United joins other airlines raising bag fees United Airlines on Wednesday said it will raise its checked- baggage fees to match those at US Airways, Delta Air Lines and Continental Airlines. A unit of UAL Corp. , United will raised the fee for the first checked bag to $25 from $20, and $35 from $30 for the second bag. The new fee applies to tickets purchased on or after Thursday for travel on or after Jan. 21.
Yahoo backs Google over Chinese snooping Yahoo Inc. supports rival Google's threatened departure from China because of computer attacks that pried into the e-mail accounts of human rights activists. In a statement Wednesday, Yahoo said it's "aligned" with Google's reaction to the hacking that originated within China. Google has promised to stop censoring its search results in China, defying the country's government. The move may result in Google pulling out of China completely. Yahoo, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., closed its offices in China in 2005 when it sold its business there to the Alibaba Group. As part of that deal, Yahoo retains a 39 percent stake in Alibaba. Yahoo spokeswoman Nina Blackwell declined on Wednesday to say whether its solidarity with Google would cause the company to sell its Alibaba holdings.
Kraft again raises its full-year profit forecast Kraft Foods Inc., engaged in a hostile takeover bid for candy maker Cadbury PLC, boosted its full-year profit outlook for the second time in two months after logging strong operating gains, as it spent more on marketing its core brands. The food company, whose products include cheese and Maxwell House coffee, has reduced its product lines during the economic downturn to concentrate on its most profitable products. Kraft now anticipates 2009 earnings of at least $2 per share, compared with a prior forecast for a profit of at least $1.97 per share. In November, the Northfield, Ill., company increased its guidance to $1.97 from $1.93 per share.
Schools dump Kindle till it's blind-friendly Three universities testing Amazon's Kindle in the classroom have agreed to shelve the electronic book readers until they are fully functional for blind students, under a deal struck Wednesday with the Justice Department. The legal settlements were made with Pace University in New York, Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and Reed College in Portland, Ore. Two organizations representing the blind had sued after universities announced a pilot program to use the Kindle in classrooms. Officials say the version of the Kindle being used in the pilot program has a text-to-speech function, but the device's menu does not.
GM putting brakes on Hummer production General Motors Co. will halt Hummer production next week at its Louisiana plant until sale of the brand to a Chinese company is completed. Kevin Wale, president of GM's China Group, said, meanwhile, he's optimistic, but uncertain, the Hummer deal will be approved by Chinese government regulators.
'Call of Duty' draws bead on bestseller mark Video game publisher Activision Blizzard Inc. said Wednesday that the game "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" has brought in more than $1 billion in revenue since it went on sale in November. Given that pace, the game is on track to become the bestselling video game ever by number of copies sold, said Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Morgan. Based on the revenue figure, Pachter said the company has probably shipped about 17 million copies of the game so far.
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