Italian police reveal scale of fraud in public contracts

ROME — Italy's financial police have released sobering statistics about the state of fraud and corruption in Italy's public sector: Of the 4.6 billion euros ($5 billion) worth of public contracts checked last year, they found 1.5 billion euros in fraud and 2.6 billion euros wasted.

The financial police released their annual report for 2014 on Wednesday, saying they had made police reports against 3,700 people for crimes against public administration.

The mafia has been known for its infiltration of public contracts in Italy, helping contribute to the country's dismal ranking on Transparency International's corruption perception list — alongside Swaziland, Senegal, Greece, Bulgaria and Romania. Recently, major anti-corruption investigations have targeted contracts for Milan's Expo world's fair, Venice's Moses underwater barrier project and the reconstruction of L'Aquila after the 2009 earthquake.

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US stocks rise as investors wait on Fed, earnings

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks edged higher Wednesday as investors waited for the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve's latest meeting. Investors were also waiting for companies to start reporting their first-quarter earnings. Alcoa, a metals company, will be one of the first major companies to report earnings after the close of the market.

Stocks gave up early gains after Reuters reported that New York Fed President William Dudley said that policy makers could still raise interest rates in June, despite the economy's slow start to the year.

KEEPING SCORE: The Standard & Poor's 500 index was unchanged at 2,076, as of noon Eastern. The Dow Jones industrial average climbed seven points, or 0.1 percent, to 17,885. The Nasdaq composite gained 19 points, or 0.4 percent, to 4,928.

NOTES OF A MEETING: Investors will pore over the minutes from the Federal Reserve's March meeting after they are released later Wednesday. Policymakers have hinted that they will raise interest rates later this year, if the economy strengthens sufficiently. The Fed has kept its benchmark lending rate close to zero for more than six years.

EARNINGS: Companies are set to start reporting earnings for the first quarter. Earnings per share are projected to decline by about 3 percent for S&P 500 companies, according to data from S&P Capital IQ. That would be first contraction since the third quarter of 2009, when the economy was emerging from the Great Recession.

A big slump in oil prices last year his crimped profits at energy companies and a surging dollar is hurting the earnings of big multinational corporations.

THE QUOTE: David O'Malley of Penn Mutual Asset Management, says that earnings may turn out worse than analysts are currently expecting. That's because executives will have an incentive to "get a lot of things out of the way," in the first quarter because earnings are already forecast to be negative. For example, they may decide to write down the value of assets earlier.

"The equity market is a little bit vulnerable here, especially if earnings are a bit worse," said O'Malley.

PHARMA DEAL: Mylan, a U.K.-based pharma company that is listed in the U.S., jumped $7.34, or 12 percent, to $66.98 after the company offered $29 billion in stock and cash for Perrigo.

EUROPE'S DAY: Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.2 percent while France's CAC 40 dropped 0.4. Germany's DAX slipped 0.8 percent.

ENERGY DEAL: Royal Dutch Shell agreed to buy BG Group for $69.7 billion in cash and stock. Energy companies are looking to reduce costs and become more efficient in the wake of tumbling oil prices and can do that by combining businesses. Christian Stadler, associate professor of strategic management at Warwick Business School, said the deal "could be the beginning of a new wave of mega-mergers in the sector."

Shell's stock fell 7 percent in London while BG Group's soared 32 percent.

ENERGY: Oil slumped after a report showed a big increase in U.S. stockpiles. Benchmark U.S. crude fell $2.07 to $51.91 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, the international benchmark, slipped $1.76 to $57.34.

BONDS AND CURRENCIES: U.S. government bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 1.93 percent from 1.89 percent. The dollar fell to 119.95 yen from 120.30 yen Tuesday. The euro slipped to $1.0799 from $1.0823.

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Weekly ratings: college basketball dominates; mixed bag for religious programming

One week after AMC's "The Walking Dead" ended its season, the Final Four college basketball contest between Wisconsin and undefeated Kentucky towered over all other programs in the weekly rankings.

The Badgers' upset victory over the Wildcats on Saturday night averaged a big 5.8 rating/19 share in adults 18-49 and 16.8 million viewers on TBS. But if you include the simulcasts on both TNT and truTV, the Turner networks combined to do a 7.3/23 in the demo and drew 22.63 million viewers overall -- the largest audience for the round in 23 years.

