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

Reuters - Shareholders in global miner Xstrata Plc are set to receive 2.8 shares in commodities trader Glencore International for each share held as the two firms try to seal an $88 billion deal, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

Asked about the fate of the 2008 BHEL-HEC deal, Misra said not much progress had been made in this regard although the joint venture had not been abandoned. According to the MoU signed by Pillai and then BHEL CMD K. Ravi Kumar, HEC was supposed to manufacture and supply castings and forgings for thermal power plant equipment manufactured by BHEL. In return, the latter was to invest Rs 100 crore ...

CommVault says will go it alone, despite M&A buzz (Reuters)

Reuters - CommVault Systems Inc has managed to skirt rampant consolidation in the fast-growing storage software market, and CEO Bob Hammer is planning to keep it that way.

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.

GM, Ford feud over Super Bowl ad (Reuters)

Reuters - A simmering feud between General Motors Co and Ford Motor Co heated up on Sunday as Ford objected to GM's Super Bowl advertisement for its Chevy Silverado pickup truck.

Olympus ex-CEO Woodford sees more revelations (Reuters)

Reuters - Official investigations into a massive fraud at Japan's Olympus Corp are highly likely to lead to further revelations on the scandal soon, according to the firm's former chief executive, Michael Woodford, who blew the whistle on the affair.

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.

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.

PACCI unveils competitiveness road map for auto manufacturing industry

The automotive manufacturing industry road map, unveiled today at the Third Automotive Manufacturing Summit, proposes the transformation of the industry from assembly of completely knocked down (CKD) units for the local market to outright manufacturing of vehicles for the local and export markets.

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.

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.

With sparse data, focus returns to Europe (Reuters)

Reuters - Europe will again be at the center of investors' focus this week as the U.S. earnings season passes the halfway mark and there is little on the economic calendar to give the market direction.

£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.

Storm blankets Nebraska after dumping on Colorado (AP)

AP - A powerful winter storm that covered parts of Colorado with up to 6 feet of snow crept east across the Plains Saturday, knocking out electricity to thousands in Nebraska as the blanket of heavy, wet precipitation downed power lines and made travel treacherous.

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.

Factory orders up 1.1 percent in December

Factory orders up 1.1 percent in December Associated Press Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 08:07 a.m., Friday, February 3, 2012 The orders category that signals business investment plans, non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft, climbed to an all-time high of $68.9 billion in December ...

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.

Micron CEO dies in plane crash, industry stunned

BOISE, Idaho/SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 3 - Micron Technology Inc Chief Executive and Chairman Steve Appleton died in a small plane crash on Friday, a major loss for a U.S. memory chipmaker already struggling with sluggish computer sales and declining prices. The 51-year-old Appleton, a three-decade industry veteran who performed stunts at airshows, died after the small plane he was piloting crashed at ...

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.

Jobless rate at 3-year low as payrolls surge (Reuters)

Reuters - The United States created jobs at the fastest pace in nine months in January and the unemployment rate unexpectedly dropped to a near three-year low, giving a boost to President Barack Obama.

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.

Unlike Patriots, NFL slow to embrace 'Moneyball' (AP)

AP - It's advice that sounds like heresy on the gridiron: Go for it on fourth down. Try more onside kicks. Running backs don't matter much.

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 ...

Markets rally after forecast-busting US jobs data (AP)

AP - Stocks spiked sharply higher on Friday after forecast-busting U.S. jobs figures reinforced hopes that the recovery in the world's largest economy is gathering pace at a time when other regions, notably Europe, may be heading back into recession.

MSC Industrial Direct Passes This Key Test

Look here for a clue.

Kiev blames Moscow for Europe gas cutbacks (AP)

AP - Ukraine's government is blaming Russia for natural gas shortages in some European countries as a severe cold spell grips the region.

Research and Markets: China Navigation, Weather and Marine Equipment Manufacturing Industry - 2011

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "China navigation, weather and marine equipment manufact

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.

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.

Crowd Factory Posts Another Record Year With Key Customer Acquisitions and 391% Growth in Platform Revenue

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Crowd Factory, the leading Social Campaign Management Platform that helps marketers accelerate word-of-mouth marketing and acquire new customers from the Social ...