IBT Staff Reporter

Business groups reacted with alarm and environmentalists with applause to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's formal declaration Monday that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health, clearing the way for federal regulation.

MetLife Inc forecast 2010 earnings that could beat average Wall Street expectations, helped by cost cuts, improved investment returns and higher revenue, but said it did not see a return to historical growth levels until at least 2011.

Washington took a step on Monday toward curbing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, aiding the first day of the biggest climate talks in history where 190 nations are seeking a deal to curb global warming.

Stocks ended little changed on Monday as investors paused to gauge prospects for the U.S. economic recovery and interest rates after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the economy faced formidable headwinds.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency formally declared that greenhouse gases endanger human health Monday, allowing President Barack Obama to show his commitment to act as a major climate change summit opened in Copenhagen.

Wanderlust's Editor-in-Chief Lyn Hughes travelled to the Icehotel in Arctic Sweden to experience a host of natural and manmade phenomena.

Google has beefed up its search capabilities by releasing real-time search and announcing a new product in Google Labs called Google Googles which is a visual search feature. Google made the announcements during Google's 3rd annual review of Internet search technology; an event the company calls Searchology.

Iranian security forces fired warning shots in Tehran on Monday and beat opposition protesters among thousands seeking to renew their challenge to the government six months after a disputed election, witnesses said.

About 15,000 delegates from about 190 nations are meeting in Copenhagen from Dec 7-18 and have been tasked with agreeing immediate action to curb greenhouse gases and come up with billions of dollars in climate aid for poorer countries.

COPENHAGEN - World concern about climate change has fallen in the past two years, according to an opinion poll on Sunday, the eve of 190-nation talks in Copenhagen meant to agree a U.N. deal to fight global warming.

France's strategic investment fund (FSI) is not yet ready to invest in manufacturer Heuliez's electric vehicle project as new owner Bernard Krief Consulting (BKC) has not met necessary guarantees, a fund spokesman said.

Football film The Blind Side tackled the top spot at North American box offices with $20.4 million in ticket sales for a rare climb up the charts in its third week, according to studio estimates on Sunday.

President Barack Obama will lay out policy proposals to combat double-digit unemployment in a speech on Tuesday tackling an economic problem that has become a political drain on his young administration.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Jamie Dimon and Chief Financial Officer Mike Cavanagh are expected to publicly review the bank's financial results for the fourth quarter and take questions from banking sector analysts on January 15.

Tiger Woods who has been away from the public eye since November 27 is expected to appear this weekend at his best friend's wedding, TMZ reports.

Oil fell toward $74 a barrel on Monday as low demand for crude oil in the wake of the economic downturn continued to pressure prices, outweighing last week's strong U.S. job report.

U.S. securities regulators on Monday charged three former executives at now-bankrupt lender New Century with fraud, the latest government attempt to bring bad actors in the subprime market to justice.

MetLife Inc forecast fourth-quarter and 2010 earnings that could beat average Wall Street expectations, helped by cost cuts, improved investment returns and higher revenue, but said it did not see a return to historical growth levels until 2011 or 2012.

Efforts by Barnes & Noble Inc to get its Nook electronic reader into customers' hands suffered another setback on Monday, when the bookseller said it was postponing the in-store debut of the device until early 2010 to fulfill orders already received.

A bubble has formed in commodities as speculative fervor returns to markets after the global financial crisis, veteran Wall Street economist Henry Kaufman said on Monday.

The dollar fell from four-week highs on Monday as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke doused expectations the U.S. central bank would raise interest rates anytime soon. Bernanke said that while the U.S. economy has improved, the recovery remains fragile and the unemployment rate could remain high for some time. In remarks before the Economic Club of Washington, he added that he still sees an extended period of low rates. For his remarks, click on [ID:nN07169826].

Daimler's German workforce, fearing more cars could be shifted to foreign plants just days after management decided to build a key model in its Alabama facility instead of in Sindelfingen, has demanded job guarantees until 2020.

General Motors Co has tapped recruiting firm Spencer Stuart to find a permanent chief executive with extensive global, manufacturing and turnaround experience, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Russia's UC RUSAL will delay its $2 billion share flotation to 2010 after the Hong Kong bourse asked the world's top aluminium maker to meet conditions before its main owner can tap the market to service debts.

Daimler expects fourth-quarter sales volume at its Mercedes-Benz passenger car division to rise considerably in the fourth quarter as weak year-earlier figures helped flatter growth rates in November.

Dutch grocer Super de Boer said on Monday the competition authority had approved its sale to rival Jumbo, and Chief Executive Jan Brouwer, who helped lead the company back to profitability, would resign.

Volkswagen took the second step in its multi-stage integration with Porsche SE, acquiring on Monday a 49.9 percent stake in its sports car business for 3.9 billion euros ($5.8 billion).

Stocks modestly added to gains on Monday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the economy was improving, but the recovery was fragile and still faced headwinds.

China Pacific Insurance (Group) Co Ltd, the country's third-largest life insurer, plans to raise up to HK$25.9 billion ($3.34 billion) from a Hong Kong initial public offering, a source close to the deal said on Sunday.