Car Smart: Jaguar sports some new spots

At first glance, there's not much that distinguishes the Jaguar XF from a Ford Fusion or a Volvo S80, but all you need to do is hop inside to see and feel the difference.

Luxury comes from the interior and the driving experience, not the exterior. Long gone is the iconic Jaguar hood ornament as this is not the Jaguar of old. The front of the XF sports an understated honeycomb grille with a Jaguar emblem that matches the center of its 19-inch wheels.

Leather stitching on the dashboard frames a 7-inch touch screen GPS and entertainment system pumping some 825 watts. Bluetooth connects with ease, part of a system that is so easy to use, you may never have to crack open the manual.

Supple leather six-way power seats are cooled for warm summer days and heated for those frigid February mornings. The test XF car is also equipped with a heated steering wheel, which comes in handy while you wait for the engine to warm up from freezing temperatures.

Paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel take the optional 3-liter supercharged V6 XF from a sports car to a race car experience. This 8-speed all-wheel-drive car craves speed and loves to corner, so care needs to be taken to avoid the occasional police escort. An ASL mode limits the speed and would be a wise choice for those who would like to ward off the blue-light special.

The XF rides low to the ground and strikes the delicate balance between feeling every pebble and being too cushy. Responsive steering and great sight lines make driving this car quite enjoyable.

An unexpected feature is the ECO mode, which takes some getting used to, but saves some gas money and the environment. It's an awkward sensation that makes the XF feel as though it has stalled. The ECO mode shuts the car off at lights and when stopped in traffic, then fires the car up when it's time to go. With the XF averaging 16 mpg in the city and 26 on the highway, the ECO mode will come in handy.

A modern cockpit feel is enhanced by a pop-up drive shifter, which at first seems over the top, but soon becomes second nature to the driver. All the drive options are right at your fingertips in James Bond-style.

With an MSRP of $58,725 as tested, there aren't many trade-offs with the exception that there's just not that much space. The trunk is small and the back seat lacks the legroom of Jaguars past, but then again this is not a Jaguar of old.

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Victims’ lawyer blasts GM, FEDS

A Texas lawyer representing the families of more than 60 people killed and 600 seriously injured in accidents allegedly caused by faulty ignition switches in General Motors vehicles criticized the automaker and the federal regulatory agency that fined it $35 million yesterday for taking more than a decade to disclose the defect in millions of cars.

"Thirty-five million dollars is pennies in a fountain, less then 1 percent of GM's total net worth and cash on hand," said Robert C. Hilliard, whose clients include a Boston College graduate assistant football coach whose sister was killed while driving a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which levied the fine, "has always been seen as a toothless tiger, a joke inside the walls of the big car companies," Hilliard said. "This is a complete victory for GM ... NHTSA needs to speak on behalf of the memories of my clients' loved ones ... It needs to order these defective cars parked now."

Although the maximum fine from safety regulators was doubled to $35 million this year, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx urged Congress to raise it to $300 million.

Phil Trautwein, the coach whose 19-year-old sister, Sarah, was killed five years ago when her car veered off a South Carolina highway at 8 a.m. and hit a tree, went a step further.

"We want criminal charges against GM," Trautwein told the Herald, urging people to join the more than 109,000 others calling for that in a petition on Change.org/GM.

The nation's largest auto-maker already is the subject of a criminal probe by the U.S. Justice Department, as well as a civil investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

NHTSA also is fining the company $7,000 a day for failing to answer 107 questions about the ignition-switch recalls by April 3.

GM has acknowledged knowing since at least 2001 that the switches in its Chevrolet Cobalts, Saturn Ions and other compact cars could turn off without warning, disabling the power steering and brakes, as well as the air bags.

But although automakers are required by law to report safety-related problems within five days, it was not until February that the company began recalling 2.6 million of the cars.

"GM's ultimate goal is to create an exemplary process and produce the safest cars for our customers," CEO Mary Barra said in a statement yesterday. "They deserve no less."

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Home Smart: By the banks of the river Charles

This Dover home sits high above the Charles River and takes full advantage of the views from a living room, sunroom, bedroom and outdoor rear decks.

While the 1953 clapboard home has a blocky-looking exterior, the home's interior was completely renovated from 2008-2010 with a redone foyer and kitchen, new windows, sliding glass doors and insulation, and upgraded electric and plumbing.

The highlight of the home is a renovated vaulted living room with beams, a picture window on one side and glass sliding doors out to a large deck that overlooks the river. Another glass slider leads out to a koi pond and fountain fashioned out of an in-ground gunite swimming pool.

The open kitchen/dining area has granite counters and an island and it leads out to an enclosed sunroom with great Charles River views over a private, rural area of the waterway.

The renovations have an artistic flair, with contemporary light fixtures throughout the house. The living room wood fireplace has been redone with decorative tile. The house's bathrooms are all updated with marble floors, vanities, showers and vessel sinks — and one half bath even has an alabaster vanity.

