News

Oracle Sues Chip Makers Over Price-Fixing

September 28, 2010 4:42 am | Comments

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Oracle Corp. is suing Micron Technology Inc. in federal court, saying the semiconductor maker and other companies artificially inflated prices for microchips. Oracle says Micron and other conspirators, including South Korea's Hynix and Samsung and Germany's Infineon, artificially inflated prices above what Oracle's Sun Microsystems business should have paid for them.

Senate Dems Try To Punish Firms That Export Jobs

September 28, 2010 4:40 am | by Stephen Ohlemacher, Associated Press Writer | Comments

UPDATE: 11:52am WASHINGTON (AP) — Tax legislation that would have punished U.S. firms that export jobs has failed in the Senate. The bill failed to reach the 60 votes required to advance in the 100-member chamber. Democrats held the vote Tuesday nonetheless to display their commitment to economic recovery just five weeks before the Nov.

Chrysler Ends Suspensions, Fires Boozing Workers

September 28, 2010 4:39 am | Comments

DETROIT (AP) — Chrysler Group LLC says it has fired 13 plant workers a Detroit TV station caught drinking alcohol and smoking what appeared to be marijuana during breaks. Chrysler manufacturing chief Scott Garberding told WJBK-TV in a Sept. 22 report that the automaker identified some of the workers from Detroit's Jefferson North plant on tape and was pursuing the others.

After A Year-Long Shortage, Canned Pumpkins Return

September 27, 2010 4:58 am | by Sarah Skidmore, AP Food Industry Writer | Comments

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Pumpkin lovers can relax: A nearly yearlong shortage of the canned stuff is over. That means an end to the hoarding, rationing and even pumpkin profiteering that have been going on since heavy rain ruined last year's harvest and caused a shortfall. But the country's top producer says this year's crop is healthy and cans are arriving in stores.

Tenn. Court Eases Burden On Job Discrimination Lawsuits

September 27, 2010 4:57 am | Comments

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — In a decision that some legal observers found surprising, the state Supreme Court has reversed precedent and made it easier for workers to sue their employers when they believe they were fired illegally. The court ruled 3-2 this week that employers must prove that workers' claims of discrimination or retaliation are false or else face a trial, according to The Tennessean.

Nucor Creates Job Security Despite Deep Recession

September 27, 2010 4:54 am | by Shannon Spears Harris, Associated Press Writer | Comments

HICKMAN, Ark. (AP) — For employees at Nucor-Yamato Steel, there is plenty of incentive to get the job done right. The majority of their pay comes from production-based bonuses, and even though the recent financial downturn has had a negative effect on the amount of jobs available, Nucor-Yamato is proud of the fact that it has never once laid off an employee because of lack of work.

'Stuxnet' Computer Worm Affecting Siemens PLCs

September 27, 2010 4:52 am | by Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press Writer | Comments

WASHINGTON (AP) — A powerful computer code attacking industrial facilities around the world, but mainly in Iran, probably was created by experts working for a country or a well-funded private group, according to an analysis by a leading computer security company. The malicious code, called Stuxnet, was designed to go after several "high-value targets," said Liam O Murchu, manager of security response operations at Symantec Corp.

Hyundai Recalls 139,500 Sonatas For Steering Defect

September 27, 2010 4:50 am | Comments

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hyundai Motor Co. said it is voluntarily recalling 139,500 Sonata sedans in the U.S. because of a manufacturing defect that could cause drivers to lose steering control. The recall affects 2011 models built between Dec. 11, 2009 and Sept. 10, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration noted on its website Sunday.

Even Now, Out-Of-Work Americans Won't Take 'Immigrant' Jobs

September 27, 2010 4:49 am | by Garance Burke, Associated Press Writer | Comments

VISALIA, Calif. (AP) — As the economy tanked during the past two years, a debate has raged over whether immigrants are taking jobs that Americans want. Here, amid the sweltering vineyards of the largest farm state, the answer is no. Most Americans simply don't apply for jobs harvesting fruits and vegetables in California, where one of every eight people is out of work, according to government data for a federal seasonal farmworker program analyzed by The Associated Press.

Boeing Welds Final Beam In Massive S.C. Facility

September 24, 2010 4:32 am | Comments

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Another milestone has been reached in building a $750 million Boeing aircraft assembly plant on the South Carolina coast. Boeing officials on Friday plan a topping off ceremony at the North Charleston plant to mark the last steel beam being put in place for the frame of the plant where the company's new 787 jetliner will be built.

Wall Street Celebrates Good August Manufacturing Report

September 24, 2010 4:31 am | by Stephen Bernard, AP Business Writer | Comments

NEW YORK (AP) — Stock futures rallied Friday as traders were encouraged that orders for manufactured goods excluding the volatile transportation sector rose sharply last month. A surprise jump in business confidence in Germany also tempered fresh worries about Europe's economy, driving stocks higher in Europe and the U.

Buffett: We're Not Out Of The Recession Yet

September 24, 2010 4:30 am | Comments

OMAHA, Nebraska (AP) — Billionaire Warren Buffett says the economy remains in a recession, by his definition, because most people and businesses still aren't doing as well as they were before the financial crisis. Buffett talked about the economy and his Berkshire Hathaway Inc. businesses in an interview that aired Thursday on CNBC.

Parents Worried Over Bug-Tainted Baby Formula

September 24, 2010 4:27 am | by Ed White and Lindsey Tanner, Associated Press Writers | Comments

Worried parents have bombarded the maker of Similac with phone calls and peppered Facebook and Twitter pages over fears about insects in the top-selling baby formula after millions of cans were recalled. But the company said Thursday it's unlikely any of the formula already sold is tainted, and doctors offered more reassurance: Even if babies drink bug-tainted formula, the chance for serious harm is slim.

Neb. Man Shoots Three Co-Workers, Kills Self

September 24, 2010 4:26 am | by Margery A. Beck, Associated Press Writer | Comments

CRETE, Nebraska (AP) — A worker entered the lunchroom of a cold-storage food warehouse in southeastern Nebraska and started firing a handgun, wounding three employees — including a woman who was shot 11 times — before going outside and killing himself, authorities said Thursday. Officials gave no information about why the man, identified as 26-year-old Akouch Kashoual of Lincoln, began shooting at the Americold Logistics plant near Crete around 9:50 p.

China Tries To Halt Exports Of Brightest Minds

September 24, 2010 4:24 am | by Saiyu Liang, Associated Press Writer | Comments

TOKYO (AP) — Having worked for two years at a tech company in Japan and picking up the language, Qiu Zhaohua has decided to return to China, lured by a job in the eastern tech hub of Dalian that pays as much 200,000 yuan a year, or about $29,000 — a handsome starting salary by China's standards.