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
A November stock slide continues as oil, metals prices fall
NEW YORK (AP) — A deepening slump in prices for oil, metals and other commodities sent stock prices lower on Thursday. Major market indexes opened lower and the selling accelerated as the day wore on. The drop in oil and metals prices hurt mining, metals and energy stocks. Stocks began sliding early this month and … Continue reading
Big beer merger leaves future uncertain for competitors
LONDON (AP) — It’s no fun being in the middle. Heineken, Molson Coors and Carlsberg are storied brewers that trace their roots back hundreds of years and have loyal drinkers around the world. But the merger of their two biggest competitors leaves such mid-size brewers without a clear way forward. They find themselves squeezed between … Continue reading
Aging mobster acquitted in 1978 heist retold in ‘Goodfellas’
NEW YORK (AP) — An aging mobster who stayed mostly in the shadows for decades by adhering to the Mafia’s strict code of silence was acquitted Thursday of charges he helped plan a legendary 1978 Lufthansa heist retold in the hit film “Goodfellas.” A federal jury reached the surprising verdict at a Brooklyn racketeering trial … Continue reading
Bomb may have downed Russian jet, US, UK officials say
LONDON (AP) — British and U.S. officials said Wednesday they have information suggesting the Russian jetliner that crashed in the Egyptian desert may have been brought down by a bomb, and Britain said it was suspending flights to and from the Sinai Peninsula as a precaution. Intercepted communications played a role in the tentative conclusion … Continue reading
State Dept. rejects TransCanada request for Keystone delay
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration says it is continuing a review of the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline, despite a request by the project’s developer to suspend the review. State Department spokesman John Kirby says the department advised TransCanada on Wednesday of its decision to continue the review. The State Department has jurisdiction over … Continue reading
Millennials-aimed Vice adds TV channel to global lineup
NEW YORK (AP) — Vice Media is adding a U.S. cable channel to its digital video empire as it tries to gain viewers in old as well as new media. The network, tentatively called “Viceland,” is “the next step in the evolution of our brand and the first step in our global roll-out of networks … Continue reading
Sports, political contests dominate TV ratings
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nothing beats athletes clashing on the field for impressive TV ratings, but the skirmishes of CNBC’s Republican debate came close. NFL programming and baseball’s World Series dominated last week’s ratings, taking seven of the top 20 spots, the Nielsen company said Tuesday, Viewers also were drawn to the debate with leading … Continue reading
Netflix raising US price for most popular video plan by $1
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Netflix is raising the price of its Internet video service by $1 for new customers in the U.S., Canada and some Latin America countries to help cover its escalating costs for shows such as “House of Cards” and other original programming. The new price of $10 per month for Netflix’s standard … Continue reading
Obama touts immigration reform in speech to Hispanic leaders
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama promised Hispanic leaders on Thursday he’ll continue to champion a comprehensive change to the nation’s immigration laws and said America’s greatness comes from building opportunities, not walls. While prospects for an immigration overhaul are negligible during the remainder of his presidency, Obama used the speech to highlight differences with … Continue reading
Egypt pledges fast work amid search for Nefertiti’s tomb
CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian authorities promised Thursday they would move quickly to get new radar equipment needed to search for Queen Nefertiti’s tomb amid a new theory it could be in an alleged, hidden chamber behind King Tutankhamun’s tomb in the famed Valley of the Kings. The theory, presented this summer by British Egyptologist Nicholas … Continue reading