http://www.mail.com/subjects/22442-business-professional-services.html Mail.com - the best personalized free web-based Email en en http://sec-s.uicdn.com/mail.com/2.28/img/mailcom_logo_rss.png http://www.mail.com/subjects/22442-business-professional-services.html http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2102790-us-sales-tick-up-to-highest-3-years.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes ticked up last month to the highest level in three and a half years, helped by a jump in the number of houses for sale. The National Association of Realtors said Wednesday that sales rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.97 million, up from 4.94 million in March. Home sales have risen 9.7 ... Wed, 22 May 2013 15:09:26 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2102790-us-sales-tick-up-to-highest-3-years.html 2013-05-22T15:09:26Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2099592-france-plan-to-revive-economy.html PARIS (AP) — The man charged with reviving France's shrinking economy and attracting businesses to invest here is gaining a reputation for doing the opposite. As the country's first-ever minister for industrial renewal, Arnaud Montebourg has told the world's largest steelmaker it is not welcome in France; exchanged angry letters with the head of an Americ... Tue, 21 May 2013 14:38:28 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2099592-france-plan-to-revive-economy.html 2013-05-21T14:38:28Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/2097674-yahoo-to-regain-cool-with-tumblr-deal.html SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — After falling woefully out of fashion, Yahoo wants to be cool again while catering to the capitalistic demands of its shareholders. That goal led CEO Marissa Mayer to make a $1.1 billion bet on online blogging forum Tumblr in a risky acquisition that revolves around the vision and instincts of a 26-year-old entrepreneur who dropped out of high school to ... Tue, 21 May 2013 00:10:13 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/2097674-yahoo-to-regain-cool-with-tumblr-deal.html 2013-05-21T00:10:13Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2098202-los-angeles-jeweler-pleads-guilty-kpmg-case.html LOS ANGELES (AP) — The owner of a Los Angeles jewelry store pleaded guilty Monday for his role in an insider-trading case involving a former senior partner at accounting firm KPMG. Bryan Shaw, 52, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and was scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 16 when he faces a maximum of five years in prison. "In this guilty plea, Mr. ... Mon, 20 May 2013 17:08:16 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2098202-los-angeles-jeweler-pleads-guilty-kpmg-case.html 2013-05-20T17:08:16Z http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/2088004-google-boosts-photo-offerings-to-rival-facebook.html SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google is digging deeper into its technology toolkit to turn its social networking service into a more formidable threat to Facebook, sprucing up its photo features at a time when sharing snapshots online and on mobile gadgets is growing more popular. Many of the 41 new features being added to Google Plus beginning Wednesday will draw... Wed, 15 May 2013 23:24:09 GMT http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/2088004-google-boosts-photo-offerings-to-rival-facebook.html 2013-05-15T23:24:09Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2082248-hundreds-bicyclists-pour-through-dutch-museum.html AMSTERDAM (AP) — Guards removed the final barriers blocking the way, and a cheer went up from the crowd. Moments later, a small army mounted on bicycles of all shapes and sizes eagerly stormed the path that leads straight through the heart of the Netherlands' newly renovated national museum. Their bells were ringing all the way. It has taken Amsterdam's p... Mon, 13 May 2013 19:21:24 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2082248-hundreds-bicyclists-pour-through-dutch-museum.html 2013-05-13T19:21:24Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2072072-enrons-skilling-10-year-sentence-cut.html HOUSTON (AP) — Convicted ex-Enron Corp. CEO Jeffrey Skilling's more than 24-year prison sentence for his role in the once mighty energy giant's collapse could be reduced by as many as 10 years if a federal judge approves an agreement reached Wednesday between prosecutors and defense attorneys. Under the agreement, which Justice Department officials say in... Wed, 08 May 2013 23:55:13 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2072072-enrons-skilling-10-year-sentence-cut.html 2013-05-08T23:55:13Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2068238-vatican-denies-internal-split-us-nun-crackdown.html VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican on Tuesday denied there were any internal divisions over its crackdown on the largest umbrella group of U.S. nuns after a top Vatican official complained that he had been sidelined by the reform project. The head of the Vatican's office for religious orders, Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, was quoted over the weekend as saying ... Tue, 07 May 2013 15:21:20 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2068238-vatican-denies-internal-split-us-nun-crackdown.html 2013-05-07T15:21:20Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2065562-gop-seeks-alternative-to-overtime-pay.html WASHINGTON (AP) — It seems like a simple proposition: give employees who work more than 40 hours a week the option of taking paid time off instead of overtime pay. The choice already exists in the public sector. Federal and state workers can save earned time off and use it weeks or even months later to attend a parent-teacher conference, care for an elder... Mon, 06 May 2013 21:47:03 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2065562-gop-seeks-alternative-to-overtime-pay.html 2013-05-06T21:47:03Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2066076-faa-safety-oversight-aircraft-repairs-faulted.