That made it especially dominant in a holiday frame that saw reduced ratings for several shows later in the week. CBS' "The Big Bang Theory," for example, returned Thursday after a two-week hiatus to easily its lowest scores of the season. It wasn't alone, though, as ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" and "Scandal" also hit lows on the night.

Last week saw mixed results for religious-themed programming, with NBC faring well with its Easter Sunday series premiere of "A.D. The Bible Continues" (2.3/7 in 18-49, 9.68 million viewers overall). Though it couldn't come close to Part 1 of the History network's miniseries "The Bible" in 2013 (3.3 in 18-49, 13.1 million viewers overall), it was NBC's top series premiere of the season in several categories. (It's worth noting that "The Bible" had the advantage of premiering in early March and not on a holiday weekend, and then concluded on Easter.)

Not faring as well was CBS' two-night movie premiere "The Dovekeepers" (1.0/3 in 18-49, 8.98 million viewers overall on Tuesday and 0.9/3 in 18-49, 6.35 million viewers on Wednesday). On average, its four hours rated more than 40% lower in 18-49 than the regularly scheduled crime series on the network the previous week (0.95 vs. 1.7).

ABC saw stronger than usual scores for its annual telecast of 1956 theatrical classic "The Ten Commandments" (1.4/5 in 18-49, 6.88 million viewers overall). The net has been airing the movie on the Saturday before Easter in recent years, but moved it to Sunday this year to blunt the premiere of NBC's "A.D. The Bible Continues."

At Fox News Channel, Friday's telecast of "Killing Jesus" averaged 1.86 million viewers including 385,000 adults 25-54, making the network No. 1 among cable newsies on the night. It was up vs. FNC's performance on Good Friday last year by 24% in total viewers and a big 84% in the demo. Five days earlier, the premiere telecast of "Killing Jesus" drew 3.7 million viewers for National Geographic Channel -- an all-time high for the network.

Overall for the week of March 30-April 5, according to Nielsen's "live plus same-day" estimates, ABC prevailed in adults 18-49 by a narrow margin over NBC and CBS, with college basketball-boosted TBS and Univision rounding out the top five. ABC and CBS tied for the lead in adults 25-54 while the Eye easily won in total viewers.

The Alphabet had a good performance from its Wednesday comedy block, including rookie "Black-ish" (2.4/8 in 18-49, 7.43 million viewers overall), which logged its best scores of 2015. It retained a higher-than-usual 80% of its lead-in from "Modern Family" (3.0/10 in 18-49, 9.43 million viewers overall), which was the top show of the night in demos.

At Fox, the series premiere of comedy "Weird Loners" drew tiny ratings Tuesday (0.7/2 in 18-49, 1.89 million viewers overall), though it had a modest lead-in from "New Girl," which hit season lows (1.0/3 in 18-49, 2.32 million viewers overall). NBC, by comparison, looked pretty good in the same hour with its recent comedy additions "Undateable" (1.4/4 in 18-49, 4.98 million viewers overall) and "One Big Happy" (1.2/4 in 18-49, 3.82 million viewers overall).

Despite getting a softer lead-in this week from "The Voice" (2.0/7 in 18-49, 8.57 million viewers overall for a recap episode) and facing all firstrun Fox comedy competition for the first time, "Undateable" stood as the night's top-rated comedy. And "One Big Happy" held all of its demo rating from the previous week, holding a best-yet 86% of "Undateable."

CBS was led by "The Big Bang Theory" (3.4/14 in 18-49, 13.89 million viewers overall), though it was down a full ratings point from its prior original, and "NCIS" (2.2/8 in 18-49, 16.60 million viewers overall), which was Tuesday's No. 1 show in demos and stood as the week's most-watched series overall.

Of note at CW was a good week 3 hold by Tuesday drama "iZombie" (0.7/2 in 18-49, 1.81 million viewers overall). Teaming with "The Flash" (1.3/4 in 18-49, 3.67 million viewers overall), the network tied Fox for the night in 18-49 and pulled ahead in 18-34.

Univision moved to second place (behind ABC) for the week in adults 18-34 thanks to a strong premiere week for "Amores con Trampa" (Fooled into Love), which averaged 717,000 viewers in the demo for its five episodes in the 8 o'clock hour. Overall, the novela averaged a 1.2 rating/4 share in adults 18-49 and 3 million total viewers overall.

