The Lead
Consumer Group Flags High SPF Ratings On Sunscreen
May 20, 2013 | by Matthew Perrone, AP Health Writer | Comments
A survey of 1,400 sunscreen products by the Environmental Working Group finds that most products meet new federal requirements put in place last December. The rules from the Food and Drug Administration ban terms like "waterproof," which regulators consider misleading, and require that sunscreens filter out both ultraviolet A and B rays.
3-D Printers An Emerging Industry
May 20, 2013 7:45 am | by Jared Hunt, Charleston Daily Mail | Comments
3-D technology isn't just for movie theatres and comic books anymore. In fact, it may very well...
'Pink Slime' Maker Continues To Struggle
May 20, 2013 7:42 am | Comments
The meat BPI separates from trimmings with heat and treats with ammonia to kill bacteria used to...
Actavis Buying Warner Chilcott In $8.5B Deal
May 20, 2013 7:39 am | Comments
Actavis is buying Warner Chilcott in an all-stock transaction valued at about $8.5 billion which...
Economists Predict Increase In Consumer Spending
May 20, 2013 2:01 pm | CommentsThe economists predict that the U.S. economy will grow 2.4 percent this year and 3 percent next year. That's unchanged from their forecast in February. But they are more bullish on consumer spending and housing than they were three months ago, in part because of a more positive view about unemployment.
Judge Gives Final Approval To A123 Bankruptcy Plan
May 20, 2013 1:59 pm | by Randall Chase, AP Business Writer | CommentsA Delaware bankruptcy judge has given final approval to the reorganization plan of failed battery maker A123 Systems Inc., which was the recipient of a $249 million Department of Energy grant. Monday's court hearing resolved minor outstanding issues following the sale of most of the company's assets to the U.S. arm of Wanxiang Group Corp. for nearly $257 million.
Marine Who Dumped Toxins Felt Illness Was Payback
May 20, 2013 1:55 pm | by Allen G. Breed, AP National Writer | CommentsAs a young Marine electronics technician at Camp Lejeune in the mid-1970s, the Massachusetts man figured he'd dumped hundreds of gallons of toxic solvents onto the ground. It would be decades before he realized that he had unknowingly contributed to the worst drinking water contamination in the country's history.
Ex-Saab Execs Arrested On Accounting Charges
May 20, 2013 1:46 pm | CommentsProsecutor Olof Sahlgren says the three are "suspected of aggravated attempts to avoid tax controls" by allegedly falsifying parts of Saab's accounts between 2010 and 2011 — a crime that carries a sentence of up to four years in prison.
Special K Churns Out Products In Brand Evolution
May 20, 2013 1:44 pm | by Candice Choi, AP Food Industry Writer | CommentsThe new line, which promises to fill people up with 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber, reflects Special K's push to move in step with evolving trends. Until now, Special K products largely gave dieters low-calorie imitations of their fantasy foods.
Royalty Pharma Increases Bid For Elan
May 20, 2013 1:40 pm | CommentsRoyalty Pharma is raising its offer to buy Elan on the condition that shareholders reject the Irish drugmaker's push to refocus its business through a string of recently announced deals. Royalty says it will pay $12.50 in cash for each share of Elan Corp. PLC. That adds up to a total value of about $7.5 billion.
Survey: 12-Month High In English Manufacturing SME Confidence
May 20, 2013 12:59 pm | by Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) | CommentsGrowth prospects amongst English manufacturing SMEs is at a twelve month high according to the latest Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) Barometer, which reveals nearly two thirds (64 percent) of companies questioned are expecting to increase sales over the next six months.
What Do We Eat? New Food Map Will Tell Us
May 20, 2013 10:45 am | by Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press | CommentsResearchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are trying to change that by creating a gargantuan map of what foods Americans are buying and eating. Part of the uniqueness of the database is its ability to sort one product into what it really is — thousands of brands and variations.
U.S.: Pakistan Moves To Curb Dangerous Fertilizers
May 20, 2013 10:43 am | by Rebecca Santana, Associated Press | CommentsA top American military officer says Pakistan has taken steps to prevent fertilizers made in Pakistan from being used for roadside bombs targeting American troops in Afghanistan. Brig. Gen. Robert P. Walters Jr. spoke Monday in Islamabad on ways to counter the bombs often referred to as improvised explosive devices.