The master bedroom suite is on the first floor and offers a bedroom with hardwood floors, a walk-in closet and a light green and white marble spa-style bathroom with a glass-enclosed shower.

There are two additional good-sized hardwood-floored bedrooms on the second floor. One has glass sliders out to a large rear deck overlooking the Charles, and the other has a three-part window. Each has a remodeled marble bathroom nearby. A laundry room off the hallway has a full-size Whirlpool washer and dryer.

The current owners had a new 430-foot artesian well drilled and installed a new water holding tank within the past few years. They've also recently added a water-softening system and new septic tank.

The home's basement has a semi-finished space ideal for a family room or home theater, a connection to an attached two-car garage and an unfinished area for storage that has an updated oil-heating system. There is no central air conditioning.

The surrounding 1 1⁄2 acre lot has been extensively landscaped, and it descends down through a wooded area to the river, where you can tie up a canoe.

Home showcase

• Address: 167 Claybrook Road, Dover
• Bedrooms: Three
• Bathrooms: Three full, one half
• List price: $1,188,000
• Square feet: 2,509
• Price per square foot: $473
• Annual taxes: $13,455
• Location: Three miles to retail and restaurants in Natick Center in one direction and Wellesley Center in the other; about four miles to offerings in Needham Center.
• Built in: 1953; remodeled and updated systems 2008-2013
• Broker: William Raveis agents Shari Sklar Jacobson at 617-512-5169 and Marjorie Gold at 617-549-0181

Pros:

• Large vaulted living room with decorative-tile fireplace
• Sunroom and decks with great Charles River views
• New artesian well, water holding and septic tanks and water-softening system
• Extensively landscaped with koi pond and new retaining walls

Cons:

• Blocky-looking exterior
• No central air conditioning

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Obama to trumpet tourism at Baseball Hall of Fame

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says he's heading to the Baseball Hall of Fame to stress how tourism can lead to good-paying American jobs.

In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama announces that he'll visit the hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, on Thursday. Obama says tourism is an export that can grow the U.S. economy.

Obama is describing the pitch to Congress to spend more to modernize U.S. bridges, roads and ports. He says first-class infrastructure attracts first-class jobs.

Obama warns that almost 700,000 jobs are at risk if Congress doesn't authorize more transportation dollars by the end of summer.

In the Republican address, Sen. John McCain of Arizona says the reported delays in care for veterans is unconscionable. He says Veterans Affairs needs a top-to-bottom overhaul.

___

Online:

Obama address: www.whitehouse.gov

GOP address: http://www.youtube.com/user/gopweeklyaddress

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Legos ready for Assembly

More than 3 million Lego pieces went into the building of the Legoland Discovery Center Boston opening next Friday at Somerville's Assembly Row.

Among Merlin Entertainments' 11 Legolands, the 44,000-square-foot attraction has the largest Miniland — 2,404 square feet of regional landmarks made from Lego bricks — and the only interactive tour transporting visitors to Lego's Billund, Denmark, factory.

A 4-D cinema enhances Lego movies with lightning, snow, wind and rain. Kids can step into a chariot for the Kingdom Quest Laser Ride and save a princess, or hop aboard Merlin's Apprentice Ride. They can build and test Lego Racers for speed, construct towers and see how they fare in a simulated earthquake, and climb in the play zone.

"It's just so supportive of hands-on, experiential and educational learning, and family-oriented," Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone said during a visit yesterday. "It's great for the community, and it's great for the region."

Legoland is in Federal Realty Investment Trust's Outlets at Assembly Row that start opening this month — the first phase of the 40-acre, $1.5-billion Assembly Row project.

Somerville students were among the first visitors getting a Legoland preview. "This is awesome," said kindergartner Lukas Lima as he grabbed a joystick in the factory tour room that lets kids fashion their own on-screen Minifigures.

Miniland has detailed Lego representations of 44 area buildings and attractions, from the Paul Revere House and Fenway Park to the Cheers bar and Citgo sign. Details include break-dancers outside Faneuil Hall and, as of yesterday, a sad face emoticon on the TD Garden roof following the Bruins' loss.

A window looks into the workshop of master model builder Ian Coffey, a former New York Senate desk clerk who won a contest to land the job. "I wanted to get out of politics, so I was happy to get (it)," he said. "Obviously, it's a dream job."

Admission is $18 to $22.50, but parents can expect to spend more during the two- to three-hour Legoland stays. Photos from the Kingdom Quest ride are $18 to $35, and there's a cafe and 2,000-square-foot store.

As a safety precaution, adults must be with a child to enter Legoland. AFOLs — "adult fans of Lego" — can visit solo on monthly adult nights that start June 18. They could prove popular: The 15-year-old New England Lego Users Group is one of the largest groups for adult Lego hobbyists.

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The Ticker

Massport OKs Logan garage space funds

The Massachusetts Port Authority board yesterday approved a partial project budget of $20 million to fund work on adding up to 2,050 parking spaces at Logan International Airport.

