NH case against 2 big oil companies gets underway

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The state of New Hampshire is launching its case against two major oil companies in what is expected to be the longest and most complex trial in state history.The state's lawyers say ExxonMobil and Citgo should pay more than $700 million in damages to monitor and clean up groundwater contamination caused by the gas additive MTBE — methyl tertiary butyl ether — now banned in New...

Read More..

Volkswagen reports record sales for 2012

BERLIN (AP) — German automaker Volkswagen AG says its 2012 group sales hit a record high as growing demand around the world more than offset sluggish sales in Europe.It says Monday that more than nine million vehicles were delivered for the first time. The total of 9.07 million was up 11.2 percent from the 8.16 million delivered in 2011. December sales were also up 20.7 percent over the same month...

Read More..

UPS $6.9 billion TNT Express takeover falls apart

AMSTERDAM (AP) — United Parcel Service Inc. has ditched its €5.2 billion ($6.9 billion) takeover of TNT Express NV after learning that European regulators would reject the deal in its current form.Though TNT will receive a €200 million ($265.5 million) break fee, it faces an uncertain future on its own. Its shares plummeted 50 percent to € 4.083 in the first minutes of Monday trading in Amsterdam...

Read More..

Sports fans can pursue U.S. antitrust case over programs

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge on Wednesday allowed sports fans to pursue a lawsuit accusing Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League and various networks of antitrust violations in how they package games for broadcast on television or the Internet.U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin in Manhattan said the subscribers could pursue claims that the packaging has reduced competition,...

Read More..

Rule changes may be best way to curb hockey aggression

(Reuters) - Trying to prevent fights and hockey injuries by teaching young hockey players about the dangers of aggression on the ice are less effective than rule changes, which adjust both culture and behavior at once, according to a Canadian study.The researchers, whose findings appeared in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, concluded after reviewing past research on the subject that rules...

Read More..

Owners and players to meet without feuding leaders present

NEW YORK (Reuters) - National Hockey League (NHL) owners and players will meet face-to-face on Tuesday in an attempt to broker a deal to end their bitter dispute that threatens to wipe out the season.The meeting will take place in New York with the heads of the two feuding sides, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Players Association (NHLPA) Executive Director Don Fehr both agreeing to skip the...

Read More..

Video causes web furor over OH athletes' rape case

STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (AP) — An online video fueling social media reaction to the case of two eastern Ohio high school football players charged with rape isn't new evidence for state investigators handling the case, the attorney general said Friday.The 16-year-old boys are set for trial Feb. 13 in juvenile court in Steubenville on allegations that they raped a teenage girl last August. Special prosecutors...

Read More..

You Won't Believe How Many Americans Are Falling Asleep at the Wheel

Discovered: Scary numbers about sleeping while driving; our moon might get its own moon; decoding the malware genome; fighting HIV with HIV. RELATED: An HIV Vaccine; LSD as Treatment for AlcoholismWho are all these people falling asleep at the wheel? We all know about the dangers of drunk driving. And texting while driving. But new data suggests we might need more PSAs that raise awareness about...

Read More..

Occupy Steubenville: Anonymous vs. the Sheriff

The sheriff investigating the alleged rape in Steubenville, Ohio, has not made friends with Anonymous after the hacking collective's document dump this week accused him of being close with Steubenville High's football coach, deleting video evidence, and running "the largest illegal gambling operation in Jefferson County." So it was strange to see the sheriff on stage at the Occupy Steubenville rally...

Read More..

Sudan: at least 30 Darfur rebels killed in clashes

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — The Sudanese army says its soldiers have killed at least 30 rebels in clashes in Sudan's troubled North Darfur region.The army spokesman, Col. Sawarme Khalid, says the rebel forces belong to Justice and Equality Movement. He told the semiofficial Sudan Media Center Wednesday that the army turned back a rebel attack in Jebel Marra area of North Darfur.Darfur has been in turmoil...

Read More..