Comedy Central's "Roast of Justin Bieber" on Monday averaged a strong 2.6/9 in adults 18-49 (among primetime's top 5 programs of the week) and 4.4 million viewers overall. This is the third largest audience among the network's 14 such events over the years, behind only Charlie Sheen in 2011 (6.4 million) and Jeff Foxworthy in 2005 (6.0 million).

At Starz, "Outlander" returned from its midseason hiatus with a solid 1.22 million viewers -- in line with its prior season average even though it went up against the big college basketball game. It was also more than double the series' premiere average from last summer (721,000). Women comprised roughly 62% of the Saturday tune-in, and about 59% of the 2.4 million viewers who watched over the weekend.

AMC's return of "Mad Men" (0.8/2 in 18-49, 2.27 million viewers overall) matched the show's year-ago premiere score and figures to see especially large DVR playback due to the Easter holiday.

WEEK'S TOP PRIMETIME NETWORKS
(Live plus same-day for March 30-April 5, 2015)

Adults 18-49 (rating/share)
ABC 1.4/5
NBC 1.3/4
CBS 1.3/4
TBS 1.2/4
UNI 1.0/3
Fox 0.9/3
TNT 0.6/2
USA 0.6/2
TEL 0.6/2
CW 0.5/2

Total Viewers (in millions)
CBS 8.09
ABC 6.43
NBC 5.80
TBS 3.48
Fox 3.16
UNI 2.61
TNT 1.73
USA 1.70
FNC 1.70
TEL 1.45

WEEK'S TOP PRIMETIME PROGRAMS
(Live plus same-day for March 30-April 5, 2015)

Adults 18-49 (rating/share)
1. College basketball, Saturday: Kentucky vs. Wisconsin (TBS), 5.8/19*
2. The Big Bang Theory (CBS), 3.4/14
3. The Voice-Monday (NBC), 3.2/10
4. Modern Family (ABC), 3.0/10
5. Roast of Justin Bieber (Comedy), 2.6/9
6. Black-ish (ABC), 2.4/8
7. A.D. The Bible Continues (NBC), 2.3/7
8. NCIS (CBS), 2.2/8
8. Survivor (CBS), 2.2/8
10. Scandal (ABC), 2.1/7
10. Dancing With the Stars (ABC), 2.1/6
12. Mom (CBS), 2.0/7
12. The Voice-Tuesday (NBC), 2.0/7
12. The Goldbergs (ABC), 2.0/7
12. Scorpion (CBS), 2.0/6
16. The Odd Couple (CBS), 1.9/7
16. Grey's Anatomy (ABC), 1.9/7
18. The Middle (ABC), 1.8/7
18. American Idol-Wednesday (Fox), 1.8/6
18. The Big Bang Theory, 9 p.m.-r (CBS), 1.8/6
18. Mike & Molly (CBS), 1.8/6
18. 2 Broke Girls (CBS), 1.8/6

Total Viewers (in millions)
1. College basketball, Saturday: Kentucky vs. Wisconsin (TBS), 16.80*
2. NCIS (CBS), 16.60
3. The Big Bang Theory (CBS), 13.89
4. Dancing With the Stars (ABC), 13.76
5. The Voice-Monday (NBC), 11.86
6. Blue Bloods (CBS), 10.70
7. A.D. The Bible Continues (NBC), 9.68
8. Survivor (CBS), 9.59
9. Modern Family (ABC), 9.43
10. Scorpion (CBS), 9.38
11. Madam Secretary (CBS), 9.27
12. NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS), 9.17
13. The Dovekeepers: Part 1 (CBS), 8.98
14. Hawaii Five-0 (CBS), 8.87
15. The Odd Couple (CBS), 8.70
16. Mom (CBS), 8.62
17. The Voice-Tuesday (NBC), 8.57
18. American Idol-Wednesday (Fox), 8.48
19. The Big Bang Theory, 9 p.m.-r (CBS), 8.34
20. Castle (ABC), 8.16

*the game also aired on TNT and truTV, with the three-network cume totals hitting 7.3/23 in 18-49 and 22.63 million viewers overall

© 2015 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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Talking turkey: How bird flu outbreaks are playing out

MINNEAPOLIS — A deadly strain of bird flu has reached the Midwest, killing or requiring hundreds of thousands of turkeys to be euthanized. Some questions and answers about the outbreak:

WHAT KIND OF FLU IS THIS, EXACTLY?

