Fed should raise rates in 2013, Bullard says (Reuters)

Reuters - The Federal Reserve should start raising interest rates next year, a top Fed official said on Monday, arguing that many years of near-zero rates will do little to return economic output to pre-recession levels and risks causing "disaster."

Greeks delay bailout talks as Merkel demands action (Reuters)

Reuters - German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Greece on Monday to make up its mind fast on accepting the painful terms for a new EU/IMF bailout, but the country's political leaders responded by delaying their decision for yet another day.

Greece caves in on civil service firings (AP)

AP - Greece's coalition government on Monday caved in to demands to cut civil service jobs, announcing 15,000 positions would go this year, amid mounting international pressure to agree on austerity measures needed to secure major new debt agreements.

French minister's remarks seen as Muslim putdown (AP)

AP - One French minister says some civilizations — notably France's — are worth more than others.

US closes Syrian embassy, presses Assad to go (AP)

AP - The U.S. closed its Syrian embassy Monday and Britain recalled its ambassador to Damascus in a dramatic escalation of Western pressure on President Bashar Assad to give up power, just days after diplomatic efforts at the United Nations to end the crisis collapsed.

Boeing shares slip as it addresses 787 issues (Reuters)

Reuters - Boeing Co shares slipped on Monday, the day after the plane maker said it must correct a fuselage support structure problem on some of its carbon-composite 787s, a glitch experts said could slow production.

Netanyahu can't fly solo in Israel to attack Iran (Reuters)

Reuters - Three decades ago, an Israeli prime minister faced his cabinet and invoked the Holocaust in an emotional appeal to approve an air strike against an Arab atomic reactor.

Wall Street dips as investors wait on Greece (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. stocks dipped on Monday as a delay by debt-ridden Greece in accepting the terms of a bailout gave investors little reason to buy equities after a five-week rally.

Citi gets approval to issue credit card in China (AP)

AP - Citigroup Inc.'s Chinese subsidiary is set to become the first U.S.-based bank to issue its own credit cards in China.

Swiss bank Julius Baer expects fine in US tax case (AP)

AP - Swiss bank Julius Baer Group said Monday that it might have to pay a fine to settle allegations it helped American clients cheat on their taxes, but cautioned investors that the final outcome of the case was still uncertain.

Brazil: Standoff between striking police, soldiers (AP)

AP - Striking state police and their supporters have clashed with Brazilian soldiers outside the state legislature in the northeastern city of Salvador.

Convicted NY fraudster sentenced in hit plot (AP)

AP - A convicted New York mortgage fraudster who then tried to get a key witness killed in revenge has gotten another eight to 16 years in prison.

U.N. nuclear talks in Tehran: frustrated hopes (Reuters)

Reuters - After two days of rare and intensive talks in Tehran, senior U.N. nuclear officials may have felt they were finally making headway towards getting Iran to address suspicions that it is bent on developing the ability to make atom bombs.

Mount Cameroon sends flames out in brief explosion (AP)

AP - Cameroon state radio says that Mount Cameroon, a volcano in the country's southwest region, sent ashes and flames into the air in a brief explosion.

Massachusetts gas prices edge up another 2 cents (AP)

AP - Massachusetts residents are paying two more cents a gallon at the gas pump, the seventh consecutive week of increases.

France, Germany want closer control of Greek funds (AP)

AP - France and Germany on Monday sought to impose tighter controls on Greece's finances and warned political leaders in Athens to agree on new austerity measures soon if they didn't want to see their country go bankrupt.

Humana forecast is below Street view; shares fall (Reuters)

Reuters - Humana Inc reported a quarterly profit that met analyst estimates, but the health insurer failed to raise its full-year forecast up to Wall Street's target and its shares fell 5.4 percent.

Fidelity Nat'l to buy O'Charley's restaurant chain (AP)

AP - A title insurance and mortgage services company that already owns a stake in the Bakers Square restaurant chain is buying the restaurant operator O'Charley's Inc., the companies announced Monday.

Analysis: Iran economy could limp along under sanctions (Reuters)

Reuters - Tightening international sanctions against Iran look set to shrink its economy, push up inflation and further erode its currency, but they may fail to deliver a knock-out blow that forces Tehran to compromise on its nuclear ambitions.

Syria bombards Homs; West scrambles for new strategy (Reuters)

Reuters - Syrian forces bombarded Homs on Monday, killing 50 people in a sustained assault on several districts of the city which has become a centre of armed opposition to President Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian National Council opposition group said.

Chrysler's "Halftime" ad: a roadmap for America? (Reuters)

Reuters - Is what is good for Chrysler good for America?

Palestinian rivals agree to form unity government (Reuters)

Reuters - The leaders of rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas signed a deal in Qatar on Monday to form a unity government of independent technocrats for the West Bank and Gaza, headed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Argentina and Britain's Unfinished War: Hate E-Mail, Harassing Calls and Prince William (Time.com)

Time.com - Whether called the Falklands or Las Malvinas, the south Atlantic islands are once again the center of a diplomatic row as the 30th anniversary of a brief war approaches

Russia and China Challenge the West on Syria: What Implications for Iran? (Time.com)

Time.com - The breach among the Permanent Five members of the U.N. Security Council in Saturday's vote on Syria's increasingly bloody power struggle could have profound implications for Syria's immediate future

China growth could halve if Europe crisis worsens: IMF (Reuters)

Reuters - China's annual economic growth could be cut nearly in half this year if Europe's debt crisis tips the world economy into a recession, putting pressure on Beijing to unveil "significant" fiscal stimulus, the International Monetary Fund said.

Correction: Australia helicopter deaths story (AP)

AP - In a story Feb. 5 about the deaths of two filmmakers in an Australian helicopter crash, The Associated Press reported erroneously the location of the crash. Nowra is 97 miles (156 kilometers) south of Sydney, not north.

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.

Europe's shadow darkens outlook (Reuters)

Reuters - A renewed focus on Europe's banking and debt crisis may quickly sap the nascent optimism about global economic prospects that followed a remarkably solid U.S. January employment report.

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.

Analysis: Stock-picking makes a comeback as macro tides fade (Reuters)

Reuters - Stock-picking once again matters on Wall Street.

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.