LONDON (MarketWatch) — Private equity firm Carlyle Group Monday said it has bought upmarket carpet-maker Brintons out of administration, with plans to grow the company internationally. Financial details of the transaction weren’t disclosed but a person familiar with the situation told Dow Jones Newswires that the U.S. private equity giant intends to invest around GBP38 million, some GBP20... 

Adobe Systems Inc. ADBE +0.08% has taken the lead in an area of Web traffic it would rather not have: The target of cyber criminals. Adobe’s presentation software has become a preferred method for thieves to penetrate the security of desktop and laptop computers in order to gain access to user passwords, credit-card numbers and bank accounts, according to McAfee, a Web security company owned... 

Scotts Miracle-Gro Co.’s SMG -9.71% fiscal third-quarter earnings slid 37% as the lawn-and-garden products company posted disappointing sales driven by poor weather across the U.S. Looking ahead, Scotts lowered its full-year outlook, calling for adjusted per-share earnings of $2.95 to $3.05, down from a prior view of $3.10 to $3.20. Weaker-than-expected sales have plagued Scotts in recent months,... 

MUMBAI -(MarketWatch)- India’s Sesa Goa Ltd. (500295.BY) said Saturday it has signed a pact with Elenilto Minerals & Mining LLC to buy a 51% stake in its unit Western Cluster for a cash consideration of $90 million. WCL has mining assets with access to potential iron ore resources of over one billion tons, the iron ore unit of Vedanta Resources PLC (VED.LN) said in a filing to the Bombay... 

EL SEGUNDO, CA, Jul 25, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) — Vision Industries Corp. (OTCBB: VIIC) on Friday delivered the world’s first zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell-electric Class 8 truck to Total Transportation Services Inc. (TTSI), a national trucking company that will put the vehicle to test in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The effort is part of the ports’ Technology... 

Google Inc. GOOG -0.14% said it planned to slowly shutter its Google Labs division, what the company has called its “playground” for users to try out dozens of experimental projects, as it prioritizes its product development. The company has been shifting its structure since co-founder Larry Page took over as chief executive. When he first took the reins, he reorganized top management in... 

TAIPEI (MarketWatch) — Taiwanese personal computer maker Acer Inc. said Monday it hired Dave Chan as general manager of its mobile device operations in China. Chan was previously a senior executive at Hewlett-Packard Co. HPQ +0.40% , and had headed the U.S. computer maker’s mobile device and notebook PC operations in China until late May, a company employee said. Acer, which is stepping... 

MANILA (MarketWatch) — Metro Pacific Investments Corp. said Monday that Morgan Stanley Investment Management Co. nearly doubled its stake in the Philippine investment holding company to 6.5% from 3.3% via several stock purchases between May 11 and July 8. Metro Pacific said Morgan Stanley’s MS -0.24% Singapore-based investment management firm had informed the company that it had bought... 

NEW YORK -(MarketWatch)- Washington Mutual Inc. agreed to settle a large shareholder class-action lawsuit for $208.5 million, according to a court filing by the plaintiff’s lawyers. The suit in federal court in Seattle was the consolidated version of several other class action lawsuits filed by shareholders, in multiple courts, that all essentially alleged that Washington Mutual failed to stop... 

Competitive Companies, Inc. (CCI) is incorporated in Nevada with offices in Riverside California, San Antonio, Texas and Eau Claire, Wisconsin. CCI operates as a provider of telecommunication services including commercial and residential data, voice and video access in selected locations. Most recently the Company has developed a unique business concept orchestrating as a consolidator of services including...