Apple loses iPad Mini trademark, and finds a fan in Kim Jong-un as North Korea rattles saber and tensions rise with U.S., while increased China headaches include hacking threat and iPad regulation.

Discovery Communications expands global channel reach and launches scripted programming.

Novartis loses cancer drug patent battle in India.

Amazon buys Goodreads community-driven user reviews website.

AMC reveals new tagline and logo.

Armani hires Cate Blanchett for $10M campaign.

AT&T scores with March Madness Twitter campaign.Continue reading...

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting a baby - bit.ly/11GYnaj

— Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) December 3, 2012

For all my followers who believe this is some kind of spoof account, here's a photo to prove that it is me. #royalbaby twitter.com/IamRoyalBaby/s…

— Royal Baby (@IamRoyalBaby) December 3, 2012

Any chance of the first interview @royalfoetus ?

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 3, 2012

Well, that didn't take long. Minutes after Buckingham Palace confirmed that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting, spoof Twitter accounts popped up including @IAmRoyalBaby and in an Atlantic-spanning move, @royalfetus and @royalfoetus. The British Monarchy was not amused, as the former account was swiftly suspended, despite an interview request by CNN's Piers Morgan. (Never mind: @IAmRoyalBaby is back.)

Clarence House broke Kate and William's good news, which quickly spawned #royalbaby as a trending topic on Twitter. The Guardian and the BBC are covering the news in live-blogs. Also joining Twitter today in a royal blessing for the social media platform: @pontifex, the official account for the Vatican's iPad-handy pontiff, Pope Benedict.

The Olympics in London will kick off on July 27 with an Opening Ceremony that’s already been cut back a bit so that those attending will be able to get home on the trains. Of course, that’s if there are trains running at all. The AP is reporting that about 400 employees of the train system are threatening to strike. If that weren’t enough, border guards at Europe’s largest airport, Heathrow, are also saying they’ll walk off the job the night before the Games get started. Enjoy London, everybody who shelled out big bucks to get there. At least visitors can hop on one of the hard-to-miss sponsor-wrapped buses that CBS Outdoor UK is creating for the likes of Visa and other brands. More below on the latest from London.Continue reading...

As the UK stops all the clocks to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee — yes, the Queen of England has been wielding her Royal Tea Cozy for 60 years now — don’t think the Brits don’t know how to celebrate. There was a 1,000 boat river pageant on Sunday, and a star-studded concert on Monday.

From a McQueen fit for a future Queen to jubilant Marmite to Cadbury's Dairy Milk to much, much more, there's one subtle branded tribute that actually comes from an American brand. The city of London now boasts a new lighting system across its Tower Bridge that went live in time for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The lights burn a particular "diamond" color to help pay respects to Her Royal Highness.Continue reading...

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is suing 17 US and European banks and more than 130 individuals on charges of selling bonds backed by mortgages that should have never been packaged into securities. Institutions named including Bank of America, its Merrill Lynch unit, Barclays, Citigroup and Nomura.

Halliburton is suing BP for defamation and misrepresentation, while a key court ruling in the Gulf of Mexico litigation could encourage more lawsuits. Oil and gas production is curtailed in the Gulf, meanwhile, as New Orleans declares state of emergency ahead of storm.

Facebook tests comment translation button.

GM rehires Bob Lutz as an adviser.

Google acquires Zave Networks, a digital coupons platform, as it expands local deals offering.

Hugo Boss releases campaign featuring Orlando Bloom and Sienna Miller in support of African schools.Continue reading...

Accenture drives social business adoption through gamification.

Amazon battles U.S. states over taxes.

Bally expands to India.

Banco Popular expands rebranding to Popular Inc.

Canada sees online ad revenue exceed print for the first time.

Cargill recalls 36 million pounds of turkey products.

CNN finds host Piers Morgan coming under parliamentary pressure and accusations by Heather Mills over hacking.

Coca-Cola joins brands testing cloud-based in-text social advertising.

comScore acquires analytics firm AdXpose.

Dunkin' Donuts rolls out Keurig single-serve cups, with Starbucks to follow.Continue reading...

Android growth slows in the US as iPhone picks up, according to Nielsen.

Disney raises eyebrows with fireworks exemption.

Glenn Beck signs off from Fox News, which announces summer replacements.

Kate Middleton puts fashion-watchers on notice with North American tour.

NBA lockout proceeds as sides fail to reach agreement.

Porsche returns to Le Mans.

Stephen Colbert receives Federal Election Commision approval to form a super PAC. 

Twitter comes under FTC scrutiny.

Victoria Beckham launches mid-range clothing line.

WikiLeaks spoofs MasterCard in mock "priceless" commercial.

Beyond the fashion, the car, the kiss and the pomp and ceremony, the Royal Wedding is as much about revitalizing the brand of the British monarchy as it is about the marriage of the couple now known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

CNN's Piers Morgan argues that the record-breaking popularity of the event is a sign that "the British monarchy is back," while the New York Times' London bureau chief, John Burns — whose daughter went to school with Kate Middleton — gave a more detailed analysis on PBS.Continue reading...