Massport will start construction later this year on additions to the central and Terminal B garages that will cost an estimated $60 million. The added spaces will be completed in 2015 and 2016.

Hundred subpoenas issued in R.I. probe that includes 38 Studios loan

A lawyer for former Rhode Island House Speaker Gordon Fox told a judge yesterday more than 100 grand jury subpoenas have been issued in what he believes is a wide-ranging investigation by federal and state authorities that includes looking at the failed 38 Studios deal.

The attorney made the comments before Superior Court Judge Michael Silverstein as he sought to quash a subpoena issued to Fox for a range of documents related to ex-Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling's now-bankrupt company. Silverstein is overseeing a lawsuit brought by the state's economic development agency over the $75 million loan guarantee it gave 38 Studios.

Bay State jobless rate drops, 
but so does the number of jobs

The state unemployment rate fell to 6 percent yesterday, but the state lost jobs for the first time since January.

"It's a bit of a mixed picture," said Alan Clayton Matthews, a professor at Northeastern University.

The state lost 1,600 jobs, and saw the largest drop in the leisure and hospitality sector. Clayton Matthews said that sector can be volatile, and may not reflect the economy's true direction.

"The payroll survey was very weak this month, but it's not indicative of a weakening trend in the economy," he said.

Today

Commerce Department releases housing starts for April.

THE SHUFFLE

Agios Pharmaceuticals Inc., a leader in the fields of cancer metabolism and inborn errors of metabolism, announced the appointment of Chris Bowden, M.D.to the newly created position of chief medical officer. He will oversee global clinical development and regulatory initiatives. Bowden, who brings more than 17 years of experience in clinical drug development, including the approval of several cancer medicines, was previously vice president, product development oncology, franchise lead at Genentech Inc.

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FCC passes proposed rules for Web ‘fast lane’

The Federal Communications Commission yesterday voted to take the first step to set new rules that would allow Internet service providers to charge companies for faster delivery of their content.

The 3-2 vote on the proposed rules governing net neutrality came after a federal court in January tossed the agency's previous rules.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler appeared to walk back on some of the original proposals for a "fast lane" for content, saying the Internet should remain open, and not be divided into the have and have-nots.

"I will not allow the national asset of an open Internet to be compromised," Wheeler said.

Still, some have said the proposed rules could stifle innovation and hurt startups who are not able to pay for priority service.

"The FCC has to make sure that the Internet remains an open platform for innovators, especially those that don't have the muscle to negotiate with Verizon and Comcast," said Andy Palmer, an entrepreneur and investor in Cambridge.

The Internet Association, which represents companies including Google and Facebook, said it will "advocate for the FCC to use its full legal authority to enforce rules that lead to an open Internet."

The rules now enter a 120-day public comment period, before FCC commissioners revise the proposal and vote again.

"It seems to me the chairman has a very fine line to walk," said Daniel Lyons, a law professor at Boston College. "The question is which way is the chairman going to steer the ship. Frankly, I'm not sure."

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Foes: Casino panel colluded

Casino opponents say a lawyer for the state Gaming Commission colluded with Mohegan Sun to torpedo the Hub's claim as a host community, an assertion the commissioner leading the deliberations on the Boston-area casino license called "absurd."

"The idea that we can't ask questions of our applicants and find out what is in the application, and what they mean by parts of the applications, is absurd," said James McHugh, who assumed the role of chairman on the Boston license decision after Stephen Crosby recused himself last week. "We have to be able to do that."

In a letter filed yesterday with the state Inspector General, Matt Cameron, a lawyer for No Eastie Casino, said an April 28 phone call by a commission lawyer to a Mohegan lawyer to discuss a Suffolk Downs lease provision "was inappropriate on its face under the commonly-understood standards applicable to any impartial tribunal's dealings with parties before it."

The call was followed by the striking of the lease provision that would have allowed Suffolk Downs — who would be landlords to a Mohegan casino on the property's Revere side — to require Mohegan to also manage the racetrack on the Boston side. This, Cameron said, could have been used to argue Boston is a host community to the casino. The commission voted May 8 to deny Boston host status drawing criticism from Mayor Martin J. Walsh, who hasn't closed the door on a lawsuit to settle the question.

McHugh described the purpose of the commission's April 28 call to Mohegan to communicate that "you ought to be prepared to talk to us about that provision at (the May 8) meeting."

Cameron said he believes the call was an attempt to quash Boston's host claims.

"I don't see why they should be able to influence the outcome, which is what this is," Cameron said.

The commission yesterday approved a schedule that would see them decide between Mohegan Sun's Revere plan and Wynn Resorts' Everett plan as early as Aug. 29. Meanwhile, Crosby said yesterday he will not bow to calls that he resign from the commission due to ties to an owner of the Everett casino land and his attending opening day at Suffolk Downs.

