Government
The Lead
First Class Of Veterans Complete ‘Get Skills To Work’ Program
March 15, 2013 11:05 am | by The Manufacturing Institute | News | Comments
With an estimated 600,000 open advanced manufacturing jobs across America, GSTW is joining major manufacturers — like Boeing and Alcoa — and educators to help close the skills gap through training and skills matching for U.S. veterans.
China, Switzerland To Seal Free Trade Deal
May 24, 2013 10:48 am | News | 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.
Some Unions Now Angry About Health Care Overhaul
May 24, 2013 9:38 am | by Sam Hananel, Associated Press | News | 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.
France Won't Force Companies To Cap Executive Pay
May 24, 2013 9:34 am | by Sarah DiLorenzo, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsFinance Minister Pierre Moscovici announced Friday that the government no longer plans to push for a law to cap executive salaries in the private sector. Instead, Moscovici told reporters that he was in discussions with business leaders and he hoped companies would agree to institute their own limits. He did not give details.
Durable Goods Orders Rise 3.3 Percent
May 24, 2013 8:45 am | by Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsU.S. orders for long-lasting manufactured goods rebounded in April, buoyed by more demand for military and civilian aircraft and an increase in business investment. The Commerce Department says durable goods orders rose 3.3 percent last month after a 5.9 decline in March.
Health Canada: Voluntary Recall Of Children's Medicine
May 24, 2013 8:03 am | News | CommentsSome child fever medicine has been recalled because of concerns with the quality of one of the ingredients produced in China. Health Canada says Prestige Brands is voluntarily recalling their products that include acetaminophen. The agency says it was made aware of concerns about quality involving a Chinese manufacturer that produces the ingredient for the medicines.
Canada Disapproves Of New Meat Labeling Rules
May 24, 2013 7:51 am | News | 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.
Fire Marshal's Office: Panel Had Blast Site Access
May 23, 2013 1:53 pm | News | 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.
Between Economy And Trouble, Obama Approval Steady
May 23, 2013 1:36 pm | by Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press | News | 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 | News | 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.
Dutch Arrest Meat Works Owner In Horse Meat Probe
May 23, 2013 10:15 am | by Mike Corder, Associated Press | News | 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.
Unemployment Aid Applications Fall To 340K
May 23, 2013 9:30 am | by Paul Wiseman, AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsThe number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell by 23,000 last week, further evidence that the job market is slowly returning to health. Applications for unemployment aid declined to a seasonally adjusted 340,000 in the week ending May 18, the Labor Department said Thursday.
Building Materials Blamed In Bangladesh Disaster
May 23, 2013 7:59 am | by Farid Hossain, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe defects and errors that led to the world's deadliest garment-industry accident extend from the swampy ground the doomed Rana Plaza was built on, to "extremely poor quality" construction materials, to the massive, vibrating equipment operating when the eight-story building collapsed.
Glaxo, U.S. Partnering To Develop New Antibiotics
May 23, 2013 7:38 am | by Hzl-Laj, The Associated Press | News | CommentsGlaxoSmithKline PLC says it's starting an unusual collaboration with the U.S. government to develop several antibiotics for both bioterrorism threats and bacterial infections resistant to current medicines. Antibiotic resistance will become a global crisis, experts predict, because most drug companies have cut investment in antibiotics.
Solar Industry Pushes For More Use In Georgia
May 22, 2013 2:09 pm | by Ray Henry, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe solar industry in Georgia is pushing a power monopoly to expand its use of solar energy as it plans to meet the state's electricity needs over the next two decades. State utility regulators heard testimony Tuesday on the energy plans from Southern Co. subsidiary Georgia Power, which must submit new plans every three years.
Italy Seizes $1.5B From Steel Family
May 22, 2013 2:05 pm | News | CommentsProsecutors allege in the order Wednesday that the real estate, stocks and other financial assets belonging to the Riva family were obtained through the misuse of funds belonging to the Ilva steel plant. Brothers Emilio and Adriano Riva, founders of the company that owns the plant, are currently under investigation for fraud.
Cuba Lifts Ban On Energy-Hogging Appliances
May 22, 2013 8:09 am | by Anne-Marie Garcia, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe change could strain even further the already-overstuffed cargo holds of flights from places like Miami, Ecuador and Panama to Havana. Cuba-bound travelers who routinely check bulky bundles and multiple plasma-screen TVs will now start thinking about things like air conditioners, chest freezers, microwaves and ovens.
Safety Board: ATF Blocking Plant Blast Probe
May 22, 2013 7:38 am | News | CommentsFederal 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.
The New Food Fight: Defending Against Labeling Litigation
May 21, 2013 3:38 pm | by Andrew J. Scholz, Matthew R. Shindell, and Matthew D. Cabral, Goldberg Segalla LLP | Articles | CommentsOnly a very small portion of this litigation actually relates to manufacturing defect claims allegedly resulting in consumer injuries or death, such as with salmonella outbreaks. Rather, the bulk of the litigation is focused on alleged “false advertising” associated with food labeling.
Feds: NYU Researchers Took Bribes From Chinese Co.
May 21, 2013 8:20 am | News | CommentsThe researchers' work involves MRI technology. It's funded by the National Institutes of Health. They're accused of providing nonpublic information about the technology to a medical company in China and a research institution supported by the Chinese government.
Firm To Appeal Nuclear Plant Whistleblower Case
May 21, 2013 8:04 am | by Roxana Hegeman, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration found Enercon Services violated whistleblower protections when it retaliated against an engineer for raising concerns during construction work at the Wolf Creek nuclear power plant in Burlington.
Panel: Apple Uses Firms Outside U.S. To Avoid Taxes
May 21, 2013 7:47 am | by Marcy Gordon, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsThe strategies Apple uses are legal, and many other multinational corporations use similar tax techniques to avoid paying U.S. income taxes on profits they reap overseas. But the report found that Apple uses a unique twist, and lawmakers are raising questions about loopholes in the U.S. tax code.
Judge Gives Final Approval To A123 Bankruptcy Plan
May 20, 2013 1:59 pm | by Randall Chase, AP Business Writer | News | 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.
Court: Should Whistleblower Protection Be Wider?
May 20, 2013 10:40 am | News | 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.
Consumer Group Flags High SPF Ratings On Sunscreen
May 20, 2013 8:21 am | by Matthew Perrone, AP Health Writer | News | CommentsA 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.
Canada Trying To Lure Silicon Valley Tech Workers
May 17, 2013 1:40 pm | News | 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.
