Empire Co profit rises on higher sales at Sobeys

Empire Co Ltd reported a higher second-quarter profit as sales at its Sobeys supermarket chain rose due to acquisitions.Net earnings increased to C$93.3 million ($95 million), or C$1.37 per share, from C$78.1 million, or C$1.15 per share, a year earlier.Total sales rose 9 percent to C$4.40 billion in the quarter ended November 3.Sales at established stores, a key measure for retailers, rose 1.3 percent...

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Burundi coffee earnings rise 46 pct in November

 Burundi's coffee revenues rose 46 percent in November from the previous month on higher prices and export volumes, the country's industry regulator said on Friday.The country earned $5.7 million from the sale of 1,671,638 kg versus $3.9 million it earned in October from the export of 1,205,919 kg."Coffee farmers were asked to produce Arabica beans of highest quality following an uncertain world...

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Zurich puts Sandy storm damage claims at $700 million

ZURICH (Reuters) - Zurich estimates that damage claims relating to tropical storm Sandy, which hit the United States in October, will amount to $700 million in its fourth-quarter earnings.The Swiss insurer's announcement on Monday also said that it expects $58 million of "reinstatement premiums due on reinsurance covers". The company gave no further explanation. It is due to report quarterly earnings...

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MetLife warns on 2013 profit, expects no stock buybacks

MetLife Inc warned that 2013 earnings might be well below Wall Street expectations and said it did not expect to buy back any shares next year, a blow to investors who have been waiting more than a year for a capital return.The largest life insurer in the United States also said it needed to move faster on strategic changes amid a persistently low-interest-rate environment.While MetLife has said in...

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LONDON (Reuters) - The leader of the Church of England on Tuesday said a vote last month that struck down proposals to allow women to become bishops had been "deeply painful", but that Christianity was still relevant in Britain despite falling numbers of believers. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, who leads the global 80-million-strong Anglican Communion, said in his Christmas day sermon that the answer to the question of whether Christianity had "had its day" was a "resounding no". The Church of England narrowly voted against allowing women bishops last month - to the dismay of Williams and Prime Minister David Cameron - in a move its leaders said risked undermining its role as the established church in society with clerics in parliament's upper chamber. The media, many politicians and some members of the public have criticised the Church of England for failing to allow women bishops and for failing to back government plans for gay marriage at a time when it is under pressure to modernise. In separate comments aired on Tuesday but recorded earlier, the Roman Catholic Church's leader in England and Wales, Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols, said the government's plans to allow gay marriage were a "shambles" and had no mandate. No religious organisation or cleric will be forced to conduct gay weddings under the plans, but critics fear that clause could be challenged under European human rights laws. A census showed earlier this month that the number of people in England and Wales describing themselves as Christian has declined by 13 percent over the last decade, but Williams warned secularists not to become "too excited". "There are a lot more questions to ask before we could possibly assume that the census figures told us that faith was losing its hold on society," Williams said. "In the deeply painful aftermath of the synod's vote last month, what was startling was how many people who certainly wouldn't have said yes to the census question turned out to have a sort of investment in the church," he said. Williams, 62, is stepping down after 10 years in his post, and will be replaced next year by former oil executive Justin Welby. Williams has agonised over schisms in the Anglican Communion and has said he hopes his successor has "the constitution of an ox and the skin of a rhinoceros"

LONDON (Reuters) - The leader of the Church of England on Tuesday said a vote last month that struck down proposals to allow women to become bishops had been "deeply painful", but that Christianity was still relevant in Britain despite falling numbers of believers.Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, who leads the global 80-million-strong Anglican Communion, said in his Christmas day sermon that...

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Archbishop of Canterbury says Anglican church wounded, not dead

LONDON (Reuters) - The leader of the Church of England on Tuesday said a vote last month that struck down proposals to allow women to become bishops had been "deeply painful", but that Christianity was still relevant in Britain despite falling numbers of believers.Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, who leads the global 80-million-strong Anglican Communion, said in his Christmas day sermon that...

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Russian parliament considers anti-US adoption bill

 The upper chamber of Russia's parliament has unanimously voted in favor of a measure banning Americans from adopting Russian children.It now goes to President Vladimir Putin to sign or turn down.The bill is one part of a larger measure by lawmakers retaliating against a recently signed U.S. law that calls for sanctions against Russians deemed to be human rights violators.Some top government...

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UK on track to hit 2020 green energy targets - DECC

The UK is on track to meet its 2020 renewable energy targets after low-carbon electricity generation grew more than a quarter in the year to end-June 2012, thanks largely to new solar and offshore wind projects, a government report said.The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) said renewable energy accounted for over 10 percent of total electricity supplied in the 12 months to end-June.Renewable...

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Russian parliament endorses anti-US adoption bill

 Defying a storm of domestic and international criticism, Russia moved toward finalizing a ban on Americans adopting Russian children, as Parliament's upper house voted unanimously in favor of a measure that President Vladimir Putin has indicated he will sign into law.The bill is widely seen as the Kremlin's retaliation against an American law that calls for sanctions against Russians deemed...

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Modern Etiquette: A bit of netiquette will keep Christmas real

 Christmas is a convivial time of year when people get together for celebrations and conversation. It's all about human contact so it's important that you're discriminating about how you use your digital devices.It's fine if they're used to facilitate get-togethers and spread seasonal cheer. But Christmas is a real, not a virtual event, so it's important to discard the phones, tablets and computers...

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