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WASHINGTON — Unemployment rates rose in more than half of U.S. states in June, evidence that slower hiring is affecting many parts of the country.

The Labor Department said today that unemployment rates in 28 states and Washington, D.C., increased last month. Rates declined in eight states and were flat in 14. That’s a change from May, when 24 states reported falling unemployment rates.

The jobless rate rose in Tennessee (from 9.7 percent in May to 9.8 percent in June) and in Arkansas (7.8 percent in May to 8.1 percent in June). The rate in Mississippi remained flat, at 10.3 percent. Mississippi has the nation’s eighth highest unemployment rate.

Twenty-six states, including Arkansas and Mississippi, reported a net gain in jobs in June, while 24 states, including Tennessee, lost jobs.

The changing trend in state unemployment rates reflects a weaker economy hampered by high gas prices and lower factory output. Nationally, employers added only 18,000 net jobs in June, the second straight month of feeble hiring.

The U.S. unemp

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One of the obvious challenges with Facebook ads is that it is a social network. Unlike search, which lends itself to ads targeted to a particular search query, the site is generally being used as a tool of leisure.

That makes creating ads that stand out difficult.

Recently, one Facebook advertiser observed that an ad containing a picture of beer delivered its best CTR. In fact, it performed 57% better than any other ad tried.

Beer, of course, didn’t have anything to do with this advertiser’s business, but beer, for obvious reasons, seemed like a good way to grab attention.

So FeeFighters, a company that helps businesses obtain better rates on merchant accounts, decided to replicate the beer experiment.

The result: close to 396,000 impressions of the beer ad delivered just over 1,250 clicks. With a .018% CTR, this beer ad was one of the best performing ads for FeeFighters.

But, as you may have expected, those clicks didn’t exactly translate into action.

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WASHINGTON — Tennessee is one of five states that could have its bond issue ratings downgraded if the U.S. can’t resolve the debate over raising the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling, Moody’s Investors Service said Tuesday, citing the state’s dependence on federal revenue.

“While all states are indirectly linked to the U.S. government to some degree, we have identified the five Aaa states that are most vulnerable to changes in the U.S. government rating,” said Nicholas Samuels, a vice president in Moody’s state ratings team.

In concrete terms, that means borrowing costs for the state and for local governments, including Memphis and Shelby County, can be expected to rise, said John Gnuschke, director of the Sparks Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Memphis.

Gnuschke attributed the likelihood of a debt downgrade to the perception that Tennessee is in a kind of political impasse tied to no-tax-increase pledges by politicians, a factor Moody’s did not mention.

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SINGAPORE – SINGAPORE Airlines said on Monday that Campbell Wilson will be the first CEO of the new no-frills, low-fare airline that it plans to launch next year.

Mr Wilson, 40, has been with SIA for more than 15 years. He joined the Singapore flag carrier in April 1996 in Auckland and held marketing and sales positions in New Zealand as well as Australia.

Law firm Hill Dickinson has announced annual profits growth of nearly £1m after fee income topped £100m.

Figures for 12 months to April 30 show the firm, which has a base on Manchester’s Fountain Street, saw revenues surge 14.9 per cent to £100.1m, from £87.1m.

The Manchester office, headed by litigation partner Geraldine Ryan, office enjoyed a 7.5 per cent increase in income.

During the period covered by the results, the firm acquired the Liverpool and Sheffield offices of failed firm Halliwells, which crashed into administration last July.

The accounts show net profits rose from £13.5m last year to £14.4m.

Managing partner Peter Jackson said: “It has been a positive year for the firm.

“We have performed well across the board and are particularly pleased to see increased activity on the corporate side, with our team having grown significantly.

“We now look forward to another year of growth and to exploiting the business development opportunities that are on offer to us at a larger firm with enhanced commercial capabilities.”

Five years ago, the Manchester office of Hill Dickinson had a turnover of just £9m but that has grown to more than £20m today.

It is focusing on growing its presence in the sport, healthcare, commercial and corporate sectors.

In the sporting arena, it was recently appointed to represent Manchester United star Wayne Rooney and his agent Paul Stretford over the phone hacking scandal.

Ms Ryan, who joined the firm in 1997, said: “These results are a reflection of the weight of expertise available to clients out of our Manchester office.

“We are now building upon our success and are continuing to expand our commercial and corporate base in the region.”

When Halliwells went bust, Hill Dickinson, originally a Merseyside firm, took on 19 partners and 41 fee earners from its Liverpool office. The Sheffield deal saw

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Growth-hungry insurance broker Giles is looking at an offer of 32p a share for Manchester-based rival CBG Group, valuing the target business at £5.1m.

Giles said the price represented a premium of 54.2 per cent to CBG’s share price at the close on Tuesday, when news of its approach was confirmed.

Giles said a deal would be subject to due diligence and the approval of CBG’s board, adding there was no certainty an offer would be made.

CBG’s shares rose 37.35 per cent to 28.5p yesterday.

Giles, which has its headquarters in Glasgow, sees CBG as a springboard for expansion in the north west, where it currently has offices in Wigan and Chester.

“It would be a strategic acquisition for Giles, given CBG’s strength in the region,” said one source.

Broker and financial services specialist CBG is based in Wythenshawe and employs around 100 staff. It floated on the stock market in November 2003

The company was formed in 2000 as The Community Brokers and has made 18 acquisitions since its inception, the most recent being a swoop last October for Bolton’s Rockbridge Healthcare.

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