Twitter makes photos, videos easier to access

Twitter is turning its short-messaging website into a multimedia showcase by adding a new pane that will make it easier for its 160 million users to peruse photos and video.

The redesign unveiled Tuesday represents the biggest change to Twitter’s website since the communications services service launched four years ago.

With the overhaul, the website will feature two panes. The one on the left will feature the posts, or “tweets,” from the people and businesses that users elect to follow. The right side will be devoted to pictures, video and other information contained within the tweets so users won’t have to navigate from their home pages.

 

Boeing gets $1.24 billion space station contract

Boeing Co. said Tuesday that NASA has given the company a $1.24 billion, five-year extension to a contract covering engineering work on the international space station.

Boeing said it will provide engineering for hardware and software on the U.S. part of the space station and for some hardware and software available to international partners.

Boeing’s work will include oversight of maintenance, monitoring system performance and other duties. It will cover buying spare parts and modifying current systems.

 

Kroger upbeat as more shoppers use its stores

Sales and profits are up, and so is Kroger Co.’s optimism, as the nation’s largest traditional grocer sees more households regularly shopping at its stores.

Kroger leaders were upbeat Tuesday about sales trends, while cautioning that economic uncertainty and price competition remain.

Kroger said it draws shoppers with better service and pleasant stores, an ever-expanding lineup of lower-priced store brands and deli foods and a targeted rewards program.

 

Chase’s online banking down most of the day

Chase’s online banking service was down for much of the day on Tuesday. The bank said it stemmed from a technical problem and that it was working to resolve it.

The service went down Monday night, potentially affecting its 16.5 million customers who bank online. The bank will work with any customers who had online bill payment deadlines they couldn’t meet because of the outage, a spokesman said.

 

FDA raises safety concerns with Arena’s diet drug

Federal health officials dealt a surprising blow on Tuesday to an experimental diet pill that was thought to offer a safer way to shed pounds after decades of dangerous side effects reported with weight loss drugs.

Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s lorcaserin is one of three drugs racing to be the first new prescription weight loss pill approved by the Food and Drug Administration in more than a decade. In a review posted online, FDA scientists said the drug barely met the agency’s threshold for weight loss effectiveness and raised safety concerns about side effects, including heart damage, depression and other problems.

 

Small-business lending bill gets crucial Senate vote

In a win for President Obama and his political allies, Senate Democrats on Tuesday won a crucial vote to clear the way for a bill to create a $30 billion government fund to help open up lending for credit-starved small businesses.

Democrats cracked a GOP filibuster of the bill with the help of two Republicans. The 61-37 tally sets the stage for a final vote later this week to return the measure to the House.