News on the Net

Sunoco, Union Spar Over Job Cuts At Pennsylvania Refineries

HOUSTON -(Dow Jones)- Sunoco Inc. (SUN) and the union representing most of its workers said Monday they're making progress on hammering out a labor contract along the lines of those recently inked by refiners nationwide. But the parties still can't seem to agree on whether proposed layoffs that have so far hampered the deal are going to be voluntary or forced.

Worst job losses ‘over by Easter’

The worst of the jobs "cull" which has seen unemployment approach two million could be over by Easter, according to a new analysis of redundancies.

Spring Break

The sound of crackling ice echoes from river and lake

State caught in avalanche of job losses

Unemployment in California shot up to its highest level in nearly 26 years in January, leaving more than 1 in 10 workers without a job.

Job losses continue at Mueller

In the same month that 90 Paul Mueller Co. workers got pink slips, 82 more layoffs were announced this week, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Office Don Golik confirmed this morning.

Bay Area bracing for more job losses

SAN JOSE, CA (KGO) -- New jobless figures are out for California, and for the first time in a quarter century, the unemployment rate is in "double digits  10.1 percent. That's up from less than six percent just more than a year ago, and it's the highest rate since June of 1983.

Chinese Spies Infiltrating US Businesses

(The following is based on an FBI strategy report sent to the 14,000-member National Association of Chiefs of Police.) The almost legendary MI5 British counterintelligence service is said to be deeply concerned over an increase in spying by Chinese operatives in the United Kingdom. Although intelligence experts aren't certain how widespread the problem is, they believe the espionage is rampant and a serious consequence of the global economy.

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Mr. Whipple Left It Out: Soft Is Rough on Forests

- LESLIE KAUFMAN Americans like their toilet tissue soft: exotic confections that are silken, thick and hot-air-fluffed.

Where is the press?

The San Francisco Chronicle just announced they are about to close down. The New York Times are borrowing money at 14% interest from Carlos Slim. Many other papers are heading for bankruptcy. ABC, CBS and NBC are in financial trouble. CNBC and CNN are barely hanging on.

Outlook on China: peaceful partner or warmonger?

WASHINGTON - For more than 30 years, free and open markets have propelled China's labor-driven growth and lifted more than 200 million of its citizens out of rural poverty. But America's recent economic downturn has hit China hard. Exports from its booming trade sector dropped 17.5 percent in January from a year ago. In the past several months, an estimated 20 million rural Chinese migrant workers have lost their jobs.

NYPD hunts for suspect in immigrant’s death

Police hunted Thursday for a second man wanted in the beating death of an Ecuadorean immigrant, releasing a video of the suspect and offering a $22,000 reward for information leading to his capture.

U.S. is a vast arms bazaar for Mexican cartels

The Mexican agents who moved in on a safe house full of drug dealers last May were not prepared for the fire power that greeted them.

Express-News announces job cuts

San Antonio’s Hearst Corp.-owned daily newspaper says it will lay off 135 people and will not fill an additional 30 positions.

Nortel Networks to cut 3,200 more jobs

TORONTO (AP) — Telecom equipment company Nortel Networks Corp. plans to cut its work force by 3,200 jobs worldwide, or more than 10 percent of its global work force, in an effort to restructure its operations while under court protection.

California job cuts from ‘mass layoffs’ up 25% last month

More evidence of how the job market has fallen off a cliff this year: California was hit much harder in January by "mass layoff events" -- cuts of 50 or more jobs by a single employer -- compared with December.

RSA cuts 1,200 jobs as profit rises 13%

RSA, the UK's largest commercial insurer, revealed plans to cut 1,200 jobs in the UK by the middle of next year today as it aims to slash its cost base by £70 million.

More job losses in manufacturing, retail sectors

Taiwan's January seasonally adjusted jobless rate rose to a record high level of 5.33 percent as the island, caught up in the global downturn, suffers from possibly its longest recession.

China rights ‘worsened’, says US

The report accused China of harassing dissidents and increasing its repression of ethnic minorities.

Hong Kong Cuts Taxes as GDP Forecast to Shrink 3%

Feb. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong will refund taxes, suspend property rates and boost spending on infrastructure as the economy heads for its first full-year contraction since 1998, the government said.