"I've thought it through, and I've talked about it with the commissioners, and we have all agreed that there is absolutely no reason on earth to do that," Crosby said. "Sure, I thought about it, and it's not gonna happen."

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City Council OKs ‘Level 4’ infection research at BU biolab

A controversial Boston University lab got the go-ahead from the Boston City Council yesterday to conduct research on the most dangerous life-threatening infectious diseases such as Ebola.

The council voted 8-5 not to bar BU's National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories from "Biosafety Level 4" research at its Albany Street site in the South End.

The outcome was disappointing, said City Councilor Charles Yancey, who filed the ordinance to ban the research. "Many other surrounding communities have banned Level 4 research to protect their residents from a potential risk," Yancey said. "I don't believe that the city of Boston is prepared to deal with an emergency resulting from the release of a pathogen."

The BU lab scored another victory yesterday when a Suffolk Superior Court judge ruled against 10 residents fighting the lab.

"We presented a great deal of scientific data and evidence to both the state court and City Council which demonstrated (BSL-4) research can be done safely in the city ... and we're pleased that (it) was convincing," BU spokesman Steve Burgay said.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh said in a statement that he's committed to working with BU and the neighborhood on "twin goals of furthering Boston's position as a leader in the life sciences, while ensuring the safety and security of our residents."

The City Council decision was crucial to the state's biotech industry, said Massachusetts Biotechnology Council CEO Robert Coughlin. "If the city of Boston banned BSL-4 labs, it would have a dramatic chilling effect on our reputation," he said.

The BSL-4 research still is subject to a permitting process with the Boston Public Health Commission.

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Riots in Vietnam leave 1 Chinese dead, 90 injured

HANOI, Vietnam — A 1,000-strong mob stormed a Taiwanese steel mill in Vietnam overnight, killing at least one Chinese worker and injuring 90, Taiwan's ambassador said Thursday, the first deadly incident in a wave of anti-China protests prompted by Beijing's deployment of an oil rig in disputed seas.

The spreading unrest is emerging as a major challenge for Vietnam's authoritarian and secretive leadership, and is damaging the country's reputation as an investment destination. Companies from Taiwan, many of which employ significant numbers of Chinese nationals, are bearing the brunt of the protests and violence.

The overnight riot took place at a mill in Ha Tinh province in central Vietnam, 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of Hanoi, operated by the conglomerate Formosa Plastics Group, one of the biggest foreign investors in Vietnam, according to Ambassador Huang Chih-peng and local hospital officials.

Huang, who spoke to a member of the management team at the mill Thursday morning, said rioters lit fires at several buildings and hunted down the Chinese workers, but did not target the Taiwanese management. He said the head of the provincial government and its security chief were at the mill during the riot but did not "order tough enough action."

He said he was told one Chinese citizen was killed in the riots, while another died of natural causes during the unrest. He said around 90 others were injured

A doctor at the Ha Tinh General Hospital said about 50 people, most of them Chinese nationals, were admitted to the hospital Wednesday night and early Thursday morning. He didn't give his name because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Huang said the rioters left the complex at 6 a.m., but he feared they "might be going for a rest and could come back."

Anti-Chinese sentiment is never far from the surface in Vietnam, but it has surged since Beijing deployed an oil rig into disputed waters in the South China Sea on May 1. The government protested the move as a violation of the country's sovereignty and sent a flotilla of boats to the area, which continue to bump and collide with Chinese ones guarding the rig, raising the risk of conflict.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, mobs burned and looted scores of foreign-owned factories in southern Vietnam near Ho Chi Minh City, believing they were Chinese-run, but many were actually Taiwanese or South Korean. Authorities said they had detained more than 400 people.

Ambassador Huang said the mill in Ha Tinh is Vietnam's largest foreign-invested project, and one of the largest integrated steel mills in Southeast Asia. It employs 1,000 Chinese nationals, he said. Vietnamese Prime Minster Nguyen Tan Dung attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the complex in 2012.

Low wages, especially compared to next-door China, have been driving investment in Vietnam over the last years.

Investors and analysts said that if order wasn't restored quickly, then investor confidence could take a hit.

"If this madness continues and spreads out in the next couple of days to other parts of Vietnam, definitely it will have a very damaging effect on exporters, because they might not be able to commit to their delivery day," said Willy Lin, who heads a Hong Kong trade group representing knitwear manufacturers and exporters.

Hong Kong-based contract clothing maker Lever Style, which started outsourcing production to Vietnamese factories three years ago, has sent some Chinese quality assurance and technical support staff working at those factories back to China as a safety precaution, said CEO Stanley Szeto.

"You always have these little hiccups, no matter where you go," Szeto said. "Other than our staff, we're not really affected."

___

Associated Press writer Kelvin Chan in Hong Kong contributed to this report.

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Abramson replaced as NYT executive editor

NEW YORK — The New York Times on Wednesday announced that executive editor Jill Abramson is being replaced by managing editor Dean Baquet after two and a half years on the job.