H5N2 is a highly contagious virus that kills commercial poultry quickly once it gets into a barn. It can spread via an infected bird's droppings or nasal discharges — yes, turkeys can sneeze. But the risk to the public is considered low, and infected birds are kept out of the food supply.

WHERE IS THIS TURNING UP, AND IN WHAT KINDS OF BIRDS?

Minnesota has been hit harder than any other state, but it's not clear why. The virus has caused outbreaks at eight turkey farms in central and western Minnesota since late February, as well as farms in the Mississippi and Central flyways in Missouri (2) South Dakota (1), Kansas (1) and Arkansas (1). Nearly all the losses have been at big commercial turkey farms. But this strain of bird flu can be just as deadly to chickens. The Kansas outbreak involved a backyard flock of chickens and ducks. H5N2 and other highly pathogenic strains have also been found since late last year among wild birds, backyard flocks and commercial farms in some western states and British Columbia.

AREN'T MOST COMMERCIAL POULTRY BARNS SHUT TIGHT TO KEEP DISEASES OUT?

They are. Poultry farms with good biosecurity strictly limit who's allowed in. Workers often have to shower on their way in and out, wear protective coveralls and step in disinfectant to kill viruses on their boots. Equipment coming in and out is typically sanitized. Trucks entering and leaving a farm might get their tires scrubbed. But the system doesn't always work. Experts say it requires everyone to do everything right all the time. Plus rodents and wild birds that sneak into a barn can bring in the virus.

SO WHAT HAPPENS TO THESE TURKEYS WHEN BIRD FLU ARRIVES?

They die, and quickly. The first symptom farm workers notice may be a rapid spike in sudden deaths. Less severe symptoms can be similar to colds and flu in humans, or a flock turning quiet. Vaccines have been used around the world to protect flocks against various bird flu strains ahead of time, but this strain is new to the U.S. Once an infection is confirmed at a farm, all surviving birds on the property are typically killed to prevent it from spreading. These flocks are usually killed by pumping a water-based foam into the barn, following guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture endorsed as humane by the American Veterinary Medical Association. The foam suffocates the birds within minutes.

OH. SO WHAT DO THEY DO WITH ALL THESE DEAD BIRDS?

They compost them — usually right in the same barn where they died. It sounds gross, but composting is a widely used and approved method throughout the poultry industry to dispose of birds that die in the usual course of business on a farm — and those that die in disease outbreaks. Studies show that properly done, the heat generated by composting is enough to kill flu viruses and other pathogens commonly present in poultry such as salmonella. The compost then can be safely spread as fertilizer.

DO THESE OUTBREAKS WIPE OUT AFFECTED FARMERS?

An outbreak that kills tens of thousands of birds certainly can cost a farm dearly. The government doesn't compensate producers for birds that die of the disease itself, but it does reimburse them for birds that have to be euthanized as a precaution. That gives farmers an incentive to report suspected outbreaks and deal with them swiftly. Often the birds themselves belong to a big poultry company such as Jennie-O Turkey Store, Cargill or Butterball but are being raised by contract growers. And a barn can be returned to production within a few months, once it's been thoroughly cleaned out and disinfected.

WHY DOES MINNESOTA HAVE SO MANY TURKEYS?

Minnesota is the top turkey state in the U.S. It produces around 46 million turkeys each year worth about $750 million, and exports around 8 percent of its production. Turkey farms have become clustered over the decades around processing plants and cheap sources of feed, and Minnesota has plenty of both. Jennie-O is based in prime turkey territory in western Minnesota, and Minnesota is also leading corn and soybean producer.

SO DOES THIS MEAN I'LL BE PAYING MORE FOR TURKEY?

Probably not. While Minnesota alone has lost around 373,000 birds from this outbreak, and the toll nationwide is over 500,000, that's just a sliver of U.S. turkey production — 235 million birds in 2014. If anything, the loss of export markets because of these outbreaks may put downward pressure on prices because that turkey will have to be sold domestically. And don't worry about Thanksgiving. Turkey prices around the holidays often have nothing to do with the costs of production. Retailers often sell turkeys at a loss just to draw in customers who'll stock up on stuffing mix, cranberries, sweet potatoes, pies and other traditional favorites.

