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Macquarie Group Ltd, an Investment bank, confirmed today that it had appointed Michael Hawker to the board as an independent non executive director. Hawker is a former chief executive of Insurance Australia Group and currently working with British insurer Aviva as a director on the board.

Macquarie Group told that the appointment is effective immediately and Hawker will remain based in London while doing the job for Macquarie. The company said that the appointment of Hawker will add value to its board.

Premier Investments Ltd. reported a decline in its first half net profit. The largest specialty clothing retailer in Australia said that the decline in H1 profit was mainly attributable to the poor show by its Portmans retail division. The shares of the company fell by 4% today after the poor first half result. This was the biggest decline of Premier shares in a day in past three months. However the company said that it is cautiously optimistic for the rest of the year.

Premier Investments Group, owner of the brands like Just Jeans, Jays Jays, Dotti, Smiggle and Peter Alexander, reported net profit of $A42.44 million in the first six months of the year, decreasing by 13.7% while net profit was reported of $A49.18 million in the same period last year.

They are considering consolidation of school districts, say U. S. school officials, burdened with reduced budgets.

Stateline. org reported on Monday that Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said he wants to reduce the number of schools in his state by one third.

Dan Turner, a spokesman for Barbour, said, "If you picture a state with 82 counties and 152 school districts, you start to see part of the problem. This is both an educational opportunity and an economic necessity."

They are urging changes in driver's licensing rules for Albertans 75 years and older, say senior advocates and medical experts in Alberta, Canada.

The Calgary Herald reported on Monday that an editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal called for a revamped driving retirement program for seniors.

Editorial author, Dr. Paul Hebert said, "Just as planning for job retirement is the social norm and we should be planning for driving retirement by creating programs to help seniors drive safely for as long as possible, and when they can't, help them get around."

After getting overwhelming response for the Discover in the 100cc segment, its Pulsar 135 has been able to become the second largest selling bike in performance segment within 100 days of its launch. The lighter version of Pulsar, which was launched in December last year has been able to sell 25,000 units in a month following the 26,000 unit sales of the Pulsar 150cc.

Notably, Bajaj Auto, India’s second largest two wheeler maker by sales has been able to bounce back in the Indian market taking cue from its renewed focus on the entry-level segment.

Court documents have shown that a Maryland woman, convicted of killing two of her daughters and hiding the bodies in a freezer, has been sentenced to life in prison.

The Washington Post reported on Monday that Renee Bowman was sentenced to two consecutive life terms without possibility of parole.

Bowman was also convicted of abusing both girls and a third daughter, who survived. All three were adopted children of Bowman.

Bowman's actions were characterized as "horrific, reprehensible and despicable," by Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Michael J. Algeo.