NewsRack: newstrust/Business/Global-Economy

How the IRS's Nonprofit Division Got So Dysfunctional - Mother Jones

— By Kim Barker and Justin Elliott, ProPublica — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

This story first appeared on the ProPublica website. The IRS division responsible for flagging Tea Party groups has long been an agency afterthought, beset by mismanagement, financial constraints and an unwillingness to spell out just what it expects from social welfare nonprofits, former officials and experts say. The controversy that erupted in the past week, leading to the ousting of the acting Internal Revenue Service commissioner, an investigation by the FBI, and congressional hearings that kicked off Friday, comes against a backdrop of dysfunction brewing for years. More MoJo coverage of the IRS tea party scandal Moves launched in the 1990s were designed to streamline the tax agency and make it more efficient. But they had unintended consequences for the IRS's Exempt Organizations division. Checks and balances once in place were taken away. Guidance frequently published by the IRS and closely read by tax lawyers and nonprofits disappeared. Even as political activity by ...

Shopping fest - Hindu: News

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

The Hindu Metro Plus Lifestyle Show returns to the city. One of South India’s largest consumer fairs with over 40,000 visitors a year, it is a retail shopping extravaganza offering a variet...

Small Talk: Retiring boomers driving sales of small businesses - Salt Lake Tribune

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

by Joyce M. Rosenberg The Associated Press Published May 18, 2013 01:01AM MDT Baby boomers preparing for retirement are driving a surge in small business sales, as they find more and more buyers confident enough in the improving economy to expand their own businesses through acquisitions. In the first three months of this year, the number of sales that closed jumped 56 percent from the same time in 2012, according to BizBuySell.com, an online marketplace for small businesses. Retirement was the No. 1 contributor to business sales in the fourth quarter of last year and th... ...

Top officials call to overhaul euro institutions - Boston Globe: Latest

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Top officials call to overhaul euro institutions

Glance: Europe's Key Institutions - Boston Globe: Latest

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Glance: Europe's Key Institutions

Glance: Europe's Key Institutions - AP Business

The Associated Press — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Following the chaotic bailout of Cyprus, top European Union officials are saying it's time to rethink how the region manages its crisis - and who should be involved....

Countries submit action plans to combat trade in elephant ivory - New Kerala: India News

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

New York, May 18 : Eight countries identified as being the most affected by the illegal trade in elephant ivory have submitted national action plans to the United Nations-backed treaty for the conservation of endangered species containing measures to combat the scourge.

If we feel ignored, that's exactly what the Chinese want - Rediff: News

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Seeing a sinister design behind every Chinese utterance will only make it more difficult to negotiate a settlement

California jobless rate falls to 9% - LA Times: Business

By Alana Semuels, Los Angeles Times — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

California jobless rate falls to 9%

Groups divided on Bangladesh safety overhauls - San Jose Mercury News: News

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

The nation's largest retail industry organization fired back Friday, outlining reasons why a legally binding global pact to make Bangladesh clothing factories safer would expose merchants to undue legal exposure. The move came as U.S. retailers face increasing pressure from a large coalition of religious groups and investors to work together to develop a plan

After $200 Million, Darpa Gives Up on Formation-Flying Satellites - Wired Top Stories

David Axe — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

After $200 Million, Darpa Gives Up on Formation-Flying Satellites

Elizabeth Warren Slams ‘Dangerous’ Legislation That Would Weaken Wall Street Reform - Think Progres

Travis Waldron — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Elizabeth Warren Slams ‘Dangerous’ Legislation That Would Weaken Wall Street Reform

After Deadly Chemical Plant Disasters, There's Little Action - NPR News

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Proposals for chemical plants to use "inherently safer" design practices have been blocked by industry executives and their allies in Congress, despite deadly accidents and the risk of a potential terrorist attack that could harm an entire community or city.

