WORLD
October 29, 2013 | By Mark Magnier
NEW DELHI - If you've imagined yourself rolling in dough, you might think twice before acting on that dream, at least if you're an Indian politician. Samar Acharjee, an official with India's Communist Party in the northeastern state of Tripura, decided a few months ago to sleep on a bed of cash as his friend recorded the golden moment on a cellphone. In the blurry footage, he's seen in a yellow shirt and blue jeans lounging on stacks of rupee notes, worth about $24,000 in all, some covering his head and chest.
BUSINESS
June 25, 2013 | By Adolfo Flores
The federal government is making 17,000 more employers eligible for assistance from the Small Business Administration. The SBA enabled the expansion by changing the size standards for 70 industries. As a result of the changes, which go into effect in July, more firms will be eligible for SBA loans and grants and will be added to the agency's database for government contracts. Several markets, such as amusement parks, saw their revenue size standards rise to $35.5 million from $7 million.
NATIONAL
November 28, 2012 | By Michael Muskal
BP, which has agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges in connection with the nation's worst offshore oil spill, was suspended from new government contracts on Wednesday, the Environmental Protection Agency announced. In suspending the company, the federal agency said BP had displayed a "lack of business integrity” in connection with the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster. More than 200 million gallons of oil flowed into the gulf after an explosion and fire destroyed the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in April 2010.
WORLD
July 10, 2012 | By Edmund Sanders, Los Angeles Times
JERUSALEM - An Israeli court on Tuesday cleared former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of the most serious corruption charges against him, including fraud, concealing cash gifts and double billing, but convicted him on a lesser count of breach of trust. The split decision capped a five-year corruption inquiry that drove Olmert from office in 2009 and helped usher in the right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It is not the end of Olmert's legal problems. He still faces a bribery trial involving a controversial Jerusalem real estate development built while he was mayor of the city.
BUSINESS
May 4, 2012 | By Chad Terhune, Los Angeles Times
Health Net Inc.shares plunged 25% as the Woodland Hills insurer posted disappointing first-quarter results and slashed its full-year profit outlook. The company surprised analysts and investors by disclosing an additional $67 million in medical claims that hadn't been reported in the fourth quarter because of errors in processing claims. Health Net said outside vendors that handle those claims for the company experienced problems with a new industrywide billing format. Health Net also cut its 2012 profit forecast to a range of $2.35 to $2.50 a share, excluding certain items.
NEWS
February 20, 2012 | By Ian Duncan
A Massachusetts-based building firm gave $25,000 to pro-Romney "super PAC" Restore Our Future, even though its chief executive is a major backer of President Obama . John Fish's company, Suffolk Construction, made the donation on Jan. 4. The company also donated to the super PAC twice in 2011, giving a total of $35,000 last year. At the same time, Fish raised between $100,000 and $200,000 this year for the president's 2012 bid, according to Open Secrets, and Federal Election Commission filings show that Fish gave $2,300 to the Obama campaign in 2007.