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US agency denies request to probe Fiat Chrysler minivans

DETROIT — U.S. safety regulators have denied a New Jersey man's request to investigate Fiat Chrysler minivans because they can stall after refueling.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says 720 complaints were filed with the agency and Chrysler about the problem in Chrysler Town and Country and Dodge Grand Caravan vans. But the agency concluded that further investigation is unlikely to find a safety defect because the stalls happen infrequently and at low speeds. It looked at minivans from 2003 to 2007 with total sales of just under 1.9 million.

The agency also noted that it has no reports of crashes or injuries from the problem.

"The failure rate is low, even after eight to 13 years of the vehicles being in service," the agency wrote in documents posted Wednesday on its website. "Given the need to allocate and prioritize NHTSA's limited resources to best accomplish the agency's safety mission, the petition is denied."

NHTSA also said it will take further action if warranted by circumstances in the future.

Brian Rosa of Union, New Jersey, petitioned the agency in July of last year after his 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan began stalling after the gas tank was filled. He said the van stalled on his wife without warning while she was driving on a freeway. "Stalling without warning represents an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety, and the agency should open a preliminary evaluation," he wrote.

An e-mail message seeking comment was left for Rosa on Wednesday.

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Cuba says it's launching first official classified ads

HAVANA — The Cuban government says it will start publishing classified ads in print and online, entering a vibrant informal marketplace where Cubans can find everything from houses to pirated U.S. television programs.

Cubans frustrated by their ability to obtain high-quality products from state-run businesses at affordable prices frequently consult a range of new websites and privately run pamphlets used by licensed and black-market entrepreneurs to sell a startling variety of goods and services.

Most of the publications have started in the last five years as government reforms have permitted the growth of a small private sector on the communist-governed island.

The state-run National Information Agency said Thursday that a website called Ofertas, or Offers, and a 16-page color magazine with an initial run of 60,000 copies will be available next month.

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Dish's Sling TV sets HBO launch date, along with upgrade to meet heavy demand

Sling TV, Dish Network's over-the-top Internet streaming service, will add HBO -- for an additional $15 per month -- by Saturday, April 11. And the company claims it's now ready for the masses.

On Sling TV, the addition of HBO stands to attract more people to the fledgling 20-channel service, aimed at price-sensitive consumers who don't want to pay for a full-blown cable TV package. The launch is being timed to happen before season five of "Game of Thrones" -- HBO's highest-profile original series -- premieres Sunday.

Will Sling TV be able to handle the audience that shows up to watch "Thrones" live? Over this past weekend, some users of the service experienced errors when they tried to watch the Final Four games of the NCAA March Madness men's basketball tournament on Turner networks. "We're sorry some basketball fans saw errors tonight due to extreme sign-ups and streaming," Sling's tech support team tweeted Saturday.

Now, with HBO coming on board, Sling TV says it's upgrading its applications to "reduce overhead and load on our servers."

"This will allow us to provide a more seamless experience to all customers during periods of heavy viewership," the company said. Sling TV has not disclosed how many customers it has signed up to date, but it reportedly drew more than 100,000 within its first month after launching in February.

It's worth noting that HBO itself has had trouble meeting peak streaming demand for high-profile programming with HBO Go: Many users had trouble accessing the service during the "Game of Thrones" season 4 debut last April, as well as for the finale of "True Detective" one month earlier.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, HBO Now -- the premium cabler's standalone broadband service, which doesn't require a pay-TV package -- launched with Apple and Cablevision Systems. That's also priced at $15 per month.

Other Sling TV feature enhancements set to roll out include the addition of parental controls across all channels to manage TV shows by rating; and mini-guide updates that make it easier for customers to find shows by subject/genre on the following devices: Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Roku players, Roku TV models and Xbox One.

The Sling TV pact for HBO was part of a larger, multiyear agreement between Dish and Time Warner's Turner Broadcasting and HBO. On Sling TV, HBO will include one live channel and the same on-demand library that HBO provides on its other platforms, including HBO Go, with access to every original series from the network.

Sling TV provides 20 networks in its core $20-per-month lineup -- a slimmed-down bundle aimed as price-sensitive, younger consumers who are averse to full-blown pay-TV. The key property here is ESPN: It's the priciest cable net in the biz at around $6 per month per sub on a wholesale basis. Others include AMC, TNT, TBS, Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, Disney Channel, CNN, A&E, History and Lifetime. Sling TV also offers optional $5-per-month add-on tiers.

