McDonald's profits boosted by store revamps
McDonald's profits rose 5% in the first quarter to $1.27bn, helped by a revamp of its restaurants.
The company said profits had also been boosted by new menu items, including chicken McBites and McCafe drinks.
Sales at US stores that have been open at least 13 months rose 8.9% in the quarter.
Last month McDonald's said Don Thompson would takeover as chief executive in July. He replaces Jim Skinner who retired after 41 years at the firm.
There was concern that the downturn in Europe would hurt sales there, but the quarterly results showed solid sales growth of 5%.
"People have been most concerned about Europe and it looks like it's OK," said Sara Senatore, an analyst with Sanford C Bernstein.
The company is spending $1.45bn this year on giving 2,400 stores a makeover. Analysts say that has helped attract extra customers.
Jill McDonald, the chief executive of McDonald's UK business said: "We have been consistently investing in our business to offer customers quality food at affordable prices. We have re-imaged over 90% of our UK restaurants to make them more attractive destinations."
The company also plans to open 1,300 new stores this year.
CAN SOUTH CAICOS BEAT THE FLYERS WHO IS UP 2-0
The stage has been set and the Gustarvus Lightbourne Sports Complex will come alive tonight for Game 3 between The Flyers and South Caicos Harbour Boys.
In the 1st two games, the Flyers stunned South Caicos 94-83 in Game 1 and 96-91 in game 2 to take a 2-0 lead in the best of five series.
No other team has returned to win three straight says Donavan Fulford of Sports Watch. He lamented on Wednesday evenings program, that South Caicos will need Heart to win.
South Caicos finds themselves staring at the broom in the finals after dominating the regular season with a 17 and 1 record.
Game 3 is the deciding game of the finals where the harbour boys could be swept or extend the finals by avoiding the sweep.
PABA's Mr. Glassglow told RTC Sports that the momentum for this game is high and urge supporters to get their seats early to cheer on their favourite teams, as this could be it!
Flyers look to close out the series by using their speed to dominate the Harbour boys.
RTC's Sports Watch will have live action tonight of game at 8pm.
Brilliant Gayle seals win for Royal Challengers
Big-hitting Chris Gayle unveiled another high-powered innings today to haul his Royal Challengers Bangalore out of trouble and propel them to a convincing five-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League.
The left-hander carved out a scintillating 87 from a mere 56 balls as Royal Challengers overhauled Kings XI’s 163 for six with three balls to spare at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium.
Royal Challengers slipped to 25 for three in the sixth over but Gayle rose to the occasion for the second successive match, belting eight fours and four sixes in another quality exhibition.
He dominated a fourth-wicket stand of 131 with South African stroke-maker AB de Villiers (52), a partnership that put Royal Challengers in sight of victory.
Gayle made a measured start with his first 30 runs requiring 28 deliveries and his half-century needing 41.
However, he accelerated thereafter, and in tandem with de Villiers, who hit six fours off 39 balls, took the fight to Kings XI.
Gayle was eventually out, brilliantly caught at cover by David Hussey in the 28th over as he opened up for another slash through the off-side. He had already taken 14 runs from the first three balls.
Earlier, Hussey top-scored with 41 after Kings XI were put in.
JA.OBSERVER
LIME gives $2.3M boost to Penn teams
TELECOMMS giant LIME has provided a sponsorship package valued at close to $2.3 million to support the 23 teams from local schools who will be competing in this year's Penn Relays.
LIME, in continuing a 20-year tradition, yesterday handed over cheques valued at $100,000 each to the 20 high schools and three tertiary institutions that will be competing in the annual relay carnival.
The meet is scheduled for next Wednesday through to Saturday at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, USA.
LIME, one of the biggest supporters of Jamaican track and field, has also given a significant financial boost to Team Jamaica Bickle, a group of US-based Jamaicans who provide meals, transportation and hospitality to the Jamaican athletes during their stay in Pennsylvania.