The company didn't give a reason for the change. Abramson and Baquet had both been in their current positions since September 2011.

Baquet, 57, who would be the first African-American to hold the newspaper's highest editorial position, originally joined the Times in 1990 as a reporter and held positions including deputy metropolitan editor and national editor. He left the paper for the Los Angeles Times in 2000, where he served as managing editor and then editor. He rejoined the Times in 2007 and was Washington bureau chief before becoming the managing editor for news.

"It is an honor to be asked to lead the only newsroom in the country that is actually better than it was a generation ago, one that approaches the world with wonder and ambition every day," Baquet said in a statement released by the newspaper Wednesday.

Prior to his first stint at the Times, Baquet worked at The Chicago Tribune and The Times Picayune in New Orleans. While at the Tribune in 1988, he and two other journalists won the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting, for looking into corruption in the Chicago City Council. He was a finalist in the same category in 1994.

The move comes amid a shift in the Times' focus, and that of the newspaper industry overall, toward digital products and away from traditional print papers as print circulation and advertising revenue declines.

In its most recent quarter, the Times Co. saw overall advertising revenue rise for the first time in three years, jumping 3 percent to $158.7 million. The company's print and digital advertising rose compared with the same period a year ago.

The company also added digital subscribers and increased home-delivery prices. At the same time, the company posted a small profit that fell slightly short of Wall Street analysts' expectations.

Arthur Sulzberger Jr., the newspaper's publisher and chairman of its parent company, called Baquet the best qualified journalist to take on the job in the Times' newsroom.

"He is an exceptional reporter and editor with impeccable news judgment who enjoys the confidence and support of his colleagues around the world and across the organization," Sulzberger said in a statement.

Sulzberger added that Baquet was closely involved with Abramson in the Times' digital transformation over the past six months.

The managerial change came with little warning or explanation to Times employees, according to several staffers. Workers were sent an email Wednesday afternoon that asked them to gather in the newsroom. There, less than ten minutes later, publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. introduced Baquet as the Times' new executive editor.

According to one staffer, Sulzberger said a concern about newsroom management led to the change. Staffers applauded Baquet's promotion. Abramson was not present at the gathering.

Abramson, 60, was the paper's first female executive editor. She joined the newspaper in 1997 after working for nearly a decade at The Wall Street Journal. She was the Times' Washington editor and bureau chief before being named managing editor in 2003.

"I've loved my run at The Times," Abramson said in the company's statement. "I got to work with the best journalists in the world doing so much stand-up journalism."

Baquet succeeded her as managing editor after she was named to the top editing spot.

New York Times Co. shares fell 71 cents, or 4.5 percent, to end the regular trading session at $15.06.

___

Michael Sisak contributed to this report.

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Markets muted after soft European growth figures

LONDON — A disappointing batch of economic growth figures out of Europe kept global stock markets in check Thursday as well as weighing on the euro.

Eurostat, the EU's statistics office, said the economy of the 18 countries that share the euro saw economic output grew by only 0.2 percent in the first quarter from the previous three-month period. The modest rise came despite a better-than-expected 0.8 percent advance in Germany.

Though that marked the fourth straight quarter of expansion following the recession, the rise was below economists' expectations — the consensus in the markets was for a 0.4 percent increase.

A large chunk of the blame for the underperformance can be placed on a flat performance in France, Europe's second largest economy behind Germany. Between them, the two make up roughly half of the eurozone economy.

"This is very disappointing just as we thought the area was heading in the right direction, instead we're seeing another setback," said Craig Erlam, market analyst at Alpari.

In Europe, Germany's DAX was flat at 9,751 while the CAC-40 in France fell 0.2 percent to 4,493. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was up 0.1 percent at 6,884.

The selling pressure on the euro continued after the figures as traders think the below-forecast growth figures makes it more likely that the European Central Bank will provide a fresh stimulus to the eurozone economy at its next policy meeting on June 5. The euro was down 0.4 percent at $1.3660.

Wall Street was poised for a subdued opening, with Dow futures and the broader S&P 500 futures down 0.1 percent.

Earlier in Asia, robust quarterly growth figure in Japan failed to boost sentiment. Investors reduced risky assets following a pullback in U.S. stocks from record levels.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 stock index fell 0.8 percent to 14,298.21 despite the government reporting that the economy expanded at an annualized 5.9 percent in the first quarter, the fastest pace in nearly three years.

The growth was attributed to consumers and companies bringing forward spending ahead of a sales tax hike on April 1. Economists say the tax increase could cause a contraction in the economy in the current quarter.

China's Shanghai Composite fell 1.1 percent to 2,024.97.

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Asia shares rise on new S&P high, Europe meanders

TOKYO — Asian stock markets were boosted Wednesday after the S&P 500 rose above 1,900 for the first time, but European markets meandered ahead of a likely flat start to U.S. trading.

