Brakes recalls at both Subaru and HondaSubaru of America is recalling three of its car models and Honda Motor Co. is recalling some motorcycles, all because the brakes can malfunction. The Honda recall covers 126,000 GL-1800 motorcycles from the 2001 to 2012 model years. A problem with a secondary brake master cylinder can cause the rear brake to drag, possibly causing a crash or fire. The Subaru recall involves nearly 32,000 Legacy, Outback and Impreza models from the 2012 model year. A defective brake master cylinder could cause the brake pedal to travel farther than expected. The Subaru recall will begin this month, while the Honda recall is expected to start in early January.
Less growth for services; fewer factory ordersService companies, which employ 90 percent of the U.S. workforce, expanded at a slower pace in November. Separately, the government said orders to U.S. factories fell for the second straight month: The Commerce Department said that total new orders in October, seasonally adjusted, hit $450 billion. The Institute for Supply Management said its index of service sector activity dropped to 52 from 52.9 in November. Any reading above 50 indicates expansion. The service sector has grown for two straight years. But the reading was the lowest since January 2010.
Former HP Chairwoman Dunn dies at 58Patricia Dunn, the former Hewlett-Packard Co. chairwoman who authorized a boardroom surveillance probe that ultimately sullied her remarkable rise from investment bank typist to the corporate upper class, died Sunday after a long bout with cancer. She was 58. Once one of the most powerful women in corporate America, Dunn saw her career tarnished in 2006 when she was ousted from HP and brought up on criminal charges -- which were ultimately dropped -- for approving the company's plan to snoop into the private phone records of board members, journalists and HP employees to catch people leaking information to the media.
Bronfman stepping down at Warner MusicEdgar M. Bronfman Jr., an influential figure in the music industry, is stepping down as chairman of Warner Music Group. Bronfman, 56, will stay a director, but he told employees in an internal memo obtained by the New York Times that he was leaving because "other obligations are beginning to take an inordinate amount of time." A Warner spokesman declined to comment. In 2004 Bronfman led a team of investors in a $2.6 billion bid to buy Warner Music from Time Warner. At Warner, he pushed to develop its digital music business and its "360 contracts," which let the company make money on its artists' tours, merchandise and other areas in addition to record sales.
Microsoft offers new Xbox TV platformMicrosoft Corp. is rolling out a new interface for its Xbox game console that allows users to navigate through music, movies, TV shows and games with the wave of a hand or the sound of one's voice. Xbox owners with the Kinect motion controller can swipe through screens by waving their hand in the air. It also responds to direct voice commands. Windows phone users can control what to watch or hear by tapping on their portable devices. The interface will be available to Xbox users connected to the Internet via a download on Tuesday.
FROM NEWS SERVICES