In addition, LIME presented each of the 23 teams with Jus Talk calling cards valued at $1,000 so the athletes and other members of the delegations will be able to call home while they are in the USA.
"With 2012 being an Olympic year, we all have huge expectations for our athletes on the world stage, but we cannot forget that the crucial groundwork is laid at events like the Penn Relays," said Garry Sinclair, managing director, LIME Jamaica & Cayman.
"This is the 20th consecutive year that LIME has been helping to send teams to the Penn Relays and we are confident that, once again, our young athletes will do their best and make us all proud," he added.
The Penn Relays sponsorship underscores LIME's position as the biggest supporter of Jamaican youth athletics. Last month the telecoms company contributed $8 million for the staging of the 2012 Boys' and Girls' Championships and $18 million for the 2012 Craft Games. The company is also on the third leg of a three-year sponsorship deal with the Jamaica Athletic Administrative Association (JAAA) valued at $21 million dollars.
"We are not only concerned about the current crop of athletes, we are committed to securing the continued growth of Track & Field in Jamaica," Sinclair said.
"Sports is a powerful tool for youth development and national unity and we are investing heavily to secure Jamaica's legacy on the track," he added.
The teams that received sponsorship from LIME this year are Alpha, Ardenne, Bellefield, Bridgeport High School, Calabar, Camperdown, Edwin Allen, G C Foster, Herbert Morrison, Holmwood, Jamaica College, Kingston College, Manchester, Munro, The Queen's, St Andrew's, St Elizabeth, St Hugh's, St Jago, St George's College, UTech, UWI Sports and Wolmer's Boys.
JA.OBSERVER
Knicks' Stoudemire to start Friday night against Cavs
With a playoff spot secured, the New York Knicks are gearing up for the postseason as Carmelo Anthony continues to step up his game.
Amare Stoudemire's return may provide another boost.
Stoudemire is hoping to end a 13-game absence when New York visits the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night.
New York, which clinched a spot in the postseason after Milwaukee lost at Indiana on Thursday night, has gone 9-4 while Stoudemire has been recovering from a bulging disk in his back. Anthony has been the main reason for the team's success during that stretch, averaging a league-high 32.2 points in April.
He scored 33 to lead the Knicks (33-29) past New Jersey 104-95 on Wednesday, had 35 on Tuesday in a win over Boston and scored 42 in a loss to Miami on Sunday.
"He's playing unbelievable right now," said center Tyson Chandler, who added 18 points and 10 rebounds Wednesday. "He's playing, if not the best, definitely in the tops right now, as far as individual basketball."
Anthony, though, refused to take all the credit, deferring accolades to his teammates. Steve Novak and J.R. Smith each hit three 3-pointers off the bench Wednesday for the Knicks, who are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, one game ahead of eighth-place Philadelphia.
New York will be making its second straight trip to the postseason following a six-year absence.
"Guys are feeling comfortable with their shot right now," Anthony said. "They get it and make something happen."
Some have wondered, though, if Stoudemire's impending return will take shots away from the red-hot Anthony. Anthony averaged 14.0 points while shooting 39.4 percent in his last seven games before Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin went down with injuries March 24, though New York went 6-1 in that stretch.
If he returns Friday, Stoudemire may have to shake off some rust, much like Kyrie Irving had to do in Cleveland's 103-87 loss to the 76ers on Wednesday.
Irving returned after missing nine straight games with a sprained shoulder and scored nine points while shooting 4 of 10 from the field.
"It felt good to be back out there," Irving said. "I really felt good finally getting my legs back under me. I'd rather be out there on one leg than sitting on the bench."
Coach Byron Scott and the organization mulled shutting down the rookie for the remainder of the season rather than risking further injury to the No. 1 overall pick, but Irving pleaded to play.
"Kyrie and I talked the other day a bunch via text and he kept telling me how much it was eating him up sitting on the bench," Scott said. "He's a competitor. He wants to play. He wants to be out there with his teammates."
Irving isn't sure how much he'll be on the court with the Cavaliers (20-41) finishing another disappointing season, though he said he'll play as much as he's allowed.
