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By Julie Johnsson | American Airlines postponed the launch of its Chicago-to-Beijing service hours before the first flight was due to depart Monday because of a dispute with the Chinese government over landing slots.
The Texas-based carrier, which operates a major international hub at O’Hare, said it had postponed the start of service until May 4, and would rebook or provide refunds to passengers who had purchased tickets for the Monday flight.
A man walks past a bank in Athens on April 23, 2010. The graffiti on the wall reads “IMF, ‘International Legal Terrorists.” Greece appealed for a debt rescue from the EU and IMF on Friday and said that help should arrive within days. (Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images)
Associated Press | The head of the International Monetary Fund
says his organization will move quickly on Greece’s request for a joint
eurozone-International Monetary Fund financial rescue.
The comments by the IMF’s managing director, Dominique Strauss-Kahn,
came in a statement issued shortly after Greece said it would need to
activate the rescue to get out of its debt crisis.”We are prepared to
move expeditiously on this request,” Strauss-Kahn said.
By Kiah Haslett | Northfield chemical manufacturer Stepan Co. said first-quarter profits
were $20.7 million, up 36 percent from a year ago, on increased sales
helped by favorable foreign currency translations.
First-quarter earnings, which were $1.88 per diluted share, exceeded
analysts’ expectations of $1.32 a share. In morning training, Stepan
shares were up 7.8 percent to $66.52 on the news.
Associated Press | Computer hackers stole a program that
controlled access to most of Google Inc.’s services when they attacked
the Internet company late last year, according to a report published
late Monday.
The story in The New York Times provided more details about an
intrusion that provoked a politically charged showdown between Google
and China’s government over Internet censorship and computer security.
McClatchy/Tribune News | Boeing Co.’s European rival, European Aeronautic Defence & Space
Co., is finding it difficult to recruit a U.S. partner to bid on a $35
billion aerial tanker contract.
Reuters News Service reported Friday that L-3 Communications Holdings
Inc. has backed away from the Pentagon’s tanker deal.
The company was viewed as the most likely ally for EADS.
From the Wall Street Journal | In an interview, Kraft Foods CEO Irene Rosenberg said Kraft’s acquisition of Cadbury will help the company expand U.S. distribution channels in convenience stores and help it expand overseas, particularly in India and Mexico.
Get the full story: wsj.com (subscription required)
Tribune staff report | Baxter International today named Ludwig
Hantson president of its international operation and a corporate vice
presidentl. Hantson, 47, most recently was chief executive officer of
Pharma North America at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.
(AP Photo/Paul Beaty, File)
Associated Press | Israel has banned imports of Apple Inc.’s hottest new product, the iPad,
citing concerns that the strength of its wireless receivers and
transmitters are incompatible with national standards and could disrupt
other wireless devices.
Customs officials said Thursday they have already confiscated about 10
iPads since Israel announced the new regulations this week.
The blanket ban prevents anyone — even tourists — from bringing an iPad
into Israel until officials certify that the computers comply with local
transmitter standards.
By Julie Johnsson | American Airlines is overhauling the way its passengers check in for
international flights, allowing wired travelers to potentially avoid
lengthy lines in its airport lobbies.
Effective April 14, American’s passengers will be able to check in
online for overseas travel, printing boarding passes at home or at
airport kiosks or downloading the passes to mobile phones.
Read the full story: American starts online check-in for international flights.
Dow Jones Newswires | Apple Inc. said it will postpone its international iPad sales launch by one month to the end of May because higher-than-expected U.S. demand will likely exceed its supply of the device for the next several weeks.
U.S. demand is “far higher” than it predicted, it said. The company delivered 500,000 iPads during its first week of availability. It has also taken a “large number” of pre-orders for iPad 3G models for delivery by the end of April.
Starbucks chairman and CEO Howard Schultz (R) and Japanese actress Shinobu Terashima promoting Starbucks in Japan, where Starbucks has 878 stores. The coffee giant has just 365 stores on the Chinese mainland. (Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg)
Dow Jones Newswires-Wall Street Journal | Howard Schultz, the
CEO of Starbucks Corp., said China is set to usurp Japan as its
second-biggest market, as the American coffee titan plans to open
“thousands” of stores in China over the next few years. Schultz also
said the Seattle-based chain was eager to crack into the potentially
lucrative Indian and Vietnamese markets, where it does not yet have a
presence.
Tribune staff report | Leaders of more than 100 cities and local
governments are expected to assemble in Chicago on April 26 and April
27, along with prominent business, academic and foundation leaders for
discussions on key urban issues at the sixth annual Richard J. Daley
Global Cities Forum.
Associated Press | China’s passenger car sales jumped 63 percent in March from a year earlier as manufacturers scrambled to meet strong demand driven by tax cuts and government subsidies, a state-affiliated industry group reported Friday.
Passenger car sales rose to 1.26 million vehicles in March, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
GM reported earlier that its sales in China jumped 68 percent in March
over a year earlier to a new monthly record of 230,048 vehicles. First
quarter sales surged 71 percent to 623,546 units. Ford said first quarter sales jumped 84 percent to a record
153,362 units, while Toyota’s sales in China rose 33 percent in March.
Associated Press | Cadbury is pushing ahead with plans to open a chain of branded cafes
across Britain after receiving the green light from new U.S. parent
Kraft Inc. Cadbury said Friday that planning for the outlets offering
afternoon tea and an onsite chocolatier service is still in the “very
early days.”
From Ad Age | McDonald’s Corp. is launching a line of smaller-sized McMini chicken sandwiches, which come in spicy thai and pesto flavors, in Canada. They are served on a baguette and can included grilled or fried chicken.
Get the full story: adage.com