Warren Buffett Meets With Young Entrepreneurs
May 20, 2013 10:42 am | CommentsBillionaire Warren Buffett is spending his day listening to business pitches from a select group of kids, but the ideas aren't likely to generate new acquisitions for Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. The kids, who are between 7- and 16-years-old, are all finalists in an online contest tied to Buffett's "The Secret Millionaire's Club" cartoon.
Court: Should Whistleblower Protection Be Wider?
May 20, 2013 10:40 am | CommentsThe justices on Monday agreed to hear appeals from Jackie Hosang Lawson and Jonathan M. Zang. The two of them complained of retaliation for whistleblower activities from the privately-held parent company and subsidiary companies that run the Fidelity family of mutual funds.
Silicon Valley-Area Hub Becomes Factory Town
May 20, 2013 8:28 am | by Martha Mendoza, AP National Writer | CommentsFrom Tesla Motors, making cutting-edge cars, to Solaria, making solar panels, manufacturers are drawn to Fremont by incentives including a five-year waiver on business taxes, an expedited regulatory process, proximity to Silicon Valley firms and a skilled labor force.
At Least 12 Dead In China Factory Explosion
May 20, 2013 8:10 am | CommentsThe force of the blast flung broken glass, smashed concrete, and other debris as far as 200 meters (600 feet), reports said. Walls in outlying buildings were flattened and glass shattered. A total of 34 people were inside the factory at the time of the blast, and survivors were rushed to hospital. The cause of the blast and condition of those injured were not immediately known.
Whirlpool Cancer Cluster Lawsuit Will Take Years
May 20, 2013 7:55 am | by John Seewer, Associated Press | CommentsThe wait for answers is far from over for parents who for years have lived with the worry of not knowing what's behind the mysterious cancers that have sickened dozens of children in a rural area of northern Ohio. Despite a federal civil lawsuit that points toward a possible cause, the issue is far from settled.
1 Millionth Jeep Wrangler Built At Toledo Plant
May 20, 2013 7:52 am | CommentsAuto workers in Toledo celebrated a milestone this past week. The 1 millionth Jeep Wrangler rolled off the assembly line at Chrysler's assembly plant that opened in 2006. Chrysler marked the occasion Friday with a ceremony at the production line.
NC Colleges Look To Expand Advanced Manufacturing
May 17, 2013 1:52 pm | CommentsNorth Carolina's community colleges are working to train factory workers comfortable in a new manufacturing world of computers and robots. State community college leaders are meeting Friday with manufacturers to assemble training courses in line with a skills certification plan that's recognized by factories across the country.
Canada Trying To Lure Silicon Valley Tech Workers
May 17, 2013 1:40 pm | CommentsThe Canadian government is trying to lure Silicon Valley tech workers who are frustrated by U.S. visa policies, just as Congress wrestles with a long-sought overhaul of America's immigration system. Canada's minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism arrived in the San Francisco Bay area Friday for a four-day visit aimed at snapping up talent for his country's high-tech economy by offering startup entrepreneurs a new visa.
J&J's DePuy To End 2 Hip Replacement Systems
May 17, 2013 1:38 pm | CommentsJohnson & Johnson's DePuy orthopedics business plans to stop selling a couple of hip replacement systems not widely used by doctors. DePuy will discontinue both its Ultamet Metal-on-Metal Articulation and Complete Ceramic-on-Metal Acetabular systems worldwide at the end of August.
Organic Industry Clout Grows With Consumer Demand
May 17, 2013 1:37 pm | by Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press | CommentsGrowing consumer interest in organics has proved tough for some Republicans on the committee to ignore. Eight Republicans, most of them newer members of the committee, joined with all of the panel's Democrats in supporting the amendment, which was adopted 29-17.
UAW Study: Nissan Subsidies Top $1.3B
May 17, 2013 1:33 pm | by Jeff Amy, Associated Press | CommentsNissan Motor Co.'s Mississippi plant is on track to receive more state aid and tax breaks than what state and company officials have previously revealed, according to a study paid for by the United Auto Workers, which is questioning whether the state is getting enough for its money.