Germany's DAX slipped 0.1 percent to 9,746.37 and France's CAC 40 shed 0.1 percent to 4,498.55. Britain's FTSE 100 was barely changed at 6,870.63. Futures augured little movement on Wall Street, with Dow and S&P 500 futures both flat.

Though most Asian markets were lifted by the boost to sentiment from Wall Street's performance, Japan's benchmark remained in negative territory as investors locked in profits from recent gains.

The Standard & Poor's 500 topped the 1,900 mark for the first time Tuesday, driven by optimism over the economic recovery, before closing just below it, up 0.1 percent at 1,897.45.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 stock index lost 0.1 percent to 14,405.76 after a 2 percent jump the day before on a weaker yen.

Elsewhere in Asia, shares were mostly higher. South Korea's Kospi added 1.4 percent to 2,010.83 and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong perked up after its midday break, gaining 1 percent to 22,582.77.

Mainland China's bellwether Shanghai Composite Index fell on recent weak economic data, but shares rose in Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Benchmark U.S. crude for June delivery was up 34 cents at $102.04 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract gained $1.11 Tuesday to $101.70 a barrel, the highest close since April 24.

In currencies, the euro rose to $1.3718 from $1.3706 late Tuesday. The dollar fell to 101.85 yen from 102.26 yen.

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Sears considering selling its Canadian operations

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears is considering selling its Canadian operations as the retailer continues with efforts to turn around its business.

Its stock rose more than 7 percent in Wednesday premarket trading.

The retailer, which runs its namesake stores and Kmart locations, said that it is looking at strategic options for its 51 percent interest in Sears Canada. The Hoffman Estates, Illinois-based company said this includes the possible sale of its stake or the entirety of Sears Canada.

Sears Canada's board and management plan to fully cooperate with Sears Holdings as it explores strategic alternatives.

Sears Holdings previously sold some store leases in Canada. Its overall business has been struggling after years of sales declines and it's been closing some unprofitable stores.

Billionaire hedge fund manager and Sears chairman Eddie Lampert, who took over as CEO in February 2013, has been under intense pressure to turn around the business. Sears has had trouble adapting as bigger, nimbler rivals such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Home Depot Inc. have stolen away customers over the years.

In 2012 Sears announced plans to restore profitability by cutting costs, reducing inventory, selling off some assets and spinning off others. Those moves helped the company reduce net debt by $400 million and generated $1.8 billion in cash from the asset sales.

Sears also has been building a loyalty program called Shop Your Way, which accounts for a majority of its sales and has tens of millions of active customers.

Sears Holdings Corp. recently spun off clothing business Lands' End as a separate public company after not having much success with it. Sears has spun off other businesses over the past three years, including its Hometown and Sears Outlet stores and its Orchard Supply Hardware Stores, to raise cash.

The company's shares climbed $3.25, or 7.5 percent, to $46.48 in premarket trading 2 ½ hours ahead of the market open.

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Massachusetts wants more solar energy projects

BOSTON — The Patrick administration is hoping to encourage the growth of solar energy projects on landfills, "brownfield" sites, and residential rooftops in Massachusetts.

The initiative is part of a larger program designed to reach 1,600 megawatts of installed solar capacity in the state by 2020.

The program also aims to ensure steady annual growth and control ratepayer costs. The administration said it's accepting applications for the program's second phase.

The first phase of the program encouraged the development of solar energy projects by businesses, homes and institutions.

That helped the state boost the amount of solar energy produced in Massachusetts from 3 megawatts when Patrick took office to 496 megawatts now.

Currently, 349 of the state's 351 cities and towns have at least one solar installation, according to the administration.

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Samsung apologizes to sickened chip workers

SEOUL, South Korea — Samsung Electronics Co. apologized and promised compensation to chip factory workers who suffered cancers linked to chemical exposure, a rare win for families and activists seven years after the death of a 23-year-old employee from leukemia galvanized a movement to hold the company to account.

Samsung said the apology does not mean it concedes a link between the chemicals used in its chip factories and cancer and other diseases. Still, the company's statement Wednesday that it should have sought a solution to the controversy sooner is an abrupt shift in Samsung's stance and a form of vindication for workers and their families.

Samsung vice chairman Kwon Oh-hyun said the company, the world's largest maker of smartphones and memory chips, will compensate workers and their families.

"We feel regret that a solution for this delicate matter has not been found in a timely manner, and we would like to use this opportunity to express our sincerest apology to the affected people," Kwon, who oversees Samsung's semiconductor and display panel businesses, said in an emailed statement. Local news channels showed Kwon reading the statement before reporters.

The Samsung statement comes a month after opposition party lawmaker Sim Sang-jeung urged the government and Samsung to come up with measures to help victims and prevent workplace diseases. The resolution proposed by Sim in April said 114 of 243 workers sickened since the 1990s were former Samsung semiconductor employees.

For the past few years, Samsung has resisted calls to apologize. The company also provided assistance to a government compensation agency in legal battles over the agency's refusal to pay compensation to workers. In South Korea, companies pay levies that the government uses to fund compensation for workplace accidents and illnesses.

