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United, US Airways Raise Ticket Change Fee

Changing a ticket is getting more expensive in the U.S. Airways and United Airlines.Last week, United quietly increased the fee to change a ticket in advance at $ 200, $ 150. A spokesman for United Continental Holdings Inc., said the commission helps cover the cost of the airline when a traveler pays a reserved seat.

On Wednesday, U.S. Airways did the same. The U.S. website Airways Group Inc. also shows that the airline now charges up to $ 300 to change some international tickets. The airlines also make travelers pay the higher price if they change to a more expensive flight. 

The fees to change tickets and luggage have become an important source of revenue for the major U.S. carriers, though Southwest does not charge change a ticket.
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Bangladesh factory collapse kills 149 people

People and rescuers gather after an eight-story building housing several garment factories collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, April 24, 2013.
Workers trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building factory in Bangladesh cried for help Thursday, as rescuers struggled to reach survivors of a disaster that killed at least 149 people and revived questions about the often lethal conditions the clothing industry the country.


Army Brigade. Gen. Mohammed Alam Shikder Siddiqul said many people are still trapped in the building, which housed a number of garment factories employing hundreds of people when it collapsed Wednesday morning. A clearer picture of the rescue operation would be available in the afternoon, he said.

The disaster occurred less than five months after a factory fire killed 112 people and highlighted the insecurity faced by garment workers in Bangladesh, producing clothing for global brands worn around the world. The workers said they hesitated to enter the building on the morning of Wednesday, as it had developed cracks as big a day before that even caught the attention of the local news channels. Just hours later, collapsed.

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Exclusive Interview Ex-President George W. Bush, Laura Bush

Boston Bombs Likely Built From Fireworks"Whether it be that or the explosion at West, Texas, I mean it harkened back to days where you become the comforter in chief ... try to help heal souls that are hurting," Bush said.
Exclusive Interview President George W. Bush, Laura Bush

When George W. Bush saw the news about Boston, his mind immediately turned to organized terrorism--and to his own presidency.With his presidential library opening Thursday at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, the former president spoke with ABC News' Diane Sawyer in an exclusive interview, detailing how he reacted to the bombs in Boston and the days-long manhunt that followed. The attacks, he said, reminded him of a time when it was his job to comfort the nation.

Bush's tenure in the White House was defined, in part, by that role, which he took on after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon would launch the "Global War on Terror" his administration prosecuted for nearly eight years. They would also come to define how many Americans view terrorism.

Suspected Boston Bomber Receives All-Star Defense Team
When he first heard about the Boston attacks, Bush said, he worried about an organized, coordinated terrorist plot.

"I was deeply concerned that there might've been an organized plot," Bush said of the Boston attacks. "I don't know all the facts. I don't think we all know all the facts. But I was deeply concerned that this could've been, you know, another highly organized attack on the country. And it still may be--again, I don't know all the facts."

Bush's presidency was also defined by the hunt for al Qaeda terrorists, and he praised law enforcement authorities for their response to the Boston attacks. After two bombs exploded at the Boston marathon last week, police apprehended suspect Dzokhar Tsarnaev Friday night.

"I do know that it's really hard to protect the homeland. I mean, those who want to do harm only have to be right one time, and we have to be right 100 percent of the time," Bush said. "I was extraordinarily pleased with the response. The local authorities, state authorities, and federal authorities did a really good job of finding at least the two guys involved."
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Fed Says Redesigned $100 Bill Ready by October

By Martin Crutsinger AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON, April 24, 2013 (AP)
Redesigned $100 Bill Ready by October
The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday it will begin circulating a redesigned $ 100 bill this fall, more than two years after its initial goal. 

The Federal Reserve has set a new deadline of October 8 The redesigned incorporates additional safety features, such as a blue ribbon safety 3-D and the Liberty Bell in an inkwell disappears. 

The features are designed to thwart counterfeiters. It was hoped that the renewed bill to enter circulation in February 2011. But in December 2010, the authorities announced an indefinite delay. 

They said they needed more time to fix production problems left unwanted creases in many of the notes. "We have made many changes in the process of addressing the issue of folding and we are back in full production," said Dawn Haley, spokeswoman for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. 

Haley said that these changes include modifying the paper feeder in printing machines to accommodate variations in the paper associated with safety belt 3-D. The blue security ribbon is composed of thousands of tiny lenses.

The lenses magnify the objects underneath them to make them appear to be moving in the opposite direction to the way the bill is moving. Benjamin Franklin portrait will remain in the $ 100, the highest value denomination in general circulation.

It is also the most frequent target of counterfeiters. The $ 100 is the last note to undergo an extensive renovation aimed at thwarting counterfeiters copying machines, increasingly sophisticated. The redesign began in 2003 when the government adds touches of color on the $ 20 bill. 

That makeover was followed by redesigns of the $ 50, $ 10 and $ 5 bills. The $ 1 bill is not getting a makeover. An extensive public education effort is planned for businesses and consumers around the world to raise awareness of the new design and provide information on the use of new security features. Fed officials said the information about the new design $ 100 can be found in www.newmoney.gov.
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