Costa Coffee gives Whitbread a lift

By Amy Wilson Published: 6:30AM GMT 05 March 2010

Whitbread

Whitbread"s like-for-like sales rose 3pc in the fourth quarter, with Premier Inn returning to expansion with a 1.7pc rise, and Costa jumping 9.5pc. Costa sales climbed 21pc over the year to Feb 18, together with new openings.

Whitbread has already lifted the gain forecasts for the year, and analysts are right away forecasting pre-tax increase of around �235m, compared with �198m last year.

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Alan Parker, arch executive, put Costa"s clever sales down to the selling pull at the back of the "flat white," the new coffee accumulation brought in at the finish of January, and to one after another spending on the interior of stores so they sojourn tasteful places to outlay time.

Mr Parker pronounced on Wednesday he would retire in November, and be transposed by EasyJet arch senior manager Andy Harrison. The association plans to concentration on boosting the general commercial operation underneath Mr Harrison, and aims to stand in the series of Costa stores to 3,000 over the subsequent 4 years.

Premier Inn"s sales softened after Whitbread offering poor deals on week end breaks, targeting expansion from camp travellers since commercial operation sales are not expected to collect up in the nearby future. The association has been "aggressive" on pricing, Mr Parker said. Whitbread outlayed about �100m less on opening new hotels in 2009, adding 1,700 bedrooms compared with 4,500 in 2008. The association will open 10,000 new road house bedrooms in the UK over the subsequent 3 years.

Switzerland to vote on appointing lawyers for abused pets

Published: 7:00AM GMT 05 March 2010

The lawyers-for-animals check is an e.g. of Switzerland"s approach democracy where any adult who collects 100,000 signatures from authorised electorate can force a national referendum Photo: JULIAN ANDREWS

Legal illustration in cases involving mistreated animals has been mandatory given 1992 in the Zurich canton. But house house pet governing body could be taken to a new turn if electorate magnify the right to the alternative twenty-five mini-states.

"It is not about Paris Hilton"s dog right away wanting a counsel to paint the interests," pronounced Antoine Goetschel, Switzerland"s customarily counsel mandated by his canton in Zurich to hoop animal gratification cases.

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It is about safeguarding animals who are spoiled by the really people who are meant to take caring of them, pronounced Mr Goetschel who is "very happy" about the referendum debate.

The quirky lawyers-for-animals check is a new e.g. of Switzerland"s "direct democracy" in that any adult who collects 100,000 signatures from authorised electorate can force a national referendum on their selected cause.

Among the 50 cases Mr Goetschel is traffic with at the impulse is one of a equine that was stabbed thirty times prior to it died.

Past cases of zoophilia embody a chairman who kept 150 cats but could not take caring of them.

"The animal gratification profession is such a idealist and correct instrument since the animal has a voice in rapist procedures opposite the chairman who customarily has the shortcoming for it," he noted.

The complaint is that the animal has "no rights", distinct humans who can take to court the chairman who has caused harm, pronounced Mr Goetschel.

Environment groups, the Green and Socialist parties are ancillary the initiative. But the government, council and the country"s greatest party, the far-right Swiss People"s Party, are against.

The strongest antithesis is in the countryside. "It will beget as well most bureaucracy," complained Urs Schneider, orator for the Swiss Farmers" Union. "Switzerland already has existent laws to strengthen animals," he said.

Ships stranded for hours in Baltic Sea ice freed

Published: 9:57AM GMT 05 March 2010

Damage is seen to the Amorella ferry, a newcomer packet with 753 passengers and 190 organisation members, as it earnings to pier in Stockholm Photo: AP

A newcomer packet with scarcely 1,000 people on house returned safely to the Stockholm gulf early on Friday after carrying damaged free, officials said.

Dozens of alternative ships and boats had additionally been stuck as gale-force winds built up large ice rank and file along the Swedish coastline.

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Ice breakers helped recover the packet Amorella at the corner of an archipelago north of Stockholm. Rescue helicopters and troops hovercraft had been placed on standby to leave passengers if needed. No one was injured.

The Swedish Maritime Administration pronounced the Amorella had 753 passengers and 190 organisation on board. The 10-deck boat belongs to Viking Line, that operates Baltic Sea cruises in between Sweden and Finland.

The Regal Star, a load boat with 56 people on board, was set free early on Friday. Three alternative ferries that got stuck in the ice in the archipelago were means to mangle free on Thursday.

Both Sweden and Finland deployed icebreakers in the area to assistance the stuck vessels.

Heavy ice cover is not odd serve north, but the ice frequency gets thick sufficient in the Stockholm archipelago to trap absolute newcomer ferries similar to the Amorella.

The nautical administration department pronounced the ships had abandoned warnings about the icy conditions.

World Indoor Athletics 2010: USA select well-balanced team for Doha

Published: 9:43AM GMT 05 Mar 2010

In the running: Lolo Jones will spearhead USA patrol in Doha Photo: AP

The eventuality will be hold in Doha, the Qatari capital, on Mar 12-14 with Cantwell competing in the shot put, Clay the heptathlon and Jones in the women"s 60 metres hurdles.

"I don"t wish to get held up in award counts, that"s not the approach I do things," Andrew Valmon, USA"s head coach, said.

