UNITED STATES

Canada's Catalyst Paper Corp (CTL.TO: Quote) filed for Chapter 15 protection in a U.S. court on Tuesday as the specialty paper and newsprint producer grappled with rising costs of raw materials and lower demand.

A blackout scheduled for Wednesday to protest against proposed legislation on online piracy has failed to get the support of the biggest Internet players.

Applications for home mortgages surged more than 20 percent last week, fueled by a wave of refinancing demand as interest rates dropped, an industry group said on Wednesday.

Producer prices fell in December as companies paid less for gasoline and vegetables but a measure of underlying inflation climbed higher, sending mixed signals about inflation pressures in the economy.

Italian authorities released a list of 28 passengers still missing after the Costa Concordia cruise ship that capsized off the coast of Italy Friday, including a Minnesota couple named including a Minnesota couple named Barbara and Gerald Heil. .

Canada's main stock index looked set to open higher on Wednesday after reports that International Monetary Fund could boost its European lending facility by $1 trillion to help ease the euro zone debt crisis.

You may have already noticed Google’s homepage features a large black rectangle “censoring” its colorful logo Wednesday.

European regulators will decide around the end of March whether to file a formal complaint against Google for misuse of its market position, potentially bringing the internet company's squabble with competitors to a head much sooner than expected.

Jefferies feels incrementally better about its base case for potential merchant litigation outcomes as it relates to "buy" rated Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) and MasterCard Inc. (NYSE: MA).

The proposed Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives ostensibly to curb piracy, has been at the receiving end of severe backlash from Internet companies including Google and Wikipedia.

The euro rallied broadly on Wednesday after a ratings agency appeared to soften its stance regarding its outlook on Italy, while a media report that the IMF would boost its funding capabilities also pushed the single currency higher.

The cowardly act of the Costa Concordia's captain, Francesco Schettino, who has been accused of abandoning the sinking ship, leaving more than 4,200 passengers onboard, has added another unsavory chapter to the less reputable parts of maritime history. Fortunately, the seas have examples of bravery as well. If the above cases pointed to instances of cowardice and shame, there are incidents where the heroism of the captains onboard sinking ships has become legendary.

Yahoo, Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) has announced the resignation of Jerry Yang from its board of directors and all other positions he held at Yahoo. Additionally, Yang also resigned from the boards of Yahoo Japan and Alibaba Group.

As an act of protest against a pair of legislations - the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) - more than a dozen Web sites, including Wikipedia, Moveon.org, Craigslist, Reddit, Boing Boing and the Cheezburger network, have participated in a day-long blackout.

Stock index futures rose on Wednesday, putting the S&P 500 on track for a second straight advance after sources said the International Monetary Fund wants to boost its lending facility as the Eurozone battles a long-running debt crisis.

Here's a piece of good news for iPad fans. According to the latest rumor to hit the Web, the next generation iPad, dubbed iPad 3, will be unveiled as early as February, though the market release of the new tablet will not take place until March.

Wikipedia initiated a blackout Wednesday, Jan. 18, in protest of the anti-piracy bills SOPA and PIPA. SOPA and PIPA are two Congressional bills meant to halt the illegal copying and sharing of movies and music on the Internet, among other aims. However, major Internet organizations -- such as Wikipedia, Reddit and Boing Boing -- claim the bills will hinder their operations.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co <4502.T> said on Wednesday that it would cut about 10 percent of its workforce through job reductions outside Japan as it seeks to streamline its global operations after its acquisition of Swiss drugmaker Nycomed last year.

If Mitt Romney grabs the GOP presidential nod, he would be the first Republican candidate in decades to take hard line on immigration policies that Latinos support.

Brownsville, Texas, has some lessons to teach the country when it comes to creating jobs: it expects to add 5,000 in the next 10 years. How can other cities follow its lead?

As if the rumors surrounding Beyonce's baby, Blue Ivy Carter, were not enough, the latest news suggests the supposedly exclusive interview the singer gave to a magazine in the UK is a fake. According to Beyonce's representative, the interview published in Star UK is completely made-up. The first exclusive interview has since been carried by several publications. Access Hollywood reported the singer's representative as rejecting reports of the interview.