UNITED STATES

Beauty product company Coty Inc, whose $10 billion bid for larger rival Avon Products Inc was rejected earlier this month, reaffirmed its original cash offer of $23.25 per share on Monday.

Moody’s Investors Service on Monday downgraded the rating of Finland-based mobile maker Nokia from Baa3 to Baa2, a move in response to the company’s announcement of sharp decline in mobile sales in the first quarter this year.

Gannett Co. (NYSE: GCI), the largest U.S. newspaper group by circulation, said Monday that earnings fell in the first quarter due to a slump in advertising revenue and restructuring costs.

KKR & Co. L.P. (NYSE: KKR), a global private equity company, plans to list precision engineering components manufacturer MMI International on the Singapore Exchange, reported the Dow Jones Newswires, citing three people familiar with the matter, as financial market conditions stabilize on the island nation.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have come out offering a $7,500 reward for the return of five guitars that were stolen from the band on Apr. 12.

U.S. President Barack Obama on Sunday, commented for the first time on the scandal surrounding the Secret Service saying that he will wait for the full investigation before passing final judgment.

U.S. retail sales rose solidly in March as Americans shrugged off high gasoline prices and bought a range of goods, implying that economic growth in the first quarter was probably not as weak as many had feared.

The New York Fed reported on Monday slowing growth within the manufacturing sector in March, with overall sentiments remained positive and employment improved despite difficulty finding highly-skilled labor.

Karzai went on to praise Afghan forces for handling the situation, saying they had proved themselves capable of defending their country.

A controversial British peer of Pakistani origin, who allegedly announced a £10-million bounty for the capture of US President Barack Obama and his predecessor George Bush, has been suspended from the UK's Labor Party.

I can announce that we are lifting sanctions considerably, Carr said.

Sales at U.S. retailers rose sharply for the third straight month in March, as Americans continued to weather the hike in gasoline prices and splurged on buying new cars and renovating their homes.

Beauty product company Coty Inc, whose $10 billion bid for larger rival Avon Products Inc was rejected earlier this month, said it might raise its offer if it was invited to examine the direct seller's books.

Stock index futures advanced on Monday ahead of retail sales data, indicating the S&P 500 may climb after suffering its worst weekly decline of the year.

In a joint military exercise, nearly 7,000 US and Philippine forces have begun South China Sea drills amid growing maritime tensions between Manila and Beijing over a disputed shoal.

Futures on major US stock indices point to a higher opening on Monday ahead of economic data including retail sales.

South Korea's central bank has lowered the country's growth forecast for 2012 to 3.5 percent on account of the global economic slowdown that has resulted in the weakening of exports.

Asian stock markets declined Monday, following a slump in the US and European stocks last week on renewed eurozone concerns.

Addressing Israeli concerns on Iran buying extra time of five weeks over its alleged clandestine nuclear weapons program during the first round of key talks with the six world powers, US President Barack Obama said his administration has not given anything away, defending the need for a diplomatic resolution.

The coordinated attacks launched by the Taliban over the weekend on Afghanistan's capital have ended. Security forces unleashed an attack on the Taliban militants near the diplomatic enclave and the parliament before putting an end to the fighting which lasted 18 hours, a spokesman for Kabul's police chief has said.

Temasek Holdings, the Singapore state-owned investment group, has agreed to buy $2.3 billion worth of shares in the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) from Goldman Sachs, a move that is seen as part of its strategy to increase investment in emerging economies.