Weather, sales help July sales beat expectations

The nation's retailers finally got a break in July as warm weatherand heavy discounting lifted sales above expectations, even forstruggling department stores.

The upbeat sales reports issued Thursday halted a sluggish trendseen since last summer and raised hopes that consumers will be in themood to spend for the critical back-to-school season.

Sales picked up for most retailing sectors. Business was strongenough at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. that the industry leader boosted itsprofit outlook for the second quarter.

Sears, Roebuck and Co., Target Corp., J.C. Penney Co. Inc., andGap Inc. were among the retailers reporting sales that beat analystforecasts.

Even …

Coca-Cola names Deval L. Patrick general counsel: Will succeed Joseph R. Gladden, Jr.

Coca-Cola names Deval L. Patrick general counsel: Will succeed Joseph R. Gladden, Jr.

The Coca-Cola Company today announced that Deval L. Patrick has been named General Counsel of the Company, effective April 18, 2001. He will succeed Joseph R. Gladden, Jr., who has announced his plans to retire after a distinguished career with the company. Mr. Patrick, 44, joins the company from Texaco Inc.

Doug Daft, chairman and chief executive officer of The Coca-Cola Company, said: "As Coca-Cola cements its position as a leader in establishing and nurturing relationships all around the world, we will benefit greatly from having on our senior management team a skilled and accomplished …

HK finds excessive melamine in 2 Cadbury products

Hong Kong's food safety agency said Sunday it has found unsafe levels of the industrial chemical melamine in two chocolate products made by British candy maker Cadbury at its Beijing factory.

The two items were among 11 Chinese-made products that have already been recalled by Cadbury in parts of Asia and the Pacific.

Hong Kong's Center for Food Safety said samples of the two products contained considerably more melamine than the city's legal limit of 2.5 parts per million.

Cadbury's Dairy Milk Hazelnut Chocolate Bulk Pack contained 56 parts per million of melamine, while Dairy Milk Cookies Chocolate contained 6.9 parts per million, the center …

Hammers chat for heroes charity ; In brief [Edition 3]

BILLERICAY: Former West Ham footballers Tony Cottee and Tony Galewill be giving a talk at The Forge, in The Pantiles, on Thursday.

Tickets cost Pounds …

Set the scene Plant bulbs now for a colorful summer garden

Try to imagine, if you can, a garden without the glorious bloomsof bulbs.

In spring, no tulips, daffodils, hyacinths or crocuses.

In summer, no lilies, dahlias, begonias, caladiums or tuberose.

It's too painful to think about, so instead we'll concentrate onthe marvelous selection of tender summer bulbs that are available andcan be planted now for a riotous display of color all summer long.

The most interesting thing about summer bulbs is that you canachieve various results: everything from unusual seed heads tocolorful foliage, wonderful fragrance to interesting structure, withsome providing more than one of these in the course of the …

US ad pulled that depicted fireman as WTC rescuer

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City agency has pulled an ad featuring a firefighter holding a photo of the destroyed World Trade Center towers and the words "I was there."

Robert Keiley says he wasn't at ground zero, and thought he was posing for a fire-prevention ad.

The New York Post says the agency, Barker/DZP, apologized to Keiley.

The ad was made for Worby Groner Edelman & Napoli …

Youngest solo round-the-world sailing set to begin

Teen sailor Laura Dekker says she will leave the Netherlands on Wednesday in her quest to become the youngest to circumnavigate the globe alone. But it won't yet be the first leg of the 14-year-old's solo voyage.

Laura said on her blog Saturday she will sail with her father to Portugal, and will begin her round-the-world venture from there later. She said she did not know when that would be.

Laura won a prolonged battle last Tuesday when a court released her from the guardianship of Dutch child protection agencies that had blocked her attempts to leave last year when she was still 13. The authorities said being alone and absent from school for so long would be …