"Most likely I won't play in all five (remaining games) knowing coach Scott, but we'll see how it goes," Irving said. "I've been putting my case in and letting him know I'm 100 percent and ready to go."
Irving and Stoudemire missed the most recent meeting March 31, when Smith scored a game-high 20 points off the bench in New York's 91-75 win.
Irving and Anthony scored 22 points apiece in the Knicks' 120-103 win Feb. 29. The Cavs beat the Knicks at home 91-81 on Jan. 25 despite Irving being held to seven points.
Bahrain Crown Prince insists grand prix will not bow to extremists
Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa has insisted Sunday's grand prix in the Gulf kingdom will go ahead despite continued anti-government protests on the country's streets.
As the first practice session got underway at the Sakhir circuit, the Crown Prince and Formula One chief Bernie Eccelstone defended the decision to press ahead with the race, amid continuing demonstrations.
The Force India team decided not to take part in Friday's second practice session, opting to return to their hotel before night fell. On Thursday a petrol bomb exploded near a car carrying four of their staff back to the capital Manama.
The Bahrain Grand Prix was canceled twice in 2010 and several UK politicians, as well as human rights group Amnesty International, have called for this year's installment to be shelved.
General Electric profits hit by one-off charges
US industrial conglomerate General Electric (GE) has reported a fall in first-quarter profits.
The firm made $3.03bn (£1.88bn) in the three months to the end of March, down 10% on the £3.36bn made in the same period last year.
This year's results were hit by one-off charges, including a $200m charge related to an Irish mortgage business.
But the firm said that infrastructure orders were at a record high, boosted by emerging markets.
That included orders from South Africa's Transnet for 43 new trains, bringing the total number of GE trains that have been ordered to 143 since 2009.
GE also got engine orders from Kenya Airways and Qantas, as well as its oil and gas division receiving orders worth $1bn to supply equipment and services for a liquefied natural gas project in Australia.
Growth is accelerating in many emerging countries, fuelling demand for transport and energy grid projects across the word.
'Industrial growth'
Taking out its one-off costs, GE made $3.6bn in the first quarter up 1% and more than analysts expected.
GE chief executive, Jeff Immelt said: "Today's results demonstrate that we are achieving industrial growth and GE Capital continues to grow stronger.
"This quarter we witnessed broad-based strength in orders across all our infrastructure businesses and in both equipment and services," he said.
GE is the world's biggest maker of jet engines, but is strong in other industrial areas, including equipment for power stations and transport infrastructure.
"If you look into the details, that beat [performance above analyst expectations] came at the expense of human capital, and we're still not seeing the growth we had experienced in previous quarters," said Todd Schoenberger, managing director at Landcolt Trading.
"In addition, there's a curbing of enthusiasm for the upcoming quarters because of the potential slowdown in Europe and possibly China."
France Wraps Up Last Day of Campaigning Ahead of Sunday Vote
The 10 candidates seeking the French presidency have held their last day of campaigning ahead of Sunday's first round of voting that President Nicolas Sarkozy is expected to lose.
Several new polls out Friday indicate that President Sarkozy is trailing his main rival, Socialist Francois Hollande, by several points. Polls also show that Mr. Sarkozy will lose in an expected runoff May 6, which would make him the country's first one-term president in over 30 years. Another concern for both candidates is the widespread expectation of low voter turnout.
On Friday, Mr. Sarkozy apologized for his actions in the early days of his five-year term. He said his mistake was “not understanding the symbolic dimension of the president's role.” He told a radio interviewer it was a mistake he would not make again, saying, “Now I know the job.”
The conservative Mr. Sarkozy, however, defended his role in curbing French spending to help resolve the European governmental debt crisis. He said France would face more difficulties like debt-ridden Spain if it changes course.
“The minute we relax pressure on spending cuts, on deficit cuts and cuts in indebtedness, France will suffer the same fate as Spain.''
Mr. Sarkozy also headed to the southern city of Nice for a final rally.
