LONDON (Reuters) - Europe’s biggest bank HSBC (HSBA.L) fought off an investor backlash over a multi-million pound executive pay plan on Friday and dismissed claims its troubled U.S. unit cannot finance itself and should be sold.

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A 26-year-old T-shirt designer could turn San Diego’s mayoral election on its head. Eric Bidwell, who’s running on a self-described “revolutionary” platform, is the dark horse in Tuesday’s race against incumbent Jerry Sanders and millionaire businessman Steve Francis. Bidwell may draw enough support to force a runoff between the two Republicans; the top two finishers will have to face off …

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Wall Street closed out a winning week with a narrowly mixed performance Friday after the government reported that Americans’ spending rose in April to keep pace with rising costs.

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Min Perry managed to secure what typically is a golden opportunity on a crowded T train: an open seat, just behind the operator’s cabin. The 37-year-old Wellesley resident settled in, propped her feet up against the partition, and opened a newspaper.

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Kenyan police fired teargas on Saturday to disperse hundreds of demonstrators protesting against high food prices in the east African country.

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For weeks, Republican presidential candidate John McCain had been hammered for supporting the Air Force’s February decision to award a $40 billion contract for refueling tankers to Northrop Grumman and its European partner. Democrats, labor unions and others blamed the senator for a deal they say…

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MONTAGUE - For Mary Kociela, the schools in this quiet town nestled along the Connecticut River are more than a place for children to learn. They are the center of her community.

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United Airlines scrapped its latest attempt to combine with US Airways and create the world’s largest carrier, formally backing away yesterday from a deal that probably would have meant fewer routes and higher ticket prices.

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Advocates for victims of clergy sexual abuse said yesterday that they were outraged that a priest at the center of the Boston clergy sex abuse scandal is seeking a new trial, based on a challenge to the theory of repressed memories.

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