USA

May 1, 2007

Delta Air Lines Inc., the nation's third-largest carrier, exited bankruptcy Monday after more than a year and a half spent sorting out problems brought on by high fuel prices and labor and pension expenses. The company seeks a return to profitability after restructuring its fleet, expanding international service, improving aircraft cabins, cutting costs, and eliminating jobs. The Atlanta-based airline reportedly is also considering shedding Comair, a regional subsidiary.

In a 7-to-1 decision, the Supreme Court sided with Microsoft Corp. Monday, finding the company not liable in a patent dispute with AT&T. The latter alleged that the Windows operating system infringed on an AT&T technology that compresses speech into computer code.

US-funded infrastructure projects in Iraq are not being "adequately maintained" after being built and handed over to local officials, according to a US audit released Monday by Inspector General Stuart Bowen Jr. The report, however, indicated the Baghdad government was making headway in rooting out mismanagement and corruption.

Consumer spending rose 0.3 percent in March, its slowest growth in five months, while personal income and disposable personal income increased 0.7 percent, the Commerce Department reported Monday.

In front of the White House, actress Mia Farrow joined other celebrities Sunday in calling for the international community to act to end the killing in Darfur. The protest, one of 35 held in capitals around the world, was part of an action day aimed at drawing attention to 200,000 deaths in the troubled Sudanese region.

The St. Louis Cardinals postponed their home game Sunday night after learning that relief pitcher Josh Hancock was killed earlier in the day when his sport utility vehicle slammed into a parked flatbed tow truck. Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the crash.

The largest wildfire in Georgia history was 70 percent contained by firefighters, officials said Sunday of the blaze that has burned 100 square miles near the Okefenokee Swamp in the state's southeast corner.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival announced that it has secured a major corporate sponsor through at least 2010 that will help sustain the event in the post-Katrina era.