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Japanese Execs Face Prison For Price Fixing

alawrence — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:19:29 +0000

DETROIT (AP) -- Two executives at Japanese auto supplier Denso Corp. are facing more than a year in U.S. federal prison for fixing prices on auto parts.

Yuji Suzuki and Hiroshi Watanabe have pleaded guilty to charges that they fixed prices and allocated bids for electronic control units and heater control panels that were sold to Toyota Motor Corp. in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Suzuki will serve 16 months in a U.S. prison, while Watanabe will serve 15 months. Both men will pay $20,000 fines and cooperate with the Justice Department's ongoing investigation.

Should We Let Wunderkinds Drop Out Of High School?

alawrence — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:17:02 +0000

NEW YORK (AP) -- It's one thing to say tech geniuses don't need degrees. After all, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg all dropped out of college.

But now we've got David Karp, who doesn't even have a high school diploma. Karp, 26, founded Tumblr, the online blogging forum, and sold it to Yahoo for $1.1 billion.

Which raises the question: When is it OK for a wunderkind to drop out of school?

United Tech CEO Sees Stronger Economy, Airlines

alawrence — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:11:38 +0000

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- The chief executive of aerospace giant United Technologies Corp. is optimistic about an improving economy and airline industry.

CEO Louis Chenevert (Shen-eh-VAIR) told analysts Tuesday that airline profitability looks better for 2013 than in recent years. And he said the Hartford, Conn., conglomerate's $18.4 billion purchase of Goodrich Corp. and a $1.5 billion deal by Pratt & Whitney to buy out Rolls-Royce from a joint venture that makes engines for the Airbus A320 are paying off.

Cuba Lifts Ban On Energy-Hogging Appliances

alawrence — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:09:14 +0000

HAVANA (AP) -- Cuba has authorized individual imports of appliances such as air conditioners, refrigerators and microwave ovens, lifting a ban imposed in 2005 amid a wave of energy shortages and blackouts.

Islanders can now bring up to two such appliances per person into the country for noncommercial purposes, according to a law enacted with its publication Monday in the Official Gazette.

The list of approved items includes air conditioners with a capacity of less than 1 ton, ovens that consume less than 1,500 watts and microwaves under 2,000 watts.

Technology Could Let Users Disable Guns

alawrence — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:58:11 +0000

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- A high-tech startup is wading into the gun control debate with a wireless controller that would allow gun owners to know when their weapon is being moved — and disable it remotely.

The technology, but not an actual gun, was demonstrated Tuesday at a wireless technology conference in Las Vegas and was shown to The Associated Press in advance. It comes at a time when lawmakers around the U.S. are considering contentious smart gun laws that would require new guns to include high-tech devices that limit who can fire them.

Ex-Ford Execs Charged In Argentine Torture Cases

alawrence — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:49:32 +0000

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -- Three former Ford Motor Co. executives were charged Tuesday with crimes against humanity for allegedly targeting Argentine union workers for kidnapping and torture after the country's 1976 military coup.

U.S. Auto Factories Cutting Back On Summer Downtime

alawrence — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:43:07 +0000

DETROIT (AP) -- The Detroit automakers are largely forgoing the traditional two-week summer break at their factories and speeding up production to meet buyers' growing demand for new cars and trucks.

Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday that 21 of its North American factories will shut for only one week this summer. That includes the Chicago plant that makes the Ford Explorer SUV and the Mexican plant that makes the Fusion sedan.

Safety Board: ATF Blocking Plant Blast Probe

alawrence — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:38:29 +0000

WACO, Texas (AP) -- Federal agents and the state fire marshal have effectively barred a federal safety panel from the site of a Texas fertilizer plant blast that killed 15 people and injured about 200 others, hampering its investigation, the panel's chairman said.

Indian Guest Workers Sue Company In Miss., Texas

alawrence — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:35:52 +0000

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) -- Dozens of Indian guest workers are suing an Alabama-based marine and fabrication company, claiming it financially exploited them and forced them to live in squalid conditions after bringing them to work at Gulf Coast shipyards after Hurricane Katrina.

Three federal lawsuits backed by the Southern Poverty Law Center were filed Tuesday in Mississippi and Texas on behalf of 83 people who worked for Signal International LLC after the 2005 storm slammed into the coast.

CI Tools Aren’t Just For CI Events; They’re For Everyday

alawrence — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:42:52 +0000