Global Manufacturing
UK To Start Regulating E-Cigarettes As Medicines
June 12, 2013 10:56 am | by Maria Cheng, AP Medical Writer | News | CommentsBritain will start regulating electronic cigarettes and other products containing nicotine as medicines, according to the country's top regulator. E-cigarettes are battery-operated products that turn nicotine into a vapor that is inhaled by the user.
Fukushima Plant Steps Closer To Fuel-Rod Removal
June 12, 2013 7:54 am | by Malcolm Foster, Associated Press | News | CommentsPlant chief Takeshi Takahashi told journalists given a tour of the plant Wednesday that workers have cleaned up much of the debris in their work areas, but that the priorities are keeping the plant stable and working toward shutting it down — a process that operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. estimates will take 40 years.
U.S.-China Climate Deal Was Long In The Works
June 12, 2013 7:38 am | by Josh Lederman, Associated Press | News | CommentsAlthough it took most proponents by surprise, the deal was in the bag before President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at the California desert retreat where they announced it over the weekend. And for China, it came only after a change in financial incentives made it more lucrative to get on board.
Brazil Gov't To Perform Crash Tests After AP Report
June 11, 2013 8:12 am | by Bradley Brooks, Associated Press | News | CommentsAfter a decade of spiking fatalities from passenger car wrecks, the Brazilian government said Monday it plans to build its first auto crash test facility in an effort to improve the poor safety record of vehicles built and sold in the world's fourth-largest automobile market.
China Marks Decade Of Human Spaceflight
June 10, 2013 1:23 pm | by Christopher Bodeen, Associated Press | News | CommentsChina's astronauts have braved the tension of docking with a space station and performed delicate tasks outside their orbiting capsule, but now face a more down-to-earth job that is perhaps equally challenging: Talking to young people about science.
Leak Of NSA Programs Tests U.S., China Ties
June 10, 2013 1:17 pm | by Gillian Wong, Associated Press | News | CommentsChina, which has long chafed at U.S. accusations that it carries out extensive surveillance on American government and commercial operations, may now have to make a decision on how to deal with the problem presented by the 29-year-old Edward Snowden, who has come out as the source of the leaks.
China Auto Sales Growth Slows In May
June 10, 2013 11:06 am | News | CommentsChina's auto sales growth decelerated further in May amid signs of weakness in its economic recovery, with Japanese automakers suffering more declines, an industry group reported Sunday. Sales growth decelerated to 9 percent over the same time last year from April's 13 percent, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
Bangladesh: 7 Failed To Check Doomed Factories
June 10, 2013 7:45 am | by Farid Hossain, Associated Press | News | CommentsBangladesh has suspended seven inspectors it accuses of negligence for renewing the licenses of garment factories in a building that collapsed in April, killing more than 1,100 people, a top Labor Ministry official said Monday.
IEA: Energy Emissions Rose To Record High In 2012
June 10, 2013 7:43 am | by Karl Ritter, Associated Press | News | CommentsIn its annual World Energy Outlook report, the Paris-based IEA said top carbon polluter China saw the largest emissions growth last year, up 300 million tons, or 3.8 percent, from 2011. Still, the increase was among the lowest seen in a decade as China continues to invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Safety At Deadly China Plant 'Extremely Chaotic'
June 7, 2013 8:14 am | by Christopher Bodeen, Associated Press | News | CommentsSafety exits were blocked at the Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Co. plant and managers neglected to hold required safety drills or worker education, State Administration of Work Safety head Yang Dongliang said in a statement posted Friday on the administration's website, confirming workers' accounts.
Chinese-Americans Hope Summit Boosts Sino-U.S. Ties
June 6, 2013 1:50 pm | by Amy Taxin, Associated Press | News | CommentsMany Chinese-Americans hope that the high-level visit of the Chinese leader to meet with Obama on Friday and Saturday at the secluded Sunnylands estate in the desert near Palm Springs will enhance rapport between the two men and pave the way for closer ties between the two nations.
Senators Seek Bangladesh Action On Labor Rights
June 6, 2013 11:51 am | News | CommentsAn influential Democratic senator is calling for the Obama administration to consider suspending Bangladesh's duty-free privileges unless it takes significant action to improve labor conditions following the global garment industry's worst accident.
Koreas Agree To Hold Talks On Reopening Complex
June 6, 2013 8:08 am | by Sam Kim, Associated Press | News | CommentsNorth and South Korea on Thursday agreed to hold talks on reopening a jointly run factory complex and other cross-border issues, after months of deteriorating relations and a day before a U.S.-China summit in which the North is expected to be a key topic.
