UNITED STATES

U.S. clinical research company Charles River Laboratories International agreed to buy Chinese rival WuXi PharmaTech for $1.6 billion to expand its presence in China and deepen its expertise in drug-discovery services.

Hertz Global Holdings Inc agreed to buy smaller rival Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group Inc for about $1.2 billion in a deal that will make it the second-biggest U.S. car rental company.

A sex-discrimination lawsuit by female employees of Wal-Mart Stores Inc can proceed as a class-action case seeking back pay and other claims against the U.S. retailer, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Monday.

U.S. oil fell below $85 a barrel on Monday as Greece's festering debt crisis pushed the U.S. dollar up and as the oil market girded for further growth to inventories in the United States, the world's top energy consumer.

Just three weeks after the global launch, bootleg versions of Apple Inc's hot-selling iPad tablet PCs have begun showing up on the shelves of online and real-world shops in piracy-prone China.

Republicans will eventually vote for financial reform, paving the way for the completion this year of a massive rewrite of rules for banks and financial markets, the head of the American Bankers Association said on Monday.

Google Inc's Nexus One smartphone will be sold in Vodafone retail stores in Britain at the end of the month and the company said there are no longer plans to offer a version of the phone that uses the Verizon Wireless network in the United States.

The share of empty U.S. homes fell slightly in the first quarter, a government report on Monday showed, though vacancies remained at elevated levels amid continued weakness in the housing sector.

The Dow industrials rose on Monday on Caterpillar's strong results, while weak bank shares left the broad S&P 500 index little changed.

Caterpillar Inc reported a stronger-than-expected quarterly profit on Monday and raised its full-year profit and sales forecasts, citing an improving global economy, especially in Asia and Latin America.

Massey Energy Co , owner of the West Virginia coal mine where 29 miners were killed three weeks ago, accused unions on Monday of spreading a big lie that the company had traded safety for profit.

Differences over how Europe and the United States plan to regulate derivatives is muddying the picture for buyers, who could be saddled with higher costs, a top industry official told the Reuters Global Financial Regulation Summit.

General Electric Co and Nissan Motor Co on Monday announced a three-year agreement to collectively research development of charging stations for electric vehicles.

Canadian auto parts maker Magna International said on Monday it has won contracts to supply a variety of components and systems for Volkswagen Group of America's new mid-sized sedan, expected to hit the U.S. market in 2011.

(Reuters) - Barely a twentieth of the estimated $3.2 billion needed is put into preventing drug users spreading the AIDS virus, experts said on Monday, and the shortfall is fuelling HIV epidemics in parts of Europe and Asia.

Whirlpool Corp's quarterly profit and full year forecast surpassed Wall Street estimates, helped by sales in Brazil, Asia and North America, sending shares in the world's largest appliance maker up 14 percent.

U.S. stocks rose on Monday on strong results from Caterpillar and a flurry of merger-and-acquisition activity, though weakness in financial shares limited gains.

Caterpillar Inc , the world's largest maker of earth-moving equipment, reported stronger-than-expected quarterly profit on Monday and raised its full-year forecast, saying economic conditions are definitely improving, especially in Asia and Latin America.

Fabrice Tourre and his girlfriend talked like a couple very much in love.

A state judge in Florida has ruled against U.S. Bank N.A. which filed a lawsuit against Ernest Harpster when the homeowner defaulted on a loan that he supposedly received in January 2007.

More U.S. companies plan to increase their work force over the next six months, a survey showed on Monday, which could lead to a stronger recovery.