Nov. 17, 2010 at 4:05 p.m.
Filed under:
Pharmaceuticals
By Reuters
Dr. Christopher Cannon, the leader of a study on an experimental Merck cholesterol drug, at the Chicago AHA conference. (AP Photo/AHA)
Merck’s highly potent drug to raise heart-protective HDL cholesterol may give doctors a new sledgehammer against heart attacks and strokes, and be prescribed as often as the leading current statin treatments for heart disease, doctors said on Wednesday.
Thousands of doctors listened raptly earlier at midday as researchers presented findings from a highly anticipated study of Merck’s drug, anacetrapib, at the annual scientific meeting of the American Heart Association in Chicago.
They were told that levels of HDL in patients taking the pill jumped 138 percent during the 18-month study, while levels of artery-clogging “bad” LDL cholesterol fell 40 percent. Get the full story »
Nov. 17, 2010 at 3:52 p.m.
Filed under:
Airplanes,
Manufacturing
By Dow Jones Newswires
Franco-Dutch airline Air France-KLM said Wednesday it expects to place an order for about 100 new wide-bodied aircraft soon as it anticipates its capacity needs for the middle of this decade and beyond.
The airline is in negotiations with Boeing Co. and its European rival Airbus, and the talks should be completed in the coming weeks or months, Chief Financial Officer Philippe Calavia said on the sidelines of a press conference.
Nov. 17, 2010 at 3:48 p.m.
Filed under:
Agriculture/Farming,
Investigations
By Reuters
Accidents in grain silos, storage bins and other facilities killed and injured a record number of workers through October this year, a study by Purdue University showed. Get the full story »
Nov. 17, 2010 at 3:35 p.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Bankruptcy,
IPOs,
Updated
By Reuters
General Motors raised $20.1 billion in the biggest U.S. initial public offering in history, pricing the shares at the top of the proposed range in response to huge investor demand.
GM sold 478 common shares at $33 each, raising $15.77 billion, as well as $4.35 billion in preferred shares, more than the initially planned $4 billion. Get the full story »
Nov. 17, 2010 at 3:20 p.m.
Filed under:
Jobs/employment
From The New York Times | A study by Boston College’s Sloan Center on Aging & Work has found that older workers are more willing to take a pay cut when searching for jobs than their younger counterparts — 77 percent versus 64 percent.
Nov. 17, 2010 at 2:39 p.m.
Filed under:
Advertising/Marketing
By Associated Press
Internet ad sales reached a record high in the third quarter, rising 17 percent compared with last year, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau Get the full story »
Nov. 17, 2010 at 2:17 p.m.
Filed under:
Internet,
Technology
By Reuters
Microblogging service Twitter is considering raising funding that would value the company at $3 billion, according to a popular technology blog.
Russian technology investment firm DST Global is seeking to lead the funding round, which would be larger than the $100 million that Twitter raised in September 2009, according to a report Wednesday on the blog TechCrunch. The report said that other investors are also eager to be involved. Get the full story »
Nov. 17, 2010 at 2:01 p.m.
Filed under:
Airlines,
Earnings
By Reuters
U.S. airlines are projected to post $4 billion in profits for 2010, the chairman of the newly formed United Continental Holdings said Wednesday.
Speaking to an industry group in Washington, D.C., Glenn Tilton said the United Continental balance sheet needs a ”tremendous amount of deleveraging” and that it may be time to focus on making balance sheets more resilient.
The carrier has about $9 billion in cash. Get the full story »
Nov. 17, 2010 at 1:58 p.m.
Filed under:
Bank failures,
Banking,
Bankruptcy,
Economy
By Reuters
Bank of America was ordered by a U.S. judge to return $500 million of deposits it seized from Lehman Brothers Holdings shortly after Lehman’s bankruptcy. Get the full story »
Nov. 17, 2010 at 1:35 p.m.
Filed under:
Airlines,
Airplanes,
Airports
By Wailin Wong
American Airlines will be hosting happy hour on certain flights during the month of December.
The company said Wednesday it will be selling cocktails, beer and wine for $5 on domestic, Canada, Caribbean and Mexico flights scheduled to depart between 5 p.m. and 5:59 p.m. The $5 price represents a discount of $1 on beer and $2 on liquor and wine. Passengers on American Airlines, American Eagle and AmericanConnection flights can take advantage of the promotion, which lasts the duration of the flight.
There was no mention of peanuts. Get the full story »
Nov. 17, 2010 at 1:15 p.m.
Filed under:
Beverages,
Food
By Wailin Wong
(Associated Press)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned four makers of alcoholic energy drinks on Wednesday that their products could be seized if they continue to combine caffeine and alcohol in their beverages.
The move by the FDA, which described caffeine as an “unsafe food additive” in malt alcoholic beverages, was anticipated by at least one company – Chicago-based Phusion Projects, which manufactures Four Loko. The company announced Tuesday that it is removing caffeine and two other ingredients from its products. Get the full story »
Nov. 17, 2010 at 12:35 p.m.
Filed under:
By Julie Johnsson
Just in time for spring break, Continental Airlines is launching service from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.
Merger partner United Airlines had pulled out of those markets in 2008, as part of a broader plan to ground its Boeing 737 fleet, leaving Southwest Airlines with the lion’s share of flights between Chicago and Florida’s east coast resorts. Get the full story »
Nov. 17, 2010 at 12:31 p.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Energy
By Julie Wernau
Beginning next year, electric vehicle owners park for free in the Village of Oak Park. An ordinance, passed this week by the Oak Park Village Board of Trustees, also gives plug-in vehicle owners free parking at meters and in Village lots and garages as well as Village vehicle stickers at no charge.
“We realize that this step is largely symbolic at this time, given that all-electric vehicles are just beginning to become available,” said Village Manager Tom Barwin. Get the full story »
Nov. 17, 2010 at 11:50 a.m.
Filed under:
China,
Food,
International,
Restaurants
By Reuters
A woman walks out of a McDonald's outlet in Beijing Nov. 17, 2010. (Christina Hu/Reuters)
McDonald’s has raised menu prices in mainland China by 0.5 yuan to 1 yuan per item with immediate effect because of rising materials costs as the country grapples with accelerating food inflation.
McDonald’s, which has more than 1,000 outlets in China, was raising prices for the first time this year, while Yum! Brands, parent of KFC and Pizza Hut chains, had so far kept prices unchanged, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
“Because some materials prices have increased, we have adjusted menu prices accordingly,” a McDonald’s (China) Co. Ltd spokeswoman said. Get the full story »
Nov. 17, 2010 at 11:47 a.m.
Filed under:
Real estate
By Reuters
JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s chief financial officer on Wednesday joined a growing chorus of industry executives calling for a speedy resolution of the probes into the industry’s foreclosure practices as a settlement may be on the horizon. Get the full story »
