Heineken to assume control of Tiger Beer producer Asia Pacific Breweries for $4 billion.

NASA sees $2.5 billion Mars Rover "Curiosity" successfully land, Twitter explodes.

Unilever sets sights on overtaking Skinny Cow with Magnum brand.

London 2012 Olympics boosts personal brands of Usain Bolt, Jessica Ennis, Michael Phelps, Gabby Douglas, and Andy Murray. 

Abercrombie & Fitch leads brands entering India via web partnerships.

Apple iPad grabs 68% of global tablet sales.

Applebee's woos late-night diners.

AT&T plans to phase out 2G networks.Continue reading...

While there's plenty of attention given to getting children not to eat junk food, as a countermeasure to childhood obesity many brands are putting substantial efforts into persuading kids to eat healthier. This week two companies — one a veteran of "better-for-you" foods, the other not heralded for nutritious fare — have stepped forward to promote childhood consumption of fruit and vegetables.

McDonald's is the unlikelier player here. McDonald's UK is getting ready to launch a fizzy drink for children as an option with its Happy Meal packs on May 16th that claims to provide one of the recommended five-a-day portions of fruits and vegetables.Continue reading...

Abbott Laboratories looks to consumer for growth.

Amazon looks to produce its own TV programming.

BMW reports higher profits and more investments in future.

Best Buy sees departure of global CMO.

Caribou launches sparkling teas.

Chesapeake Energy goes on damage control after CEO apologizes for personal financial arrangements.

GM says profit strained by European losses.Continue reading...

American Airlines parent AMR plans to cut 13,000 jobs and pensions.

Apple's iPhone 5 may be coming in June.

Benetton family plans to take retailer private.

Deutsche Bank profit tumbles on European debt crisis.

Facebook sets stage for historic IPO as valuation game begins.

GM cancels half of upfront ad commitments in cost-cutting move.

Google responds to Microsoft criticism of privacy policies.Continue reading...

Adbusters' role in branding Occupy movement examined in New York Times as Occupy LA protesters dig in heels.

Amazon eyes China growth.

Apple critiqued for not getting social media (but does it matter to brand loyalists?) as digi-savvy toddlers' parents fuel iPad sales.

Black Friday sales boost LG and Samsung as e-tailers are poised for Cyber Monday lift.

BSkyB's James Murdoch loses investors' confidence.

China's Chery automaker launches Qoros brand as Subaru joint venture gains lifeline.

Coach, expanding in China, will list shares on  Hong Kong's Hang Seng stock exchange.

Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Nestle and Mars sign European pledge to only promote nutritious products on their websites.

Disney releases mobile app for Spider-Man, as the Marvel-owned web-slinger finds his feet on Broadway.Continue reading...

Amazon ships Kindle Fire and Kindle Touch early.

Apple searches for next retailing genius, recalls first-generation iPod Nano devices.

Audi A7 wins car of the year nod.

Barbie links with Stardoll for premium collection.

BMW promotes sustainability with China roadshow.

Boeing cements wide-body lead over Airbus with biggest ever deal, with Emirates.

Borders demise parsed by Bloomberg Businessweek.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 launch smashes records.

China 'ready' to allow foreign companies to issue stock.

Chevrolet woos Sonic buyers with perks program, while GM slows Chevrolet Cruze production.

Citrus Australia introduces new seal of authenticity.

Crowne Plaza tilts makeover toward young travelers.

Deutsche Boerse defends NYSE Euronext deal.

Disney buys Babble.com for $40M to reach 'hipster parents.'

Estee Lauder co-founder Evelyn Lauder dies, lauded for launching Pink Ribbon campaign for breast cancer research.

Facebook nears U.S. privacy settlement that would make public sharing opt-in, not opt-out.Continue reading...

Adobe drops Flash for phones in bow to Apple.

Airbus delays A350 plane or parts shortages.

Caterpillar buys Chinese mining-machine maker.

Google chief returns to trim bloated ship.

Groupon holds on to cash, griping merchants.

J.C. Penney taps into talent from Apple.

James Murdoch insists he wasn't told about hacking evidence at News Corp.'s News of the World.Continue reading...

Original episodes of Winx Club are launching on Nickelodeon on November 7th, marking the first major foreign property that the Viacom-owned kids programmer is remaking for the U.S.

It's based on the 2004 Italian animated TV series of the same name, created by Iginio Straffi and produced by Rainbow S.p.A., which follows Bloom and her six magical fairy friends as they journey between mystical Magix and Earth, all in training as modern fairies, witches and supernatural warriors from across the known universe to combat proverbial arch enemies.Continue reading...