New Jersey casino regulators said Wednesday that they have evidence Stanley Ho, the Asian casino magnate, has extensive ties to organized crime in China....
