UNITED STATES

The Carlyle Group , the U.S. buyout giant backing China Pacific Insurance (Group) Co Ltd, could make a $4 billion profit -- a return of more than six times its investment -- once China's No.3 life insurer floats shares in Hong Kong.

Luminaries from the worlds of music and film were feted by President Barack Obama and a black-tie audience of artists and political heavyweights on Sunday at the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors.

U.S. major Chevron Corp's gas sale agreement with Japan's Tokyo Electric Power is worth A$90 billion ($82.5 billion), and is the biggest Australian LNG supply agreement ever signed, the West Australian government said on Monday.

TNT might know drama, but does it remember how to launch a hit show?

Wine-tasting and brewery-touring trips are popular in countries around the world. But connoisseurs of other beverages needs not be left thirsty. From Mexico to Japan, in nearly every corner of the

Tokyo Electric Power Co will invest more than 300 billion yen ($3.3 billion) in acquiring a stake in liquefied natural gas development in Australia, the Nikkei business daily reported on Sunday.

Japan's Tokyo Electric Power Co said on Saturday it has signed a Heads of Agreement with U.S. major Chevron to procure 4.1 million tonnes per year of liquefied natural gas from Australia's Wheatstone project. Under the agreement, TEPCO, Japan's top utility, will acquire 15 percent of Chevron's equity stake in Wheatstone field license and an 11.25 percent stake in Wheatstone gas processing facility.

Republican firebrand Sarah Palin invaded the city she loves to hate on Saturday and rubbed shoulders with the herd of journalists she usually holds in disdain.

Seven children were killed and 42 wounded in a Shi'ite district of Baghdad Monday when a bomb exploded outside a school, police said.

Officials of CME Group Inc expressed optimism on Friday about the success of a new physically deliverable U.S. sour crude oil futures that launches next week, but said it would take years to become a benchmark, if it ever does.

Oil prices fell below $75 a barrel on Monday as a rising dollar sent investors fleeing from risk and global markets began to speculate on a specific future date when the United States would raise its interest rates.

The number of rigs drilling for natural gas in the United States was unchanged this week at 748 following a big gain last week, according to a report on Friday by oil services firm Baker Hughes in Houston.

MetLife Inc , the largest publicly traded U.S. life insurer, issued profit forecasts for the fourth quarter and 2010 that could beat average Wall Street expectations.

No Break Ups for Big Banks; Baillout Cheaper; Pressing Finance Reform

The biggest climate talks in history opened on Monday with a stark U.N. warning of the risk of desertification and rising seas and an assurance by hosts Denmark that a deal to combat climate change was within reach.

British confectioner Cadbury said on Monday it would post a formal response to Kraft's $16 billion takeover offer on Dec. 14.

U.S. and British funds are interested in Italian utility A2A's asset disposal plan as well as direct investments, a spokesman said on Monday.

U.S. drug regulators asked on Friday for manufacturers of prescription pain medications to provide more specifics on an industry plan to curb growing abuse of morphine, methadone, oxycodone and other opioid drugs.

Alexa Ray Joel, 23, the daughter of singer Billy Joel was released from a hospital and is at her father's house following an overdose, People Maazine reported..

An HIV genetic stowaway that may have come from a related cat virus could help the AIDS virus transmit and replicate in people, U.S. researchers reported on Sunday.

Wall Street was poised for a soft open on Monday on growing sentiment U.S. interest rates could rise sooner than had been anticipated following last week's surprisingly optimistic jobs report.