In brief: Clearwater Paper invests $160 million in digester construction
Clearwater Paper Corp. will invest $160 million in its Lewiston mill during the construction of a continuous pulp digester.
The construction will begin in October and is expected to wrap up in September 2017. The new digester will reduce air pollution from the plant and improve pulp quality and production, officials from the Spokane-based company said Tuesday.
Nez Perce County’s board of commissioners approved a partial tax exemption for the new digester. The project recently received a permit from the state Department of Environmental Quality.
Clearwater Paper is the nation’s largest manufacturer of private-label tissue products sold in grocery stores and a major producer of paperboard. About 1,370 people work at the company’s Lewiston mill.
Uber plans aggressive expansion in China
On-demand transportation company Uber is making good on its promise to expand quickly and aggressively in China, with Chief Executive Travis Kalanick announcing Tuesday that the company will enter 100 more Chinese cities over the next year.
The plan doubles a previous goal set only three months ago.
The company is spending $1 billion on its expansion in China over the next 12 months, a daring move in a country that already has a ride-hailing monopoly in Didi Kuaidi, which accounts for 78 percent of ride bookings, according to an Analysys International report.
Pilot strike grounds Lufthansa flights
BERLIN – German airline Lufthansa is canceling 1,000 flights today because of a pilot strike, affecting some 140,000 travelers, the airline said Tuesday.
The airline said services of its subsidiaries Germanwings, SWISS, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines are not affected.
Lufthansa’s 5,400 pilots want the airline to keep paying a transition payment for those wanting to retire early, and are opposed to a restructuring of the airline.
Disney deals expand access to its movies
NEW YORK – Disney has signed agreements with Amazon and Microsoft that will allow them to use its cloud-based digital movie service.
The deals expand the number of ways in which people can watch Disney films. The company already has agreements in place with Vudu, Google Play and iTunes.
The service includes more than 450 digital movies.
The Walt Disney Co. said U.S. customers of Amazon Video and Microsoft Movies & TV will now be able to connect to Disney Movies Anywhere. Disney’s stock closed up $3.04, or 3 percent, to $104.01.