World News Center
Google search working again in China
July 30, 2010Google users in China were temporary blocked from accessing the search engine, the company said Thursday, but the site was was once again working a few hours later.
Hugo Chavez hurts toothpaste, makeup sales
July 30, 2010The world's largest toothpaste maker reported disappointing sales Thursday, and who's to blame? None other than the country of Venezuela, the company said.
Toyota recalls 400,000 cars over steering issues
July 30, 2010Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday it was recalling more than 400,000 older-model vehicles sold in the United States, citing potential steering-related problems in both.
Dollar sinks on recovery doubts
July 30, 2010The dollar continued to slide this week, hovering near monthly lows versus major currencies as worries about an economic slowdown weighed on investors.
Desperately seeking math and science majors
July 30, 2010Applied Materials had to fly in 100 interviewers just to screen all the job applicants for its new Solar Technology Center in Xi'an, China, last year. The company wanted to fill 260 high-tech jobs. It got 26,000 resumes. A fraction of those applicants were invited to interview. The final selectees, board member Andy Karsner tells me, "were top-of-their-class, English-speaking engineers. They're the best of the best." Now some of the most advanced research in this high-value, fast-growing field is being done in China -- instead of in the U.S. with American engineers. Why should we care? Because it's graduation season, when we see how starkly the direction of the American educational system differs from the way that faster-growing economies are headed. Those Chinese solar researchers are the cream of an engineering crop that included an estimated 10,000 Ph.D. graduates last year. This spring the U.S. will graduate about 8,000 Ph.D. engineers, an estimated two-thirds of whom are not U.S. citizens. About 150,000 students who majored in engineering, computer science, information technology, and math will collect bachelor's degrees. The Chinese government claims that in recent years the number in China has been well north of 500,000 and rising fast; even if overstated, as some believe, the real number is much larger than America's, and the quality of those graduates is improving.
BP's missed opportunity on executive pay
July 30, 2010BP has pledged to learn from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and to come away from the disaster with a renewed focus on safety.
BP swings to massive $17.2 billion loss
July 30, 2010BP posted a massive quarterly loss of $17.2 billion Tuesday due to costs stemming from the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster.
Who is Bob Dudley?
July 30, 2010So just who is Bob Dudley, the man named Tuesday to replace Tony Hayward as BP's chief?
BP ousts CEO Hayward and taps an American
July 30, 2010Tony Hayward will step down as chief executive of BP, the company announced Tuesday, amid ongoing outrage over the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Europe's big banks pass stress tests
July 30, 2010Most of Europe's biggest banks passed stress tests aimed at shoring up confidence in the region's economy, officials said Friday.
