2012-02-08: ContributorNetwork - Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett unveiled his second budget as the leader of the Keystone State this week, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. As expected by many, the 2012 budget closely resembled the 2011 budget featuring cuts in a number of key areas, but true to the governor's campaign promise of not raising taxes, as the report indicates.

2012-02-08: AP - Repsol YPF on Wednesday raised the estimate for potentially recoverable oil and gas in its part of Argentina's 'Vaca Muerta' (Dead Cow) basin to the equivalent of nearly 23 billion barrels, indicating a total shale deposit big enough to enable Argentina to challenge the United States in non-conventional petroleum production.

2012-02-08: Reuters - Two Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday accused the regulator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from blocking the firms from reducing principal on the mortgages they back for reasons of 'ideology.'

2012-02-08: Reuters - California and New York, two key holdout states for a multi-state mortgage settlement, are expected to join the deal, smoothing the way for an announcement expected on Thursday, according to a person familiar with the matter.

2012-02-08: AP - Crucial talks to discuss austerity cuts in Greece broke down after eight hours Wednesday as leaders of the three parties backing the country's coalition government failed to agree to demands from international creditors for substantial cuts to state and private pensions.

2012-02-08: Reuters - A few months ago economists were all but certain the U.S. economy would slow sharply at the start of this year, with many warning that recession risks were growing.

2012-02-08: Meet the woman running Brazil's oil giant

2012-02-08: Why chief executives are paid so much

2012-02-08: Real Madrid head the list of the richest football clubs in the world for the seventh year in a row, says a Deloitte survey.

2012-02-08: The Greek prime minister has failed to secure his coalition parties' agreement to fresh austerity proposals, needed to agree a new bailout package.

2012-02-08: A campaign encouraging professionals to become certified as financial risk managers is centered on photographs of men in business garb recoiling as if they had been punched.

2012-02-08: In a world crammed with Android phones, HTC, Samsung and Motorola introduce three new models, each of them Verizon 4Gs.

2012-02-08: Diamond said it would replace its chief executive and chief financial officer after its board found the company booked payments to walnut growers in the wrong periods.

2012-02-08: Groupon narrowed its fourth-quarter loss to $9.8 million on an adjusted basis, as the online coupon giant sought to demonstrate its continued growth in its first earnings release as a public company.

2012-02-08: After natural disasters last year and dreadful reviews of the revamped Civic, Honda is struggling to return to its former success.

2012-02-08: The White House now expects the unemployment rate to fall to 8 percent by year’s end, with the creation of two million jobs.

2012-02-08: The Federal Reserve Bank of New York announced that it had sold securities with a face value of $6.2 billion to Goldman, which beat out four other investment banks in the auction.

2012-02-08: AP - Interest in U.S. energy companies spiked in 2011 as buyers clamored for more access to oil-rich layers of North American shale, a consulting and accounting firm said Wednesday.

2012-02-08: Time.com - One factor hurting the prices of homes that are for sale is the enormous number of homes that aren't for sale but that should be

2012-02-08: AP - Greek coalition leaders were locked in crucial debt talks with the prime minister Wednesday to review layoffs and other steep cutbacks as part of a euro130 billion ($170 billion) bailout package intended to save the country from a looming bankruptcy.

2012-02-08: AP - Groupon investors were expecting a better deal than the surprise loss the company delivered on Wednesday.

2012-02-08: Reuters - Network equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc promised further revenue growth after its second quarter results beat estimates, thanks to a restructuring, leading to a dividend increase.

2012-02-08: US technology giant Cisco says rising quarterly sales show that its cost-cutting plans are bearing fruit.

2012-02-08: In its first set of results as a public company, Groupon reports an unexpected loss of $42.7m (£27.0m), when a small profit had been expected.

2012-02-08: Media giant News Corporation sees its net profits rise 65% in the three months to the end of December 2011 compared to 2010.

2012-02-08: The accord, valued at around $4 billion, guarantees German companies access to critical minerals in exchange for technological and other investments.

2012-02-08: Improved demand for business products lifted results for the maker of computer networking equipment.

2012-02-08: France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Britain will “intensify their cooperation” to identify U.S. tax cheats in return for help in finding U.S. accounts held by residents of those countries.

2012-02-08: After three days, Prime Minister Lucas Papademos finally met with other leaders as evidence mounted that they were close to agreeing to measures required for a bailout.

2012-02-08: Reuters - Prospects of a deal on a second international bailout for Greece rose on Wednesday when euro zone finance ministers were summoned to talks in Brussels while Greek political leaders met to approve a tough reform and austerity program.