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

LAHORE, Pakistan (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. "The factory has completely collapsed and two houses next to it as well," an emergency official at the site told Reuters by telephone, adding authorities were having trouble getting heavy rescue ...

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.

Factory collapse in Pakistan kills 1, traps 40

A rescue official says a three-story factory building has collapsed in a city in eastern Pakistan, killing at least one person and trapping around 40 others.

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.

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.

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.

Industry wants e-health records delayed

The federal government's roll-out of e-health records should be delayed and the body in charge of managing the system investigated, key stakeholders say.

Ship industry cruisin' for a sprucin'

NSW Ports Minister Duncan Gay says cruising is booming like never before and the state will take advantage by giving its passenger terminals a facelift.

The impact of FOFA — industry claims brought undone

A new report shows how hysterical the financial planning industry has been in its opposition to reform. Read more on the blog...

Carnage In Japan's Electronics Industry

Conserving cash that is needed to strengthen R&D and launch new products is not to be criticized. It may also be the only option given that investors are beginning to think the unthinkable about Japan's formerly world-beating electronics industry.

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.

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.

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.

Snow traps thousands in Bosnian villages (AP)

AP - Bosnia used helicopters on Sunday to evacuate the sick and deliver food to thousands of people left stranded by its heaviest snowfall ever, while Pope Benedict XVI donned an overcoat to bless the few pilgrims who braved Rome's unusually cold weather to visit St. Peter's Square.

Carnage in Japan's Electronics Industry: Is the Unthinkable now Thinkable?

A few posts ago I wrote that ?winning? in global auto industry competition is a ?must? for Japan?s auto makers. But can Japan afford for its legendary electronics companies to lose? Alarmingly, this unthinkable thought is becoming thinkable. The real question now is whether such a disaster is inevitable.

Fire at Moscow nuclear institute, Russia says no risk (Reuters)

Reuters - There was no risk of a radiation leak after a fire broke out at a Moscow nuclear research center housing a non-operational 60-year-old atomic reactor Sunday, said officials, but Greenpeace Russia expressed serious concern about the incident.

£800,000 Cannabis factory seized

Cannabis plants worth an estimated £800,000 are seized in East Belfast.

Clinton urges Bulgaria to be energy independent (AP)

AP - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is in Bulgaria, urging the country to break its energy dependence on Russia by diversifying its oil and gas supplies.

The nation's weather (AP)

AP - Wet weather will ease Sunday across the Midwest as a winter storm treks eastward. The system will also advance southeastward from the mid-Mississippi River Valley, moving over the Tennessee Valley and into the Appalachians.

Over 6,300 Respond to NASA's Request for Astronaut Applicants (ContributorNetwork)

ContributorNetwork - NASA's space shuttle program is over. NASA does not have its own means of taking astronauts into space. Commercial spacecraft under development won't be ready for another four to five years. The Orion spacecraft is even more uncertain.

As the railroad industry thrives, Pittsburgh companies profit and add jobs

The railroad industry is picking up steam again, after losing ground decades ago to the nation's trucking industry. And Pittsburgh's expertise and history in the business -- Andrew Carnegie and the city's other industrialists needed good ways to move their steel a century ago -- has put the region on track to benefit from rail's resurgence.

Industry zeroing in on school uses

Plans for the Industry school building, recently acquired by Industry for $1 from the Schuyler-Industry School District, are beginning to take shape.

First 'Vampire' Bat Fly Fossil Discovered (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - A one-of-a-kind fossil shows that so-called bat flies — tiny vampire insects that survive on the blood of bats — have been parasitizing the winged mammals and spreading bat malaria for at least 20 million years, scientists report in a pair of studies Friday (Feb. 3).

Industrial heartland faces tough slog as locomotive plant closure hits

OTTAWA - The closure of a locomotive plant in London, Ont., by U.S. heavy equipment maker Caterpillar comes as the latest blow to Canada's struggling manufacturing sector.

Jupiter-Bound NASA Probe Adjusts Course Toward Giant Planet (SPACE.com)

SPACE.com - A NASA probe on a five-year mission to Jupiter fired up its rocket thrusters this week to better aim itself at the largest planet in our solar system.

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.

Sanyo To Close Solar Factory In California

Japanese solar company Sanyo plans to lay off about 140 employees in California, or about 40 percent of its manufacturing workforce, as it shifts its strategy in order to compete with large rivals, particularly those from China.

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.

Railroad Industry Stock Outlook - Feb. 2012

Solid commodities volumes, effective cost management, and improved rail efficiency have helped U.S railroads to continue their strong performance.

Factory Orders Rise, and Jobs Increase in Service Industries

Factory orders rose 1.1 percent in December, while the Institute for Supply Management says employment in the service sector rose.

New map pinpoints Lyme disease risk areas (AP)

AP - Researchers who spent three years dragging sheets of fabric through the woods to snag ticks have created a detailed map they claim could improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease.

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.

Economic study: Va. wine industry growing

Virginia's growing wine industry seems to be bearing fruit, according to an economic impact study released by Gov. Bob McDonnell's office Thursday.

Factory orders up, business spending rises

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New orders for U.S. factory-made products posted a second straight monthly rise in December and business capital spending also picked up, a government report on Friday showed. The Commerce Department said orders for manufactured goods increased 1.1 percent, slightly below Wall Street economist's forecast for a 1.5 percent gain. But November's gain was revised up to 2.2 ...

MSC Industrial Direct Passes This Key Test

Look here for a clue.

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.

Research and Markets: Sustainable Performance Leaders - Industry Benchmark - Pharmaceuticals Industry

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Sustainable Performance Leaders - Industry Benchmark

Same Genes Key to Early & Late-Onset Alzheimer's: Study (HealthDay)

HealthDay - THURSDAY, Feb. 2 (HealthDay News) -- People who develop Alzheimer's disease late in life may have the same gene mutations linked to the inherited, early onset form of the condition, according to a new study.

NASA says Russian space woes no worry (AP)

AP - NASA says it still has confidence in the quality of Russia's manned rockets, despite an embarrassing series of glitches and failures in the Russian space program.

Strong Factory Hiring? Don’t Bet On It

"More factory workers!" It's one campaign slogan Democrats and Republicans agree on. There's just one problem. U.S. factory jobs have been on a structural downtrend, and government policy can't change that.

Sex & Parenting Genes Discovered in Mice (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - Men are from Mars and women are from Venus, but how did they get there? Our gender differences might be a function of how our brains react to hormones, a new study on mice suggests.

Pakistan shuts drugs factory after deaths

Pakistan has closed at least temporarily a pharmaceutical factory accused of manufacturing medicine suspected to have killed more than 100 heart patients, an official said Thursday.

Chrysler factory workers to get $1,500 checks

Factory workers at Chrysler will get profit-sharing checks of about $1,500 next month as they share in the automaker's improbable turnaround.