1. NEW AIRBUS A350 MAKES ITS MAIDEN VOYAGE
The new Airbus A350, designed to be a more fuel-efficient competitor to Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, took off from a runway in Toulouse, France, on Friday, and landed safely back in Toulouse four hours later. The A350, powered by a Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine, will use about 25 percent less fuel than similar aircrafts — a huge plus as the industry struggles with high fuel costs. Airbus has already gathered 600 orders for the A350. [BBC]
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2. DRUGSTORES FACE PLAN B DILEMMA
After more than a decade behind the counter, Plan B will soon be available without a prescription. Legally, pharmacists still are not required to carry the drug if they're morally opposed to it — a rule that's been in effect since Plan B hit the market. But drug stores that carry Plan B are faced with a new question: whether to extend the "conscience clause" to all employees, including cashiers. A CVS spokesperson said that any employee with religious objections to the drug will not have to sell it. Walmart and Rite Aid have not yet decided what to do. [CNN]
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3. MICROSOFT PLANS TO OPEN MINI-STORES WITHIN BEST BUYS
By early September, Microsoft is set to open about 600 mini-stores inside Best Buys, offering Windows-based PCs, tablets, Xboxes, and accessories, and a trained staff to educate customers about Windows 8. Best Buy, attempting to slow down the "showrooming effect" in which customers check out products at Best Buy then buy them online later, has opened mini-stores for Apple, Samsung, and Magnolia, but Microsoft's will be the biggest version yet. [The Associated Press]
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4. LULULEMON LISTS CEO JOB OPENING ON ITS WEBSITE
Just four days after Christine Day announced she'll be stepping down as Lululemon's CEO, the company listed a tongue-in-cheek job opening on its website. "You report to no one. You are the CEO (duh)," the posting reads. "You are passionate about doing chief executive officer type stuff like making decisions, having a vision and being the head boss person." Under "the finer print" it reads: "Your go-to party trick is your dead-on impression of the yogi in 'Sh*T Yogis Say.'" [Bloomberg Businessweek]
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5. RICH TOWNS ARE LOW ON MANSIONS ON THE MARKET
Housing inventory in the U.S.'s 90 wealthiest ZIP codes is down 15 percent, according to a new study by the real estate research firm Altos Research. In the top portion of the sampled ZIP codes, inventory is down 50 percent. Buyers from overseas are pouring into wealthy towns like Greenwich, Conn., Palm Beach, Fla., and Carmel, Calif., snapping up homes valued over $1 million. "Venture capitalists, tech money, oil and gas, developers and CEOs" are doing most of the buying, one real estate agent said. [CNBC]
