ESPN apologizes for comments by commentator after NBA player announces he's gay.

Honda recalls almost 46,000 Fits in North America.

Chrysler sees profit tumble on poorly executed product launches.

Alibaba and Sina form alliance of China online businesses.

Apple files for new technology that tells whether to text or call friends.

Asos prepares marketing drive to grow global brand.

BP reviews safety after oil leak in North Sea.

Best Buy sells Europe unit back to Carphone Warehouse.

BlackBerry CEO questions future of tablets (which brand doesn't have).Continue reading...

The Weather Channel has named the nor’easter winter storm that's now bringing snow to New York City and environs after the Greek goddess-inspired Athena. The all-weather, all the time brands admits it's a ploy to bring attention (and own the conversation) about the post-Hurricane Sandy ice storm that's threatening to blanket gloom on those relief efforts. 

“Without Sandy, we may not have named this storm," the Weather Channel admits. "However, one of our main reasons for naming events is societal impact. With so many people still under recovery efforts — even well inland — the combination of heavy, wet snow and wind prompted the decision to name this storm.”

The U.S. National Weather Service, however, isn't impressed. It's refusing to acknowledge or condone Athena — or any other storm names emanating from Weather Channel HQ in Atlanta.Continue reading...

AB InBev sees continuing market-share losses by Budweiser in U.S.

Weather Channel hopes to maintain Sandy ad dollars.

Hyundai and Kia take hits on EPA mileage claims.

Amazon gets major push-back from traditional booksellers.

Best Buy may be facing existential questions soon.

Boeing to get big helicopter order from India.Continue reading...

A snapshot of how Hurricane Sandy is impacting the U.S. today, as states shut down transit systems and schools, and many businesses are closed or letting employees work from home as the northeast is in lockdown mode: 

• An estimated 7,500 flights have been cancelled
• Chase and Citibank are waiving fees for customers in Sandy's path
• Google cancelled NYC Nexus launch event
• YouTube is live-streaming the Weather Channel's coverage
• Insurance industry braces for (potentially) billions of dollars in losses
• NFL and other sports impacted
• NYSE and NASDAQ cease trading as European stocks hit by knock-on
• New York Broadway shows and other performances go dark
• Oil prices are falling as gasoline climbs
• Starbucks has closed locations
• HMS Bounty movie ship sinks, as crew rescued by Coast Guard (update: two still missing)

Lance Armstrong is stripped of titles and banned from cycling for life by international body.

Nissan joins hybrid parade.

Virgin's four-star hotels are coming to NYC.

AIG CEO defends company's "free lunch" to New York mag.

American Idol sees ad rates fall.

Ancestry.com agrees to $1.6-billion takeover deal.

Apple creates buzz with plans for smaller iPad as school sales buoy its tablet lead.

BP sells entire Russian stake to Rosneft.

Banana Republic plans to bring back Mad Men collection.Continue reading...

Microsoft takes the stage at E3 to talk up Xbox.

Marvel starts production on Iron Man 3.

Vita Coco unveils new campaign with Rihanna (right).

Aon Hewitt finds positive shift in internal brand engagement.

Black & Decker coffee machines recalled following 1,300 complaints.

BlackBerry parent RIM shares drop below $10.

Celsius mobile phone with embedded Swiss timepiece retails for $312K.

Coca-Cola and McDonald's hit back at Mike Bloomberg's NYC big soda ban.

Corning expands on Gorilla Glass with thinner Willow Glass.

Facebook shares tumble to new low on Sanford Bernstein questions.

Ford crowdsources Focus ST commercial.

Google's Project Glass codename? Wingman.

Got Milk? and California Dairy Council partner for consumer education campaign.Continue reading...

Adobe acquires web marketing firm.

AT&T and T-Mobile explore joint venture as Plan B to merger.

Burger King launches QSR fries battle as Wendy's moves closer to topping the chain in market share.

BMW and Toyota will cooperate on diesel engines and green research.

Boeing makes peace with labor.

Coca-Cola gets frosty reception for white holiday cans; partners with (RED) for World AIDS Day.

Foursquare rolls out new buttons for publishers.

Google+ enhances brand pages.

Intuit to offer free tax advice on the phone.

McDonald's finds way around Happy Meal toy ban in San Francisco.

NBCUniversal plans second Harry Potter theme park.Continue reading...

Saab signs deal to be purchased by Chinese firms.

Samsung overtakes Apple as top smartphone seller.

Virgin Galactic space tourism could begin in 2013.

Chrysler becomes profit-maker.

Disney strikes TV deal in Russia.

Jack in the Box and Jamba Juice are testing Google Wallet.

J.Crew president Jenna Lyons' personal life makes headlines.

Netflix reportedly takes up one-third of web bandwidth.

New York City's first casino opens today.

Nokia launches first Windows phone ad, in Europe.

Obama administration announces desert solar energy zones.

P&G's Wrigley brand is 100 years old this month as company finds consumers largely are accepting price hikes.

Samuel L. Jackson becomes top-grossing movie star of all time.

Under Armour hits the basketball court.

Weather Channel relaunches iPad app ahead of international expansion.

Whirlpool to cut more than 5,000 jobs.

& NYT ponders if the era of cheap Chinese imports to US is ending.