The Canadian Press - MONTREAL - New wireless player Public Mobile is looking to line up customers who want a no-frills service and don't already own a cellphone, the company's chief executive said Thursday as the company opened its first stores in Toronto and Montreal.

The Canadian Press - U.S. motorists are paying the highest prices for gas since October 2008.

The Canadian Press - TORONTO - A continuing Greek debt crisis helped push the Toronto stock market lower Thursday afternoon, with commodity stocks dampened by worries an already shaky global economic recovery could have the wind knocked out of it should EU bailout efforts fail.

Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - World stocks dropped on Thursday and the euro weakened against the U.S. dollar on renewed worries about Greece, which said it may be unable to solve its fiscal problems if borrowing costs stay high.

The Canadian Press - OTTAWA - Stop buying those lattes or splurging on spring break vacations.

AFP - WASHINGTON (AFP) - Taiwan cellphone maker HTC, accused by Apple of infringing on iPhone patents, said Thursday it will "fully defend" itself against the charges.

AFP - LONDON (AFP) - British Airways and the country's biggest trade union were in last-ditch talks Thursday in a bid to avert a planned strike this weekend by BA cabin crew.

AFP - FRANKFURT (AFP) - German industrial giant Siemens announced on Thursday a broad restructuring of its SIS information technology division that includes the elimination of 4,200 jobs worldwide.

AFP - DUBLIN (AFP) - Irish fraud squad detectives arrested a prominent former Irish banker Thursday for questioning about alleged "financial irregularities", police said.

AFP - BRASILIA (AFP) - All three fighter jets vying to be picked for a multi-billion-dollar contract to supply the Brazilian air force have passed a technical evaluation, news reports said Thursday.

AFP - HELSINKI (AFP) - Tensions mounted in a Finnish stevedores' walkout that has crippled the country's foreign trade for two weeks as strikers tried to block non-union workers from resuming operations at a port Thursday.

AFP - BRATISLAVA (AFP) - South Korean car maker Kia Motors said Thursday it would build a new engine production facility worth 100 million euros (136.7 million dollars) in Slovakia.

AFP - LONDON (AFP) - Europe's main stock markets stumbled on Thursday as investors took profits and digested economic data including a larger-than-expected eurozone trade deficit, dealers said.

AFP - LONDON (AFP) - The euro sank against the dollar on Thursday on persistent worries over the Greek debt crisis after Athens warned again that it could appeal to the International Monetary Fund for aid if none is forthcoming from its eurozone partners.

Reuters - BRUSSELS/ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece raised the stakes on Thursday in its quest for EU help to tackle its debt crisis, saying it cannot achieve promised deficit cuts if its borrowing costs remain so high and may have to call in the IMF.

Reuters - TORONTO (Reuters) - Toronto's main stock market index was lower on Thursday morning after touching a 17-month high the day before as concerns about tighter credit in China and doubts about an aid plan for debt-stricken Greece pressured commodity prices.

AFP - FRANKFURT (AFP) - Israeli copycat drugs giant Teva made a major stride into Europe on Thursday with the five-billion-dollar purchase of Ratiopharm, formerly owned by a German billionaire who killed himself.

Reuters - TORONTO (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar traded near a 20-month high on Thursday as it continued its march toward parity with the U.S. dollar, but a lackluster tone in risk sentiment could keep trade sideways.

The Canadian Press - BRUSSELS, Belgium - Greece's Prime Minister George Papandreou said Thursday his country needs a firmer eurozone bailout plan to lift market pressure on his government and lower its borrowing rates.