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Google deals in doubt amid spat with Beijing

Google-Three.jpgA group of Chinese college students hold a candlelight vigil outside Google’s head office in Beijing on March 23. The placards say “We Love Google.” (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Associated Press | China issued a blistering public attack against Google on Wednesday and appeared to quietly begin getting businesses to abandon the U.S. Internet giant after it moved its controversial Chinese search engine offshore.

The critical remarks in a high-profile Communist Party newspaper, coupled with souring business deals, underscored Beijing’s determination to settle scores with Google after a public two-month dispute over stringent Chinese censorship policies. By challenging the often tetchy government, Google appears to have violated an unspoken rule of doing business in China, especially in the Internet industry, whose control Beijing sees as crucial to maintaining its authoritarian rule.

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WTO ruling a win for U.S., Boeing

By Julie Johnsson
|
Boeing Co. and the U.S. government scored a sweeping victory Tuesday in
an escalating trade battle with the European Union over government
subsidies provided to France’s Airbus SAS.

A final report issued by a panel of the World Trade Organization found
that four European governments illegally provided Airbus with
below-market-rate financing to develop jetliners, giving it an unfair
advantage over Chicago-based Boeing, say people familiar with the
confidential report.

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McDonald’s sales in Latin America rise

From BusinessWeek | McDonald’s sales in Latin America rose to $3.6 billion in 2009. The region accounts for about 16 percent of the Oak Brook-based corporation’s total revenue in dollars.

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McDonald’s to double stores in S. Korea by 2015

From Trading Markets | McDonald’s said it plans to more than double the number of restaurants it has in South Korea by 2015, adding 273 for total of 500.

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Google ends four years of censorship in China

Associated Press | Google Inc.’s partial withdrawal from the China market brought swift condemnation from the government Tuesday while leaving Chinese Web surfers to wonder whether they would be able to access a new offshore search engine site or be blocked by censors.

Google’s decision to move most of its China-based search functions to Hong Kong opened a new phase in a two-month-long fracas pitting the world’s most powerful Internet company against a government that tightly restricts the Web in the planet’s most populous market..

See also
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• Google wins key EU ruling on fake Vuitton link

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Tanker: EADS, Russians may compete with Boeing

By Julie Johnsson
| Boeing Co. may face new European and Russian competition for a $35-billion contract to provide the U.S. Air Force with tankers.

It had appeared that Chicago-based Boeing would be the only bidder for the contract when California-based Northrop Grumman Corp. withdrew March 8, concluding it stood little chance of winning with a tanker based on the Airbus A330 jetliner.

But the France-based parent of Boeing-rival Airbus SAS, European
Aeronautic Defense and Space Co., said Friday it was considering bidding
on its own after receiving assurances the Defense Department “would
welcome” a tanker bid from the company’s North America subsidiary.

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Jones Lang LaSalle to double Saudi staff

From Arabian Business | Jones Lang LaSalle’s Middle East and North Africa chief executive Thierry Loue said Jones Lang LaSalle plans to double the number of workers in its Saudi office within a year as part of an aggressive Middle East expansion. The company opened an office in Cairo earlier this month.

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Crate & Barrel opens 1st int’l store in Dubai

From the Gulf News | Chicago-based home furnishing retailer Crate and Barrel, opened its first store outside of North America yesterday at the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai.

“Dubai is a vibrant and cosmopolitan city and an international retail destination. It offers the perfect launch pad for our brand’s global expansion,” said Barbara Turf, CEO of Crate and Barrel, in a press release.

Read the full story: gulfnews.com

Playboy CEO to double Asian licensing sales

From BusinessWeek | Chicago-based Playboy Enterprises plans to crack down on counterfeits in Asia and double Asian licensing revenue in three years as it expands in the region. The company earns about $10 million a year in Asian licensing fees.

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Caterpillar injury verdict lowered

From the Peoria Journal-Star | Texas judge halves verdict against Caterpillar Inc. to $23.8 million in the injury of a construction worker who was injured while using a Caterpillar vehicle. The company said it plans to continue its appeal.

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Google attack linked to sophisticated Asian hackers

The Wall Street Journal | U.S. investigators are focusing on a prominent Asian hacking group that is likely Chinese as the probable perpetrator of the recent attacks on Google. The group used sophisticated data-masking techniques to hack into the search giant’s computer systems. It is still unclear whether the hacking group has any connections to the Chinese government.

Get the full story: wsj.com.