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Cambodian shoe factory collapse kills two, injures seven |
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Written by SOPHENG CHEANG, Associated Press
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Thursday, 16 May 2013 09:33 |
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PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — The ceiling of a Cambodian factory that makes Asics sneakers collapsed on workers early Thursday, killing two people and injuring seven, in the latest accident spotlighting the often lethal safety conditions faced by those toiling in the global garment industry.
About 50 workers were inside a workroom of the factory south of Phnom Penh when the ceiling caved in, said police officer Khem Pannara. He said heavy iron equipment stored on a mezzanine above them appeared to have caused the collapse.
Two bodies were pulled from the wreckage and seven people were injured, he said. Rescuers picked through rubble for several hours and after clearing the site said that nobody else was trapped inside.
At a clinic where she was being treated for her injuries, worker Kong Thary cried on the telephone as she recounted the collapse.
"We were working normally and suddenly several pieces of brick and iron started falling on us," the 25-year-old said.
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U.S. jobless claims jump to highest level in six weeks |
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Written by CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER, AP Economics Writer
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Thursday, 16 May 2013 08:40 |
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid rose 32,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 360,000, the most since late March. The jump comes after applications fell to a five-year low.
The Labor Department said Thursday that the less volatile four-week average rose just 1,250 to 339,250, a level consistent with modest hiring.
Weekly applications are a proxy for layoffs. The big increase could mean companies are cutting more jobs, possibly because of steep government spending cuts that kicked in March 1. Labor officials said there were no special circumstances that caused the spike.
Applications tend to fluctuate sharply from week to week and economists typically focus more on the four-week average. That remains 9 percent lower than it was six months ago.
The job market has improved over the past six months. The economy has added an average of 208,000 jobs a month since November. That's up from only 138,000 a month in the previous six months.
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U.S. housing starts fell in April but permits surged |
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Written by MARTIN CRUTSINGER, AP Economics Writer
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Thursday, 16 May 2013 08:41 |
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WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. builders broke ground on far fewer homes in April, one month after topping the 1 million mark for the first time since 2008. But applications for new construction rose to a five-year peak, evidence that the housing revival will be sustained.
The Commerce Department says U.S. builders started construction at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 853,000 in April, a 16.5 percent drop from the March pace of 1.02 million. Applications for building permits rose 14.3 percent to a rate of 1.02 million, the highest since June 2008.
Homebuilders are benefiting from a sustained rebound in housing that began a year ago. Steady job growth, rock-bottom mortgage rates and rising home values have increased demand for new homes.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
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New Zealand's top court takes Kim Dotcom appeal |
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Written by Associated Press
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Thursday, 16 May 2013 06:37 |
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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand's highest court ruled Thursday that it will hear an appeal by Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom and three colleagues as they seek to avoid extradition to the United States.
The appeal to the New Zealand Supreme Court involves a ruling on evidence and represents one strand of the complex legal case against executives from the file-sharing site.
U.S. prosecutors shut down Megaupload last year, accusing the executives of racketeering by facilitating massive copyright fraud. Dotcom says he's innocent and can't be held responsible for those who chose to use the site to illegally download songs or movies.
Dotcom and his colleagues had sought access to all the U.S. evidence against them. A lower court ruled in their favor, but an appeals court overturned that ruling, saying extensive disclosure at the extradition stage would bog down the process and that a summary of the U.S. case would suffice.
The extradition hearing against the four men has been postponed once, from March to August, due to legal wrangling and now may now be postponed further. Dotcom and the others remain free on bail pending the hearing.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
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