Crime at sea: The world's most pirate-infested waters - MSNBC

Ted Kemp — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Crime at sea: The world's most pirate-infested waters

Ethical shopping: how the high street fashion stores rate | Lucy Siegle - Guardian: Environment

Lucy Siegle — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Last month's factory collapse in Bangladesh revealed horrible truths about the clothes industry. There has never been a better time to choose your shopping carefully On 24 April when the Rana Plaza factory complex on the outskirts of Dhaka fell down like a house of cards killing 1,127 workers, the fashion myth that we can have whatever we want, at speed, in bulk and at unprecedentedly "affordable" prices collapsed too. In case you have been on the moon, it's worth a recap on the consumer style phenomenon known as fast fashion. A business model that threw out the fashion industry bible, it turned six-month lead times into days and got us hooked on 30-50 seasons a year (the quaint autumn/winter and spring/summer showings of fashion weeks are now as culturally relevant as Gregorian plainsong). Allied to globalisation and free-market economics, fast fashion brands and retailers have outsourced production to low-waged economies, predominantly in Asia. Fast fashion created its own set of moguls ...

People are told migrants stole their jobs – in truth bosses want cheap labour | Deborah Orr - Guardian: Comment is Free

Deborah Orr — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

The Conservatives are determined to be seen as the anti-Europe party, but an EU referendum that took Britain out of the union would be a disaster for the party Having a referendum on membership of the EU is a bit like having a referendum on membership of the moon's gravitational pull. You can vote to leave it all you like, but it will still be there, exerting the natural influence of its mass. Even China has EU regulations on its statute book, because it needs them to trade with Europe. The best that can be said of a possible withdrawal is that at last Westminster will have only itself to blame. Oh, and of course there will be an end to the regular convulsions of drama over the possibility of having a referendum on membership of the EU. Which admittedly does sound nice. The poor old Tories – Europe drives them so bonkers. They're like cartoon characters whose eyes turn into pound-signs, except their pupils are shaped like crosses, for votes. The Conservatives are keen to be seen as the ...

European Commission predicts Greek recession to end in 2014 but unemployment to stay high - Star Tribune: World

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

India, Japan to strengthen investment, trade ties - New Kerala: World News

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Tokyo, May 17 : India and Japan Friday agreed to further strengthen investment and trade ties by ensuring faster implementation of ongoing projects.

Canada to Target U.S. Products in Meat Labels Dispute - International Herald Tribune: Americas

By REUTERS — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Canada to Target U.S. Products in Meat Labels Dispute

Lets dance with the dragon - Hindustan Times: Views

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Lets dance with the dragon

Switching supplier isn't enough - we need to talk about energy consumption | Katherine Portilla - Guardian: Environment

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Ed Davey needs to do more on cutting energy consumption than the Green Deal. Looking to Germany would be a start So Ed Davey, climate secretary, wants to "want to turn the non-switchers into savvy switchers", he said on Friday , talking about the importance of driving down energy bills. But switching supplier is never going to be enough. We need to start taking energy consumption seriously. The UK currently has a handful of policies in place on this, in an attempt to catch-up with our European rivals on efforts to rein in energy consumption. The majority of UK energy programs are aimed at the housing stock. UK homes are among the least efficient in Europe, burdened by poor insulation, draughts and inefficient heating systems. They account for nearly a third of the nation's total energy use. The Green Deal aims to tackle this issue. It's a finance scheme that helps people pay for energy-efficiency improvement in their home. It gets around the question of "why bother improving my home if ...

Big Data Visualization Specialist Tableau Software Raises $254M In IPO, Shares Pop 58% In Early Trading - techCrunch

Ingrid Lunden — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Big Data Visualization Specialist Tableau Software Raises $254M In IPO, Shares Pop 58% In Early Trading

Anand Sharma meets Japanese PM Shinzo Abe - New Kerala: India News

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Tokyo, May 17 : Commerce, Industry and Textiles Minister Anand Sharma, who is on a two-day visit to Tokyo for a comprehensive review of bilateral economic engagement with Japan, today called upon Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Exclusive | W New York Downtown: W New York Downtown – A Trophy by a Tower - NY Times: Real Estate

By JULIE SATOW — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Exclusive | W New York Downtown: W New York Downtown – A Trophy by a Tower

Tea party tax returns: Mostly tiny budgets, rare partisan activities - Minnesota Public Radio: Politics

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

The AP reviewed 990 tax returns for nonprofit groups that were made publicly available and posted on both the Guidestar and the Foundation Center websites, searching between 2009 and 2011 under the terms "tea party," "patriot" and other terms frequently used by tea party groups.