REGION

REGION
Injuries in the workplacelowest in Pa. since 2000
HARRISBURG -- The number of workplace injuries in Pennsylvania fell to the lowest level since 2000, Gov. Ed Rendell announced Thursday. The number of injuries dropped to 93,566 in 2004, down about 5,500 from 2003. Work-related fatalities also dropped to 130 in 2004, down 10 from the year before. The total number of injuries was the lowest since the 82,676 recorded in 2000. Rendell attributed the decrease partly to a state program in which businesses get a 5 percent discount on workers' compensation premiums if they create and maintain a certified workplace safety committee. "Employers who have certified workplace safety committees not only save money, but report fewer accidents and injuries," Rendell said.
NATION
PDF-maker Adobe reportsprofits deeply favorable
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Adobe Systems Inc. said Thursday that its second-quarter profits rose 37 percent as the maker of Acrobat and Photoshop reported strong sales of its most popular software. San Jose-based Adobe, the maker of the portable document format (PDF) technology, announced Thursday a fiscal second-quarter profit of $149.8 million, or 29 cents per share, compared with a profit of $109.4 million or 22 cents per share in the same period of 2004. Adobe reported revenue for the quarter, which ended June 3, of $496 million, up 21 percent from $410 million in the year-ago period. Excluding special items, such as taxes on some revenue earned abroad, the software company earned $142.9 million, or 28 cents per share. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial expected Adobe to earn an average of 27 cents per share on revenue of $491.7 million.
WORLD
Oil prices keep bubbling,fueled by strong demand
WASHINGTON -- Oil prices climbed by a dollar a barrel to a 10-week high Thursday as concerns about strong demand for gasoline dominated the market's psychology. Traders dismissed OPEC's decision on Wednesday to increase its output quota by 500,000 barrels a day, saying the higher production target was already being exceeded at a time when producing nations are eager to profit from high prices.
Light sweet crude for July delivery rose $1.01 to settle at $56.58 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On the International Petroleum Exchange in London, August Brent gained 92 cents to $56.12 a barrel. While oil prices are roughly $35 below the inflation-adjusted high set in 1980, they are up more than 50 percent from a year ago.
Associated Press