Earlier versions of this digest, including in the print edition of Tuesday's Washington Post, included a headline that incorrectly stated that Post-owned education company Kaplan was under review by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The review is being conducted by the U.S. Department of Education. Also, the item about Kaplan should not have included Atlanta as one of the campuses being looked at in the review -- it is not part of the probe.
Digest
U.S. cotton subsidies spur trade sanctions in Brazil
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BRAZIL
U.S. cotton subsidies spur trade sanctions
Brazil announced trade sanctions Monday on a range of American goods, affecting products from Heinz ketchup to Ford automobiles, retaliating for billions of dollars that the United States pours into domestic cotton subsidies.
The World Trade Organization last year authorized Brazil to set $829.3 million in annual penalties against the United States for anticompetitive subsidies. The sanctions will remain in place as long as the practice continues, Brazil said.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said that it was "disappointed" and that Washington prefers continued negotiations.
Brazil says the United States has been able to remain the world's second-largest cotton producer by paying some $3 billion to American farmers each year. China is the largest exporter; Brazil is fifth.
-- Associated Press
REGULATORS
Kaplan branches under review
Several segments of Kaplan, the education company owned by The Washington Post Co., are the subject of reviews by the U.S. Department of Education, the company said in its annual filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission last week.
Cities with campuses under review include Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
"The Department of Education routinely conducts program reviews as part of its oversight of educational institutions," Kaplan spokesman Ron Iori said in a statement. "We have no indication that specific concerns prompted this review and any suggestion otherwise would be misleading."
Kaplan is one of several subsidiaries owned by The Post Co. and its biggest revenue generator, contributing 58 percent in 2009.
-- Frank Ahrens
also in business
-- CCMP bids for database provider: Private-equity firm CCMP Capital Advisors said Monday that it plans to buy database provider InfoGroup, which has faced an SEC probe and the removal of its founder in recent years, for roughly $460 million in cash. The $8 per share investors would receive is less than the opening price of InfoGroup's stock on Monday, $8.16.
-- Blackboard to buy child safety firm: Educational software maker Blackboard said Monday that it will purchase Saf-T-Net, which produces an alert system that sends out emergency messages for parents and others caring for children via phone calls, e-mail and text messages. Blackboard, of the District, expects the $33 million deal to close in late March.
-- From news services
