News Briefs

CHUCK E. CHEESE: restaurants have voluntarily pulled the Manley disco ball toy from its shelves after an investigation into whether the toy may have sparked a fire that killed two Jacksonville, FL, children this week. Chuck E. Cheese has been distributing the toy since 2002 and said no other incidents have occurred. The company is no longer selling the toy in its restaurants. Consumers used tickets they earned from Chuck E. Cheese games to receive the disco ball or could buy it outright.

BELLSOUTH: is partnering with Samsung Telecommunications America to explore opportunities to market and co-brand broadband-enabled devices in consumer and business markets. The two companies will work throughout 2006 to identify opportunities. The agreement comes during a time of increasing convergence between traditional telephony, computing and entertainment.