Z10 on sale March 22

AT&T Inc., the second-largest U.S. wireless carrier, will begin taking consumers’ orders for BlackBerry’s new flagship Z10 phone today, ahead of the device going on sale March 22. The Z10 will sell for $199.99 with a two-year agreement, Dallas-based AT&T said. It is the first phone to run BlackBerry’s new BB10 operating system, the linchpin of the Canadian smartphone company’s comeback bid.

The U.S. rollout of the Z10 trails its debut in other countries, a delay that BlackBerry has attributed to a longer process by American carriers. BlackBerry and AT&T are looking to entice customers into ditching the physical keyboard that was once BlackBerry’s hallmark in favor of a touch screen.

More than a cosmetic change

No new cosmetic product sold in Europe can contain ingredients tested on animals, thanks to a European Union ban introduced Monday.

“This is a great opportunity for Europe to set an example of responsible innovation in cosmetics without any compromise on consumer safety,” Tonio Borg, the top official on health and consumer issues for the 27-country EU, said in Brussels.

Animal rights groups were quick to cheer the measure, but Cosmetics Europe, a trade body representing the EU’s $93 billion industry, said the ban “acts as a brake on innovation.”

While the industry’s rabbits, mice or guinea pigs used in testing will now be spared, consumers are unlikely to notice immediate changes because products containing ingredients tested on animals before the ban can remain on the shelves.

Animal rights groups such as Humane Society International cheered the EU’s decision on the full ban as a major step in stopping animals’ suffering, saying the bloc has now become “the world’s largest cruelty-free cosmetics market.”

Colonoscopy warning

Older U.S. adults may get too many colonoscopies, costing Medicare money and putting patients at an increased risk of side effects including bleeding and hospitalization, researchers found.

About one-quarter of colonoscopies in Medicare recipients ages 70 and older may be inappropriate based on screening guidelines, according to a study released Monday by JAMA Internal Medicine, which analyzed insurance claims data.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent medical advisory group to the government, and the American College of Physicians recommend against routine colon cancer screening after age 75. Colon cancer is a slow-moving disease that can take 10 to 20 years to progress, while colonoscopies to screen for the disease can cause intestinal tears, bleeding and hospitalizations.

Coffee harvest suffers

The coffee harvest in Vietnam, the biggest grower of robusta beans used by Nestle SA in instant drinks, may decline for a second year because of drought in the main growing regions. Futures rose to a five-month high.

Output may drop 30 percent in 2013-2014, said Luong Van Tu, chairman of the Vietnam Coffee & Cocoa Association. He didn’t give a specific forecast. Production fell 25 percent in 2012-2013 from 1.5 million metric tons a year earlier, he said. A Bloomberg survey published on March 7 estimated the 2012-2013 crop at 1.43 million tons.

Jobs trends shine brighter

A measure of job prospects in the U.S. climbed in February by the most in a year, showing a strengthening labor market. The Conference Board’s Employment Trends Index increased 1.1 percent to 111.14 from the prior month’s revised reading of 109.93 that was higher than initially reported, the private research group said Monday. The measure advanced 3.2 percent from February 2012.

The gauge “is signaling an improving employment environment,” Gad Levanon, director of macroeconomic research at the Conference Board, said in a statement. Still, federal budget cuts are “likely to slow the pace of job creation in the near term,” he said.

Adidas takes up challenge

Adidas AG used to tell athletes that “impossible is nothing.” The company is taking that advice to heart with a vow to come from the back of the field – sixth place – and overtake rival Nike Inc. as the U.S. leader in running shoes.

With its new $150 Energy Boost shoe that promises users more bounce while expending less energy, Adidas plans to win over the growing legions of runners in the $15 billion industry and drive sales in the U.S., the world’s biggest running shoe market, where it has struggled for years.

The shoemaker is so bullish on what it calls Boost’s revolutionary sole that it has pledged to sell 1 million pairs of the shoe this year. Within five years it aims to overtake Nike.

Star news services