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Friday, August 5, 2011 – Daily News 7A WORLD BRIEFING Kraft plans to split into 2 companies NORTHFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Kraft Foods Inc. said Thursday that it plans to split into two publicly traded companies, with one concentrating on its snack business like Oreo cookies and Trident gum while the other focuses on the North American grocery busi- ness, which includes Kraft cheese and Maxwell House coffee. The move comes as more companies, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Tar- get Corp. and various dol- lar stores, are increasing their grocery sections to capitalize on consumers’ one-stop shopping needs. ‘‘Our strategic actions have put us in a position to create two great compa- nies, each with the leader- ship, resources and strong market positions to realize their full potential,’’ Chair- man and CEO Irene Rosenfeld said in state- ment. The food maker’s stock gained 92 cents, or 2.7 per- cent, to $35.22 in premar- ket trading. Kraft has steadily built up its snacks business over the years, helped in part by the acquisitions of LU bis- cuit from Danone and Cad- bury PLC. The food maker said that the snacks compa- ny would include the cur- rent Kraft Foods Europe and developing markets units and the North Ameri- can snacks and confec- tionery businesses. The non-snacks component of the business would include mostly powdered bever- ages and coffee. The snacks business is estimated to have revenue of about $32 billion. The grocery business, with estimated revenue of approximately $16 billion, would contain the current U.S. beverages, cheese, convenient meals and gro- cery segments and non- snack categories in Canada and food service. Its brands would also include Jell-O desserts. Kraft said its plan to for a tax-free spinoff of the grocery business to share- holders will take some time, estimating that it will need a year or more to work on structure, manage- ment and other issues relat- ed to the split. Taking that into account, the North- field, Ill., company’s cur- rent plan is for the split to be complete by the end of next year. Aside from the spinoff plans, Kraft also announced that its second- quarter earnings climbed 4 percent to $976 million, or 55 cents per share, from $937 million, or 53 cents per share, a year ago. Rev- enue rose 13 percent to $13.88 billion from $12.25 billion. Analysts polled by FactSet predicted earnings of 58 cents per share on revenue of $13.08 billion. Kraft also boosted its full-year forecasts for rev- enue from existing busi- nesses and operating earn- ings. Kraft now anticipates so-called organic revenue to climb at least 5 percent, with operating earnings of at least $2.25 per share. Its prior guidance called for revenue to increase at least 4 percent, with operating earnings of at least $2.20 per share. Analysts expect earnings of $2.23 per share. McCartney says he’s been hacked LONDON (AP) — Former Beatle Paul McCartney said Thurs- day he would contact police over his ex- wife’s claim that their private communication had been spied upon by British tabloid journal- ists, condemning the practice as horrendous. In comments to U.S. television journalists in Los Angeles delivered via videolink, McCart- ney said that he would be in touch with police as soon as he was fin- ished with his summer tour. ‘‘I will be talking to them about that,’’ McCartney said, speak- ing from Cincinatti, Ohio. ‘‘I don’t think it’s great. I do think it is a horrendous violation of privacy, and I do think it’s been going on a long time, and I do think more people than we know knew about it. But I think I should just listen and hear what the facts are before I com- ment,’’ he said. McCartney was dragged into Britain’s tabloid phone hacking scandal after his former wife, Heather Mills, alleged that messages he left on her cellphone had been broken into Suspect in NYC child kidnapping told police, ‘I’m famous’ NEW YORK (AP) — The man accused in the kidnapping and dis- memberment killing of an 8-year-old New York City boy told detectives his victim put up a HEIDEMANN CLEANING & RESTORATION, INC. IS NOW ... 530-528-0800 FIRE & WATER CLEAN-UP & RESTORATION struggle and that after- ward he was hearing voices telling him ‘‘to take his own life for what he did,’’ according to court papers made public Thursday. Police say Levi Aron made the remarks last month around the time he directed them to a trash bin where he dumped a red suitcase containing body parts. As the interrogation wore on, Aron told them, ‘‘I’m famous,’’ the papers say. The 35-year-old defendant also was asked if he knew any- thing about past sex crimes against children. The papers say he recounted how a man groped him on a subway train when he was a teenager. ‘‘But I never did that to a child because I don’t swing that way,’’ he said. The alleged state- ments, including a writ- ten confession, were turned over to the defense on Thursday at an arraignment where Aron pleaded not guilty. His lawyers also learned that a court- ordered psychiatric evaluation had found him competent to stand trial. A-Rod declines to discuss poker investigation TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Alex Rodriguez refused to discuss a Major League Baseball inves- tigation into his involvement in illegal poker games, ending an interview Thursday with a one-word answer. The New York Yan- kees had said the injured star would stop his post-workout media session at the team’s minor league training complex if any reporter posed an non-baseball question. Rodriguez spoke for several minutes about his recovery from knee surgery. But when asked if he would not discuss the poker games, he said ‘‘yep’’ and walked to his car. Rodriguez’s publi- cist, however, said the slugging third baseman was looking forward to cooperating with MLB in its poker probe. Star Magazine reported last month that several people saw A- Rod playing in games hosted at Hollywood hotels and residences. Remorseful thief returns items PLAISTOW, N.H. (AP) — Police say an apparently remorseful thief who stole a woman’s wallet in a New Hampshire super- market showed up at her door days later to return $90 and a GPS, and brought along an apolo- gy letter. The wallet was stolen from the 61-year-old woman’s cart on July 18 in Plaistow. Her wallet was found at a Massa- chusetts post office. Then on July 26, the victim heard a knock on her door. A man said he was sorry, returned her belongings, gave her the long letter and fled. Police say the thief probably found her address from something in her wallet. Deputy Police Chief Kathleen Jones tells The Eagle-Tribune although the woman is happy to have her belongings back, she’s unnerved that the thief knows where she lives. Jones says the thief still faces charges when caught. Video shows whale ’dancing’ at wedding MYSTIC, Conn. (AP) — Trainers say a beluga whale seen bob- bing to the music of a mariachi band on a wedding video taken at a Connecticut aquarium wasn’t really dancing. The video has become an Internet hit since being posted by Bill Kurtz of West Haven, a guest at the July wedding of Kim- berly Mikenis and Kevin Van Aelst of New Haven. But Mystic Aquari- um senior trainer Kelly O’Neil tells the New Haven Register (http://bit.ly/qAlXUR ) that Juno, the 1,200- pound beluga on the video, has been trained to bob in response to certain arm movements, and was apparently responding to the move- ments of the band’s gui- tar player. O’Neil says the whale’s apparent inter- est in the wedding was probably due to the music’s vibrations, those physical cues and the whale’s natural curiosity. TILE, GROUT & STONE CLEANING & SEALING MOLD MITIGATION & REMEDIATION VANDALISM FIRE & WATER DAMAGE 530-528-0800 Like it never even happened.®