LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Alarmed that black lung disease routinely goes unreported decades after it was discovered among miners, federal mine safety officials are touting new regulations that will step up monitoring for the coal dust that causes the deadly disease. Beginning Feb. 1, the Mine Safety and Health Administration will require coal operators to … Continue reading
Author Archives: L. Damon Nash
Jobs report’s big question mark: Will pay growth continue?
WASHINGTON (AP) — Is the U.S. job market finally healthy enough to lift Americans’ long-stagnant pay? Some tantalizing signs have suggested that wages are beginning to pick up after barely moving in the 6½ years since the Great Recession officially ended. On Friday, the government’s jobs report for November should offer some clues about whether … Continue reading
Bad weather delays US space station shipment, 1st in months
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Wet and cloudy weather prevented NASA from resuming commercial space station deliveries Thursday. The space agency was looking to get back on track with the first U.S. shipment to the International Space station in nearly eight months, but thick clouds and rain prevented an unmanned Atlas rocket from lifting off … Continue reading
No designer babies, but summit calls for cautious research
WASHINGTON (AP) — A tool to edit human genes is nowhere near ready to use for pregnancy — but altering early embryos as part of careful laboratory research should be allowed as scientists and society continue to grapple with the ethical questions surrounding this revolutionary technology, organizers of an international summit concluded Thursday. “It would … Continue reading
Congress overwhelmingly backs 5-year transportation bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — After years of stymied efforts to address the nation’s aging and congested highways and transit systems, Congress found the sweet spot for passage on Thursday — a 5-year, $305 billion bill laden with enough industry favors, parochial projects, safety improvements and union demands to gain overwhelming support. The bill was approved 359 … Continue reading
Asia extends global stock sell-off after ECB underwhelms
HONG KONG (AP) — Asian stocks sank Friday, extending a sell-off in world markets after Europe’s central bank unveiled plans to stimulate the continent’s ailing economy that fell short of investor expectations. KEEPING SCORE: Japan’s Nikkei 225 dropped 1.9 percent to 19,556.50 and South Korea’s Kospi lost 0.9 percent to 1,975.27. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng … Continue reading
Sugar program draws Cruz’s ire, remains popular in Congress
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz says he wants to do away with government support for the sugar industry — a veiled dig at rival Marco Rubio, the Florida senator who has long supported sugar growers. Some conservatives like Cruz want to get rid of the program, which supports prices and protects growers … Continue reading
Yik Yak social media service can reveal user data to police
WASHINGTON (AP) — Internet users of the Yik Yak social media app popular among college students aren’t nearly as anonymous as they believe: Missouri police within hours arrested a student accused of threatening violence, the latest in a string of such arrests at colleges in recent months involving threats of mass violence posted online using … Continue reading
Hong Kong tycoon buys $48.5M diamond at auction for daughter
GENEVA (AP) — An exceptionally large blue diamond sold Wednesday for 48.6 million Swiss francs ($48.5 million) — a record price for any jewel at auction, Sotheby’s said, culminating two Geneva auctions in which a convicted Hong Kong tycoon bought rare colored diamonds for his daughter. The 12.03-carat ‘Blue Moon’ diamond, set in a ring, … Continue reading
Asian stocks slump on Fed rate hike fears, commodity rout
HONG KONG (AP) — Asian stocks slid Friday following sharp losses on Wall Street as a slump in commodities markets deterred investors from riskier assets and expectations grew that the U.S. would soon move to raise interest rates. KEEPING SCORE: Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index fell 0.8 percent to 19,534.97 while South Korea’s Kospi shed … Continue reading
Obama tries to enlist eBay sellers to back his trade pact
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is trying to rally hundreds of thousands of eBay sellers to get behind a proposed trade deal between the U.S. and 11 other countries. Obama intends to sign the deal, but he could face a tough task in getting Congress to ratify it. Obama says the Trans Pacific Partnership … Continue reading
Advance Auto Parts misses Street 3Q forecasts, cuts guidance
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) — Advance Auto Parts Inc. reported a dip in its third-quarter profit, a disappointing outlook and disclosed CEO Darren R. Jackson will retire in January. Jackson cited the costs related to integrating General Parts International and a stronger U.S. dollar as factors in weighing down results for the quarter. The third-quarter “shortfall” … Continue reading
Tensions build over whether Paris climate deal is binding
PARIS (AP) — France’s leadership is bristling at U.S. resistance to making a global climate accord under negotiation in Paris next month legally binding. French President Francois Hollande, whose country is hosting U.N. climate talks Nov. 30-Dec. 11, told reporters in Malta on Thursday that “if the deal is not legally binding, there is no … Continue reading
Owner of LA Times, Chicago Tribune expects to cut jobs 7 pct
The owner of the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and other newspapers says it expects a buyout offer to cut its staff by 7 percent. Tribune Publishing employees had to apply by Oct. 23. The company said in October that layoffs could follow the buyouts. Spokeswoman Dana Meyer said Thursday that CEO Jack Griffin had … Continue reading
KFC to deliver buckets of fried chicken on demand
NEW YORK (AP) — Colonel Sanders wants to come to your home: KFC said it will start delivering its buckets of fried chicken to customers in two U.S. cities. It will be the first time the chicken chain has delivered in the United States. Starting Thursday, people in Los Angeles and San Francisco will be … Continue reading