BlackBerry is cleared to operate in the UAE under a new deal between the government and Research in Motion.

Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s restaurant chains promote upcoming release of The Green Hornet.

Fox sees ratings lift from Gordon Ramsay's Hell’s Kitchen.

Genzyme explores alternatives to acquisition by Sanofi-Aventis.

Google rapped by the Better Business Bureau for customer service.Continue reading...

Amazon's competition heats up.

CBS touts upscale viewership early in new U.S. TV season.

EA Sports’ viral campaign features NBA star Steve Nash.

Eebee takes on baby video market.

Gap ditches its classic square logo.

GE is buying Dresser for $3 billion.

Google adds New York state to roster of education partners.Continue reading...

In an effort to draw a clear line of differentiation, MSNBC is adopting a new tagline that "defines us and defines our competition," according to Phil Griffin, MSNBC president. The tagline, "Lean Forward," was publicly announced today, kicking off a two-year marketing push to garner awareness for the cable news channel.

MSNBC has now surpassed a flagging CNN to become the second leading cable news channel behind Fox News. Even so, awareness of MSNBC ranks below that of CNN, Fox and even HLN (Headline News Network), according to the New York Times.

That's why MSNBC needs to "tell our story to more people," MSNBC's CMO Sharon Otterman tells the Times.Continue reading...

Amazon introduces Kindle for the Web, may be launching app store for Android.

AOL buys video syndicator 5min and reportedly in talks to buy TechCrunch blog.

Aston Martin named UK's coolest brand in a poll.

Cadbury Dairy Milk bars drops "glass and a half" slogan following EU complaint.

CBS rises as DVR time-shifted viewing gooses Nielsen ratings.

Coca-Cola sues Germany's Aldi over orange juice packaging, and wins approval to buy largest bottler vendor.

Endo is buying rival generic drugmaker Qualitest for $1.2 billion.

Google remains world's most desired employer according to HR survey.Continue reading...

Comcast and GE name Comcast COO Steve Burke as new CEO of NBC Universal, replacing Jeff Zucker after the NBCU sale to Comcast closes. 

Alberto Culver has been sold to Unilever for $3.7 billion in cash.

AIG will lose the US Treasury as a part-owner.

Apple's Ping music-based social network incorporates users' iTunes libraries.

Barnes & Noble ownership battle nears its climax.

BP pressured to restore reputation and stock price as new CEO Robert Dudley takes the reins on Friday.Continue reading...

With today's launch of original Web series FCU: Fact Checkers Unit, NBC is making good on its growing commitment to the world of sponsored, digital shortform branded entertainment.

The Samsung-sponsored series debuts with three episodes on NBC.com and SyFy.com, on iTunes and "all major" cable operators' video-on-demand lineups and mobile platforms in the U.S. Internationally, it's available on the digital platforms of Syfy in the U.K., Syfy Universal throughout Asia/Pacific and The Sci Fi Channel in Australia.

The first trio of Webisodes features 90210 star Luke Perry, Donald Faison of Scrubs and model Karolina Kurkova in a comic spoof of life at Dictum, a fictional magazine. The series is also wooing viewers across NBCU's media properties, and on Facebook and Twitter.

• Add India and Germany (but not Oman) to the list of countries giving Research in Motion a hard time about BlackBerry security, as RIM reportedly reaches an agreement with the government of Saudi Arabia.

• H-P's slide on the New York Stock Exchange today was its worst in six years, as Oracle chief Larry Ellison denounced Hurd's ouster, which is being questioned on Wall Street. Reuters asks: What does this mean for "The HP Way"?

• Google and Verizon's net neutrality proposal today is parsed in Salon, Wired, NYT, TechCrunch, AllThingsD, and beyond, while the Wall Street Journal examines Google's seven-page internal memo "agonizing" over privacy and advertising.

• LeBron James' Miami Heat debut isn't generating a rush for tickets due to team's real-time sales.

• Lowe's settles a class action suit over defective drywall with $6.5 million in customer gift cards.Continue reading...

While BlogHer attracts more than so-called "mommy bloggers" (a term uniformly disliked by moms who blog, by the way), its sixth annual conference, taking place next week in New York, has attracted a slew of high-profile brand sponsors.

P&G, PepsiCo, Hillshire Farm/Jimmy Dean, and Walmart are among the brand marketers paying for exposure as BlogHer 2010 Diamond Sponsors.

BlogHer reaches more than 20 million women each month. Its goal is simple.Continue reading...