Airline has more problems with 787s

Airline has more problems with 787s

WARSAW, Poland

Polish airline LOT has canceled one trans-Atlantic flight and postponed another after technical problems on two of its Boeing 787 planes, the carrier’s spokeswoman said Thursday.

Barbara Pijanowska-Kuras confirmed that a flight to Chicago was canceled Wednesday because of problems with the power system, while another to Toronto was postponed due to issues associated with the plane’s tracking system.

She said the problems were minor and not linked to the battery problems behind the global grounding of the 787 fleet earlier this year.

The Toronto flight took off Thursday morning after the problem was fixed, while the other plane still was undergoing checks Thursday and passengers were put on other flights, she said.

LOT has four 787s and was the first European airline to buy the plane, dubbed The Dreamliner by Boeing.

Vatican posts surplus but donations drop

VATICAN CITY

The Vatican has posted a 2.2 million euro ($2.85 million) budget surplus for 2012, an improvement from the previous year and some good news as it struggles to cope with a scandal involving its embattled bank.

In its annual financial statement Thursday, the Holy See said better management had helped it recover from one of its worst deficits a year earlier, when it booked a 14.9 million euro shortfall.

A 12 percent drop in donations and 5 million euros in new property taxes in 2012 prevented an even better result. Most of its expenses were for its 2,823 staff.

The Vatican City State, which runs the profit-making Vatican Museums, post office and supermarket, has a separate budget. Its profits were 23.08 million euros, up from 21.8 million euros in 2011.

Nestle cuts China formula prices

BEIJING

Nestle SA says it will cut infant formula prices in China by an average of 11 percent from Monday in response to a probe into alleged price-fixing by several foreign companies.

Nestle spokesman Jonathan Dong said Thursday that the price cuts by the company’s Wyeth Nutrition unit will be maintained through 2014. Prices of some products will be cut by up to 20 percent.

China’s National Development and Reform Commission is investigating five foreign companies, and one Chinese company, for allegedly violating market competition laws by manipulating retailers to sell infant formula at inflated prices.

The other foreign companies — Danone Dumex, Abbott Laboratories, Mead Johnson Nutrition Co. and FrieslandCampina — did not immediately respond to questions about whether they also were lowering prices.

Paula Deen parts with her agent

SAVANNAH, Ga.

Paula Deen is ending her business relationship with a longtime agent after her admission that she used racial slurs in the past resulted in the loss of major pieces of her media and merchandising empire.

The celebrity chef’s spokeswoman, Elana Weiss, said in a statement Thursday that Deen “has separated from” New York agent Barry Weiner. Weiss said Deen and her family in Savannah “thank him for the tireless effort and dedication over the many years.”

The decision follows a turbulent two weeks for Deen, whose business deals began unraveling after a legal deposition in which she admitted to using the N-word in the past became public.

The Food Network dropped Deen first, followed by pork producer Smithfield Foods, retail giants including Wal-Mart and Target, and Deen’s book publisher.

Associated Press