BARACK OBAMA

Climate Showdown; Ryanair Ends Boeing Talks; Biggest Holiday Shopping Weekend

President Barack Obama met other world leaders in a last push for a new global climate deal on Friday, after negotiators failed to reach a deal on carbon cuts in all-night talks.

President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev could reach an agreement in principle on nuclear arms reduction in Copenhagen on Friday, leaving it to negotiators to finalize a deal in coming days, a senior U.S. official said.

World leaders worked through the early hours to try and beat a Friday deadline for a deal on cutting emissions and helping poor countries cope with the costly impact of global warming.

The Obama administration released details on Thursday of a $2 billion program in grants and loans to help dramatically expand Americans' broadband Internet access and create tens of thousands of jobs.

U.S. President Barack Obama is scheduled to arrive in Copenhagen on Thursday night and will join the UN climate talks on Friday, bringing hopes to finish a complicated process of reaching a political agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight global warming.

Prospects for a strong U.N. climate pact grew more remote on Thursday at the climax of two-year talks as ministers and leaders blamed leading emitters China and the United States for deadlock on carbon cuts.

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan on Thursday endorsed a proposed bipartisan commission to help make the tough calls needed to get the spiraling and record U.S. debt under control.

High unemployment and a fractious debate over healthcare have combined to push down President Barack Obama's job approval ratings and highlight the potential for political dangers ahead.

The U.S. Senate staggered toward the healthcare finish line on Wednesday, as Republicans used new tactics to delay debate and a Democratic holdout remained uncommitted after meeting President Barack Obama.

Nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population -- or almost 60 million people -- went without health insurance at some point since January 2008, according to government estimates released Wednesday.

Boosting Broadband; Banks' New Rules; Treasuries harder to buy

The Obama administration is to award $2 billion in grants and loans over the next 75 days as part of a plan to dramatically expand Americans' broadband Internet access and create tens of thousands of jobs.

It's too soon for Americans to plan a Cuban vacation of beach, mambo and mojitos, but the U.S. travel industry is gearing up for a return to its largest Caribbean destination before Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution.

While world leaders slug it out over a new U.N. climate deal in Copenhagen, companies involved in smart grid technologies are attracting attention for their potential to cut emissions and costs.

Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday proposed a $5 billion expansion of a clean energy tax credit as the White House unveiled the latest part of its push to tackle double-digit U.S. unemployment.

Fearless singer Taylor Swift graces the cover of People's most intriguing of 2009, on a list that names mom-of-eight Kate Gosselin the mother of all reality stars and British singer Susan Boyle as the surprise hit, the magazine said on Wednesday.

Switzerland will accept a detainee from the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba after the United States requested the Alpine country and other states to house prisoners.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen asked Russia on Wednesday to give the Western military alliance more help in Afghanistan but failed to get an immediate pledge of assistance from the Kremlin.

The Treasury is working on a number of fronts to use the government's $700 billion bailout fund to boost lending to small businesses, a senior Treasury official said on Wednesday, adding that tax incentives to boost hiring should be considered.

If the U.S. Congress fails to agree on a healthcare bill soon, the opportunity for a sweeping overhaul of the $2.5 trillion system will be lost for a generation, Vice President Joe Biden warned on Tuesday.