Kraft to boost whole grain in Nabisco crackersKraft Foods Inc. says it will more than double the amount of whole grain in many of its Nabisco crackers, becoming the latest foodmaker to respond to consumer and health advocates' demands for improved nutrition from packaged foods. Kraft will increase the whole grain in more than 100 products over the next three years, the company said. Ritz and Premium crackers will contain whole grains for the first time. Whole grain will more than double and quadruple in Wheat Thins crackers and in Honey Maid graham crackers.
Feds say iPhone 'jailbreaking' is legalOwners of the iPhone will be able to legally unlock their devices so they can run software applications that haven't been approved by Apple Inc., according to new government rules. The decision to allow the practice commonly known as "jailbreaking" is one of a handful of new exemptions from a 1998 federal law that prohibits people from bypassing technical measures that companies put on their products to prevent unauthorized use of copyright-protected material.
E.U. opens antitrust probe against IBMThe European Union opened two antitrust investigations against IBM Corp., accusing the American technology giant of abusing its dominant position in the mainframe computer market. One investigation stems from complaints by emulator software vendors T3 and Turbo Hercules, which accuse IBM of tying the sale of mainframe hardware to its mainframe operating system, the European Commission said. The other accuses IBM of "discriminatory behavior toward competing suppliers of mainframe maintenance services."
New home sales rose in June, but still weakSales of new homes jumped last month, but it was the second-weakest month on record. The lackluster economy has made potential buyers skittish about shopping for homes. New home sales rose nearly 24 percent in June from a month earlier to a seasonally adjusted annual sales pace of 330,000, the Commerce Department said. May's number was revised downward to a rate of 267,000, the slowest pace on records dating back to 1963. Sales for April and March were also revised downward.
FedEx raises outlook as global shipments riseIn another sign of confidence in the global economy, FedEx Corp. raised its earnings outlook for the current quarter and full year. The world's second-largest package delivery company said an overall boom in air and truck shipments is being driven by its speedy international priority service. International priority shipments are expected to jump 20 percent this quarter -- showing that customers are increasingly willing to pay more to get packages faster.
United Technologies to cut 1,500 more jobsUnited Technologies Corp. will cut another 1,500 this year and next on top of the 900 positions it has already eliminated in 2010, the company said. The industrial conglomerate last week posted almost a 14 percent increase in second-quarter net income, citing a "relentless focus on cost." It cut deeply into its payroll during the worst of the recession, cutting 11,600 jobs last year. The most recent cuts come, however, with the company posting its first revenue increase in about two years.
Delta regional carrier Comair fined $275,000A regional air carrier owned by Delta Air Lines has been fined $275,000 for violating regulations on bumping passengers from overbooked flights, the Transportation Department said. An investigation in response to consumer complaints revealed that Cincinnati-based Comair violated federal regulations by failing to solicit volunteers to leave overbooked flights and by not paying bumped passengers compensation.
They're back: Bratz dolls returning to storesNew Bratz dolls are heading to stores after a federal court overturned a ruling that their maker, MGA Entertainment, had to turn over the brand to Mattel Inc. Two new lines of the dolls should hit stores such as Toys 'R' Us, Target and Wal-Mart by the end of August. An appeals court overturned a ruling that Bratz's designer was working for Mattel when he created them.
