BC-Business News Digest
Here are AP Business News' latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT.
New & Developing:
— REPUTATION SCRUBBING-AP EXPLAINS, STATE UNEMPLOYMENT
TOP STORIES:
GLOBAL FINANCE — Facing a shaky world economy and political attacks on free trade, global finance leaders meeting in Washington say the recovery has regained most of the ground lost from the market turbulence at the beginning of the year, but worry about uneven growth. By Martin Crutsinger and Maria Danilova. SENT: 700 words.
PRIVACY WARS-AP EXPLAINS — Companies like Apple and Microsoft pushing back against the surveillance state in the courts, arguing that federal authorities have overstepped their legal authority to obtain your chats, email and other crucial information from phones and online services. Here's what the battleground looks like right now. By Bree Fowler. SENT: 590 words, photos.
CHINA-ECONOMY — Raising hopes that its slowdown may have bottomed out, China's economic growth slowed in the first quarter to 6.7 percent, largely in line with expectations, but its slowest pace since the global financial crisis. By Kelvin Chan. SENT: 680 words, photos.
With:
CHINA-ECONOMY-BY THE NUMBERS — A glance at China's latest economic numbers. SENT: 270 words.
MARKETS & ECONOMY:
FINANCIAL MARKETS — U.S. stocks fell slightly as a dip in oil prices dragged energy companies lower, but for the week stocks ended sharply higher. By Marley Jay. SENT: 140 words, photos. UPCOMING: 700 words by 5 p.m.
INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION — U.S. factory output dropped in March for the second straight month as manufacturers churned out fewer cars, metal parts and machinery. Yet other recent data suggests that the sector's long-running malaise could brighten in the coming months. By Christopher S. Rugaber. SENT: 450 words, photos. Incorporates EMPIRE STATE.
— STATE UNEMPLOYMENT — Employers added more jobs in three-quarters of U.S. states in March. By Christopher S. Rugaber. SENT: 360 words, photos.
FOREIGN HOLDINGS — The Treasury Department reports on foreign holdings of U.S. debt for February. By Tomoko Hosaka. SENT: UPCOMING: 115 words.
EARNINGS:
EARNS-CITIGROUP — Citigroup's profit falls nearly 27 percent in the first quarter, hurt by weak results at its consumer bank and trading business. By Ken Sweet. SENT: 430 words, photos.
INDUSTRY:
LGBT RIGHTS-FURNITURE MARKET — A North Carolina city is bracing for a heavy economic hit if thousands stay away from a semiannual furniture market to protest a state law that limits protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. By Emery P. Dalesio. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
DEPOMED-STARBOARD VALUE — Starboard Value plans to forge ahead with its boardroom coup attempt at Depomed even though the pain treatment maker backed off a reincorporation plan that had incensed the activist investor. SENT: 330 words.
JAPAN-GREEN JEEP — Chrysler's Jeep has been declared green by the Japanese government, becoming the first gasoline-engine American-made U.S.-brand vehicle to qualify for this nation's green-car tax incentive. By Yuri Kageyama. SENT: 300 words, photos.
VOLKSWAGEN-SALES — German automaker Volkswagen AG sees sales fall in its home market as it struggles to overcome a scandal over cars that cheated on diesel emissions tests. SENT: 130 words.
GENERAL MOTORS-PICKUP RECALL —General Motors is recalling more than a million Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks worldwide because the seat belts may not hold the driver in a crash. SENT: 240 words, photos.
CONTAMINATED MEDICAL SCOPES — At least 300 patients have been sickened by life-threatening infections linked to contaminated medical scopes — more than previously estimated by federal regulators, according to figures released Friday. By Matthew Perrone. SENT: 460 words.
NORWEGIAN AIR-US FLIGHTS — Norwegian Air Shuttle is celebrating a victory in its bid to expand flying between the United States and Europe. SENT: 100 words.
TECHNOLOGY & MEDIA:
VIRTUAL REALITY CHECK — For the past three years, I've been experiencing the evolution of virtual reality at various trade shows and industry events. It wasn't until I set up the most immersive consumer VR system on the market in my own home that I understood just how amazing and frustrating the interactive 360-degree medium can be. By Derrik J. Lang. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.
With:
VIRTUAL REALITY CHECK-TOP 10 — A look at the 10 best virtual reality experiences available for the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. By Derrik J. Lang. SENT: 500 words, photos.
NO TEXTING IN THEATERS — Oops. The idea lasted about as long as a Snapchat text: the head of AMC Theatres mulled openly about creating texting-friendly movie theaters. Two days later, after a backlash on social media, the company said it's leaving the idea on "the cutting room floor." SENT: 400 words, photos.
OBAMA-CABLE BOX — President Barack Obama is throwing his weight behind an effort to give consumers more choice when it comes to the cable boxes that control which television channels they watch. SENT: 340 words.
CONGRESS-INTERNET REGULATION — Republicans snubbed a White House veto threat and pushed legislation through the House Friday that would bar the government from regulating rates that high-speed Internet service providers charge consumers. SENT: 350 words.
INTERNATIONAL:
OFFSHORE ACCOUNTS-EUROPE — The European Union's five biggest economies, including Germany and Britain, have agreed to share information on company ownership and are urging other nations to do the same to make it harder for criminals and tax cheats to avoid the law. By Ciaran Giles and Danica Kirka. SENT: 700 words, photos.
INDIA-DROUGHT — Decades of groundwater abuse, populist water policies and poor monsoons have turned vast swaths of central India into a dust bowl, driving distressed farmers to suicide or menial day labor in the cities. Another year of severe drought has left hundreds of millions reeling in at least 13 Indian states, and experts predict the situation will only worsen as summer stretches on. By Nirmala George. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
EUROPE-RUSSIA-YUKOS — The fight between Russia's government and magnate Mikhail Khodorkovsky's dismantled Yukos oil company has spread to courtrooms across Europe — and even into space. By Angela Charlton. SENT: 560 words, photos.
BRITAIN-MARS-PASTA SAUCE — Mars Food, the maker of Dolmio and Uncle Ben's, says some of its sauces will soon carry labels suggesting they should be eaten only as occasional treats — a decision praised by health campaigners seeking to reduce the amount of salt, sugar and fat in processed food. SENT: 600 words, photos.
MONEY & MARKETS SUMMARY:
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT
Microsoft sues over privacy concerns
Microsoft is suing the Justice Department over its request the company turn over customer files stored in its computer centers--often without notifying the customer involved.
CENTERPIECE
The Airbnb effect
Although they've been around for years, room rental services like Airbnb only started significantly cutting into traditional hotel operators' business in the last half of 2015. Hotel REITs' earnings are predicted to suffer.
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