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"But I will contend we have a really plain team, a well-balanced team, a good organisation of determined veterans and immature talents."

World outside champions Trey Hardee (decathlon) and Brittney Reese (women"s prolonged jump) are additionally on the organisation along with former indoor winners Terrence Trammell (60 metres hurdles), Bernard Lagat (3,000 metres) and Walter Davis (triple jump).

Cantwell, Trammell, Reese and organisation friends Ivory Williams (60 metres) and Debbie Dunn (women"s 400 metres) have the year"s most appropriate outlines in their events.

One to watch

Carmelita Jeter, 60 metres A late developer, Jeter dramatically softened her speed over 100metres in 2009, to the point where usually Florence Griffith-Joyner has run faster. Her new 60-metre time of 7.06 at the Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham was a personal best, and most hold that Irina Privalovas 17-year-old universe jot down of 6.92 could come underneath hazard in Doha.

US organisation in full

Men

60m: Ivory Williams (Liberty, Mo.), Michael Rodgers (Round Rock, Texas)

400m: Bershawn Jackson (Raleigh, N.C.), Jamaal Torrance (Raleigh, N.C.)

800m: Nick Symmonds (Eugene, Ore.), Duane Solomon (Los Angeles, Calif.)

1500m: Will Leer (Eugene, Ore.), Garrett Heath (Palo Alto, Calif.)

3000m: Bernard Lagat (Tucson, Ariz.), Galen Rupp (Portland, Ore.)

60mH: Terrence Trammell (Atlanta, Ga.), David Oliver (Kissimmee, Fla.)

Long jump: Jeff Henderson (North Little Rock, Ark.), Randall Flimmons (Atlanta, Ga.)

Triple jump: Brandon Roulhac (Tallahassee, Fla.), Walter Davis (Baton Rouge, La.)

High jump: Jesse Williams (Eugene, Ore.), Dusty Jonas (Lincoln, Neb.)

Pole vault: Tim Mack (Cleveland, Ohio), Derek Miles (Tea, S.D.)

Shot put: Christian Cantwell (Columbia, Mo.), Cory Martin (Bloomington, Ind.)

Heptathlon: Trey Hardee (Austin, Texas), Bryan Clay (Glendora, Calif.)

4x400m relay: Greg Nixon (Lubbock, Texas), Tavaris Tate (Starkville, Miss.), Kerron Clement (Los Angeles, Calif.), LeJerald Betters (Waco, Texas)

Women

60m: Carmelita Jeter (Los Angeles, Calif.), Miki Barber (Los Angeles, Calif.)

400m: Debbie Dunn (Raleigh, N.C.), DeeDee Trotter (Knoxville, Tenn.)

800m: Anna Pierce (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.), Alysia Johnson (Los Angeles, Calif.)

1500m: Erin Donohue (Haddon Heights, N.J.), Sarah Bowman (Knoxville, Tenn.)

3000m: Sara Hall (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.), Desiree Davila (Rochester Hills, Mich.)

60mH: Ginnie Powell (Los Angeles, Calif.), Lolo Jones (Baton Rouge, La.)

Long jump: Brittney Reese (Gulfport, Miss.), Brianna Glenn (Chula Vista, Calif.)

Triple jump: Erica McLain (Menlo Park, Calif.)

High jump: Chaunte Howard Lowe (Decatur, Ga.)

Pole vault: Lacy Janson (Sarasota, Fla.), Chelsea Johnson (Altascadero, Calif.)

Shot put: Jillian Camarena (Tucson, Ariz.), Michelle Carter (Ovilla, Texas)

Heptathlon: Hyleas Fountain (Kettering, Ohio)

4x400m relay: Allyson Felix (Los Angeles, Calif.), Natasha Hastings (Columbia, S.C.), Shareese Woods (Charlotte, N.C.), Jessica Cousins (Seneca, S.C.)

Watch entertainment live online to one side at telegraph.co.uk/athleticslive, with movement from the IAAF indoor assembly in Lievin on Mar 5, prior to full live coverage of the World Indoor Athletics Championships on Mar 12, thirteen and 14, in organisation with Aviva.

Over 1000 trapped as ships stuck in Baltic ice

Published: 9:44PM GMT 04 March 2010

Two newcomer ferries and dual load ships are stranded in ice in the Baltic Sea Photo: REUTERS

The ships got in to difficulties off Sweden"s easterly coast, and rescuers were on standby to leave them if needed, officials said.

It is reportedly the misfortune Baltic freeze for fifteen years.

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The Swedish Maritime Administration pronounced that ice breakers in the area were perplexing to free the ships, but gale-force winds were hampering the effort.

"As shortly as they mangle the ice it freezes over again," sea rescue orator Peter Lindquist said.

He pronounced no one was harm and there were no evident plans to move people off the ships, but helicopters and troops hovercraft were on standby in box evacuations would turn necessary.

The group pronounced 4 ships were stuck, together with the Amorella, a newcomer packet with 943 people on board.

Two alternative ferries that got stranded in the ice were means to mangle free.

One of those ships, the Finnfellow, collided easily with the Amorella when the ice pulpy the dual ships together, but there was no vital repairs to possibly ship, Lindquist said.

"Just a little paint that was scratched off," he said.