Insight: Two firms flourish in frenzied MF Global aftermath (Reuters)

Reuters - The mad rush to move client money out of MF Global Inc. after its collapse left two firms with the bulk of customer accounts, while other brokerages emerged with only minor gains from the chaos of carving up a multibillion-dollar business.

Pakistan factory collapses in gas blast, three dead (Reuters)

Reuters - A three-story factory collapsed on Monday in the Pakistani city of Lahore after a gas explosion, killing at least three people and trapping dozens, emergency officials said.

Asian stocks rise, U.S. jobs gain outweighs Greece (Reuters)

Reuters - Asian shares rose on Monday as surprisingly robust U.S. jobs data bolstered investors' risk appetite, but the euro sagged on worries over a lack of progress in Greek debt restructuring talks which are vital to containing the euro zone crisis.

Glencore offers 8 percent premium to Xstrata to seal deal: FT (Reuters)

Reuters - Commodities trader Glencore International is set to offer a bigger-than-expected premium to seal its proposed $88 billion merger with global miner Xstrata Plc , the Financial Times reported on Monday.

GM aims for 10 percent profit margin over next few years: report (Reuters)

Reuters - General Motors aims to raise its profit margin to 10 percent over the next several years, up from the current margin of about 6 percent, Daniel Ammann, chief financial officer, told the Wall Street Journal in an interview.

Myanmar panel says Suu Kyi can run for Parliament (AP)

AP - Myanmar's Election Commission on Monday gave opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi the green light to run for parliamentary by-elections, another step toward political openness in a country emerging from nearly a half-century of iron-fisted military rule.

Deep-sea filmmakers killed in Australia helicopter crash (Reuters)

Reuters - Two award-winning filmmakers working on a documentary with renowned Hollywood director James Cameron were killed in a helicopter crash in Australia on Saturday, according to National Geographic.

In Syria, Hundreds Massacred While U.N. Resolution Stalls (Time.com)

Time.com - Friday night, Syrian security forces carried out what the opposition Syrian National Council called a "horrific massacre" targeting Homs in one of the worst violence in the 11-month uprising

Egyptian Protesters Confront Police After Soccer Riots (Time.com)

Time.com - Four more die in a day of violent clashes, as anger over alleged police complicity in a stadium tragedy unleashes pent-up frustrations

One dead, local tsunami alert in 6.7 quake off Philippines (Reuters)

Reuters - One child died and a local tsunami alert was issued after a magnitude 6.7 earthquake followed by two aftershocks struck off the Philippines island of Negros on Monday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and a local monitoring service.

Resilient Chevy, Chrysler ads win at Super Bowl (Reuters)

Reuters - General Motors scored with an Armageddon-proof Chevy truck while a Clint Eastwood pep talk for America won notice for rival Chrysler during the high-stakes brand battle at Sunday's Super Bowl.

Egypt to try 19 Americans in case straining ties (AP)

AP - Ignoring a U.S. threat to cut off aid, Egypt has referred 19 Americans and 24 other employees of nonprofit groups to trial before a criminal court on accusations they illegally used foreign funds to foment unrest in the country.

China bars its airlines from paying EU carbon tax (AP)

AP - China announced Monday it will prohibit its airlines from paying European Union charges on carbon emissions, ratcheting up a global dispute over the cost of combatting climate change.

Sierra Club Received Millions from Natural Gas Industry (ContributorNetwork)

ContributorNetwork - According to a blog post from Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune, the environmentalist organization accepted millions of donated dollars from the natural gas industry to fight against coal-fired plants nationwide. Here are the details.

Mexican ruling party picks woman as prez candidate (AP)

AP - Mexico's ruling party on Sunday chose a former congresswoman to run for president, the first time a major party has nominated a woman to compete for the nation's top office.

Anger after Russia, China block U.N. action on Syria (Reuters)

Reuters - Western and Arab states voiced outrage Sunday after Russia and China vetoed a U.N. resolution that would have backed an Arab plan urging Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to give up power, and Washington vowed harsher sanctions against Damascus.

