UNITED KINGDOM

A planned meeting of diplomats from major powers on Iran's nuclear program will not take place this year although discussions will continue by telephone, the State Department said on Monday.

Iran worked on testing a key component of a nuclear bomb as recently as 2007, a British newspaper said on Monday, a finding which if proven would be at odds with Iran's assertion its nuclear work is for civilian use.

Lloyds completed a record 13.5 billion pound ($21.9 billion) rights issue on Monday, ending a turbulent period for the bank and shifting investor focus to a potential government stake sale in 2010.

British commercial property values posted the largest monthly increase in 15 years, up 2.4 percent in November, as the market's recovery accelerated after a two-year downturn, data showed on Monday.

Media production firm Ten Alps Plc (TAL.L) posted a rise in first-half pretax profit due to cost cuts and improved margins and said it was comfortable with the full-year consensus view, sending its shares up 5.8 percent.

It's a good time to be Robert Downey Jr.

GBP: This week has a lighter slate of economic releases scheduled in the United Kingdom than the previous week. Look for the Rightmove House Price Index (last -1.6%) plus the BOE's quarterly bulletin on Monday, then CPI (1.8%Y/Y) and RPI (0.2%Y/Y) on Tuesday.

People who want to maintain a healthy weight over time shouldn't obsess about their fat intake, new research shows.

U.S. drug firm Endo Pharmaceuticals' gel designed to prevent infection with the AIDS virus has proved ineffective in trials in Africa, Britain's Medical Research Council (MRC) said on Monday.

Lloyds has completed a record 13.5 billion pound ($21.9 billion) rights issue, ending a turbulent period for the British bank and shifting investor focus to a potential government stake sale in 2010.

Corrects second bullet point, fifth paragraph to make clear premium is pence not percent

Bailout for Dubai; Citi Seeks Independence; CadburyBid Battle

British energy regulator Ofgem has announced a shortlist of six bidders competing to connect nine offshore wind projects to the grid in the first stage of a programme to connect up some 33 gigawatts (GW) by 2020.

Britain's Cadbury said it has received interest from other bidders after raising its growth targets and reporting upbeat trading, as it dismissed a 10 billion pound ($16.5 billion) bid from Kraft Foods .

Britain's Cadbury Plc said it has received interest from other bidders after raising its growth targets and reporting upbeat trading as it dismissed a 10 billion pound ($16.5 billion) bid from Kraft Foods .

Britain's Cadbury Plc raised its long-term growth targets and reported upbeat trading as it dismissed a 10 billion pound ($16.5 billion) bid from Kraft Foods , kicking off a seven-week fight for its independence.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher opening on Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.59 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.39 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.49 percent.

To all extents and purposes, 2009 is over for investors and the coming week will be dominated by the issues of 2010.

The Aussie dollar was unable to hold onto momentum gained by Thursday's stellar employment report peaking near 92 cents during Friday's European session.

Cadbury and U.S. rival Hershey have held talks over a possible friendly bid by the American firm, the Sunday Telegraph reported, citing market sources.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Afghan President Hamid Karzai met at an Afghan air base on Sunday, aiming to fix a relationship that has grown bitter as the Afghan war grows deadlier and more unpopular.