Toyota sets to reclaim world sales crown as GMand Volkswagen vie for No. 2 and hints at elimination of Matrix model.

Domino's Pizza founder sues over Obamacare contraception coverage mandate.

McDonald's tries to get franchisees to stay open on Christmas.

Akamai taps co-founder as new CEO.

Burger King works with franchisee to expand in Mexico.

Chobani nears openingof huge new factory in Idaho.

Cosi uses pop-up unit in Chicago to test growth ideas.

Cox cable TV guide offers personalized recommendations in U.S. first.

Discover Communications makes key European deals.

Facebook counts on big deal with Walmart.Continue reading...

Bank of America slapped with U.S. lawsuit over billion-dollar "hustle" of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

Elizabeth Taylor is Forbes' new Top-Earning Dead Celeb thanks to Christie's auction.

Apple's iPad mini already has a Chinese knock-off, while US judge says Samsung infringed four Apple patents.

Facebook wins back Wall Street, affirms social dominance and shares soar as looks to rebuild confidence.

AT&T beats estimates in latest quarterly earnings report.

BlackBerry loses grip as go-to phone for US federal government.

Buzzfeed taps Rdio for "social music advertising."

Cisco will fund 12,000 meals for World Food Program via Facebook app.

Tom Cruise sues gossip magazines for defamation of character.Continue reading...

The race for NFC-based mobile payments is heating up with projections for 2013 exceeding $13 billion globally, up from just over $7 billion in 2011, according to Gartner research.

Isis, the mobile-payments joint venture backed by AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, has signed up Coca-Cola, Macy’s, Aéropostale, Dillard’s, Foot Locker (and its subsidiary Champs Sports) and Jamba Juice, as well as hundreds of local retailers in Texas and Utah who will start accepting Isis payments by this summer.

Both Isis and competitor Google Wallet use NFC chips that store user’s credit card data or pre-loaded digital cash. Both companies are also working with check-out scanners and retailers including Gap, Office Max, Toys ‘R’ Us and Walgreens. 

Google Wallet is currently available on four Sprint handsets and none from the mobile operators backing Isis. Sprint is the only U.S. carrier backing Google Wallet and to that end just released the LG Optimus Elite for Virgin Mobile.Continue reading...

Apple still sees consumer demand for iPhone 3GS.

AT&T warns blocking T-Mobile deal will lead to higher prices.

Amazon provokes retailers with new price-check app.

Banana Republic opens Paris flagship.

Bill Gates rumored to consider returning to Microsoft.

Billabong uses augmented reality in new campaign.

Carrefour mulls merger with French supermarket chain.

Dean & Deluca expands from New York to Singapore.

Jamba Juice to tap into schools market with self-serve units.

Ford to restart dividend after five years.

GM CEO Dan Akerson acts aggressively to staunch Volt damage.Continue reading...

ABC dismisses rumors of Pan Am's demise.

Amazon continues being coy about Kindle sales.

Apple's Siri can handle Viagra but not abortions.

AT&T disturbed by FCC report.

Audi finds success with youthful marketing.

BBC web redesign goes live in the UK.

Carlsberg acquires Vietnamese brewer.

Google and Facebook ordered to de-index counterfeit domains.

Jack Daniel's holiday campaign celebrates brand's Lynchburg, Tenn. roots.

Janet Jackson teams up with Blackglama to design luxury fur line.

Microsoft Office is reportedly coming to the iPad as Windows tablet hopes fade.Continue reading...

There used to be an arena in Vancouver called General Motors Place, but a certain little recession and difficulty in the auto-selling marketplace caused that deal to be cut short and naming-rights to be available again. So last July, Rogers Communications, the Canadian telecom giant that also owns the Toronto Blue Jays and has its names on various properties in Toronto, pulled off a double whammy in Vancouver.

Not only did Rogers suddenly gain a major springboard for young telecom users to be exposed to their growing brand in western Canada, the company also knocked out competitor Telus from having the naming rights (which it was also competing to obtain) and to continue as the official telecom company of the arena.Continue reading...

Amazon booted WikiLeaks off its servers following political pressure, the whistleblowing site confirmed on Twitter. Bank of America, meanwhile, grapples with rumors it's next on the WikiLeaks hotseat as Julian Assange sets sights on corporate reputations.

Apple's iPhone takes top spot in US smartphone market.

Bloomberg's annual World AIDS Day breakfast disrupted by activist bagel protest.

EU proposes end to branded cigarettes.

USA makes final pitch (incl. Morgan Freeman, Bill Clinton) to host 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Google Doodles expand to mobile; clamps down on business trolling.

Groupon expands in Asia with three acquisitions ahead of Google deal.Continue reading...

Danone targets low-income consumers worldwide with its yogurt brands; more in the Wall Street Journal video above.

GM aims to shift market valuation, mulls showroom to wow Wall Street, as U.S. likely to shed 20% stake in IPO.

Google's spat with China continues as Google Me social network project is confirmed by former Facebook executive in a blog post.

SABMiller prefers women beer-tasters' palate when testing Pilsner Urquell, Peroni, Grolsch, Miller and Coors variations.

And Smirnoff, step aside: Girls Busching Girls, the copycat female version of Bros Icing Bros, has arrived.Continue reading...