Duodenoscope Sterilization a Focus as FDA Warns Three Device Makers

The regulator sent the letters to the Olympus, Fujifilm, and Pentax as part of an effort to fight against a wave of deadly bacterial infections attributed to the insufficient cleaning and sterilization of the devices. Duodenoscopes are reusable flexible tubes that go down the throat in order to treat gastrointestinal tract ailments.


Volkswagen Issues new Airbag-Related Recall

Although this latest recall adds to the list of airbag-related defects, it does not appear to be connected to the massive recall from Japanese airbag manufacturer Takata, which has affected 11 automakers and an estimated 50 million vehicles worldwide.


Two Citigroup Subsidiaries reach $180 Million Hedge Fund Fraud Settlements

As part of to the settlements, Citigroup does not admit, nor deny the SEC charges. The proceeds of the agreement will be diverted to investors who were harmed by the funds. Both investments were sold through Citigroup Private Bank as well as through Smith Barney. Citigroup spokesperson Danielle Romero-Apsilos said in an emailed statement, “We are pleased to have resolved this matter,” although offering little elaboration.


New Steelworkers Deal Looms Heavy, Rallies Workers

The main battle in the negotiations is over healthcare. Both companies are asking employees to contribute to their healthcare insurance premiums. ArcelorMittal CEO Lakshmi Mittal said in a recent interview that, in addition to wage-freezes and vacation concessions, the company is asking that individuals pay $150 and families $250 for monthly healthcare premiums. U.S. Steel representatives have requested similar concessions in its negotiations with the USW.


‘Go Bleep Yourself San Diego!’

San Diego unveiled a $1.1 billion proposal to build a stadium in the city’s Mission Valley area to keep the team there, replacing the antiquated Qualcomm Stadium. The proposal, however, only includes one-third of the cost to be publicly financed, leaving the Chargers and the NFL responsible for over $750 million of the cost. Chargers executive Mark Fabiani rebuked the proposal and city officials, saying “The Chargers have been clear from the start that the franchise will not be the city’s guinea pig for this inevitably ill-fated legal experiment.”


Industry and Consumer Groups along with Congressman Fight Delayed Orbitz-Expedia Merger

A formidable push is gathering for antitrust authorities to block the proposed merger between online-travel giants Expedia and Orbitz. Congressional authorities, consumer groups, and those within the hotel industry are urging the Department of Justice to strongly consider the antitrust concerns of the merger. Expedia announced the proposed $1.3 billion acquisition in February, shortly after


Hacking is Huge Business for Insider Trading Ring

U.S. Attorneys’ offices in New York and New Jersey, along with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), have filed over 20 charges against an international ring of hackers and traders accused of selling and buying unreleased business information. The group of hackers, mostly from the Ukraine and Russia, are suspected of taking advantage of security



FCC Issues Largest ever “Robocall” Fine

Florida-based Travel Club Marketing was hit with the largest automated-calling fine in Federal Communications Commission (FCC) history on Tuesday for making at least 185 unsolicited calls without customer consent, including 142 households on the National Do-Not-Call Registry. The fine of $2.96 million, reported by the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau, is the largest fine the agency has


New York’s “Responsible Banking” Law Ruled Unconstitutional

In U.S. District Court in Manhattan on Monday, Judge Katherine Polk Failla issued New York’s mayor Bill De Blasio a notable defeat of a law intended to regulate the community-mindedness of the many financial institutions that inhabit the city. New York’s city council passed the Responsible Banking Act (RBA) in 2012, requiring banks in the