China, Switzerland To Seal Free Trade Deal
May 24, 2013 10:48 am | CommentsChinese Premier Li Keqiang is in Switzerland to sign a free trade pact with the Alpine nation — the first comprehensive agreement the country has reached with a major western economy. Li met with Swiss officials Friday in Bern, where he is due to ink the deal after three years of talks.
Wheelchair Lift Out Of Wis. Promises More Access
May 24, 2013 10:44 am | by Carrie Antlfinger, Associated Press | CommentsThe invention process started about three years ago when the principal at Emerson Elementary School in Madison, Karen Kepler, told a school donor on a tour that her biggest wish was to have her building accessible to everyone. All four entrances to the 93-year-old building had stairs.
Some Unions Now Angry About Health Care Overhaul
May 24, 2013 9:38 am | by Sam Hananel, Associated Press | CommentsWhen President Barack Obama pushed his health care overhaul plan through Congress, he counted labor unions among his strongest supporters. But some unions leaders have grown frustrated and angry about what they say are unexpected consequences of the new law — problems that they say could jeopardize the health benefits offered to millions of their members.
Stricken Japan Nuke Plant Struggles To Keep Staff
May 24, 2013 8:28 am | by Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer | CommentsKeeping the meltdown-stricken Fukushima nuclear plant in northeastern Japan in stable condition requires a cast of thousands. Increasingly the plant's operator is struggling to find enough workers, a trend that many expect to worsen and hamper progress in the decades-long effort to safely decommission it.
Canada Disapproves Of New Meat Labeling Rules
May 24, 2013 7:51 am | CommentsAgriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Trade Minister Ed Fast said in a joint statement that rule means additional costs for producers on both sides of the border and increased damage to the industry. "Canada will consider all options at its disposal, including, if necessary, the use of retaliatory measures," the statement said.
Tempur-Pedic Changes Name On Sealy Deal
May 24, 2013 7:48 am | CommentsTempur-Pedic International Inc. said Thursday that shareholders have approved changing the company's name to Tempur Sealy International Inc. The decision, made at the company's annual meeting, reflects its recent acquisition of fellow mattress maker Sealy Corp. Tempur-Pedic completed the $228.6 million acquisition of Sealy on March 18.
New Rules For Labeling Meat Go Into Effect In U.S.
May 24, 2013 7:45 am | by M.L. Johnson, Associated Press | CommentsShoppers in the U.S. will soon have more information about where their meat comes from after new federal labeling rules went into effect Thursday. The rules require labels on steaks, ribs and other cuts of meat to say where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered.
GM Aims New Chevy Cruze Diesel At Volkswagen Jetta
May 24, 2013 7:42 am | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | CommentsDiesel cars attract buyers with high gas mileage, quick acceleration at any speed, and a long range between fill-ups. Last year, about 70 percent of the diesel cars sold nationwide were Volkswagens. VW sold 90,295 diesel cars in the U.S., and nearly 50,000 of those were Jettas.
Fisher-Price Moving, Eliminating About 100 NY Jobs
May 23, 2013 9:09 pm | CommentsThe majority of jobs will be reassigned to Mattel's El Segundo, Calif., headquarters, and workers have been offered relocation packages, but an unspecified number of employees received layoff notices, said Fisher-Price, the maker of Little People and Power Wheels.
MAPI: 1Q U.S. Trade In Manufactures Stays Flat
May 23, 2013 9:01 pm | CommentsFor calendar year 2013, Chinese manufactured exports are on track to nearly double U.S. exports, with a surplus of more than $900 billion, compared with a U.S. deficit of $500 billion, as the trade gap between these global powers continues to expand, according to a report from the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI).
Campbell Buying Plum Organics Baby Food Maker
May 23, 2013 8:52 pm | by Candice Choi, AP Food Industry Writer | CommentsThe company, which also makes Prego pasta sauces and Pepperidge Farm cookies, had been struggling to grow sales of its canned soups in recent years as people increasingly look for foods with a fresher feel. To diversity its stable of products, Campbell also recently purchased Bolthouse Farms.
Study: No Higher Cancer Rate At Conn. Pratt Plant
May 23, 2013 8:49 pm | by Stephen Singer, AP Business Writer | CommentsThe researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Illinois at Chicago said they identified 723 workers diagnosed with tumors between 1976 and 2004 at the United Technologies Corp. subsidiary. The tumors were malignant, benign or unspecified and included 277 cases of brain cancer.
Shuttered NM Plant Resumes Making Peanut Butter
May 23, 2013 3:20 pm | by Jeri Clausing, Associated Press | CommentsThe eastern New Mexico peanut butter plant shuttered eight months ago after a salmonella outbreak is back in production, and company officials say their coveted natural and organic butters could be back on store shelves within a month.
Fire Marshal's Office: Panel Had Blast Site Access
May 23, 2013 1:53 pm | CommentsHowever, in a statement issued Wednesday, the state agency said the CSB was given access to the scene, worked with other agencies during excavations and neighborhood surveys, and collected its own chemical samples with ATF assistance. The statement says no evidence was destroyed or compromised.
J&J Forecasts 10 New Drug Applications By 2017
May 23, 2013 1:51 pm | CommentsThe New Brunswick, N.J., company says its pipeline of drugs in late-stage clinical development include a potential hepatitis C treatment being reviewed by regulars, a version of the anti-psychotic Invega designed to last three months and new vaccines for flu, rabies and polio.
Between Economy And Trouble, Obama Approval Steady
May 23, 2013 1:36 pm | by Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press | CommentsThe data suggests the economy could be insulating Obama from the immediate troubles confronting his administration. But it also indicates that while a growing number of those surveyed are more optimistic about the economy, they are evenly split on whether they approve or disapprove of his handling of it.
New Rules To Keep Mercury From Calif. Landfills
May 23, 2013 11:30 am | CommentsNew California rules will require the makers of new thermostats to do a better job of keeping old ones containing the neurotoxin mercury out of landfills. Since 2006 it has been against state law to sell mercury thermostats in California, but millions of old ones are still in use. Tens of thousands of them are replaced every year.
Tesla Repays DOE Loan Nine Years Early
May 23, 2013 11:15 am | by Joel Hans, Managing Editor, Manufacturing.net | CommentsTesla Motors, the California-based electric vehicle manufacturer, has announced that it has paid off its 2010 loan from the Department of Energy (DOE) in full as of today. The payment of $451.8 million repays the full loan with interest. The company claims it is the only American automaker to have fully repaid the government of its loans.
Nissan To Recall 840,000 Vehicles
May 23, 2013 10:21 am | CommentsNissan Motor Co. said Thursday it will recall around 840,000 March and Cube compact cars, including 263,942 units in Japan, produced between February 2002 and August 2004, due to faulty steering wheels. The bolts connecting the steering wheels and steering columns in the two models may not have been screwed on properly and could lead to a loss of control.
Dutch Arrest Meat Works Owner In Horse Meat Probe
May 23, 2013 10:15 am | by Mike Corder, Associated Press | CommentsInvestigators from the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority arrested the man on suspicion of fraud and detained him for further questioning. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of six year's imprisonment, according to prosecutors.