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Willis Quarterly Results Show Organic Growth

Willis Group Holdings reported a 21 percent increase in first-quarter net income—pushed upward by the brokerage's new business, management said.

The New York-based insurance broker posted net income of $169 million compared with $140 million in the 2006 period.

Earnings per diluted share rose 25 percent to $1.10 compared with 88 cents a year ago.

The company reported that organic growth in commissions and fees, which excludes market remuneration, was 6 percent in the first quarter.

"This growth was attributed to net new business won," the company said in a statement. "The net impact of declining premium rates was offset by other market factors."

Bear Stearns analyst David Small said the solid results broke a string of disappointing earnings announcements beating his earnings per share estimate by 3 cents and the consensus by 7 cents.

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Top sport-shoe maker aims to double China outlets

HONG KONG: Yue Yuen Industrial (Holdings), the top maker of shoes for Nike Inc and other footwear brands, plans to more than double its network of Chinese outlets within two years, accelerating a retail foray.

The firm moves the shoes that it makes via 1450 outlets sprinkled across the country but it now aims to raise that total to 3000 within two years, managing director David Tsai told reporters after a shareholders' meeting on Thursday.

It aimed to own two-thirds of those new stores and retail counters, the executive added.

Yue Yuen, which operates a sprawling production web covering China, Vietnam and Indonesia, is moving increasingly away from fabricating shoes for the likes of Nike and Adidas toward wholesale and retail.

That division accounted for 8.3 per cent of nearly $US3.7 billion ($NZ5.3 billion) in revenue in the year ended September 30, up from 5.4 per cent the previous year.

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Arizona Welcomes insurephoenix.com

PHOENIX, March 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Insurephoenix.com is proud to offer products and services to Arizona drivers. Customers in Arizona will have access to an innovative new website that offers free no-obligation car insurance quotes in minutes and provides the ability to customize car insurance policies to meet a client's specific needs.

Insurephoenix.com spent over a year researching customer needs. The result is a new kind of car insurance company, one that's nice and easy to do business with. A new web site puts customers in control with a speedy quote process and side-by-side comparisons. At the heart of insurephoenix.com is a friendly staff of knowledgeable licensed insurance professionals providing unbeatable customer service and personalized protection for all budgets on the web and over the phone.

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Carmen Electra's British lust

The former 'Baywatch' actress - who plays a porn star in new British film 'I Want Candy' - admits she finds guys in the UK very attractive.Carmen said: "I think British guys are really hot. It's the accent and they're such gentlemen. I just love the UK."In the States we think everything that is British is better - the music, the fashion. My favourite artists are Massive Attack and Portishead."Meanwhile, Carmen has confessed she has a lingerie fetish.The 34-year-old brunette loves wearing racy underwear and recommends naughty knickers for any woman who wants to spice up their sex life.Carmen recently said: "I have a lingerie fetish - I love it."Don't be afraid of kinky clothing or accessories in the bedroom, it's fun if you get into lingerie or boots."And get your girl in high heels - it doesn't get much sexier."(c) BANG Media International.

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STYLE FILE: Debra Lockwood

OCCUPATION: CPA & CFO of the nonprofit Provident Foundation and secretary/treasurer of the National American Heart Association.

Tell us about what you’re wearing: "It’s my daughter’s dress, but I have on a different cami and jewelry. We bought it at Macy’s."

Who most influences your style? "My daughter, Sarah. She’s 18 and I do like to shop with her. I’ll look for younger things."

You mentioned that you wear a lot of red because of your work with the heart association. Do you always wear red? "Red is a good color for me. I like a splash of color, but I don’t like to be all in one color. When I’m working for the heart association, I wear some red. I have lots of red and lots of black. When I travel, I travel with black and red mostly and white.