Japan begins to dig for dead amid nuclear crisis

TAKAJO, Japan (AP) — Rescue workers used chain saws and hand picks Monday to dig out bodies in Japan’s devastated coastal towns, as Asia’s richest nation faced a mounting humanitarian, nuclear and economic crisis in the aftermath of a massive earthquake and tsunami that likely killed thousands. Millions of people spent a third night without [...]

Judge to weigh rival plans in Trib bankruptcy case

A two-week hearing begins Monday to determine the fate of Tribune Co. more than two years after an ill-advised $8.2 billion buyout drove one of the oldest U.S. media companies into bankruptcy protection. The proceedings follow four years of tumult and intrigue at Tribune Co. The company has been through the disgrace of a bankruptcy [...]

Staples 4Q net rises but misses expectations

NEW YORK (AP) — Staples Inc.’s fourth-quarter results missed expectations as winter storms caused shoppers to stay home most January weekends. Staples Inc., based in Framingham, Mass., also offered weak first-quarter earnings guidance Wednesday. Shares slipped slightly in midday trading. Still, analysts say the No. 1 office supplier is still in a better position than [...]

Shoppers wary of GM foods find they’re everywhere

WASHINGTON (AP) — You may not want to eat genetically engineered foods. Chances are, you are eating them anyway. Genetically modified plants grown from seeds engineered in labs now provide much of the food we eat. Most corn, soybean and cotton crops grown in the United States have been genetically modified to resist pesticides or [...]

Still no layoffs in Cuba 5 months after announced

HAVANA (AP) — Yordan Rodriguez hasn’t showed up for work in four months, but he still has a job – for now at least. The 25-year-old ironworker was told not to bother coming in anymore because the state-owned construction outfit he works for doesn’t have any iron. Since then he’s been doing odd jobs at [...]

Campbell says sales, profit dip; cuts guidance

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Campbell Soup Co. sold more cans of soup in its fiscal second quarter, but at such deep discounts it drove down the company’s profit. The quarterly decline was expected, but it came with some other bad news from the food maker. The outlook for the rest of the year is cloudy [...]

Super Bowl ads: Eminem, Roseanne, singing cowboys

In the Super Bowl of advertising, Eminem was everywhere, Roseanne Barr took a big hit from a log and Joan Rivers became a GoDaddy girl. It was also hard to throw a Pepsi can without hitting a car commercial during Super Bowl XLV between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers. Automakers took advantage of [...]

An uncertain future after jobless benefits expire

LAS VEGAS – The portraits of his dead father are among the few mementoes Bud Meyers is certain he will take with him when he is forced from his home of five years next month because he cannot pay the rent. His prized collection of mystery novels, the bedroom set he was once proud to [...]

Egypt protests are opportunity for reforms

WASHINGTON – Treading carefully, President Barack Obama called Egypt an ally Thursday and said President Hosni Mubarak has been helpful on a range of issues, but said he’s told Mubarak it’s critical to enact reforms. Obama said anti-government protests filling the streets show the frustrations of the populace. “It is very important that people have [...]

Obama to urge Congress to fund more electric car programs

President Barack Obama said Tuesday he remains committed to a campaign goal to flood America’s highways with plug-in cars and will ask Congress for new programs to support sales and development of electric vehicles. “With more research and incentives, we can break our dependence on oil with biofuels, and become the first country to have [...]