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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Turner Broadcasting channels are back on the Dish network

From Wire Reports

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – Turner Broadcasting channels such as Cartoon Network and CNN are back on the Dish network after being dropped from the satellite TV provider’s lineup during contract extension talks.

Dish stopped carrying some of the Turner Broadcasting channels in October. The two companies said Friday that they mutually decided to restore the service but made no other comment.

Other Turner channels restored to Dish’s programming include Boomerang, Adult Swim, HLN, truTV, CNN en Espanol and Turner Classic Movies. They also agreed to extend carrying TBS and TNT.

Japan’s transport ministry orders Takata internal review

TOKYO – Japan’s transport ministry said Friday it has ordered air bag maker Takata to conduct an internal investigation after cases of its air bags exploding triggered safety concerns in the United States and other countries.

The ministry also ordered Takata and Japanese automakers to study whether additional recalls are needed in Japan following a U.S. decision to expand recalls nationwide from an earlier measure limited to high-humidity zones.

Takata air bags can inflate with excessive force, sending metal shrapnel toward the driver and passengers. The problems have been blamed for at least six deaths and dozens of injuries. Millions of cars have been recalled worldwide.

“We have been rigidly dealing with the case, for instance directly instructing Takata to investigate and provide explanation,” Transport Minister Akihiro Ohta told a regular news conference.

Stock market closes week with another record high

The stock market closed out its fifth straight week of gains with another record high on Friday.

The Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor’s 500 index carved out all-time highs, extending the market’s gains for the week. It was the third record close for the Dow in the week and the fourth for the S&P 500.

The latest records extended a comeback in the S&P 500, which has increased 11 percent since plunging in mid-October. A strong third-quarter earnings season, on top of a recent string of positive U.S. economic data on housing, jobs and manufacturing, have helped put investors in a buying mood.

Final ruling on ethanol targets won’t come until next year

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration said Friday it is delaying a decision on whether to reduce the amount of ethanol in the nation’s fuel supply.

Last year the Environmental Protection Agency proposed to reduce the amount of ethanol in fuel for the first time, acknowledging that a biofuel law that both Republicans and Democrats had championed nearly a decade ago was not working as well as expected.

A final decision was due before the end of the year, but the EPA said Friday the final rule will come in 2015.

The ethanol targets are required by a 2007 law that tried to address global warming, reduce dependence on foreign oil and boost the rural economy. But lawmakers did not anticipate fuel economy would improve as much as it has in recent years, reducing overall demand for gasoline.

Meanwhile, next-generation biofuels, made from agricultural waste such as wood chips and corncobs, have not taken off as quickly as Congress had required and the Obama administration anticipated.

Last year’s proposal to lower ethanol levels angered corn growers and ethanol companies who have since lobbied the government to reverse it. Ethanol is primarily made from corn.