A sign of improvement: The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week to the lowest level in nine months, the latest evidence that the job market is improving. The Labor Department reported today that weekly applications dropped by 23,000 to a seasonally adjusted 381,000. That’s the lowest number of applications since late February. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, fell for the ninth time in 11 weeks to 393,250. That’s the lowest average since early April. Applications that drop below 375,000—consistently—tend to correlate with a steady decline in the unemployment rate. The unemployment rate fell to 8.6% in November, the government said last week, down from 9% the previous month. That’s the lowest rate in two and a half years. Read the full story from The Associated Press here.
Watch out! Texting while driving increased 50% last year, and two out of 10 drivers say they’ve sent text messages or emails while behind the wheel, despite a rush by states to ban the practice, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced today. An annual study conducted in 2010 by the NHTSA of drivers observed at selected stoplights and intersections found that at any given time just under 1% were texting or manipulating hand-held devices. But the activity increased to 0.9% of drivers, up from 0.6% the previous year. Eighteen percent of drivers say they’ve sent text messages or emails while driving, according to the results of a national telephone survey by NHTSA of over 6,000 drivers aged 18 or older. The survey was conducted a year ago and also released today. Among drivers 21 to 24 years old, half said they’ve texted behind the wheel. Read the full article from The Associated Press here.
Juiced: A court in southern China has rejected a claim by Apple that a Hong Kong-headquartered tech company has violated its iPad trademark. It’s the latest development in a case that could affect the U.S. company’s financial prospects in the country. Apple’s Beijing-based spokeswoman Carolyn Wu declined to comment today on the decision by the Municipal Intermediate People’s Court in the southern city of Shenzhen. The court says on its website that it dismissed a lawsuit Monday by Apple against Shenzhen Proview Technology over the ownership of the iPad trademark. The company is a subsidiary of LCD screen maker Proview International Holdings Ltd., headquartered in Hong Kong. Apple can appeal the verdict. Read the full story by The Associated Press here.