© 2015 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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Tesla boosts range, power and price of low-end Model S

DETROIT — Electric car maker Tesla Motors is going after mainstream luxury car buyers by adding all-wheel-drive and more range and power to the base version of its only model.

But the added features at the low end of the Model S lineup will come with about a 7 percent price increase, to $75,000 for those buying the cars. The base lease price will rise to $838 per month from $796 for 12,000 miles per year.

As of Wednesday, Tesla will stop selling the old base Model S called the 60. The $70,000 rear-drive car with a 380-horsepower motor could go 208 miles on a single charge and from zero to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds.

The new all-wheel-drive model, called the 70D, can go a government-certified 240 miles per charge, has 514 horsepower and can go from zero to 60 in 5.2 seconds. Buyers also get free access to Tesla's network of quick-charging stations and some other standard features.

CEO Elon Musk says with a $7,500 federal tax credit that takes the price to $67,500, plus tax credits in some states, the new version is price-competitive with BMW's midsize 5-Series, or the Mercedes E-Class when you add in savings from not buying gasoline. BMW's 5 Series starts around $50,000, while the E-Class starts at close to $52,000.

He said Tesla, which is based in Palo Alto, California, needed all-wheel-drive to appeal to luxury buyers, especially in colder climates such as the Northeast, where most luxury cars are sold. About 58 percent of the luxury car market in the U.S. is all-wheel-drive, according to Kelley Blue Book.

"It's also good in warm climates where there's heavy rain or slippery roads for any reason," Musk said in an interview. "We've seen a strong interest in all-wheel-drive in all climates, really."

Tesla's next vehicle, the Model X SUV due out late this year, will be offered with similar features at the low end of the lineup, Musk said. The company also is planning a $35,000 mainstream car called the Model 3 with a 200-mile range that's due out in 2017.

Even with the added features, the 70D will have trouble competing with Mercedes and BMW solely on price, said Tom Libby, an analyst with IHS Automotive in Southfield, Mich.

Extreme competition between BMW, Mercedes and Audi is driving luxury lease prices down, Libby said. For instance, an all-wheel-drive BMW 5-Series can be leased for around $600 per month. "He has to compete against that," Libby said of Musk. "He has to emphasize the benefits of the Model S versus the traditional luxury cars" which include using no gas, performance, safety and handling, Libby said.

Tesla requires about $6,500 due at signing for its 12,000-mile lease, while BMW requires just over $4,300.

Musk said he has no plans to spend more on marketing to match Mercedes and BMW even though he's going after more mass-market customers. The company will continue to host events for customers but "there are no plans yet to do advertising or endorsements or any discounting," Musk said.

Tesla Motors Inc. shares rose $3.02, or 1.5 percent, to $206.27 in morning trading. Its shares are down almost 4 percent over the past year.

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Ben Bernanke memoir will be titled 'The Courage to Act'

NEW YORK — The memoir by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will be called "The Courage to Act" and is coming out in October.

The title and release date were announced Wednesday by publisher W.W. Norton & Co. The deal was originally reported last year, soon after Bernanke completed his second of two 4-year terms as chairman.

Bernanke plans to focus on the Fed's response to the financial crisis of 2008. In a statement issued by Norton, he said the title of the book was inspired by the Fed's "moral courage" in the face of "bitter criticism and condemnation." Bernanke faced a wide range of attacks, from doing too little for the economy to acting too aggressively.

___

Online:

http://www.couragetoactbook.com

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AT&T paying $25M to settle US action over data breaches

WASHINGTON — AT&T is paying $25 million in a settlement with federal regulators over data breaches at three call centers in Latin America that compromised customer data for some 280,000 U.S. customer accounts.

The Federal Communications Commission announced the action Wednesday. It was the agency's largest privacy and data-security enforcement action to date.

The breaches occurred from November 2013 to April 2014 at AT&T call centers in Mexico, Colombia and the Philippines, the FCC said. Most customers were Spanish-speaking U.S. residents whose calls were routed to those centers.

Call center employees were paid by third parties to obtain customer information such as names and full or partial Social Security numbers. The data were used to submit online requests for cellular handset unlock codes for stolen cellphones, the agency said.

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