– UTI Worldwide Inc.

, a Rancho Dominguez-based freight-management services company, reported net income of $17.8 million (55 cents per diluted share) for the first quarter ended April 30, compared with $12.8 million (40 cents) for the like period a year earlier. Revenue rose to $630.2 million from $489.6 million in the year-ago period.

– Northrop Grumman Corp.

was awarded a five-year contract valued up to $200 million to provide NASA with the capability to validate mission-critical software that supports the technology needs of the agency. Northrop and one undisclosed company were selected to compete for task orders valued up to $200 million over the five-year term of the contract.

Northrop, which will add nearly 100 additional jobs over 18 months to support the program, will manage the effort from its facility in the West Virginia High Technology Foundation campus in Fairmont, the L.A.-based defense contractor said in a statement.

– Activision Inc.

announced it has forged an agreement with Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. to create and publish games based on the casino owner’s World Series of Poker Tournament. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. The Santa Monica-based video game publisher said the agreement includes the exclusive rights to publish games for personal computers, game consoles and handheld products worldwide. The product is expected to launch this fall.

– DirecTV Group Inc.

priced $1 billion of 10-year senior unsecured notes due 2015. DirecTV plans to use the proceeds to pay off $500 million of borrowings under its current senior secured credit line and for general purposes.

Dominion Bond Rating Service assigned a ‘BB’ High and Fitch Ratings assigned a ‘BB’ rating to the proposed offering, saying the outlook remains stable, as proceeds will be used to repay debt.