Skip navigation

AP Business NewsBrief at 7:51 p.m. EST

DENMARK CLIMATE SUMMIT
A child is seen next to a melting ice statue of a polar bear in the center of Copenhagen, Denmark, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009, one day before the Climate Summit begins. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Peter Dejong / AP
  Photo features  
  More
Image: Steam billows from the cooling towers of Jaenschwalde coal power station near Cottbus
Reuters
  The Week in Pictures
A giant praying mantis, Festival of Sacrifice, bubble in space, Bhopal, military farewell, Afghanistan marine, Italian justice and more news and feature images from around the world.
Image: Gianni Nicchi arrested in Palermo.
EPA
PhotoBlog
View and discuss the pictures and issues that caught our eyes.
Text alerts on msnbc.com

Breaking news alerts (about 1 per day)
Click here to sign up or text NEWS to MSNBC (67622).

Find more alerts at alerts.msnbc.com

updated 7:51 p.m. ET Dec. 6, 2009
UN says climate finale may have happy endingnews://newsclip.ap.org/D9CE2HSG1@news.ap.org

COPENHAGEN (AP) — Delegates converged Sunday for the grand finale of two years of tough, sometimes bitter negotiations on a climate change treaty, as U.N. officials calculated that pledges offered in the last few weeks to reduce greenhouse gases put the world within reach of keeping global warming under control. Yvo de Boer, the U.N.'s top climate official, said on the eve of the 192-nation conference that despite unprecedented unity and concessions, industrial countries and emerging nations need to dig deeper.

Story continues below ↓
advertisement | your ad here

Traders facing Fed, dollar questions this weeknews://newsclip.ap.org/D9CDVTOG1@news.ap.org

NEW YORK (AP) — Be careful what you wish for. Investors have been hoping for signs that the economy is strong enough to justify continuing Wall Street's nine-month rally. They got the surest evidence yet Friday when the government said employers cut fewer jobs in November than at any time since the recession began in late 2007.

Jobless professionals vie for holiday sales worknews://newsclip.ap.org/D9CE3U6O0@news.ap.org

Mara Proctor used to design limestone hearths and columns for luxury homes near Kansas City, drawing on her college education and six years of training. These days, she's leading customers around a store that sells sculptured snowmen and Santa figurines.

Financial therapy blends mental health, money helpnews://newsclip.ap.org/D9CE0HL80@news.ap.org

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Tensions at home were mounting after Jeremy Field lost a second construction job as the recession hit. He spent his days on the Internet and the phone looking for work. His wife, Kelly, who had been home caring for their toddler son, reluctantly returned to teaching preschool. But her part-time work meant a huge cut in wages and benefits, forcing them to sell a car and slash Christmas spending.

Drive for geothermal power heats up on US campusesnews://newsclip.ap.org/D9CE03B03@news.ap.org

MILWAUKEE (AP) — While solar and wind power get most of the headlines, geothermal power is quietly gaining traction on college campuses where energy costs can siphon millions each year from the budget. Schools from Wisconsin to New Mexico have geothermal projects in the works. There are 46 schools divvying up millions in federal stimulus dollars to advance technology that uses the temperature of the Earth, rather than coal-fired power plants, to heat and cool buildings.

You've Got Freedom: AOL ends ties with Time Warnernews://newsclip.ap.org/D9CDV20O0@news.ap.org

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — AOL is shaking loose from Time Warner Inc. and heading into the next decade the way it began this one, as an independent company. Unlike in the 1990s, though, when AOL got rich selling dial-up Internet access, it starts the 2010s as an underdog, trying to beef up its Web sites and grab more advertising revenue. Despite a few bright spots in its portfolio of sites, such as tech blog Engadget, AOL has a long way to go until Web advertising can replace the revenue it still gets from selling dial-up Internet access. One especially popular property, entertainment site TMZ, is a joint venture with a Time Warner unit that will keep TMZ and its revenue after AOL splits off.

Kuwait sells Citigroup stake for $4.1 billionnews://newsclip.ap.org/D9CDVSI80@news.ap.org

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Kuwait's sovereign wealth fund said Sunday it booked a profit of $1.1 billion by selling the stake it took in Citigroup Inc. less than two years ago when the banking giant was strapped for cash. The Kuwait Investment Authority said in a statement it sold the preferred shares after converting them to common stock for $4.1 billion. That works out to a gain of nearly 37 percent on its $3 billion investment.

Obama urges Dems to pass health care overhaulnews://newsclip.ap.org/D9CE52Q01@news.ap.org

WASHINGTON (AP) — Casting health care overhaul as a legacy for the American people and failure as politically unthinkable, President Barack Obama on Sunday rallied Senate Democrats to deliver on their party's half-century quest to expand the social safety net by providing access for all. At the Capitol during a rare Sunday session of the Senate, Obama delivered a closed-door pep talk to the fractious Democratic caucus that lasted about 45 minutes. Deep divisions remain over abortion coverage, but there was hope for compromise on whether the government should directly offer health insurance in competition with private companies.

Chinese wind power companies target global marketsnews://newsclip.ap.org/D9CDUFJ80@news.ap.org

BEIJING (AP) — China's Goldwind Science & Technology Ltd. is one of the world's biggest makers of wind turbines — a cornerstone of the booming clean power business — but is unknown outside its home country. Goldwind aims to change that. In a Minnesota farmer's cornfield, the company is erecting three 20-story-tall windmills in its first American project and hopes it will help to woo other buyers.

Battle over mountaintop mining slowly gains groundnews://newsclip.ap.org/D9CDUD080@news.ap.org

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Environmental activists gained more momentum this year than in the past decade against the destructive, uniquely Appalachian form of strip mining known as mountaintop removal, though they have yet to mobilize the millions of supporters they want. The activists have harnessed the power of the Web, social networking and satellite phones. They've chained themselves to heavy equipment, blocked haul roads and climbed trees to stop blasting. They've marched for miles, hung banners and been arrested.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Sponsored LinksGet listed here
Online College Courses
Boost your career with an online Degree. Pick from Leading Colleges!
www.EarnMyDegree.com

Sponsored links

Resource guide