Israel Leads Global Drone Exports As Demand Grows
June 6, 2013 7:58 am | News | CommentsIn an expansive hangar in central Israel, workers toil on one of the world's most contentious aircraft, fitting dozens of drones with advanced sensors, cameras and lasers before they are shipped to militaries worldwide to perform highly sensitive tasks.
Toyota To Exempt Workers With Young Kids From Nightshift
June 6, 2013 7:46 am | News | CommentsToyota will also consider bearing part of the cost of hiring babysitters for those employees working at its factories not equipped with nurseries, the sources said Wednesday. The automaker is planning for babysitters to cover early morning hours for its workers until kindergartens open.
China Slams EU Solar Duties, Launches Wine Probe
June 5, 2013 8:01 am | by Joe McDonald, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsChina announced a trade investigation of European wine Wednesday after the European Union hit Chinese exporters of solar panels with anti-dumping duties.The Ministry of Commerce's announcement of the wine probe came in the same statement that expressed "resolute opposition" to punitive European tariffs on Chinese solar products.
ITC Rules For Samsung, Bans iPhone 4 Imports
June 5, 2013 7:30 am | by Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsA U.S. trade agency on Tuesday issued a ban on imports of Apple's iPhone 4 and a variant of the iPad 2 after finding the devices violate a patent held by South Korean rival Samsung Electronics. Because the devices are assembled in China, the import ban would end Apple's ability to sell them in the U.S.
Cyber Experts: Calling Out China May Be Working
June 5, 2013 4:09 am | by Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press | News | CommentsAfter years of quiet and largely unsuccessful diplomacy, the U.S. has brought its persistent computer-hacking problems with China into the open, delivering a steady drumbeat of reports accusing Beijing's government and military of computer-based attacks against America.
U.S. Trade Deficit Up 8.5 Percent
June 4, 2013 12:10 pm | by Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsThe Commerce Department says the trade gap rose 8.5 percent in April from March to $40.3 billion. Exports increased 1.2 percent to $187.4 billion, the second-highest level on record. But imports grew an even faster 2.4 percent to $227.7 billion.
EU Slaps Levies On Chinese Solar Panel Imports
June 4, 2013 12:02 pm | by Juergen Baetz, Associated Press | News | CommentsEU Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht said Tuesday the 27-nation bloc will impose a tariff of about 12 percent on the import of panels, cells and wafers immediately, increasing it to an average of 47 percent starting in August unless a settlement is reached with China.
Locked Doors A Sign Of China Work-Safety Failings
June 4, 2013 8:08 am | by Christopher Bodeen, Associated Press | News | CommentsWhile the country's increasingly sophisticated economy has surged into second place globally behind the United States, industrial safety conditions often more closely resemble those in struggling impoverished nations such as Bangladesh, where more than 1,100 people died in an April garment factory collapse.
Silicon Valley At Front Line Of Global Cyber War
June 4, 2013 7:51 am | by Martha Mendoza, AP National Writer | News | CommentsAlthough none have come out publically, analysts say some U.S. companies even are considering cyber-attacks of their own as retaliation, even though it's illegal. Retaliatory hacking was a hot topic at the 2013 RSA Conference on tech security in March.
Russia Wants Seagal To Be Face Of Weapons Industry
June 4, 2013 6:39 am | News | CommentsRussia is looking at Steven Seagal to be the face of its weapons industry as it guns for first place on the world arms market. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said the action movie star may head up an international marketing campaign to promote the Degtarev arms plant, Russian news agencies reported. He accompanied Seagal on a visit there Tuesday.
Coca-Cola Opens Myanmar Bottling Plant
June 4, 2013 4:45 am | by Yadana Htun, Associated Press | News | CommentsCoca-Cola began bottling its famous soft drink in Myanmar on Tuesday as part of a planned five-year, $200 million investment after having no local production for more than 60 years. The return of Coca Cola is emblematic of the opportunities U.S. companies see in Myanmar as it builds a free market economy after decades of military rule.
7 Cambodian Workers Arrested At Nike Subcontractor
June 3, 2013 8:40 am | News | CommentsFree Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia organizer Son Vanny said its members traded barrages of sticks and stones Monday with members of a rival union opposing the strike. He said police then arrived and started beating workers. Police declined comment on any arrests or possible injuries.
