Egypt forces storm offices of pro-democracy groups

Egyptian security forces stormed the offices of 10 human rights and pro-democracy groups on Thursday, including several based in the U.S., accused by the country’s military rulers of destabilizing security by fomenting protests with the help of foreign funding.
The raids on 17 offices throughout Egypt are part of the ruling generals’ attempt to blame “foreign […]

White Castle to serve booze?

COLUMBUS, Ohio • The White Castle hamburger chain is sipping on the idea of selling alcoholic beverages at its restaurants.
The 90-year-old company is testing beer and wine sales at a location in Lafayette, Ind., that combines a traditional White Castle burger joint with a Blaze Modern BBQ, a new restaurant concept also being tried out.
“White […]

Spanish savings bank directors suspected of fraud

A Spanish savings bank has fired two directors and is investigating two former executives for allegedly syphoning off euro20 million ($26.5 million) into secret pension funds, the bank said Saturday.
The board of directors of Caixa Penedes bank had “required the departure” of its president, Ricard Pages, and director general Manuel Troyano. It said both men […]

Lithuania to dismantle troubled bank

Lithuania’s central bank said it would dismantle a bank controlled by a Russian businessman after regulators discovered large sums of money missing.
Lithuanian prosecutors said Friday that Raimondas Baranauskas, minority owner of Snoras Bank, has been detained in London after they had issued a European arrest warrant on Wednesday.
Prosecutors could not say whether Russian citizen Vladimir […]

Rate on 30-year fixed mortgage falls to 3.98 pct.

The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage hovered above its record low for a fourth straight week. But cheap mortgage rates have done little to boost home sales or refinancing.
Freddie Mac says the rate on the 30-year fixed loan fell to 3.98 percent from 4 percent the previous week. Seven weeks ago, it dropped […]

Stocks edge higher; Europe worries ease

Stocks edged higher Friday as investors balanced signs of future growth in the U.S. economy with a looming deadline for Congress to reach a deal in deficit-reduction talks. Steep declines earlier in the week put the S&P 500 index on track for its worst week since September.
The Conference Board’s index of leading economic indicators rose […]

Syrup smackdown

Move over maple, there’s another syrup in town.
Maple syrup might be the ultimate Canadian culinary symbol, but if Dave Challen has his way, we’ll be turning to birch syrup for our dose of tree-based sweetness.
“There are a lot more birch trees in Canada than there are maple,” said Challen, owner of Thunder Bay-based Boreal Birch […]

Papademos is new Greek PM, vows to stick with euro

Senior banker Lucas Papademos was appointed prime minister Thursday of an interim Greek unity government that seeks to cement a European debt deal and stave off national bankruptcy.
Chosen after four tortuous days of power-sharing talks, Papademos immediately called for unity and promised to seek cross-party cooperation to keep Greece firmly in the 17-nation eurozone.
The 64-year-old […]

Foreign vineyards keen to tap China wine market

As growth slows in their traditional markets, wine makers from around the world are eager to tap demand in China but industry players say the increased competition and a lack of wine drinking culture mean it won’t be easy money.
Thousands of people attending a major wine and spirits trade fair last week in Hong Kong […]

Billionaire battle: Russians take feud to UK court

They were once said to be like father and son, vacationing, signing deals, and socializing at the Kremlin together. But these days two of Russia’s richest men can’t stand each other _ and they’re trading insults in a spectacularly expensive public feud.
At more than $6.5 billion, the lawsuit brought by Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky against […]