[naviga:h3]Lowe’s lays off 120 technology workers[/naviga:h3]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Amid efforts to improve its profitability, Lowe’s has laid off more than 120 corporate tech workers, primarily at its headquarters outside Charlotte.

The home-improvement retailer informed affected employees Wednesday morning through early afternoon, according to people familiar with the matter.

Many of the affected information technology job functions are being sent to Bangalore, India, where Lowe’s employs about 1,000 people in information and technology and analytics.

Wednesday’s layoffs are the latest in several rounds of reductions over the last year.

Lowe’s eliminated 96 corporate tech jobs in October and in January cut another 2,400 full-time jobs, mostly at the store level. In February, it followed with more than 500 corporate layoffs, including 430 at its headquarters and 70 support staffers at another site.

[naviga:h3]Judge orders DISH to pay huge penalty[/naviga:h3]

Satellite television giant Dish Network has been ordered to pay $280 million in penalties for violations of the National Do Not Call Registry laws and invading the privacy of American consumers, the U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday.

A federal judge in Illinois ruled this week that Colorado-based Dish Network was liable for the telemarketing violations of third-party call centers hired by the satellite TV company to lure subscribers.

U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough of the Central District of Illinois, who presided over a five-week trial, concluded that Dish knew, or should have known, that its actions were illegal.

She said the $280 million penalty — the largest ever for telemarketing violations — was appropriate.