INTERNATIONAL

Maxwell Communication Corp. Plans Spinoff: The firm said it plans to spin off U.S. operations, a move the company said was designed to help accelerate their growth. The businesses, which include the publishers Macmillan, Official Airlines Guide and the Berlitz language schools, represent more than 70% of Maxwell Communication’s assets and 90% of its operating profits. Analysts said they understood from conversations with Maxwell Communication that the spinoff would involve the sale of shares on Wall Street. They declined to estimate how much such a sale would raise. Publisher Robert Maxwell, whose family controls Maxwell Communication, likely would only sell off a minority interest in the American operations.