Coca-Cola adds coffee, tea "pods" to soda lineup

Coca-Cola, the world's largest soft-drink maker, will probably begin selling hot coffee and tea in Canada as it expands beyond soda.

Coca-Cola's Far Coast system will use "pods" to brew fresh coffee and tea, and it initially will be offered in Canada, said John Sicher, publisher of Beverage Digest. Coca-Cola has invited reporters to an event in Toronto on Wednesday to introduce new "hot brewed beverages" that have "inspiration from a Far Coast."

Coca-Cola is offering the hot coffee and tea system to restaurants to expand sales beyond soda fountains and keep consumers from switching to other brands such as Starbucks. Restaurant soda-fountain volume, which Coca-Cola depends on for 30 percent of U.S. sales, dropped about 2 percent last year, according to Beverage Digest data.

Test flight planned for loaded A380

Airbus, aiming to certify its A380 by year-end while struggling with a delivery schedule running a year late, will fly the superjumbo with a full passenger load for the first time Monday.

An A380 will fly equipped with a fully furnished 474-seat, three-class test cabin, spokeswoman Barbara Kracht said Friday. The plane will carry mainly Airbus personnel, with some guests, taking off at 10 a.m. local time from home base at the Toulouse, France, airport. It will fly around Europe, returning to Toulouse at 5 p.m.

The first full passenger flight is one of four to test the cabin in airline operating conditions. Such flights are designed to give Airbus feedback on potential problems in long flights before it proceeds with route-proving flights required for certification.

No to $450 million, unsolicited bid

Gateway, the third-largest personal-computer company in the United States, said Friday that it rejected an unsolicited $450 million bid for its retail business from eMachines Inc. founder Lap Shun Hui.

Gateway said the Aug. 23 offer for the retail operations is not in the best interest of its shareholders.

"Gateway's board of directors and management team remain committed to taking the appropriate steps to enhance shareholder value," the company said in a brief statement. A Gateway spokesman, David Hallisey, declined to elaborate on the decision.

Hui did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Analysts said Gateway's rejection was no surprise.

IMF

4 nations gain voting shares

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has agreed to increase the influence of China, South Korea, Mexico and Turkey within the organization in acknowledgment of their rising economic strength, its chief said Friday.

The IMF's executive board agreed to increase the four countries' voting shares as part of a two-year program to reform the IMF's governance, Managing Director Rodrigo de Rato said.

Compiled from Bloomberg News and The Associated Press