Des Moines Register: Business

Thousands of Iowans will lose access to unemployment benefits by the end of the year if Congress does not renew a program that extends benefits to the long-term unemployed.

A corporate agriculture espionage case announced Thursday by federal prosecutors offered a glimpse into how at least seven Chinese men allegedly traveled across the Midwest to steal millions of dollars in seed technology.

Lawmakers working on a new U.S. farm bill said significant progress is being made and they are confident that Congress will finish the much-delayed legislation by the end of January.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers Thursday introduced legislation that would eliminate corn from the countrys ethanol mandate requirement.

Iowa insurance and agricultural officials say extreme weather is having a more pronounced impact on their industries as rising global damage payouts temper insurance profits and unusually heavy rain accelerates soil erosion.

PHONES ON PLANES: The ban on midflight cellphone calls could be going down - but not without a lot of noise. The Federal Communications Commission is set to vote today on a proposed rule to allow airline passengers to make midflight phone calls - a proposal that has drawn criticism from travelers, airlines, flight attendants and lawmakers.

The Des Moines Register will begin inserting a condensed edition of USA Today daily early next year, a distribution strategy aimed at both beefing up the Register's content and widening the national paper's reach.

Amazon.com launched its grocery delivery business, AmazonFresh, in San Francisco Wednesday as the world's largest Internet retailer expands further into the giant consumer packaged goods sector.

You may have missed this interesting tidbit in the Register's article on the future plans for the Midland, the downtown building that houses the soon-to-be-closing Amici Espresso: