DISASTER IN HAITI

U.S. firms want part in Haiti cleanup

Who will remove the debris in Haiti remains to be seen, but Pompano Beach-based AshBritt is pushing for a major role, as is DRC Group, an Alabama firm.

EUROPE

Greece, others battle debt

Greece is struggling to get out of debt without a bailout. Some other EU members are in trouble too.

ECONOMY

Concerns grow over Europe's debt crisis

Worries that Greece may default are spreading to other financially troubled European governments.

Stanford's Antigua liquidators say deal possible with U.S. receiver

Antiguan liquidators for Stanford International Bank Ltd. said they had ``proactive and meaningful'' talks with their U.S. counterpart, who has challenged their efforts to recover U.K. and Canadian assets.

Telecom Italia deal may aid Telefonica in Brazil

Telecom Italia SpA's second-largest investor said a merger with Telefonica SA may shore up the Spanish company's efforts to build sales in Brazil.

``A full merger with Telecom Italia would solve Telefonica's problems in Brazil,'' Marco Fossati, whose family is the second-largest shareholder of the Italian company, said Wednesday in an interview.

OFFSHORE BANKING

Swiss to work with U.S. to save UBS tax agreement

Switzerland will work with the United States to save a tax settlement involving UBS after a Swiss court ruling jeopardized the disclosure of data on as many as 4,200 of the bank's clients.

Haiti earthquake may have exposed gas, aiding economy

The earthquake in Haiti this month may have left clues to petroleum reservoirs that could aid economic recovery in the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation, a geologist said.

BANKING

Davos forum eyes Haiti, bank reforms

Adapting to a more sober modern economy, a five-day gathering of the world's rich and powerful starts this week.

PERSONAL FINANCE

Study abroad programs never more popular, or harder to finance

Paula Garcia, 23, from Kendall, does not know how she will come up with up to $4,000 to study abroad in Italy during the summer.

BANKS

Crowds eager for scarce cash as the country's banks gear up

Cash is expected to reclaim its role as the lifeblood of commerce. Many wait for money from abroad; some lack identification documents. Banks in Port-au-Prince plan to reopen.

AID ROUTES

Haiti's main port reopens for relief vessels

Haiti's relief pipeline shifted from the air to the sea as the U.S. military opened the island's main port.

FINANCIAL SYSTEM

Flow of cash in Haiti getting up to speed

A rupture in the flow of cash to Haiti should begin to ease as the quake-ravaged country plans to reopen its banks Thursday after a nine-day shutdown.

GLOBAL ECONOMY

Growth outlook improves

The International Monetary Fund director strongly suggested that the IMF would raise its 2010 global growth forecast from the 3.1 percent it projected in October.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN

Royal Caribbean to ship relief supplies to Haiti

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is ready to continue sailings to its resort at Labadee, Haiti, immediately. The cruise operator plans to carry humanitarian supplies on the regular voyages.

BANKING

China moves to curb bank lending

China took new steps Tuesday to control bank lending, ordering institutions to set aside more reserves in a move to avert a surge in credit that Beijing worries might fuel inflation or asset price bubbles.

Haiti experiences a hotel boom

A decade after Haiti's only U.S. hotel franchise removed its marquee from a downtown Port-au-Prince building, the Caribbean nation is preparing to welcome its first international hotel brand.

UBS whistleblower to appear on `60 Minutes'

Bradley Birkenfeld, the former Swiss banker who blew the whistle on UBS' scheme to help rich Americans evade taxes with secret offshore accounts, is scheduled to appear on CBS' 60 Minutes Sunday at 7 p.m.

Ship sailing from Tampa hijacked by Somali pirates

A ship carrying phosphate fertilizer from the Port of Tampa has been hijacked by Somali pirates while on its way to India.

Greece's Merchant Marine Ministry said the Navios Apollon was taken 240 nautical miles northeast of Seychelles on Monday. The crew was comprised of one Greek and 18 Filipinos.

Developer of golf's `Nicklaus Trail' in talks with creditors

Polaris World, a privately held Spanish real estate company that develops golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, is in talks with lenders to avoid filing for protection from creditors.