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Consumer products and services

A smoke-free country? New Zealand taxes aim for it
There are smoke-free bars, smoke-free parks, even smoke-free college campuses. But a smoke-free country? New Zealand's government on Thursday squeezed ...
New Zealand says 'zero' budget will bring surplus
New Zealand's center-right government unveiled a relatively austere budget Thursday, saying it will tackle rising debt and return the country's books ...
Feds add 2012 model year to Chevy Cruze fire probe
U.S. safety officials have added the 2012 model year to an investigation of engine fires in the Chevrolet Cruze compact car. The National Highway ...
Oil drops below $90 for 1st time since October
The price of oil dropped below $90 per barrel Wednesday, the latest milestone in a weekslong decline brought on by uncertainty surrounding economies ...
AP Photos: Cannes red carpet gets Bond girl flair
Berenice Marlohe, the newest Bond girl, has been making the red carpet at the 65th annual Cannes Film Festival look like a day at the beach. One day ...
Oil drops below $90 for 1st time since Nov. 1
The price of oil tumbled below $90 on Wednesday for the first time in nearly seven months as U.S. supplies continue to grow. Benchmark U.S. crude fell ...
Mazda, Fiat to work together on small convertible
Mazda Motor Corp. and Fiat SpA are working together on developing and manufacturing a roadster, or two-seater convertible, although the automakers ...
Outerwear powers Burberry annual profit gain
Luxury goods maker Burberry Group PLC said Wednesday that sales of its signature trench coats and other outdoor wear led a 26 percent gain in ...
Best Buy profit falls, adj. earns tops Street view
Best Buy Co. said Tuesday that its fiscal first-quarter profit dropped 26 percent on restructuring charges as the struggling electronics retailer ...
Benihana to be taken private in $296 million deal
Restaurant chain Benihana Inc. has agreed to be taken private in a deal worth about $296 million. Benihana, which serves Japanese food and sushi and ...
Motel 6 being sold to private group for $1.9B
French hotel company Accor SA is checking out of Motel 6 and a prominent U.S. investment firm is moving in. Accor said Tuesday that it reached a deal ...
Gambling claims with Houston daughter investigated
Casino regulators are investigating whether the 19-year-old daughter of late pop singer Whitney Houston gambled at a Las Vegas Strip resort.
Organizers: Don't mess with the Olympic brand
One day, the small espresso shop near the site of the London Games was the "Olympic" cafe. The next day, it was the "Lympic." So where did the "O'' ...
Nissan's luxury Infiniti brand opens Hong Kong HQ
Nissan's upscale Infiniti brand unveiled its new global headquarters in Hong Kong on Tuesday, as the Japanese automaker uses the southern Chinese ...
Ex-detainee: Syrian prisons are 'slaughterhouses'
A prominent Palestinian writer who was jailed in Syria for nearly three weeks described the facilities as "human slaughterhouses," saying security ...
Lowe's 1Q profit up, but cuts 2012 profit outlook
Lowe's Cos.' first-quarter profit climbed 14 percent as warmer weather helped boost sales earlier in the quarter. But the world's second-biggest ...
The making of the term 'pink slime'
"Pink slime" was almost "pink paste" or "pink goo." The microbiologist who coined the term for lean finely textured beef ran through a few iterations ...
Say what? The odyssey of Kraft's new name
"MONDEWHAAAAT?" The sarcasm was palpable in the one-word headline that appeared in The New York Post on the day after Kraft Foods revealed that it ...
6.0 quake damages world renown cheese producers
Cheese producer Oriano Caretti woke up to the shaking earth, and then to the roar of some 30,000 39-kilogram (86-pound) wheels of Parmesan cheese ...
Fire risk prompts recall of nearly 87,000 Jeeps
Chrysler is recalling nearly 87,000 Jeep Wranglers in the U.S., Canada and elsewhere due to a risk of fires. The recall affects only Wranglers from ...
Electric car network gets first test in Israel
Israeli entrepreneur Shai Agassi has begun rolling out the world's first nationwide electric car network. Now, will the drivers come? After more than ...
Facebook stock finishes flat in debut
In the hours before Facebook's stock began trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market for the first time, CEO Mark Zuckerberg reminded the company's 3,500 ...
Expect lower gas prices heading into Memorial Day
If you're lucky enough to live in some parts of the United States, you may see gas pump prices fall to around $3.25 a gallon or less in the next week ...
Five top models-turned-actors
Everyone in Hollywood wants to be a multi-hyphenate, right? Everyone wants to show they can do it all. A key figure in that tradition is the ...