Unemployment in the Group of 20 leading world economies is close to 8 percent of the total workforce and looks set to keep growing strongly, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said on Monday. Get the full story »
Motorola aims new Droid Pro at business execs
(Motorola)
Motorola is launching a new Android-based smart phone for globe-trotting executives later this month at Verizon Wireless.
The Droid Pro, unveiled Monday, is the latest device in Verizon’s Droid line-up, its portfolio of premier Android-based smart phones. Motorola has been an important maker of Android devices for the carrier and its other phones for the Droid line include the Droid, the Droid 2 and the Droid X.
The Droid Pro is designed for business users and comes with QuickOffice, a mobile software suite for editing Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. The phone also has a physical keyboard and is global-ready, meaning it is compatible with wireless service in different countries. Motorola said the device can tap into voice service in more than 220 countries and will have data coverage in more than 200 countries. Get the full story »
Walgreen Co. sues Wegmans in logo dispute
Walgreen Co. is suing the Wegmans supermarket chain, claiming the New York-based grocery’s logo is too similar to its own. Get the full story »
NHL signs U.S. sponsorship deal with Discover
The National Hockey League has signed a one-year sponsorship deal making Discover Financial Services the league’s official U.S. credit card, and its first financial sponsor in that market.
The deal, worth several million dollars including advertising commitments by Discover, puts the NHL’s overall sponsorship revenue about 30 percent above last year’s rate, said Keith Wachtel, NHL senior vice president of corporate sales and marketing. Get the full story »
US Airways to add 500 workers
US Airways Group Inc. said on Monday it plans to add a total of 500 flight attendants and pilots through a combination of new hires and recalls of furloughed workers. Get the full story »
After setbacks, CME chief stakes out new ground
Craig Donohue. (Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/Getty Images)
Bruised by two big setbacks this year, the CME’s Craig Donohue is staking out new ground in a landscape ripped up and reseeded by the financial crisis.
CME Group Inc., the world’s largest operator of derivatives exchanges, was an obvious beneficiary of the crisis as regulators clamped down on over-the-counter swaps markets blamed for the 2007-2009 crisis.
But Chief Executive Donohue’s early attempts to clear credit derivatives and on another front, to block limits on speculative commodities trades, have stumbled. Get the full story »
Vending industry nuts over calorie requirements
(David Pierini/Chicago Tribune)
The vending machine industry is up in arms following a new report by the Food and Drug Administration that estimates the industry will need to spend 14 million hours annually to comply with new calorie disclosure laws.
The new requirements, signed into law this March under sweeping health reform legislation, require vending machine operators with 20 or more locations to provide a sign in close proximity to each food item in a vending machine to disclose the calorie count of that item before it is chosen. Get the full story »
Orbitz: O’Hare to be busiest U.S. airport on T-Day
Travelers may want to choose Chicago Midway airport over Chicago O’Hare International this Thanksgiving to avoid stress-induced indigestion before the turkey is even on the table.
That’s because O’Hare is expected to be the busiest airport in the nation this holiday, according to a ranking by Orbitz, a Chicago-based online travel company, outpacing its next busiest counterpart Los Angeles International airport by 20 percent. Get the full story »
MSNBC reinstates Keith Olbermann
MSNBC says Keith Olbermann will be back on the air Tuesday, ending his suspension for violating NBC’s rules against making political donations after two shows. MSNBC’s chief executive Phil Griffin said late Sunday that after several days of deliberation, he had determined that two days off the air was “an appropriate punishment for his violation of our policy.”
IHOP planning restaurants on college campuses
Casual dining chain International House of Pancakes LLC is planning to develop more restaurants on college campuses with partner Aramark.
“The trend of breakfast all-day and late-night dining is growing on college campuses,” said Ann Marie Solomon, Aramark vice president of national brand partnerships, in a statement. Get the full story »
New Jeep helps Chrysler narrow loss
A 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee at the Jefferson North Assembly in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Chrysler cut its losses in half between the second and third quarters as a new version of the Jeep Grand Cherokee notched strong sales.
The automaker raised its full-year profit forecast, its confidence boosted by the arrival of nearly a dozen new or revamped vehicles in the next few months.
Playboy auctioning art collection, photos
A Dali watercolor of a reclining nude that hung in Hugh Hefner’s bedroom is among 125 artworks being auctioned by the magazine known for baring all for nearly 60 years. The sale includes 80 photographs, more than a dozen contemporary works and 24 cartoons.
The Dec. 8 auction at Christie’s is dubbed “The Year of the Rabbit.” Founder and editor-in-chief Hefner said the magazine that has entertained, titillated and informed with its commissioned art has blurred the lines between fine and popular art.
“Playboy helped to change the very direction of commercial art — breaking down the wall between fine art and commercial art,” the 84-year-old Hefner told The Associated Press in an interview at his Los Angeles mansion. Get the full story »