Ex-Panama strongman Noriega hospitalized, stable (Reuters)

Reuters - Manuel Noriega, Panama's drug-running military dictator of the 1980s, was taken from prison to a public hospital on Sunday after suffering a possible stroke, but a top health official said he was stable.

Obama says risky to attack Iran, wants diplomatic fix (Reuters)

Reuters - President Barack Obama said on Sunday there were important risks to consider before any military strike against Iran and made clear he does not want to see more conflict in the oil-producing Gulf region.

Greek parties face Monday EU bailout deadline (Reuters)

Reuters - Greece's coalition parties must tell the European Union on Monday whether they accept the painful terms of a new bailout deal as EU patience wears thin with political dithering in Athens over implementing reforms.

Concession fails to quell violent Egypt clashes (Reuters)

Reuters - Egypt's army-backed government said it was preparing to move ousted President Hosni Mubarak to a Cairo prison hospital in an apparent bid to calm protests, but clashes continued with police firing tear gas at demonstrators hurling rocks and broken tiles.

Pro-EU Niinisto wins Finnish presidency (Reuters)

Reuters - Pro-Europe politician Sauli Niinisto won Finland's presidency on Sunday in an election that showed voters want to keep the country in the euro zone despite misgivings over European Union bailouts.

Canadian Muslims issue fatwa against "honor killing" (Reuters)

Reuters - A group of Canada's leading Muslim clerics has issued a fatwa against so-called "honor killings," just a week after three members of an Afghan Canadian family were convicted of a gruesome quadruple murder that triggered a national debate about cultural values.

Greek crisis talks for debt deal pushed to Monday (AP)

AP - Crisis talks on a debt deal for Greece among the three leaders of parties supporting the coalition government were suspended and will continue Monday.

Americans face prosecution as Egypt ignores Clinton, Congress (The Christian Science Monitor)

The Christian Science Monitor - Egypt is bringing criminal charges against at least 40 people, including some American citizens, over the foreign funding of nongovernmental organizations, sharply raising the stakes in a standoff with the US that has put $1.3 billion in US military aid to Egypt at risk.

Syria next steps: With diplomacy stalled, escalation expected (The Christian Science Monitor)

The Christian Science Monitor - Diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis in Syria appear to have reached an impasse following the vetoing by Russia and China of a United Nations Security Council resolution.

Palestinians call for PM's fall over taxes (AP)

AP - Hundreds of Palestinian protesters have called for their prime minister's resignation over recent tax and price increases.

Romney focuses on Obama, Gingrich on Romney in NV (AP)

AP - A confident Mitt Romney accused President Barack Obama of failing to do enough to create jobs as he campaigned Friday ahead of GOP presidential caucuses this weekend in a state with sky-high unemployment and foreclosure rates. Newt Gingrich, who is fighting for a respectable showing here, rolled out a fresh line of criticism by comparing the former Massachusetts governor to Obama.

New York sues banks over electronic mortgage system (Reuters)

Reuters - New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on Friday sued three major U.S. banks, accusing them of fraud for using an electronic mortgage database that resulted in deceptive and illegal practices.

Unemployment falls sharply in US, rises in Europe (AP)

AP - Unemployment falls sharply in US, rises in Europe

Nasdaq vaults to 11-year high on surge in jobs (Reuters)

Reuters - A surge in hiring in the world's largest economy last month drove the Nasdaq to an 11-year high on Friday as optimism grew that the labor market is on a steady path to recovery.

Aon Q4 profit rises, but margin pressures persist (Reuters)

Reuters - Aon Corp posted a higher quarterly profit that narrowly beat market estimates, but the world's largest insurance broker continued to face margin pressures in its Aon Hewitt segment for the second-straight quarter.

Euro zone sales tumble at Christmas, no sign of growth (Reuters)

Reuters - Retail sales in the euro zone tumbled unexpectedly in December, the biggest drop in the Christmas period in three years, data showed on Friday, with rising joblessness and stubborn inflation undercut signs of a stabilization in Europe's economy.