IBT Staff Reporter

A gauge of manufacturing in New York State continued to grow in May but at a slower pace, although the jobs gauge reached its highest level in about six years, the New York Federal Reserve said in a report on Monday.

(Reuters) - HIV prevalence among gay and bisexual men has hit alarming levels in Asia and most of them do not have access to services and care due to punitive laws which drive them underground, a U.N.-backed report said on Monday.

The euro hit a four-year low on Monday on fears that austerity measures would stifle recovery, as European finance ministers prepared to discuss tighter regulation a week after launching a $1 trillion rescue plan.

British bank Standard Chartered is replacing the BlackBerry, currently its standard corporate communications device, with the iPhone, a move that could eventually result in thousands of bankers switching to the Apple device for business communication on the go.

American Express Co has teamed up with UK private equity firm Permira to bid for Royal Bank of Scotland's $4 billion payment processing arm, people familiar with the matter said on Monday.

No. 2 U.S. home improvement chain Lowe's Cos Inc gave a muted quarterly outlook despite posting stronger-than-expected results for the latest period, and its shares fell nearly 4 percent.

British insurer Prudential launched its long-awaited $21 billion cash call and a delayed offensive to woo wary shareholders to back its takeover of rival AIG's Asian unit.

BY Chuck MikolajczakU.S. stocks futures rose on Monday as a fresh wave of mergers and acquisitions helped dissipate worries over the impact of heavy euro-zone debt loads on a global recovery.

Global gold demand is set to fall in 2010 if the sales of the yellow metals on Akshay Tritiya were any indication. Most of the buyers stayed home instead of visiting jewellery shops on Akshay Tritiya, an auspicious day for Indians to buy gold. Most of the jewellery showrooms wore a deserted look on Akshay Tritiya (May 16) even though the price of gold eased from a record high Rs 18,508 on Friday to Rs 18,397 per 10 gm.

Stock futures were higher on Monday as a fresh wave of mergers and acquisitions helped dissipate worries over the impact of heavy euro-zone debt loads on a global recovery.

A leading Chinese economic indicator showed that growth may have already peaked in the world's third-largest economy with the stock market falling on investor worries about the government's campaign to rein in property prices.

No. 2 U.S. home improvement chain Lowe's Cos Inc reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Monday, boosted by strong demand for energy-efficient appliances and gardening products.

Stocks fell and the euro slumped to a four-year low on Monday as Asian markets caught up with Friday's sell-off in the West, shrugging off encouraging data and remaining fixated on troubles in the euro zone.

HSINCHU, Taiwan May 17 - AU Optronics Corp, Taiwan's No. 2 LCD maker, said an LCD panel shortage is likely to last into the second half of this year on robust demand for PCs and TVs, even though fears linger about a weak euro.

Britain's Prudential launched its $21 billion rights issue on Monday, finally allowing the insurer to push ahead with its acquisition of AIG's Asian insurance business.

The euro sank to four-year lows on Monday as angst over Europe's debt crisis led investors to pull more money from stocks in favor of havens such as gold and Asian bonds.

Global oil prices continued losses in Asian trade Monday and dropped below $70 a barrel for the first time in three months. Light sweet crude for June delivery was seen trading at $ 70.09 a barrel at 11.30 a.m Singapore time after hitting as low as $69.82 a barrel earlier. In London, Brent crude was seen at $76.53 a barrel at the same time.

World's two largest gold consumers, India and China, have different figures to offer as afar as gold sale is concerned last week. Global leader in gold consumption, India witnessed not so impressive figures last week as traditional gold buying festival 'Akshaya Trithiya' fails to boost sales. The festival, which is more popular in south India, is the second-largest gold buying day in the world's largest market for gold.

Britain's Prudential laid out the case for its $21 billion rights issue on Monday, finally allowing the insurer to push ahead with its planned acquisition of AIG's Asian insurance business.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.46 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.51 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.21 percent at 3:55 a.m. ET.

The US environmental advocacy groups reported that several perfumes containing chemicals that have not been thoroughly tested for safety may have serious health effects.

The global electronic book market will grow almost 80 percent this year, aided by Apple's iPad, but devices with limited multimedia functions will remain a mainstream segment thanks to consumers seeking a serious reading experience, LG Display said on Monday.

The groom looked dashing, his bride resplendent in white, but all eyes in this Japanese wedding were on the priest, a four-foot tall robot with colorful, flashing eyes called i-Fairy.

China's Internet firewall is a trade barrier and needs to be tackled within the framework of the World Trade Organization, Neelie Kroes, vice-president of the European Commission, told reporters in Shanghai on Monday.

Global miner BHP Billiton appeared to soften on Monday its opposition to a new Australian mining tax, saying the levy should apply only to new projects, while the government signaled it might be open to compromise.

China's Anshan Iron and Steel Group , also known as Angang, confirmed on Monday it would invest in a steel mill in the United States.

Private equity firm Apollo Global Management is in talks to buy U.S. packaging maker Pactiv Corp in a leveraged deal, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the situation.

Indigenous communities in central Australia have ranked the worst in the world for rates of severe pneumonia among young children.

The yuan has risen strongly against the euro and this appreciation will harm Chinese exporters, a Commerce Ministry official said on Monday.