UNITED STATES

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Sunday that the U.S. will not be entering the conflict in Syria the way it has entered the conflict in Libya.

Personal spending in the US rose more than expected in February while income increased less than expected, indicating that the average consumer is growing more confident about the economic recovery.

US stocks opened higher in early trade on Monday, with the S&P 500 Index gaining 2.49 points, or 0.19 percent, to trade at 1,315.76. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 18.31 points, or 0.15 percent, to trade at 12,238.90. The Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 0.28 percent.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a flat open following three days of gains on Monday, though developments in Japan, Libya and the Middle East kept alive the potential for volatile trading.

RBC Capital Markets initiated its rating on shares of Zuoan Fashion Ltd (NYSE: ZA) at outperform, speculative risk and a price target of $9.

U.S. stock index futures rose on Monday, building on three sessions of gains, though developments in Japan and Libya remained in view, suggesting further volatility ahead.

U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Monday as foreign headwinds remained in view following three days of U.S. equities gains, suggesting the recent period of volatility wasn't over.

Travel bookings to Mexico made on the more than 90 Expedia and Hotels.com travel sites worldwide have risen nearly 25 percent over the past 12 months.

Italy's embattled Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi made a rare appearance in a court in Milan on Monday at the preliminary hearing of a case over allegations of fraud and embezzlement during the purchase of television broadcasting rights for inflated prices.

Oil retreated on Monday with Brent slipping to around $115 after Libyan rebels regained control of key oil towns, and unrest over the weekend was limited to minor crude exporters Syria and Yemen.

Libyan rebels have formed a transitional government under the leadership of Mahmoud Jebril, and the new cabinet is slowly taking shape. The interim rebel government, which vies with the official regime for control of the country, has been boosted by the sovereign recognition by France and generous western support. Following is a glimpse into some of the major Libyan opposition outfits that have been fighting Gaddafi overtly or covertly in the last three decades:

U.S. stocks gained for the third consecutive day on Friday as investors shook off global fears and focused instead on upbeat earnings.

U.S. film studio Warner Brothers said it would offer five additional movies for rent on social networking website Facebook, a further sign of intensifying competition in renting out movies on the Internet.

Brazil on Sunday defended its unorthodox strategies to cool its economy as the International Monetary Fund cautioned Latin America not to forget its basic tool for fighting inflation: the cost of money.

The Federal Reserve should consider trimming its $600 billion bond purchase program given pretty good U.S. economic data, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President James Bullard said on Saturday.

Around 600 people lined up outside a store in London Friday afternoon to get their hands on a new iPad 2 tablet computer from Apple.

The U.S. labor market is finally improving, just when many of the other economic indicators are wavering.

Protests in Libya which began on February 15 in Libya have escalated into an international conflict as Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's efforts to stay in power have triggered efforts by NATO, Arab nations, and other partners to protect civilians.

Samsung's most recent tablet device is the thinnest tablet in the market. It is 8.6mm (10.9mm previous model) thin which is thinner than its main competitor, the iPad 2 (8.8mm).

Nintendo's 3D gaming console is now available in stores in the US.

Sixteen Hong Kong banks have agreed on a deal to enable investors in structured products of the now bankrupt Lehman Brothers recover a majority of their investments.