Wikinews Shorts: March 2, 2007

Popeyes Chicken sues Church's over franchisee buy-out
United States fast-food chain Popeyes Chicken and Biscuits has filed a $20 million dollar lawsuit against competitor Church's Chicken.

Popeyes Chicken says fast-food chain Church's Chicken was trying to steal customers.

AFC owned both companies for 12 years, till it sold Church's in 2004. AFC claims that Church bought all 10 Popeyes restaurants owned by franchisee CVI. Popeyes Chicken says the sale of the 10 restaurants violated its franchise agreement with CVI.

The sudden buy-out in December 2006 led the restaurants to close in early January 2007.

"What Church's chose to do, I do believe, was not honest competition," said Ken Keymer, CEO of AFC Enterprises Inc., the parent company of Popeyes.

Church's spokesperson chose not to comment on the issue.

Sources

Australian plant species reclassified
The national body for scientific research in Australia, the CSIRO has announced that 93 species of shrubs and small trees of the genus Dryandra have been been merged into the genus Banksia in the series Dryandra. This increased the number of Banksia species from 80 to 173.

The plants are endemic to the southwestern corner of Western Australia and the former genus was named in honour of the Swedish botanist Jonas C. Dryander.

 Sources