USAF dismisses Boeing's complaints

Five issues raised by Boeing Co in a protest against a $35 billion aircraft deal should be thrown out because they were improper or should have been raised before final bids were submitted, the US Air Force said in documents obtained by Reuters.

Woolies posts 30% profit increase

UK sweets-to-DVDs retailer Woolworths Group Plc posted a 30 percent rise in annual profit yesterday, above average forecasts, but slashed its total year dividend by 66 percent amid tough trading conditions.

Dillard's wards off proxy challenge

Retailer Dillard's Inc said on Tuesday that it reached an agreement with a shareholder group that will avoid a proxy fight at its May annual meeting.

Steelmaker's earnings leap on increased prices

Evraz Group SA, the steelmaker partly owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, said full-year profit jumped 56 percent on higher prices.

Sodexo sales up on rugby

Sodexo, the world's second-largest catering company, said first-half sales rose 3.8 percent after rugby fans bought travel packages for the sport's World Cup.

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Business International

IBM pays huge price for probe

IBM is under investigation by the US Environmental Protection Agency over an $80 million bid it made in 2006 to modernize EPA financial systems and has been suspended from seeking new contracts with all US agencies, the company said.

IPO gives Philip Morris a fillip

The shares of Philip Morris International Inc, the world's largest non-state-owned cigarette maker, increased by as much as 6 percent on Monday (local time), but later gave up those gains in their first day of trading after the company was spun off from Altria Group Inc.

Purchase to help engineer cash in on deep drilling

WorleyParsons Ltd, Australia's biggest engineering company, agreed yesterday to buy Intec Engineering BV for $108.5 million to benefit from increased investment in deepwater and arctic oil and gas project development.

Schering-Plough's all-too-spectacular fall from grace

It's hard to believe that Schering-Plough Corp paid the equivalent of $16.1 billion less than four months ago to buy Akzo Nobel NV's Organon drug unit. The rest of the drugmaker is now valued at less than half that price.

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