| Beefeater revamp lifts Whitbread
Leisure group Whitbread said its Beefeater and Brewers Fayre restaurants have seen sales pick up despite an uncertain consumer outlook. The two chains' like-for-like sales of 0.8% for the 50 weeks to February 14 compared with the 0.4% reported in November. Whitbread, which has spent £45 million on an overhaul of its 129 Beefeaters, said it was gaining higher margins across its restaurants. The group's overall trading was spearheaded by its Premier Inn hotel chain, which enjoyed comparative sales growth of 10.5% over the period. The company, which also saw strong sales growth from its Costa Coffee chain, saw overall like-for-likes increase 5.7%. Shares rose almost 7% as investors welcomed the update. Chief executive Alan Parker said: "These results show that trading in our businesses has been resilient and we continue to perform well." Panmure Gordon analyst Douglas Jack held out hopes of more to come from the restaurant business following Whitbread's "strong" update.
Arrest made in Iowa City sexual assault case
Couple accused in prostitution scheme AURORA, Ill. -- A suburban Chicago couple is accused of using Craigslist to arrange sexual meetings involving several women including a 17-year-old runaway from Wisconsin. Aurora Police say 22-year-old Jermel Pope and 33-year-old Mary Jefferson have been charged with pandering and may face additional charges. Authorities say both used the popular Web site Craigslist to set up sexual meetings with the teenager, who reportedly ran away from Bagley, Wisconsin. The 17-year-old has been charged as an adult with prostitution. Police say the charges came as a result of an ongoing investigation of prostitution on Craigslist. Undercover police arranged a meeting at a hotel and arrested the young woman, Pope and Jefferson after money had been exchanged. It was unclear on Saturday if any of the three had attorneys.
Hospitals / Health Care
Shelbyville's post office is taking precautions to make sure the potentially deadly MRSA or "staph" infection isn't spread through the mail after two employees became infected with the bacteria. The T-G received a call Thursday from a concerned citizen who claimed that Shelbyville's postmaster Larry Ellis was allowing a postal employee with a staph infection to continue to work, possibly exposing the public to the bug... .
The Most Wanted List
On February 13, Imad Moughniyeh, a senior commander of Hizbollah, was assassinated in Damascus. "The world is a better place without this man in it," State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack said: "one way or the other he was brought to justice." Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell added that Moughniyeh has been "responsible for more deaths of Americans and Israelis than any other terrorist with the exception of Osama bin Laden." Joy was unconstrained in Israel too, as "one of the U.S. and Israel's most wanted men" was brought to justice, the London Financial Times reported. Under the heading, "A militant wanted the world over," an accompanying story reported that he was "superseded on the most-wanted list by Osama bin Laden" after 9/11 and so ranked only second among "the most wanted militants in the world." The terminology is accurate enough, according to the rules of Anglo-American discourse, which defines "the world" as the political class in Washington and London (and whoever happens to agree with them on specific matters).
Jurors see chilling photos of dead baby
After hearing the district attorney paint a grim picture of Iyonna Brown's short, poverty-filled life, a jury Tuesday morning saw graphic photo after graphic photo of the 10-month-old after she died. Some images showed the baby's cherub face - chubby cheeks, thick, dark hair, eyes closed as though she were asleep. Her right eye appeared swollen and bruised. Another bruise had settled in above her left eye, and her chin was scraped and bruised. Some photos showed a single leg, badly burned, the skin sloughed off. One showed her blistered and reddened genital area. Another, showed one of her eyes held open with a medical device, a spot of blood in the white of her eye. It was a jarring start to the trial of the baby's alleged killer, Akeem Whitfield, 24, who is charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter.
School students shoot classmate for ‘bullying’
In an American-style campus shooting, two students of a private school in Gurgaon shot dead a classmate as he was about to take the schoolbus home, police said on Tuesday. Abhishek Tyagi, a class VIII student of Euro International School in Sector 45, was shot five times from close range on his forehead, chest and shoulder inside the campus. The 14-year-old was declared dead at a private hospital. Police identified the two boys as Akash Yadav, 14, and Vikas Yadav, 13. They said Akash had brought his father's licensed foreign-made pistol and both boys took turns to shoot Abhishek.
Gun violence among schoolchildren in India is rare. The case, possibly the first reported in and around Delhi, recalls the situation in the US, where rights activists are campaigning for tougher gun laws to control the problem.The two boys told the police that Abhishek allegedly used to bully them at school because he was of better build.
Luna Gold releases assay results from Arizona gold project, Brazil
This data coupled with the latest results indicate that like Piaba, Tatajuba is open along strike and at depth. The current drilling program is being conducted to provide additional data for a new resource and reserve estimate for Tatajuba."
Dr Haggan continues, "The gold results from BRAZD-239 are significant in that they confirm that mineralization extends at depth and remains open. No drill holes have yet defined the base of mineralization at Piaba. Following the latest results, Luna's drilling is now concentrated on testing the deeper portions of the deposit to assess the depth extent and resource potential of Piaba Deep."
About Luna Gold Corp
Luna is a mining exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of gold resources and advanced stage gold exploration projects in northeastern Brazil.
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