Hollande blamed Mr. Sarkozy for France's unemployment rate of nearly 10 percent and called for sweeping changes to improve France's public finances.
“I want to profoundly reform my country: engage in a tax reform for justice, a reform of the banks to dominate the finance world, a territorial reform to create a new decentralization policy, a reform of justice to make it independent.”
As cheering crowds greeted him at one campaign stop, Hollande called for an “irreversible” vote against Mr. Sarkozy.
“What is at stake this Sunday, is to give me the necessary strength to challenge the 'departing candidate' in the second round. What is at stake this Sunday, is to make this victory an irresistible and irreversible one starting on April 22nd. So we don't have to wait 15 more days; no, we have to create this motion, this dynamic right away.”
If Hollande ultimately wins the elections, he would become France's first Socialist president in 17 years.
Under French law, the media are barred from announcing early or partial results before the polling stations close Sunday evening . President Sarkozy has said in interviews that the rule is outdated. The law does not affect foreign-based media and the information is expected to be widely available on Twitter and Facebook well before the official results are announced at about 8 p.m. local time.
Pakistan plane crash victims mourned
Pakistan has begun mourning the victims of a plane crash in a residential area near Islamabad international airport.
All 127 people on board the Bhoja Air jet, flight BHO-213 from Karachi to Islamabad, are believed to have died.
Rescue workers have suspended their search of the wreckage in the village of Hussain Abad until Saturday morning. No casualties have been found.
Officials say the Boeing 737's cockpit flight recorder has been recovered and would be handed to investigators.
The plane, believed to be carrying 121 passengers and six crew, was making its final approach to the airport when the crash happened. There are reports of thunderstorms at the time.
The grieving relatives of those on board have been gathering at Karachi and Islamabad airports awaiting news.
A Bhoja Air official in Karachi said it was making arrangements to fly one member from each family to the capital.
At Islamabad airport, one man yelled "my two daughters are dead", before slumping to the floor in a state of shock.
The uncle of the sisters, aged 18 and 20, said: "We don't even know when or where we will get to see their bodies."
Another woman at the airport was desperately trying to find out if her husband was on the flight.
Zarina Bibi said: "He called me before leaving Karachi but I don't know if he was on this flight or not."
Hafeez Chachar, of the BBC Urdu service, who has been near the site of the crash, says seats from the plane are strewn over a wide area.
Reporters say conditions on the ground have been difficult because of heavy mud following rain.
Witness Samab Ahmad told the BBC: "I saw the plane crash land and then suddenly catch fire. It crashed on top of some sort of building, which could be residential."
Saifur Rehman, from a police rescue team, told Pakistan's Geo TV: "The wreckage is on fire. The plane is completely destroyed."
A police official at the crash site, Fazle Akbar, told AFP news agency it would be a miracle if there were any survivors.
The jet left Karachi at around 17:00 local time (12:00 GMT) and had been due to arrive at 18:50 (13:50 GMT).
There have conflicting reports about the exact numbers of passengers and crew on board.
Bhoja Air is a small new commercial airline which was started about 10 years ago but closed because of financial difficulties. It recently re-opened.
In July 2010, an Airbus A321 crashed as it was about to land in Islamabad, killing all 152 people on board - Pakistan's worst-ever air disaster.
Although Pakistan's air industry has been booming, critics say standards have not always kept pace with the increase in services.
--BBC
Mexico Volcano Erupts, Spews Ash
Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano erupted Friday morning, sending a cloud of ash towering into the sky southeast of the nation's capital.
Mexico's National Disaster Prevention Center posted images on its website of the plume rising from the 5,450-meter volcano.
Authorities raised the alert level for the volcano earlier this week due to increased activity. But so far, no evacuations have been ordered.
The Popocatepetl volcano, known by locals as “El Popo,” is located about 60 kilometers southeast of the Mexican capital, Mexico City. It has been emitting smoke and volcanic ash since 1994, with a violent eruption in 2000 that forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people living along the base.