Sino-Forest boss quits amid Canadian investigation

Sino Forest Corp. says its chief executive has resigned as Canadian regulators investigate fraud allegations against the Hong Kong-based company following claims it exaggerated the size of its forest holdings in China.
Three other employees were temporarily suspended, said a company statement released Sunday in Canada, where its shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange. […]

Orders for long-lasting factory goods rose in July

Companies ordered more aircraft and autos last month, driving up demand for long-lasting manufactured goods. But outside those categories, businesses invested less in durable goods.
The Commerce Department says orders for durable goods rose 4 percent in July, the biggest increase since March. Demand for autos and auto parts jumped 11.5 percent, the most in eight […]

Lenovo says quarterly profit nearly doubles

Lenovo Group, the world’s No. 3 personal computer manufacturer, said Thursday its profit in the latest quarter nearly doubled on strong sales in emerging markets.
Profit for the three months ending June 30 was $108 million, or 1.11 U.S. cents per share, up 98 percent from a year ago, the company said. It said sales rose […]

Measuring the indicators

Gross domestic product, the labour market, industrial production, housing starts

Roseman: Home inspection didn

Jeff Timmons has spent about $5,000 to fix up a guest bathroom in the home he purchased this year. It wasn

S&P warns it may downgrade Fannie, Freddie credit

Standard & Poor’s is warning mortgage giants Fannie Me and Freddie Mac that they may lose their top credit ratings if lawmakers don’t raise the U.S. government’s borrowing limit in time to avoid a default.
S&P says government-controlled Fannie and Freddie, along with certain Federal Home Loan Banks and Farm Credit System Banks, could also default […]

China orders offshore oil risks review after spill

China’s ocean administration has ordered oil companies operating offshore wells to assess risks of accidents following two spills off its east coast in a field operated by American energy giant ConocoPhillips.
The State Oceanic Administration on Friday said offshore oil producers must thoroughly investigate any risks, review their emergency planning and also reassess environmental impact from […]

France says its E.coli strain same as Germany’s

France’s health minister says experts are “99 percent sure” that the E. coli outbreak that put seven people in the hospital in Bordeaux region is the same strain of bacteria that killed 44 people _ all but one in Germany.
Hospital officials say that three of the seven sickened are on dialysis, while a 78-year-old is […]

Greece crippled by protests, strike over austerity

Greek police deployed in strength Wednesday to prevent thousands of anti-austerity protesters from blockading Parliament, where the struggling government will launch a debate on new unpopular cutbacks needed to secure international rescue loans.
As a 24-hour general strike got underway, a large part of central Athens was closed to all traffic and pedestrians as police mounted […]

Gov’t faults 3 lenders over mortgage-aid efforts

The Obama administration is blaming the three largest U.S. mortgage lenders for the failures of its foreclosure-prevention program. It says they’ve done little to help people at risk of losing their homes.
The Treasury Department said Thursday that Wells Fargo, Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase & Co. have failed to help enough people permanently lower […]