UNITED STATES

McDonald's Corp reported a better-than-expected 4.8 percent rise in February sales at established restaurants as Asia helped offset softness in the United States and Europe, sending its shares up nearly 3 percent.

The stock market is struggling on Monday despite reassuring news from China, Europe, and AIG.

President Barack Obama on Monday criticized U.S. health insurance companies for raising premiums and denying coverage to the sick, as he sought to rally Democratic support for his healthcare bill.

U.S. stocks barely budged on Monday as hopes stirred by AIG's sale of a unit and McDonald's upbeat sales were offset by falling healthcare shares after President Barack Obama's criticism.

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Monday criticized U.S. health insurance companies for raising premiums and denying coverage to the sick, as he sought to rally Democratic support for his healthcare bill.

A low interest rate policy is clearly appropriate due to the still struggling economy, a top U.S. bank regulator said on Monday, while also expressing frustration that banks are not doing enough to get credit flowing.

The European Union is considering creating a rescue fund that could herald fundamental changes in the 27-country bloc and bring closer economic cooperation following Greece's debt crisis.

Will gold prices hit $1,200 per ounce this month? If you go by the opinion of bullion market analysts, the yellow metal may cross $1,200 mark this month as the bull run in bullion has lreay started. In January, the yellow metal had crossed $1,160 per ounce. And analysts now say that this will go beyond $1,200 this month.

In a quiet day for U.S. earnings and economic releases, major U.S. indices are mixed after some positive developments from Europe and Dubai on debt issues. The tech sector leads on Cisco and upgrades.

A Web application that alerts wine grape farmers when their vines are thirsty has won first place in a competition to spur entrepreneurs in the investment-starved water sector, organizers said on Monday.

The famous Route 66 is a historic highway that ran from Chicago, Illinois and ended at the coastal city of Los Angeles, California.

The U.S. job market continued to improve in February for the sixth consecutive month, largely due to a strong recovery in manufacturing production, a research group said on Monday.

AIG is selling its foreign life insurance unit to MetLife Inc for about $15.5 billion, its second major asset sale in a week as it raises funds to repay a $182.3 billion U.S. government bailout.

Stocks were flat in early trading on Monday after a rally last week that saw the Nasdaq close at an 18-month high after encouraging jobs data.

Panasonic Corp will launch its 3D televisions in the United States on Wednesday, and work with top U.S. electronics retailer Best Buy Co to promote the products, the Japanese electronics maker said.

General Motors will pay Stephen Girsky, recently appointed vice chairman in charge of corporate strategy and business development, around $5 million a year, mainly in stocks, the company said on Friday.

The Obama administration has boosted U.S. defense ties to Israel and will close ranks with its ally against any threat from a nuclear-armed Iran, Vice President Joe Biden said on Monday ahead of a trip to Israel.

International development banks must finance civilian nuclear projects to help emerging nations build energy plants, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Monday, laying out ambitious plans to develop the industry.

The European Union's top diplomat, Catherine Ashton, has had a tough time since taking on the job four months ago, but will try to turn things around this week as she sets out her foreign policy goals.

A suicide car bomb attack on a police intelligence unit in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore killed at least 12 people and wounded about 65 during Monday's morning rush hour, officials said.

More than 55 percent of Iraqis voted in parliamentary election despite attempts by Sunni Islamist insurgents to disrupt the landmark vote with attacks that killed 38 people, officials said on Monday.