News
APEM, Inc. Announces Merger With CH Products
May 16, 2013 12:33 pm | CommentsAPEM, Inc., has announced that APEM Components, Inc., and CH Products have merged, effective April 1, 2013. The company says that with the merger in place, the companies will be able to combine APEM’s well-known switches and LED indicators with the respected industrial joysticks and Hall effect control devices made by CH Products.
Robots To Help Brazil Provide World Cup Security
May 16, 2013 12:33 pm | by Tales Azzoni, AP Sports Writer | CommentsThe Brazilian government has bought 30 security robots to improve public safety during the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympics. The government paid nearly $3.5 million for the small unmanned ground vehicles which can provide surveillance, bomb removal and other law-enforcement missions.
Protesters Picket Barbie-Themed House In Berlin
May 16, 2013 12:30 pm | CommentsFeminist protesters burned a doll on a cross and left-wing demonstrators shouted "pink stinks" at the Berlin opening of a life-sized Barbie house Thursday. They far outnumbered Barbie fans who came to see the Mattel Inc. toy's fictional Malibu home.
Only 2 Of 13 Small SUVs Do Well In Crash Tests
May 16, 2013 10:17 am | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | CommentsSubaru's 2014 Forester was the only vehicle to get a "good" rating. The 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport received an "acceptable" rating. But top-selling models such as the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V and Jeep Wrangler received only "marginal" or "poor" ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Global Luxury Goods Sales Slowing In 2013
May 16, 2013 10:10 am | by Colleen Barry, AP Business Writer | CommentsA study says global sales of luxury goods are off to a slow start in 2013 and aren't expected to match the double-digit growth of the last three years. Consultancy Bain & Co. said Thursday in a report that sales of luxury apparel, accessories, jewelry, cosmetics and art are expected to grow just 4 percent to 5 percent in 2013.
Jobless Claims Jump To Highest Level In 6 Weeks
May 16, 2013 8:38 am | by Christopher S. Rugaber, AP Economics Writer | CommentsThe number of Americans seeking unemployment aid rose 32,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 360,000, the most since late March. The jump comes after applications fell to a five-year low. The Labor Department says the less volatile four-week average rose just 1,250 to 339,250, a level consistent with modest hiring.
NASA Craft's Planet-Hunting Days May Be Numbered
May 16, 2013 8:35 am | by Alicia Chang, Associated Press | CommentsIf engineers can't find a fix, the failure could mean an end to the $600 million mission's search, although the space agency wasn't ready to call it quits Wednesday. The telescope has discovered scores of planets but only two so far are the best candidates for habitable planets.
Venezuela Is Running Out Of Toilet Paper
May 16, 2013 8:33 am | by Fabiola Sanchez and Karl Ritter, Associated Press | CommentsFirst milk, butter, coffee and cornmeal ran short. Now Venezuela is running out of the most basic of necessities — toilet paper. Blaming political opponents for the shortfall, as it does for other shortages, the embattled socialist government says it will import 50 million rolls to boost supplies.
Google Exec Defends Tax Strategy To Lawmakers
May 16, 2013 8:30 am | by Raphael Satter, Associated Press | CommentsA senior Google executive defended his company's complicated structure before Britain's Parliament, denying charges that it was misleading authorities to dodge paying tax. The U.S. Internet giant is accused that, even though it has drawn billions in revenue from Britain over the past few years, it pays less than 0.1 percent of that in tax to the British government.
Tiny Camera Offers Bug's Eye View
May 16, 2013 8:18 am | CommentsThe camera created by a research team at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is about the size of a penny and mimics insects' bulging eyes. It features 180 micro-lenses, giving it a panoramic field of view and the ability to focus simultaneously on objects at different depths.
Cambodian Shoe Factory Collapse Kills 2
May 16, 2013 8:12 am | by Sopheng Cheang, Associated Press | CommentsAbout 50 workers were inside the factory south of Phnom Penh, the capital, when the ceiling caved in, said police officer Khem Pannara. He said heavy iron equipment stored on the floor above appeared to have caused the collapse. Two bodies were pulled from the wreckage and seven people were injured, he said.
Daimler Unveils New Flagship Mercedes Model
May 16, 2013 8:07 am | by David McHugh, AP Business Writer | CommentsThe new S-class sedan was shown off Wednesday in Hamburg, Germany. It has a taller grille that changes its exterior appearance, but the major emphasis was on the technology added to increase driver comfort and safety — and underline Mercedes' image as a maker of advanced vehicles for the well-heeled.
Koch Nitrogen Building Plant In Oklahoma
May 16, 2013 8:05 am | CommentsKoch, based in Wichita, Kan., said it plans to invest about $1 billion in the project, with construction slated to begin in the fourth quarter of 2014 and the plant to become operational in 2016. The company said the project will increase fertilizer production by more than 1 million tons per year.
Buffett's Firm Reveals 2 New Stock Investments
May 16, 2013 8:03 am | by Josh Funk, Associated Press | CommentsBerkshire's investments are closely watched because many people try to copy Buffett's moves. But because many of the firm's latest investments are smaller than $500 million, they were likely the work of Berkshire's two other investment managers.
AB InBev Abandons Plans To Acquire Budvar
May 16, 2013 8:00 am | CommentsHellwig said Thursday that such an acquisition, which it had considered in the past, doesn't make commercial sense since AB InBev is doing well registering its Budweiser brand in new countries despite the dispute. Budvar has been fighting for over a century with Anheuser-Busch over use of the Budweiser brand, to which both companies claim a right.
2 Companies To Expand Operations In Puerto Rico
May 16, 2013 7:57 am | CommentsOne of the largest eye care companies in the U.S. is expanding its operations in Puerto Rico. Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla says CooperVision will invest $250 million to build 15 new production lines, a project that will create some 350 new jobs. The company currently employs 1,600 workers at a plant in the southern town of Juana Diaz.
Kobe Aluminum To Expand In Bowling Green, Ky., Create 100 Jobs
May 15, 2013 3:47 pm | by Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce | CommentsKentucky Governor Steve Beshear today joined company and local officials to break ground on an 87,000 square foot addition to Kobe Aluminum Automotive Products (KAAP), LLC advanced manufacturing facility in Bowling Green, representing $66 million of new capital investment and the addition of 100 new full-time employees.
Wholesale Prices Fall 0.7 Pct., Most In 3 Years
May 15, 2013 2:11 pm | by Christopher S. Rugaber, AP Economics Writer | CommentsSharp drops in fuel and food costs reduced a measure of wholesale prices last month by the most since February 2010, indicating inflation has slowed. The Labor Department says the producer price index, which measures price changes before they reach the consumer, fell a seasonally adjusted 0.7 percent in April from March. It was the second straight decline.
Foes Of S. Ind. Fertilizer Plant Cite Texas Blast
May 15, 2013 2:09 pm | CommentsOpponents of a proposed southern Indiana fertilizer plant are arguing that state officials should block the project because of dangers highlighted by last month's deadly explosion at a Texas fertilizer manufacturer. An Illinois businessman is seeking permission to build a fertilizer plant projected to cost $950 million near the Ohio River city of Rockport.
EU: China May Be Dumping Mobile Network Equipment
May 15, 2013 2:05 pm | CommentsA senior EU official says China may be illegally dumping and subsidizing the import into Europe of mobile telephone networks and their essential elements.The Commission said China's export of telecommunication network equipment to the EU market amounts to 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) per year.
