Sara Lee Corp is not rushing in to make any deals in the U.S coffee market even though they are focusing their business on coffee and meat, according to a statement given by its interim chief executive.

There are already rumors spreading about certain business deals in the U.S coffee market especially since Starbucks Corp had announced earlier this month that they want to end their distribution deal with the Kraft Foods Inc who has been selling their packaged coffee products at various supermarkets since 1998.

Starbucks is also making the coffee pods for Kraft’s one-cup Tassimo coffee brewer, which is a significant competitor of Sara Lee’s Senseo coffee system.

Sara Lee and Starbucks are two of the world’s biggest coffee companies. The image of heightened competition between these two companies started last week when media reports were released that Starbucks is going to launch its very own one-cup brewer.

However, a spokesman from Starbucks informed on Monday that the company has no plans yet to start its own one-cup brewer.

Aside from that, analysts suppose that once Starbucks ends their business deal with Kraft, it is likely that Kraft will also let go of their Maxwell House business since they are already focusing on their candy business along with the British confectioner Cadbury. If that happens, Sara Lee is a potential suitor.

Smits, the person who has lead Sara Lee since May, believe that Starbucks is not yet looking for a new partner to distribute their packaged coffees. But, Sara Lee will look long and hard if there are any potential acquisitions, and that includes Maxwell House.

Starbucks plans to end their deal with the Kraft Foods Inc to distribute their packaged Starbucks coffee to several stores and other outlets. It was just a month ago when Starbucks informed Kraft Foods about this plan.  Kraft Foods has been packaging for Starbucks for over a decade.

Kraft Foods Inc surprised the Wall Street when they gave them their profit report. They informed shareholders that it was still too early to tell what would be the impact of finishing this agreement on their profit results.

According to Kraft Chief Financial Officer Tim McLevish through a conference call with his analyst, they have known that Starbucks Corp has the plans to end the agreement, but they had not been into any conversations as to when, why or how the deal is going to end.

Starbucks is the largest coffee company in the world. They have just reported higher than expected quarterly earnings and informed in a statement that the company will try to work closely with Kraft Foods Inc to warrant an orderly change.

The coffee company has over 17,800 stores across 49 countries. They sell various hot and cold drinks such as dip brewed coffee, espresso-based hot drinks, as well as hot and cold sandwiches such as pastries, cakes, including tumblers and other products.

Their packaged coffees have been distributed by Kraft since 1998, whose agreement they want to end now. Kraft Foods also make their coffee under the Maxwell House brand. They are the world’s second largest food and beverage company.

On Wednesday Iraq offered up to three of its gas fields to several global firms in its third energy auction since the U.S invasion on 2003. Iraq hopes to jump up to the top energy producers in the world and ward of the impression of war and isolation.

However, according to analysts, the gas auction, which is set to start at 10AM local time, has produced little interest from global firms despite their enthusiasm to tap the country’s wide gas reserves. This is because interested bidders will have to face strict terms, shaky security, as well as regional opposition during the bidding.

Iraq will open gas fields at Akkas in the western part of the desert, Mansuriyah near the border of Iran, and Siba in the somewhat peaceful place in the southern oil center of Basra for bidding.

To sum up all three fields, they have estimated 11.23 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves. That is about 10 percent of Iraq’s total and proven natural gas reserves. They ranked 10^th on the world’s largest gas reserves having a total of 112 trillion cubic feet.

The auction has already been postponed twice to allow companies more time to check the contract terms. 13 companies registered for the bidding, which includes Italy’s ENI, France’s Total, Edison, South Korea’s KOGAS, Norway’s Statoil and many more.
Yet, not all companies are expected to do the bidding on Wednesday according to industry observers. Winners of the bidding will need to make an almost non-existent gas infrastructure and networks of pipeline and dare the risks of working in aggressive places.

The Microsoft Corporation had just recently completed their Windows 7 Phone software. This new software will be formally launched to the public on October 11. By November, Windows 7 is expected to be installed on several handsets that are believed to compete with Apple and Google Android smartphones.

Samsung and HTC Corp, as well as other groups of smartphones are expected to release Microsoft-based phones this coming holiday season.

The employees of Microsoft Corp gathered around last month at its Redmond, Washington campus. This marked the completion of their software and revealed how they really want to get themselves back in the fiercely competitive phone market.

However, it is still a question whether the Windows 7 is good enough to turn the iPhone obsolete in the market.

According to Bryan Keane, analyst for the Alpine Mutual Funds that holds the shares of Microsoft, the product cannot just outrun everything that is out in the marketplace. However, Windows 7 might just be better than the other Windows platform.

Microsoft just missed a generation with their last phone operating system, Windows Mobile, admitted by Steve Ballmer, the Microsoft Chief Executive. The Windows Mobile struggled its way in the phone market while iPhone and Android reigned well with their touch screens and fresh applications.

Today, Microsoft ranks fourth in the fast-growing operating systems for the smartphone market in the U.S. It is behind Blackberry-maker Research in Motion Ltd, Apple and Google. From comScore research firm, Microsoft has a share of less than 12 percent.

In Washington, a 7-time Cy Young Award winner named Roger Clemens was indicted for allegedly lying to Congress that he is using steroids.

Clemens is now faced with obstruction of Congress, having false statements and perjury.

With his former trainer, Brian Mcnamee, they both testified under oath last 2008 hearing. They contradicted each other about whether Clemens was using the banned substances.

Mcnamee confessed to federal agents that he injected Clemens more than a dozen times from 1998 to 2001.

Clemens disagrees with the statements and said that Mcnamee was just lying.

Rusty Hardin, Clemens’ attorney, said over the telephone that he had just learned of the indictment. He would have to wait whether to comment or not.

The said case was held by the U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton, the one who presided over the perjury and obstruction trial of Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff. Fixed schedule for Clemens’ appearance on court is still in question.

Clemens said strongly, “I’ve been accused of something I’m not guilty of…I have never taken steroids or HGH.” This was his words in a defiant appearance before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in 2008.