United States News

Court Upholds Conviction of Former Alabama Insurance CEO Goff

A federal appeals court has upheld the conviction of a former Montgomery insurance executive who was once a major supplier of workers compensation insurance in the Southeast. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta issued a 3-0 decision …

New Jersey School Chief Charged in Insurance Kickback Scheme

The superintendent of New Jersey’s fourth-largest school district surrendered to the FBI on Thursday and was charged with fraud and bribery over an alleged insurance-kickback scheme that federal officials called “staggering” in its scope. Toms River Schools Superintendent Michael Ritacco, …

Oklahoma’s Statewide Unemployment Rate Drops in September

The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission reports that in September, Oklahoma’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped by one-tenth of a percentage point to 6.9 percent for the month. The national unemployment rate held steady at 9.6 percent in September. The September …

Hurricane Richard Hits Belize; Could Reach Mexico’s Oil Fields

Hurricane Richard struck the tiny Central American nation of Belize Sunday, blowing roofs off houses and knocking out electricity as tourists and residents huddled in emergency shelters. Richard, which made landfall just south of Belize City, was expected to weaken …

AIG Raises $17.9 Billion; Prices AIA IPO at Top of Range

AIA, the Asian life insurance arm of AIG, raised $17.9 billion by pricing its Hong Kong IPO at the top of its range, as investors piled into a company with a wide footprint across rapidly growing Asia. The pricing of …

Report Concludes Invasive Species, Climate Change, Form ‘Deadly Duo’

Climate change is set to drive the spread of invasive plant and animal species, threatening forests, fisheries and crops, in a double blow to nature and livelihoods, a World Bank-funded report said on Friday. The study by Nairobi-based Global Invasive …

U.S. Standards for Rear Seats Put Kids at Risk, Advocates Say

U.S. car-safety policies for child passengers have become some of the weakest in the developed world, according to safety advocates. Martha Bidez, a professor of safety engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and advocate for improved U.S. child-protection …

Tight Market Drives Australian Companies into Deals Abroad

Cash rich Australian companies are being forced to search offshore for takeover targets as the small local market has become too consolidated to get deals past the competition watchdog. With the Aussie dollar at a 28-year high, now would be …

Specialty Products Manufacturing: Multiple Opportunities for Injury

In 2007 there were over 10 million consumer-product related injuries treated in hospital emergency departments, according to the National Safety Council. While the statistics reveal injuries from seemingly innocuous objects — 532,061 injuries associated with beds, for example — the …

Tide of History Runs against Would-be G20 ‘Grand Bargain’

Speculation of a grand bargain by the Group of 20 to rebalance the global economy is swirling ever faster thanks to China’s surprise decision to raise interest rates for the first time since 2007. Higher rates ought to push up …