Business notebook
$29m from FDIC: Dynamics Research Corp. of Andover said it was awarded a nearly $29 million contract by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to provide technology-management services.
CFO o-u-t: First Marblehead Corp., which helps financial institutions administer student loans, said chief financial officer Donald R. Peck is leaving the company and will be replaced by John A. Hupalo.
Going up: The IRS, acknowledging rising fuel and vehicle costs, is raising the standard mileage rate used to calculate the deductible costs of driving for business purposes. As of Jan. 1, the rate will be 48.5 cents per mile.
That's an order: The US Army disclosed a delivery order worth about $82.9 million to military contractor Raytheon Co. to support the Patriot missile system.
Noninterchangeable tubes: Universal Tube & Rollform Equipment Corp. shut down its website -- utube.com -- because it was overwhelmed by millions of people looking for YouTube.com and has sued the online video-sharing portal.
Singular: Cingular is expected to begin partnering with some of the biggest online music services, including Napster Inc., Yahoo Inc.'s Yahoo Music, and eMusic, to launch a music service on its cellphone network, people familiar with the matter say.
Bet on it: MGM Mirage Inc. said it intends to sell its three casinos in the southern Nevada town of Primm to Herbst Gaming Inc. for $400 million.
Billion for Disney: Walt Disney Co. could collect billions of dollars to supply content, including its popular ESPN sports cable channel, to Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Cable, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing unidentified sources. The Comcast deal could include Disney selling its stake in the E! Entertainment Television channel for about $1.2 billion.
Global labor: Delegates from trade unions worldwide launched a global labor federation to ensure workers' rights are not forgotten in the rush toward economic globalization. Organizers said the International Trade Union Confederation -- formerly known as the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions -- would modernize itself to better tackle challenges to the rights of unionized workers and to strengthen its efforts to stamp out forced and child labor.
(Globe wire services)