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The government's oversight of hundreds of domestic and overseas repair stations that service U.S. airliners is ineffective and doesn't target the factors most likely to present safety risks, the Department of Transportation's inspector general said Monday. The Federal Aviation Administration's supposedly risk-based safety inspection syst... Mon, 06 May 2013 18:46:39 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2066076-faa-safety-oversight-aircraft-repairs-faulted.html 2013-05-06T18:46:39Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2065620-bangladesh-building-collapse-toll-hits-675.html DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladeshi police are investigating possible murder charges against the owner of a shoddily built factory that collapsed nearly two weeks ago after the wife of a garment worker crushed in the accident filed a complaint. The development comes as officials said Monday that the death toll from the country's worst industrial disaster... Mon, 06 May 2013 15:46:25 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2065620-bangladesh-building-collapse-toll-hits-675.html 2013-05-06T15:46:25Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2063966-bangladesh-building-collapse-toll-tops-600.html DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — More than 600 bodies have been recovered from the garment-factory building that collapsed well over a week ago, police said Sunday as the grim recovery work continued in one of the worst industrial accidents ever. Police said Sunday night that the death toll had reached 622. Well over 200 bodies have been recovered since Wednesday... Sun, 05 May 2013 16:47:24 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2063966-bangladesh-building-collapse-toll-tops-600.html 2013-05-05T16:47:24Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2060672-fire-shuts-labor-dept-building-dc.html WASHINGTON (AP) — An overnight fire at the Labor Department's headquarters shut the building down for most employees early Friday, but the agency's monthly employment report was released as scheduled. Department employees and members of the news media involved in the release of the report were allowed in the building as usual. But all other Labor employee... Fri, 03 May 2013 19:14:54 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2060672-fire-shuts-labor-dept-building-dc.html 2013-05-03T19:14:54Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2060884-audit-contracts-awarded-liberia-violate-law.html MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) — The Liberian government awarded about $8 billion in contracts to multinational companies without following its own laws, according to a draft of a new audit that reviewed dozens of deals. Critics say the way the government granted concessions for timber, mining and oil exploration has allowed the companies to benefit at the expens... Fri, 03 May 2013 16:59:32 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2060884-audit-contracts-awarded-liberia-violate-law.html 2013-05-03T16:59:32Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2058014-asia-stocks-rise-us-jobs-data.html BANGKOK (AP) — Asian stock markets rose Friday, finding renewed strength from a fall in U.S. jobless benefit claims and an interest rate cut by the European Central Bank intended to boost the region's ebbing economy. Investors jittery over the state of the U.S. economy took heart from a U.S. Labor Department report that said applications for unemployment ... Fri, 03 May 2013 05:07:18 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2058014-asia-stocks-rise-us-jobs-data.html 2013-05-03T05:07:18Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2058142-obama-nominates-pritzker-froman-economic-jobs.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Thursday chose two old friends with corporate executive experience for top posts on his economic team, naming longtime fundraiser Penny Pritzker as Commerce secretary and adviser Michael Froman as U.S. Trade Representative. Pritzker, a Hyatt hotel heiress, businesswoman and philanthropist, is Obama's pick to fil... Thu, 02 May 2013 18:39:28 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2058142-obama-nominates-pritzker-froman-economic-jobs.html 2013-05-02T18:39:28Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2053426-us-prices-up-93-pct-7-years.html WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home prices rose 9.3 percent in February compared with a year ago, the most in nearly seven years. The gains were driven by a growing number of buyers who bid on a limited supply of homes. The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index increased from an 8.1 percent year-over-year gain in January. And annual prices rose... Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:27:25 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2053426-us-prices-up-93-pct-7-years.html 2013-04-30T14:27:25Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2050604-italys-government-wins-1st-confidence-vote.html ROME (AP) — Italy's new government easily passed its first confirmation vote Monday in Parliament after Premier Enrico Letta made concessions to his uneasy coalition allies, promising to ease part of a slate of austerity measures that have weighed on Italians impatient at the slow pace of economic recovery. While pledging the country will do what the euro... Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:24:01 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2050604-italys-government-wins-1st-confidence-vote.html 2013-04-29T20:24:01Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2050950-pending-us-sales-reach-3-year-high-march.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans who signed contracts to buy homes rose in March to the highest level in three years, pointing to higher sales this spring. The National Association of Realtors said Monday that its seasonally adjusted index for pending home sales rose 1.5 percent to 105.7. That's the highest since April 2010, when a homebuyer's ta... Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:45:22 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2050950-pending-us-sales-reach-3-year-high-march.html 2013-04-29T14:45:22Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2046302-uk-lawmakers-accounting-firms-abuse-govt-role.html LONDON (AP) — Staff at some of the world's top accountancy firms are using insider knowledge gained while working for the British Treasury to help private clients avoid tax, a committee of lawmakers said Friday. The Commons Public Accounts Committee said Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG and PwC should be barred from working for the government to stop the "ri... Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:49:41 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2046302-uk-lawmakers-accounting-firms-abuse-govt-role.html 2013-04-26T15:49:41Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2043880-facebook-audit-finds-privacy-practices-sufficient.html NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook says that an independent audit found its privacy practices sufficient during a six-month assessment period that followed a settlement with federal regulators. Facebook Inc. said it submitted the findings to the Federal Trade Commission on Monday evening. The audit was a required part of the social networking company's settlement w... Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:17:52 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2043880-facebook-audit-finds-privacy-practices-sufficient.html 2013-04-25T13:17:52Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2039020-new-homes-sales-rise-15-percent-march-to-417k.html WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. sales of new homes rose in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 417,000. The increase added to evidence of a sustained housing recovery at the start of the spring buying season. The Commerce Department said Tuesday that sales of new homes increased 1.5 percent. The gain brought the level higher than February's pace of 411,0... Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:05:15 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2039020-new-homes-sales-rise-15-percent-march-to-417k.html 2013-04-23T16:05:15Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2036492-us-sales-slip-supply-remains-tight.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes dipped in March as the supply remained tight. But the sales pace remained ahead of last year's. The National Association of Realtors said Monday that sales dipped to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.92 million, from 4.95 million in February. February's figure was revised lower. Sales in March... Mon, 22 Apr 2013 19:11:56 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2036492-us-sales-slip-supply-remains-tight.html 2013-04-22T19:11:56Z http://www.mail.com/news/us/2027662-man-charged-letters-case-described-troubled.html OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi man charged with sending ricin-laced letters to the president and other officials was described Thursday as a good father, a quiet neighbor and an entertainer who impersonated Elvis at parties. Other accounts show a man who spiraled into emotional turmoil trying to get attention for his claims of uncovering a conspiracy to sell body parts o... Fri, 19 Apr 2013 04:17:10 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/us/2027662-man-charged-letters-case-described-troubled.html 2013-04-19T04:17:10Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2018746-dropping-ged-test-price-spikes.html KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Several dozen states are looking for an alternative to the GED high school equivalency test because of concerns that a new version coming out next year is more costly and will no longer be offered in a pencil and paper format. The responsibility for issuing high school equivalency certificates or diplomas rests with states, and the... Sun, 14 Apr 2013 19:12:27 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2018746-dropping-ged-test-price-spikes.html 2013-04-14T19:12:27Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2014532-prison-company-workers-falsified-staffing-records.html BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A private company that operates Idaho's largest prison acknowledged Thursday that its employees falsified nearly 4,800 hours of staffing records over seven months last year in violation of its contract with the state. The admission by Nashville, Tenn.-based Corrections Corporation of America is the latest in a string of staffing proble... Thu, 11 Apr 2013 23:56:44 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2014532-prison-company-workers-falsified-staffing-records.html 2013-04-11T23:56:44Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2013494-eu-mission-trains-troops-mali.html BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — In preparation for a drawdown of French troops from Mali, a European Union team started training Malian soldiers for battle against jihadists who overran much of this West African country before they were pushed back by a French military intervention. On a recent day, small groups of Malians stood in the burning heat and orange sands i... Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:06:37 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2013494-eu-mission-trains-troops-mali.html 2013-04-11T17:06:37Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2012934-us-unemployment-aid-applications-plummet-to-346k.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell sharply last week to a seasonally adjusted 346,000, signaling that the job market might be stronger than March's weak month of hiring suggested. Applications for unemployment aid dropped 42,000 last week, the Labor Department said Thursday. The decline nearly reversed an increase... Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:07:23 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2012934-us-unemployment-aid-applications-plummet-to-346k.html 2013-04-11T15:07:23Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2010538-taylor-morrison-rises-1st-day-public-company.html NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of Taylor Morrison Home Corp. are rising in its debut as a publicly traded company. The homebuilder's entry on the New York Stock Exchange comes on the same day that another homebuilder filed for an initial public offering, further proof that companies are riding the continued housing recovery back to the public markets. Taylor Morr... Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:12:10 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2010538-taylor-morrison-rises-1st-day-public-company.html 2013-04-10T15:12:10Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2008062-kpmg-resigns-auditor-herbalife-skechers.html NEW YORK (AP) — Accounting firm KPMG has resigned as the auditor for nutrition company Herbalife and shoe retailer Skechers after a rogue partner allegedly leaked information about the companies to someone who used it to trade stocks. KPMG said it has fired the partner and has no reason to believe there were any problems with the financial reports of Herb... Wed, 10 Apr 2013 01:26:43 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2008062-kpmg-resigns-auditor-herbalife-skechers.html 2013-04-10T01:26:43Z