UNITED STATES

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said on Monday the Senate's sweeping healthcare reform bill would include a government-run insurance plan that lets states opt out of participation if they choose.

New York gold futures ended at their lowest level in more than two weeks on Monday as a sudden resurgence of the dollar decreased bullion's appeal as a hedge against a depreciating U.S. currency .

President Barack Obama will announce the largest investment of economic stimulus funds in clean energy during a visit to Florida, an Obama administration official said on Monday.

The European Union should shift more of its spending to climate and energy security as part of a radical overhaul of the bloc's budget, according to a draft paper by the EU's executive arm

Electronics chain RadioShack Corp posted quarterly revenue that topped Wall Street expectations, helped by its push in mobile phones and calling plans, sending its shares up 16 percent to a year high.

When it comes to borrowing trillions of dollars, it helps to have a golden reputation, a steady income stream, and plenty of rich, trusting friends.

U.S. stocks fell on Monday as financial shares tumbled over concern that a federal tax credit for home buyers would expire and as commodity-related shares lost ground on falling oil prices.

Regional economic reports on Monday suggested the U.S. economy has clambered back to levels associated with the end of recession, but recovery will be patchy and may prove fleeting.

Regional economic reports on Monday suggested the U.S. economy has clambered back to levels associated with the end of recession, but recovery will be patchy and may prove fleeting.

Spanish insurer Mapfre will analyse the opportunity presented by Dutch bancassuer ING's decision to split off its insurance business but has no immediate acquisition plans, its managing director said on Monday.

Toromont Industries said on Monday that lower activity in key sectors, including natural gas and construction, had a negative impact on its quarterly profit and revenue, and the company expects more of the same for the current period.

Verizon Communications Inc's third-quarter profit fell a less-than-expected 9 percent as wireless subscriber gains offset slower-than-anticipated growth in its FiOS television service.

U.S. stocks fell on Monday, dragged lower by materials and financial shares, erasing earlier gains as the U.S. dollar rose and commodity prices waned.

Dropped calls may be annoying to a mobile phone user but network equipment makers and operators are eyeing a big payday from congested cellphone networks.

Caterpillar Inc, the world's biggest maker of heavy machinery, said on Monday it plans to permanently cut 2,500 workers even as increasing demand will allow it to recall some employees who were laid off during the economic downturn.

An industry-funded food labeling program was halted on Friday just days after U.S. officials warned they were investigating if nutrition claims on the front of packages were misleading.

Nearly half of patients who completed 56 weeks of treatment with Orexigen Therapeutics Inc's experimental obesity treatment, Contrave, lost at least 10 percent of their weight in a late-stage study and the drug also appeared to help cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

Senate Democratic leaders are close to securing enough votes to advance a sweeping healthcare reform backed by President Barack Obama, a top Senate Democrat said on Sunday, adding that it likely would include a national health plan that would allow states the option of dropping out.

The U.S. healthcare system is just as wasteful as President Barack Obama says it is, and proposed reforms could be paid for by fixing some of the most obvious inefficiencies, preventing mistakes and fighting fraud, according to a Thomson Reuters report released on Monday.

Verizon Communications Inc's third-quarter profit fell a less-than-expected 9 percent as it added more wireless customers than analysts had forecast.

Global accounting firm Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu said on Monday revenue at its member firms slipped 4.9 percent in fiscal 2009 to $26.1 billion, hurt by a decline in deal activity in the worldwide economic downturn.