UNITED STATES

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange asked a British judge on Monday to block his extradition to Sweden on sex crime allegations, arguing he would not get a fair trial and could end up facing execution in the United States.

McDonald's Corp posted stronger-than-expected global sales at established restaurants as demand in Europe came in far above Wall Street estimates.

McDonald's Corp on Tuesday said global sales at established restaurants rose more than expected in every region except the United States.

U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Tuesday, with investors focused on corporate earnings and the impact an interest rate hike in China will have on global economic demand.

Former MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann will announce his new job during a media conference call on Tuesday.

Internet search giant Google Inc. is celebrating 183rd birthday of French science-fiction writer Jules Gabriel Verne by capturing '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' in its new interactive doodle.

UBS expects to win more client funds for its wealth management business in 2011 and sees a rebound in the investment banking division whose losses almost felled it in the financial crisis.

China central bank raised interest rates for the second time in just over a month on Tuesday in a bid to rein in inflation as inflation stayed above 4 percent for a third month.

U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Tuesday, with investor focused on corporate earnings and the effects an interest rate hike in China may have on demand growth.

Military brass of both South and North Koreas met on Tuesday morning almost two months after an artillery exchange that destroyed an island near Seoul.

Share of Google’s Android in the US smartphone platform market increased to 28.7 percent in the last quarter of 2010, overtaking the share held by Apple, said a report by comScore on Monday.

The heightened sense of scrutiny surrounding many heavily-indebted rich nations is sending the right message about fiscal discipline but is coming at the wrong point in the recovery cycle for many countries, and could do more harm than it's worth to the global economy.

The shipment of first batch of all-electric car Nissan Leaf has arrived in the north-east of England, the carmaker has confirmed.

Global defense manufacturers, competing to sell products to one of the fastest growing aircraft markets in the world, are poised to unveil new products at India's biennial air show and fight it out for one of the largest export orders in the history of defense.

ArcelorMittal , the world's largest steelmaker, forecast a faster than expected recovery in demand and prices at the start of 2011 after a margin squeeze in the fourth quarter.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open for Wall Street on Tuesday, adding to gains from the previous session, with futures for the S&P 500, for the Dow Jones and for the Nasdaq up 0.1-0.2 percent by 1007 GMT.

British gas producer BG Group Plc posted a rise in quarterly profit helped by higher commodity prices and a lower exploration charge and the company lifted its full year dividend by 10 percent to 21.60 cents a share.

UBS returned to a modest profit at its investment bank and struggled to attract new client money to its core wealth management operations, showing chief Oswald Gruebel still has a way to go to turn around the bank.

At this year's Laureus Sport Awards, held at Abu Dhabi on Monday, Spain's Tennis World Number 1 Rafael Nadal and USA's Skiing Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn bagged the top honors of 'Sportsman' and 'Sportswoman' of the year, respectively.

U.S. defence contractor Northrop Grumman expects India to seal a deal to spend $11 billion on new fighter jets by the end of this year, as it supplies fuselage and radars to manufacturers bidding for the order, an executive said on Monday.

Business Traveller magazine has honored Amercan Airlines at the 2010 Cellars in the Sky Awards, a wine competition, for its best white wine collection.