US retail giant Walmart announced Tuesday that it would conduct in-depth safety inspections at all 279 of its Bangladesh suppliers, in the wake of the building collapse that killed more than 1,100. The firm said it would release the names of and inspection information on each of the factories, and meanwhile also issued a list of more than 200 factories that it has blacklisted for failing to meet its standards. But Walmart said it was not yet prepared to join an industry-wide pact on safety -- the IndustriALL Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - While several more global clothing chains on Tuesday were announcing that they agreed to a historic pact to improve factory conditions in Bangladesh, U.S. retailers were scrambling to come up with their own safety plans. A total of more than a dozen brands this week announced plans to sign a five-year, legally binding contract that requires that they help pay for fire safety and building improvements in Bangladesh. Notably missing from the pact are U.S. firms, except for PVH, the New York-based parent company of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger.

Dell board members say they need more details from investor Carl Icahn if he wants them to seriously consider his latest challenge to Michael Dell's $24.4 billion plan to take the computer maker private. Icahn and prominent Dell shareholder Southeastern Asset Management said last week they want to keep Dell Inc. publicly traded and give shareholders $12 in cash or more shares.

WARREN, Mich. - General Motors Co. says a new supercomputing data centre and a fledgling shift to bring software development in-house should help it limit the size of future safety recalls. The Detroit automaker, which formally opened the giant data storage centre in suburban Warren, Mich., on Monday, said the changes are examples of how it is moving faster to cut costs and serve its customers better by bringing more computer technology inside the company.