SHANGHAI -- General Motors Co. has won approval from environmental authorities in central China for a new $1.1 billion assembly plant, though the company says it has not yet decided on the plan.
The go-ahead by the Hubei Environmental Protection Bureau, seen Friday in a notice posted on its website, is just one approval among many that would be required for such a large project.
The 7 billion yuan ($1.1 billion) vehicle assembly plant would have an eventual annual capacity of 300,000 vehicles, the notice said.
Shanghai GM, a venture with state-owned automaker SAIC, has four vehicle manufacturing plants in China, two of which are currently undergoing expansion.
Sales of GM-branded vehicles by the company and its Chinese partners rose 8.3 percent in 2011 to a new record of 2.5 million vehicles.
Like many foreign automakers operating in the world's biggest vehicle market, the company has at times strained to meet fast-growing demand.
Five killed in wrong-way crash: Authorities say five people were killed when a driver going the wrong way crashed into another vehicle on Interstate 10 outside New Orleans. Louisiana State Trooper Nick Manale says a driver was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of I-10 near LaPlace early today and crashed head-on with another vehicle with four inside. The car traveling the wrong way burst into flames. All five people died at the scene. Manale says an 18-wheeler then sideswiped the wreck and another vehicle hit the 18-wheeler. The drivers of those vehicles suffered only minor injuries.
Quarterly loss hits $3.3B: Teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, the U.S. Postal Service's quarterly loss ballooned to $3.3 billion amid declining mail volume and the soaring costs of health benefits for future retirees. From October through December 2011, losses were $3 billion more than the same period a year ago, even though that quarter is typically the strongest due to increased holiday shipping. The mail agency said that at this rate, it will run out of money by October. The Postal Service is seeking new leeway from Congress to eliminate Saturday mail delivery, raise stamp prices and reduce health and other labor costs.
Giffords aide to run for seat: Ron Barber was always the behind-the-scenes man for his boss, Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Then he was shot, when a gunman opened fire on the congresswoman and others at a Tucson grocery store as Barber ushered constituents to meet her. Over the year since, he became one of the most visible faces of the tragedy. Now, he's taking one more step into the spotlight, asking voters in Giffords' southern Arizona district to elect him to replace her in Congress after she stepped down last month to focus on recovering from a gunshot wound to the head.
Replacements become common: Nearly 1 in 20 Americans older than 50 have artificial knees, or more than four million people, according to the first national estimate showing how common these replacement joints have become in an aging population. The estimate is important because it shows that a big segment of the population might need future knee-related care, said Dr. Daniel Berry, president of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and chairman of orthopedic surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He was not involved in the research.
Syrian state TV says 25 killed: Syrian state television says 25 people were killed and 175 wounded in two explosions that targeted security compounds in the northern city of Aleppo. The station is blaming "terrorists" for today's blasts, touting the regime line that armed groups looking to destabilize Syria are behind the uprising. Opposition activists accused President Bashar Assad's regime of setting off the explosions.
Greek unions launch two-day strike: Unions in Greece launched a two-day general strike against planned austerity measures today, a day after the country's crucial international bailout was put in limbo by its partners in the 17-nation eurozone. Frustrated by days of dithering, bailout creditors have given Greece until the middle of next week to fully meet demands for new harsh cutbacks, on top of already-agreed measures, including a hugely controversial 22 percent cut in the minimum wage. Otherwise, the debt-crippled country will lose its rescue loan lifeline, go bankrupt next month and likely leave the euro.
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