Business News at a Glance

Chief of Compass, U.K. Catering Giant, Is Killed in Plane Crash

The chief executive of the world’s biggest catering company, which is also one of Britain’s biggest businesses, died Sunday in a plane crash near Sydney, Australian police said. Richard Cousins, 58, chief executive of Compass Group, was among the six people killed when a seaplane went down off Jerusalem Bay, just north of Sydney, according to a statement from New South Wales police. Police representatives confirmed that those who died were Cousins, his two sons, his fiancée, her daughter and the pilot of the plane. During his time as chief executive, Cousins increased the size of the company.

How Anti-Virus Software Can Be Turned Into a Tool for Spying

By downloading security software, consumers run the risk that an untrustworthy anti-virus maker could track customers’ every digital movement. A former hacker at the National Security Agency, Patrick Wardle, chief research officer at Digita Security, recently succeeded in subverting anti-virus software sold by Kaspersky Lab, turning it into a powerful search tool for classified documents. Wardle’s curiosity was piqued by news that Russian spies had used Kaspersky anti-virus products to siphon classified documents off the home computer of an NSA developer, and may have played a critical role in broader Russian intelligence gathering.

Fighting Climate Change, One Laundry Load at a Time

In the quest for a more environmentally friendly laundry detergent, scientists at Novozymes regularly trudge through the mud, hunting for mushrooms whose enzymes speed up chemical reactions. Their work is helping the company develop laundry and dishwasher detergents that require less water, or that would work just as effectively at lower temperatures. Washing machines account for more than 6 percent of household electricity use in the European Union. A tenth of a teaspoon of enzymes cuts by half the amount of soap from petrochemicals or palm oil in a detergent in a typical laundry load.

Those Seat Back Screens on Planes Are Starting to Disappear

Airlines have been shrinking their seats for a long time, but lately, some carriers have been going one step further: They’re taking away the seat back screens. The screens, and the preselected media on them, go a long way toward keeping passengers happy and distracted. But those entertainment systems can cost $10,000 per seat. They also add bulk and weight and quickly become technologically obsolete, especially because most Americans are now flying with at least one mobile device. But industry experts say airlines risk alienating those travelers who do not want to rely on their own device while they fly.

With Disney Deal Looming, Murdoch’s Empire Is Fractured

The proposed $52.4 billion sale of Twenty-First Century Fox to the Walt Disney Co. has the potential to radically reshape the entertainment world, but it also has many wondering what the future holds for Rupert Murdoch and his two sons. In recent years, Murdoch had molded a succession plan that handed his businesses to both of his sons. But Fox News, the company’s financial engine, has been the source of family friction. It was becoming increasingly clear to many analysts that the three-pronged leadership structure Murdoch had put in place was not going to work over the long term.