Business briefing: Former senior UAW official pleads guilty in corruption case

A former senior official at the United Auto Workers pleaded guilty Monday to conspiring with other labor leaders to steal more than $1 million in dues while enjoying golf, lavish lodging, meals and booze. Edward "Nick" Robinson's guilty plea is the 10th from union officials or the spouse of an official. Three more people at Fiat Chrysler have also pleaded guilty in the government's corruption investigation. Robinson, 72, of Kirkwood, Mo., was based at the UAW's Region 5 office near St. Louis. The office was led by Gary Jones until Jones became UAW president in 2018. He quit the top union job in November while under investigation but hasn't been charged. Robinson said he conspired with at least six other UAW officials in a multiyear effort to embezzle money for their personal benefit.

The national news agency Australian Associated Press said Tuesday it will close in late June, its 85 years in business vanquished by a decline in subscribers and free distribution of news content on digital platforms. Sydney-based AAP was started in 1935 by newspaper publisher Keith Murdoch, father of News Corp. founder Rupert Murdoch. It is owned by Australian news organizations News Corp. Australia, Nine Entertainment Co., Seven West Media and Australian Community Media. The agency is renowned for its fair and impartial reporting and its extraordinary reach across rural and urban Australia. The surprise decision by its owners to close the agency comes amid a brutal consolidation in the industry and raised an outcry both from its staff and from many Australians who view it as a pillar of a free and fair press.

The Walt Disney Co. was built on the shoulders of Mickey Mouse, so it may come as a surprise that there never has been a theme-park attraction based on the lovable rodent. That's about to change with the debut of Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway ride on Wednesday at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World. The ride gives visitors the impression that they are watching a cartoon featuring Mickey and Minnie come to life as the Disney characters look for the perfect place for a romantic picnic and then end up on a train ride on the "Runnamuck Railroad." The ride features trackless vehicles, multiple dimensional sets and projections on multiple planes, as well as animatronic figures.

The largest technical cheese, butter and yogurt competition in the world started Tuesday in Madison, Wis., with a record 3,667 entries from 26 nations. The 55 judges taste, sniff and inspect the 132 classes of dairy products during the biennial World Championship Cheese Contest. The judges include cheese graders, cheese buyers, dairy-science professors and researchers from 19 nations and 14 states. The last time the competition was held in 2018, a hard sheep's milk cheese called Esquirrou made in France at Mauleon Fromagerie won top honors. This year's winner will be announced Thursday. There will be extra hand-washing stations and hand sanitizers for the judges. Otherwise, the virus was not expected to affect the competition, officials said.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., a maker of scientific instrument and laboratory supplies, is buying Qiagen in a deal valued at about $10.1 billion. Qiagen NV is a provider of molecular diagnostics and sample preparation technologies. The Netherlands-based company has approximately 5,100 workers at 35 locations in more than 25 countries. It generated 2019 revenue of $1.53 billion. Thermo Fisher posted revenue of more than $25 billion last year. The Waltham, Mass.-based company is offering 39 euros ($43.33) in cash for each Qiagen share, a premium of about 23% to its closing price Monday.