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• Centrica set to scrap plans to build new UK nuclear plants- FT

  Feb 3- Centrica Plc, owner of British Gas, is set to scrap plans to build nuclear power stations in Britain, the Financial Times reported on Sunday, citing one person familiar with the company's plans.

• Barclays Finance Director Lucas, Top Counsel to Retire

  Barclays said its finance director Chris Lucas and its top legal expert are to retire, adding to change at the top of the British bank as it struggles to put a series of scandals behind it.

• UPDATE 2-Barclays finance director Lucas, top counsel to retire

  *Lucas under investigation for 2008 Qatar fundraising. LONDON, Feb 3- Barclays said its finance director Chris Lucas and its top legal expert are to retire, adding to change at the top of the British bank as it struggles to put a series of scandals behind it.

• GLOBAL ECONOMY-Watch what central bankers say, not what they do

  LONDON, Feb 3- Central banking is in a state of flux as policymakers from Tokyo to Washington ditch prevailing orthodoxies to try to grab a bigger share of a slow-growing global economic pie.

• Barclays finance director Chris Lucas to step down-Sky

  LONDON, Feb 3- Barclays Plc's Finance Director Chris Lucas will step down, likely as soon as Monday, Sky News reported on Sunday, citing sources close to the company. Lucas is the only member of Barclays' top management still in his post after the bank was implicated in a rate fixing scandal last year.

• Hedge Funds Up Bets Against Italy's Monte Paschi

  London hedge funds Odey Asset Management and Egerton Capital are among those upping their bets against Monte dei Paschi di Siena in recent days, after revelations the troubled Italian bank faces heavy losses.

• Hedge funds up bets against Italy's Monte Paschi

  LONDON, Feb 3- Big-name London hedge funds Odey Asset Management and Egerton Capital are among those upping their bets against Monte dei Paschi di Siena in recent days, after revelations the troubled Italian bank faces heavy losses.

• New Measures to Lift Veil on Banks' Capital Ratios

  The game may soon be up for banks that have made themselves look healthier by understating how risky their businesses are, which should help pension funds, savers and companies to decide which institutions to invest in.

• New measures to lift veil on banks' capital ratios

  *Initiative promises greater transparency on capital ratios. LONDON, Feb 3- The game may soon be up for banks that have made themselves look healthier by understating how risky their businesses are, which should help pension funds, savers and companies to decide which institutions to invest in.

• INTERVIEW-Dubai hopes sukuk standards to make it global player

  *Dubai aims to "set the tone" for rest of world. DUBAI, Feb 3- Dubai aims to become a top global centre for Islamic bonds by introducing more detailed standards that ensure issuance and trading obey not only the letter but also the spirit of Islamic rules, a securities market official said.

• Politics of pollution: China's oil giants take a choke-hold on power

  *Pressure on Communist Party chief Xi to check oil companies' power. BEIJING, Feb 3- The search for culprits behind the rancid haze enveloping China's capital has turned a spotlight on the country's two largest oil companies and their resistance to tougher fuel standards.

• RPT-Pentagon expands probe of troubled components on fighter jet-sources

  *Navy official wants to check company's quality practices. WASHINGTON, Feb 1- The Pentagon is inspecting other components of the F-35 fighter jet in addition to the faulty fuel lines blamed for the grounding of the Marine Corps version of the warplane, two sources familiar with the program said on Friday.

• UPDATE 2-Boeing 787 investigation making progress -US NTSB

  WASHINGTON, Feb 1- U.S. officials on Friday said they are making progress in their investigation of a battery fire on a Boeing Co 787 Dreamliner in Boston this month, as the grounding of Boeing's entire fleet Of 787 s stretched into a third week.

• COMMODITIES-Oil, metals surge as US data send markets rallying

  NEW YORK, Feb 4- Oil, copper and gold prices jumped on Friday as stocks on Wall Street hit five-year highs after U.S. jobs and manufacturing data pointed to an economy on the mend. Soybean prices hit six-week highs after a slash in Argentina's harvest forecast.

• SOFTS-Sugar pierces two-week high as shorts run for cover

  NEW YORK/ LONDON, Feb 1- Raw sugar futures on ICE rose to 19 cents for the first time in two weeks on Friday on short-covering and improving sentiment, although prices pared gains after hitting technical resistance.

• UPDATE 4-Quarterly loss marks tough tryout for Legg Mason's Sullivan

  By Ross Kerber and Jessica Toonkel. Legg Mason Inc on Friday reported a sharp loss of $453.9 million amid charges and continued outflows of customer cash in the three months ended December 31.

• News Corp names more senior executives in prep for split

  Feb 1- Soon-to-be publishing company News Corp named William Lewis, one of the executives who dealt with the aftermath of the phone hacking scandal, as chief creative officer. News Corp is preparing later this year to split into a separate company that will operate such properties as the Wall Street Journal, The Times of London, and book publisher HarperCollins.

• PRECIOUS-Gold lifted by US payrolls data, posts weekly gain

  NEW YORK, Feb 1- Gold rose in unison with equities and commodities on Friday, notching a weekly gain, after U.S. nonfarm payrolls data showed modest job growth in January.

• Standex moves to profit in 4Q

  SALEM, N.H.-- Standex International Corp. posted a profit for its fiscal fourth quarter, despite mixed sales results around the globe. However, increasing demand for its automotive program mold texturizing work in Europe and China offset weakness in North America during the quarter.

• Amazon unveils exclusive 'Downton Abbey' deal with PBS

  SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 1- Amazon.com Inc said on Friday that it struck an exclusive deal to distribute seasons of the hit TV show "Downton Abbey" to members of its subscription-based video streaming service.