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• ANALYSIS-Deadly Pemex blast tests Mexico's new president

  *Opportunity for Pena Nieto to show a more transparent PRI. MEXICO CITY, Feb 3- A deadly blast at Mexican state oil firm Pemex's headquarters is the first key test of new President Pena Nieto's promise that his party has broken with a past of shady cover-ups, and if handled properly, could help him overhaul the lumbering giant.

• UPDATE 1-U.S., Mexico reach tomato deal to avert trade war

  The draft agreement substantially raises the minimum "reference" price at which Mexican tomatoes can be sold in the United States and accounts for changes that have occurred in the tomato market since the original agreement, Sanchez said.

• U.S., Mexican growers reach tomato deal, U.S. says

  WASHINGTON, Feb 2- The U.S. government and Mexican tomato growers reached a tentative agreement on Saturday that reduces the threat of a costly trade war stemming from a U.S. decision last year to pull out of a 1996 bilateral tomato trade pact.

• US, Mexico in weekend talks on tomato pact

  The department made a preliminary decision in September to terminate a 1996 U.S.- Mexico tomato trade agreement after Florida growers complained the arrangement did not protect them against Mexican tomatoes sold below the cost of production.

• Argentina aims at bond 'holdouts' ahead of court showdown

  BUENOS AIRES, Feb 2- Argentina has made its final written arguments ahead of a Feb. 27 U.S. courtroom showdown against "holdout" bondholders demanding 100 cents on the dollar for debt that the South American country defaulted on more than a decade ago.

• Brazil defense says wants to buy Russian antiaircraft systems

  SAO PAULO, Feb 2- Brazil's Defense Ministry said it will recommend the government buy anti-aircraft defense systems from Russia pending advanced talks with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev this month.

• UPDATE 5-Mexico probes if blast was attack or accident, 33 dead

  *Pemex a byword in Mexico for accidents and corruption. By Gabriel Stargardter and David Alire Garcia. MEXICO CITY, Feb 1- Mexico's government vowed on Friday to find out whether an explosion that killed 33 people at the headquarters of its state-run oil monopoly Pemex was a deliberate attack or yet another stain on the company's poor safety record.

• Services trade deal could open U.S. to more foreign workers

  "It's inevitable that that's going to be on the table," said Jake Colvin, vice president at the National Foreign Trade Council, which represents major U.S. exporters such as Boeing Co, Microsoft Corp and Caterpillar Inc..

• 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 3-Modelo deal parties working on DOJ concerns -source

  NEW YORK/ WASHINGTON- Feb 1- Anheuser-Busch InBev SA, Grupo Modelo and Constellation Brands Inc are discussing ways to address U.S. regulators' antitrust concerns over their mega-merger and expect to soon open settlement talks to avoid a trial, a source close to one of the companies said on Friday.

• WRAPUP 4-Mexico interest rate cut hint was 3-to-1 split-minutes

  *Policymakers divided over signal to markets. MEXICO CITY, Feb 1- Mexico's central bankers split over whether to send a signal they might cut interest rates if inflation keeps cooling, according to minutes of their January discussions.

• UPDATE 4-Mexico blast kills at least 33, flagging Pemex safety woes

  *Pemex a byword in Mexico for accidents and oil theft. MEXICO CITY, Feb 1- Rescue workers pulled out more bodies from debris at the headquarters of Mexican state oil giant Pemex on Friday after a powerful explosion killed at least 33 people and threw a spotlight onto the state-run company's poor safety record.

• UPDATE 2-Newell's profit up, Americas push planned for 2013

  Feb 1- Newell Rubbermaid Inc reported a better-than-expected fourth-quarter profit on Friday, but gave a forecast that 2013 could fall short of Wall Street expectations as the consumer products maker spends more on advertising to increase business in North American and emerging markets.

• UPDATE 2-Brazil posts biggest trade deficit ever in January

  *January $4.0 bln trade deficit worse than expected. SAO PAULO, Feb 1- Brazil posted its worst monthly trade deficit on record in January due to a surge in imports of fuel and a slight drop in exports, trade ministry data showed on Friday.

• FACTBOX-Mexico's oil giant Pemex at reform crossroads

  *Mexico is the world's No. 7 oil producer and a top exporter to the United States. The government warns that Mexico could become a net oil importer as early as 2018 if major new oil finds cannot be developed.

• UPDATE 2-Mexico blast kills at least 32, flagging Pemex safety woes

  *Pemex a byword in Mexico for accidents and oil theft. MEXICO CITY, Feb 1- Rescue workers on Friday pulled out more bodies from debris at the headquarters of Mexican state oil giant Pemex, where an explosion that killed at least 32 people has thrown a spotlight back on the state-run company's poor safety record.

• ANALYSIS-AB InBev could keep Mexico prize with brewery sale

  BRUSSELS, Feb 1- Anheuser-Busch InBev could salvage its plan to take full control of Grupo Modelo by keeping its sights on the lucrative market in Mexico and letting others brew Corona destined for the United States.

• WRAPUP 1-Mexico central bankers split over rate cut signal-minutes

  MEXICO CITY, Feb 1- Mexico's central bankers disagreed over whether to send a signal that interest rate cuts are possible to support growth as long as inflation remains tame, according to minutes of their discussion, released on Friday.

• Minimum wage rise back on Conn. legislative agenda

  HARTFORD, Conn.-- For the second year in a row, Connecticut's largest business group and labor advocates are digging in for a fight in the legislature over raising the minimum wage. Connecticut Working Families is backing legislation that would increase the minimum wage from $8.25 an hour to $9 on July 1 and to $9.75 a year later.