Last Update on May 20, 2013 17:27 GMT

UNITED AIRLINES-787

HOUSTON (AP) -- United Airlines has one of its 787 aircraft back in the air.

A 787 Dreamliner took off today as scheduled at 11 a.m., Central time, from Houston for Chicago.

The Boeing 787s were grounded for four months because of smoldering batteries. The incidents included an emergency landing of one plane, and a fire on another.

Federal authorities lifted the grounding order a month ago, but it has taken Boeing and the airlines a few more weeks to fix most of the planes.

United is the only U.S. airline currently flying the 787. The grounding forced it to delay planned international flights, and reduced its first-quarter earnings by $11 million.

Passengers don't appear to be worried. United says it saw "strong demand" for today's flight, starting on the first weekend that the tickets went on sale.

IMMIGRATION

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senators working on a bipartisan immigration bill have agreed to require fingerprinting when foreigners leave the country through any of the nation's 30 busiest airports.

It's a step toward the more expansive biometric system favored by many senators but deemed too expensive to include in the bill.

Under the amendment by Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, the nation's 10 busiest airports would have to establish a fingerprinting system within two years. Within six years it would have to be in place at the 30 busiest airports.

The amendment passed 13 to 5 Monday as the Senate Judiciary Committee plunged into its third week of deliberations on the immigration legislation.

Lawmakers have cited the absence of a reliable system to track people coming and going as a major security flaw.

YAHOO-TUMBLR ACQUISITION

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Yahoo is buying online blogging forum Tumblr for $1.1 billion as CEO Marissa Mayer tries to rejuvenate an Internet icon that had fallen behind the times.

The deal announced Monday represents Mayer's boldest move yet since she left Google 10 months ago to lead Yahoo's latest comeback attempt. It marks Yahoo's most expensive acquisition since the Sunnyvale, Calif., company bought Overture for $1.3 billion a decade ago.

Tumblr now figures to play a pivotal role in Mayer's attempt to reshape Yahoo Inc.

Mayer is betting that Tumblr, a 6-year-old service started by high school dropout David Karp, will provide Yahoo with a hook to reel in more traffic and advertisers on smartphones and tablets.

The companies say Tumblr will remain independently operated and Karp will stay CEO.

ACTAVIS-WARNER CHILCOTT

NEW YORK (AP) -- Actavis is buying Warner Chilcott in an all-stock transaction valued at about $8.5 billion which would create the third-biggest specialty pharmaceutical company in the U.S.

The new company is expected to be called Actavis PLC and will be incorporated in Ireland, where Warner Chilcott is currently incorporated.

Warner Chilcott shareholders would own a 23 percent stake in the new company.

Warner Chilcott PLC shareholders will receive 0.160 shares of the new company for each share they own. This equals $20.08 per share, which is a 5 percent premium to Friday's closing price of $19.21. Actavis Inc. shareholders will receive one share of the new company for each share they own at closing.

Both companies' boards unanimously approved the deal, which is expected to close by year's end.

Warner Chilcott's stock rose slightly in Monday premarket trading.

INSOMNIA DRUG-MERCK

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal health regulators say an experimental insomnia drug from Merck can help patients fall asleep, but it also carries worrisome side effects, including daytime drowsiness and suicidal thinking.

The Food and Drug Administration released its review of the company's sleep aid, suvorexant, ahead of a public meeting on Wednesday. The pill works by temporarily blocking chemical messengers that keep people awake.

The FDA said company trials show suvorexant was better than placebo at helping people fall asleep and stay asleep. Regulators said Monday the drug's effectiveness was consistent across several doses tested by Merck & Co.

But patients taking the highest dose of the drug showed an eight-fold increase in daytime drowsiness, which could interfere with driving the next morning. Suvorexant was also associated with increased risk of suicidal thinking.

CHESAPEAKE-CEO

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Chesapeake Energy has named Anadarko Petroleum executive Robert Douglas Lawler as its new CEO.

The appointment of the 46-year-old Lawler comes after a tough year for Chesapeake. Its former CEO Aubrey McClendon was ousted last year amid a scandal over his personal investments in the company's oil and gas wells.

Chesapeake shares rose 1.6 percent to $20.60 in premarket trading Monday.

Lawler is senior vice president for international and deepwater operations at Anadarko Petroleum. He also will join the Oklahoma City-based natural gas producer's board. The appointments are effective June 17.

Lawler is a petroleum engineer with 25 years of experience in the exploration and production industry.

McClendon, who founded Chesapeake Energy Corp. in 1989, was stripped of his role as chairman last year and left the company earlier this year.

LL BEAN

FREEPORT, Maine (AP) -- L.L. Bean's grandson Leon Gorman is retiring as company chairman after more than 50 years as chairman or CEO, but the privately held company is keeping the position in the family.

The Maine-based retailer informed employees Monday that L.L.'s great-grandson, Shawn Gorman, will be the new chairman, underscoring a commitment to family ownership.

Shawn Gorman, who served as a senior executive, told The Associated Press there's been a careful behind-the-scenes transition and that consumers shouldn't notice a change. Leon Gorman, his 78-year-old uncle, is keeping a seat on the board. Chris McCormick, the first CEO from outside the family, retains his position.

L.L. Bean, with more than $1.5 billion in annual sales, just celebrated its 100th anniversary. The family-owned company got its start in 1912 when L.L. Bean sold rubber-soled hunting boots.