National / International News

Shadow Commons leader Angela Eagle calls for a debate in Parliament on sexual harassment.

J.C. Penney had another tough quarter. Sales were down 28 percent -- more than half a billion dollars. 

When Ron Johnson became J.C. Penny’s CEO, in 2011, he crunched the numbers. 

“And his argument was,'This is ridiculous,’” says Jean-Pierre Dubé, professor of marketing at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. “‘People are just coming for deals. What J.C. Penney needs to do is offer value.’”

So, Johnson invested in new merchandise, and built specialty boutiques in J.C. Penney stores. He also got rid of two things J.C. Penney was known for: Sales and coupons. 

That backfired, and last summer, he brought some of them back. 

According to Ken Homa, a marketing professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, the retailer has sent some mixed messages.

“I think that consumers out there just have no idea what to think about J.C. Penney at this time,” he says.

Yesterday, on a conference call with investors, CEO Ron Johnson defended himself.

“I told you transformations are unpredictable and can be bumpy, and this one has been,” he said.

When Johnson started at J.C. Penney, he predicted there would be profits in a matter of months. Yesterday, he said the company’s transformation will take years.  

Rafael Benitez says he will leave Chelsea in May and the club made a "massive mistake" in giving him the title of "interim manager".

Was Benitez doomed from the start at Chelsea?

A court in India formally charges a 17-year-old accused in the fatal gang rape of a woman in the capital Delhi last month with rape and murder.

Hackers from the US have repeatedly launched attacks on Chinese military websites, including that of the Defence Ministry, officials say.

Part of the quayside walkway along the River Clyde in Glasgow at Anderson Quay collapses.

The first pope in about 600 years to voluntarily step down is headed to a life out of the public's eye. Now, the church's cardinals turn to the task of selecting a successor.

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Dr Sugata Mitra, the man who set up computers in wall in the slums of India, has won the coveted $1m TED prize.

Vatican headache over Benedict XVI's new status

Ulster Bank has reported losses of more than £1bn for 2012, a slight increase on the previous year - as part of parent group RBS's £5bn losses.

Motorists in south Wales could lose their licences immediately if their eyesight is found to be too poor, as police introduce random checks.

The administrators of HMV sell its six shops in Hong Kong and two in Singapore to private equity firm Aid Partners.

Former Motown vocalist Richard Street, a member of the Temptations for 25 years, dies at the age of 70.

The number of young people not in education, training or work in England has fallen slightly since this time last year.

Office groping is back in the headlines. But it's a difficult subject to talk about and even define.

People living near the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan have an increased risk of developing some cancers following the 2011 disaster, the World Health Organization says.

UK internet service providers must block access to three more sites offering links to pirated material, the High Court rules.

Researchers at the Large Hadron Collider have witnessed particles called D-mesons flipping from matter into antimatter and back.

In a stunning interview with BBC Radio 5 live, Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez criticises the club's fans for the lack of support and says it was a massive mistake to name him as "interim" boss.