In the News: Apple, BP, Delta and more

Airtel's new logo — "blobby" or "modern, vibrant and friendly"?

Apple is preparing for patent showdowns with Nokia, Motorola and HTC.

Audi puts focus on US Sunday TV advertising.

Batten & Company, a new unit of BBDO, opens shop.

Black Friday sales saw more foot traffic but lower-than-expected sales as retailers cross fingers for Cyber Monday.

BP is commissioning a feature-length documentary about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill — but the company says it is not intended to scrub its reputation clean.

Delta and Southwest Airlines aim to emerge from among branding-challenged air carriers.

Europe bans BPA in plastic baby bottles, following the lead of Canada, Denmark and France.

Fiji Water closes its only production plant after Fiji raises tax rate on its bottled water.

Hearst, Meredith, Time Inc. and Conde Nast welcome unprecedented crop of new chiefs, as US magazine industry goes on the offensive.

Heinz joins brands plying their wares via food trucks.

Hyundai is upgrading its dealer body thanks to branding and sales success.

Ireland to receive 85 billion-euro ($113 billion) bail-out as Europe's finance ministers battle to contain fiscal crisis.

J.C. Penney is expanding into specialty ventures, including an e-commerce site for gift givers and a clothing chain for big and tall men.

Kraft and Starbucks are entangled in a legal spat over packaged coffee sales to grocery stores.

Little Caesars plugs fellow Detroit native (Kid Rock) and his new album.

Martini & Rossi returns to US television after 25 years.

McDonald's Happy Meal is a bigger business than many other chains’ entire revenues, as McD's prepares to make good on scarcity marketing by removing McRib from stores on Dec. 5th.

Mercedes-Benz and Lexus are poised for a "photo-finish" race for US luxury car sales.

Microsoft is exploring a web-based subscription TV service.

Novartis and Teva may get a billion-dollar boost from new EU rules impacting pharma brands.

Salon.com explores merger or sale.

Quicken Loans tops customer-satisfaction survey of mortgage bankers.

Wal-Mart finally bids for slice of South Africa’s Massmart.

Weight Watchers is shedding its classic points system.

WikiLeaks exposes U.S. diplomacy by posting State Department cables, including one involving Google.