Courts have ruled in favor of compensation in three of about a dozen cases. The government agency, Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service, appealed.

Kwon said Samsung will no longer be involved in the lawsuits.

Former Samsung workers, their families and civil groups struggled for years to raise awareness about the cancer cases.

Last year, the story of Hwang Yu-mi, who died aged 23 from leukemia in 2007 and her father's legal battles, was made into a movie funded by donations and brought more attention to the possible link between conditions at Samsung's older factories and cancers in workers.

Sim, the lawmaker, and SHARP, the advocacy group that helped Hwang's father and the families of other victims, welcomed Samsung's apology and urged the company to begin discussions about compensation.

Samsung watchers say the cancer controversy is a sticking point that Lee Kun-hee, Samsung's chairman and son of the group's founder, wants to resolve before passing leadership to his own son. Lee, 72, is in hospital in a stable condition after suffering a heart attack on Saturday.

Samsung Electronics is a publicly traded company, but its founding family still exerts considerable influence through shareholdings in it and other companies that make up the larger Samsung Group conglomerate.

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Follow Youkyung Lee on Twitter: www.twitter.com/YKLeeAP

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Site is mother’s little helper

A locally grown social network for moms is rapidly expanding as about 20,000 mothers have been matched up with new friends on Mom Meet Mom (mommeetmom.com).

"Our goal would be that no mom — whether it's a new mom, a mom of a teen or a mom of a child with special needs — would ever go through motherhood alone," said Christa Terry of Beverly, a marketing professional and one of three co-founders of Mom Meet Mom. "We want every mom to have support."

After a successful "soft launch" last summer, the women have been steadily building out the site and its user base. Late last week, the site added the MomFinder, which queries moms on their personalities, political leanings and more. It then uses an algorithm to match users up with like-minded moms.

"It makes it really quick and easy to find moms who are local to you," Terry said. "And to find kids in the same age-group, or if you have a particular challenge like hearing loss. And it matches you with local moms who are on the same wavelength."

Because they're bootstrapping the project and don't have investors to answer to, the women haven't strayed from the site's initial mission. You won't see traditional banner ads on Mom Meet Mom. Instead, the site makes its revenue by partnering with companies and products on giveaways and other initiatives.

Mom Meet Mom has plans to launch in Canada in the next month, and the women also plan to create a portion of the site devoted to promoting and organizing local events for moms.

The inspiration for the site came when Terry's friend, fellow co-founder Julia High, moved to Seattle and found herself struggling to make new friends.

"She kept striking out," Terry said. "She'd try a mom's group and it wouldn't be a good fit. She'd try talking to people on the playground but she's very introverted."

As the two cross-country friends began to work on the concept of a social networking site for moms, they located a potential competitor on LinkedIn: a woman living in Hull, Meg Gerritson, who was chasing the same idea.

So they did something that doesn't happen too often in the male-dominated world of tech startups: they put egos aside and joined forces.

Added Terry: "We said, 'Why are we doing this separately if we can do this together?"

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Pasta maker settles false-advertising lawsuit

FARGO, N.D. — A company accused of falsely advertising the health benefits of its nationally distributed Dreamfields Pasta has agreed to pay $5 million to consumers as part of a class-action settlement.

The complaint accuses Carrington, North Dakota-based Dakota Growers Pasta and its parent company of bogus claims that the product was a low-carbohydrate alternative to traditional pasta.

The plaintiffs say the pasta was more expensive than most brands and they wouldn't have shelled out the money if they knew the pitch about low cars was false.

A federal judge in New Jersey on Friday signed a preliminary approval order for the settlement. A hearing to finalize the deal is scheduled for Sept. 24.

Dakota Growers vice president and general manager Ed Irion (EAR'-ee-on) says he cannot comment on the case.

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Feds seek prison for rural Washington pot growers

SPOKANE, Wash. — The green-cross storefronts of medical marijuana dispensaries are common in much of Washington, and the state is plowing ahead with licensing people to grow and sell recreational pot to adults.

But a federal trial scheduled to begin in the coming weeks for five people in Spokane suggests not all is OK with weed in the state.

Larry Harvey, a 70-year-old medical marijuana patient with no criminal history, three of his relatives and a family friend each face mandatory minimum sentences of at least 10 years in prison after they were caught growing about 70 pot plants on their rural, mountainous property.

The Harveys did have guns at their home, which is part of the reason for the lengthy possible prison time. They say the weapons were for hunting and protection, but prosecutors say two of the guns were loaded and in the same room as a blue plastic tub of pot.

Medical marijuana advocates have cried foul, arguing the prosecution violates Department of Justice policies announced by Attorney General Eric Holder last year that nonviolent, small-time drug offenders shouldn't face lengthy prison sentences.

"This case is another glaring example of what's wrong with the federal policy on cannabis," said Kari Boiter, Washington state coordinator for the medical marijuana group Americans for Safe Access.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Harrington, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Spokane, said he could not discuss the upcoming trial or the office's general approach to pot crimes.

But the case illustrates discrepancies in how law enforcement officials are handling marijuana cases as Washington — with the Justice Department's blessing — moves ahead with its grand experiment in pot legalization. Medical marijuana gardens the size of the Harveys' rarely draw attention from authorities in the Seattle area.

Under Initiative 502 about 30 people have so far been licensed to grow marijuana for sale at recreational pot shops slated to begin opening in July. Commercial medical marijuana dispensaries also operate in many cities, especially in Western Washington, generally considered the liberal half of the state.

Under federal law, marijuana remains illegal, and what the licensed growers are doing differs little from what Harvey and his family did.

In Colorado, the other state to legalize recreational marijuana, many pot shops even have armed security guards. Under federal law, that looks a lot like possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. There have been no recent federal charges involving commercial dispensaries in Western Washington or in Colorado absent indications of further criminality.

"Where commercial outlets are largely permitted in Western Washington, the (U.S. Attorney's Office) in Eastern Washington is subjecting individual patients to mandatory minimum prison sentences for private cultivation," defense attorneys in the Harvey case wrote to Attorney General Eric Holder, asking him to review the prosecution.

The DOJ has said since 2009 that prosecuting marijuana patients isn't a priority. It's allowing states to regulate marijuana for recreational or medical use, but it has reserved the right to target operations that don't follow state law or have ties to organized crime.

Defense lawyers say Spokane U.S. Attorney Mike Ormsby has charged cases that likely would not have been prosecuted in state court, where the defendants could have argued that they were complying with Washington's medical marijuana law, approved by voters in 1998. One defendant pleaded guilty to federal charges last week for having a 32-plant medical marijuana grow, to avoid a weapons charge for having guns at his house.

Douglas Hiatt, a Seattle lawyer, said the federal prosecutions are undermining the state's medical marijuana law.

Harvey, along with his wife, Rhonda Firestack-Harvey; her son, Rolland Gregg, and his wife, Michelle Gregg; and their friend, Jason Zucker, all had medical authorizations to use marijuana under state law. The Greggs and Zucker live in the Seattle area, and lawyers in the case say Zucker is the only one with previous criminal history, a conviction for marijuana growing. Harvey said he eats pot-laced cookies to ease pain from gout.

Douglas Phelps, a lawyer for Rolland Gregg, said many defendants feel they have no choice but to plead guilty to avoid long sentences, but the family feels strongly they did nothing wrong.

"Most people wouldn't take the chance of being convicted at trial," he said.

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Johnson reported from Seattle.

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Cape expects hot summer

The Cape Cod summer season is heating up, with rental property prices seeing the largest year-over-year increases in nearly 20 years, according to a company that matches vacationers with 
homeowners.

Summer bookings are up 5.1 percent from last year amid a 3.3 percent price hike, according to stats from WeNeedaVacation.com,
a Brewster company whose website lists more than 3,500 properties on the Cape, Martha's Vineyard and 
Nantucket each year.

"Naturally, there was concern early on that the 
homeowner confidence driving the higher pricing might have been misplaced," said the company's Elizabeth Weedon. "But, so far at least, that does not seem to be the case."

Year-over-year price increases have averaged 2.2 percent for Cape summer rentals since the economic downtown started in 2008. Prices have jumped a cumulative 14.2 percent since then, from an average of $2,397 to $2,737.

"Homeowners have been forced to be patient and use restraint in raising their prices during the difficult economic times from which we seem to finally be emerging," Weedon said. "It's no secret to them that the economy has improved, and they are seizing the opportunity to recoup some of the maintenance expenses they've been incurring throughout the past few difficult years."

The optimism follows a strong 2013 — the best in a decade — according to Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce CEO Wendy Northcross, who expects a robust season based on members' advanced bookings and Web traffic.

"The table has been set, but the weather has to come through," she said.

Reservations for Memorial Day through Columbus Day are "very, very strong" at the Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club in Brewster, which has 340 guest rooms and villas. "We're up about 8.5 percent in transient bookings over last year at this time, and last year was a record year," said Robert Newman, general manager.

Ocean Edge employs 550 and takes a global approach to filling positions, relying on temporary foreign workers on H-2B and J-1 visas for about 30 percent of its staff due to a dearth of local candidates.

"We try to be very proactive in our recruiting process, so this past winter, members of my management team traveled to Ireland, England, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania, Canada, Jamaica and Mexico to recruit," Newman said. "That travel started as early as last November and concluded in March."

Cape tourism also is expected to get a boost from JetBlue's new daily seasonal flights between Hyannis and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport that start June 26.

Bookings are healthy, JetBlue spokesman Anders Lindstrom said, and the service is expected to fare well.

"As with all new routes, though, it takes a while to get to the same level (as) routes that have been operating for a while," he said.

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