UNITED STATES

U.S. stocks paused on Monday after a week of gains as nervous investors braced for the start of earnings reporting, worried if profits and outlooks will be strong enough to extend the market's advance.

As Obama's fellow Democrats in the House of Representatives and the Senate struggle to merge their healthcare bills into one, the president used his weekly radio address to try to ease lingering public doubts over his top legislative priority.

Ford Motor Co swept the 2010 North American Car and Truck Awards at the Detroit auto show on Monday, marking only the third time in the 17-year history of the award that a single automaker has claimed both titles.

U.S. companies selling their goods in Venezuela will be pinched by the government's move to devalue its currency, as many of their products will cost more for consumers and their earnings will take a hit.

Stocks edged lower on Monday after five straight days of gains for the S&P 500 as broker comments knocked consumer staples and investors braced for the start of earnings season.

General Motors Co could post a profit in 2010 if the U.S. industry stages modest recovery but remains subject to the risk that the improving trend in the U.S. economy is reversed, the automaker's vice chairman, Bob Lutz, said on Monday.

South Korea's LG Chem Co Ltd will sell rechargeable batteries for hybrid cars to Ford Motor Co from 2012, with the annual sales estimated to reach 500 billion won ($447 million), local media said on Monday.

The Obama administration plans on Monday to announce the selection of nine projects totaling $187 million aimed at improving the fuel efficiency of cars and trucks.

Most banks have increased basic salaries and cut bonuses for executives in response to calls for leaner compensation packages after the financial crisis, according to a survey by consultancy Mercer.

China's auto sales surged past the United States to reach record levels in 2009, industry figures showed on Monday, underscoring China's importance to the global auto industry as the world's biggest market.

North Korea said on Monday it wants to reach a peace treaty quickly to replace the ceasefire that ended the 1950-53 Korean War in order to build trust with the United States and revive dormant nuclear disarmament talks.

Six members of the NATO-led military force in Afghanistan were killed on Monday in two battles with insurgents and a roadside bomb attack, making it one of the bloodiest days for foreign troops in months.

Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, head of Kingdom Holding and a shareholder in Citigroup , said the U.S. bank had put the worst behind it and would post a profit this year and next.

Heineken NV will buy the beer business of Mexico's FEMSA in a $7.9 billion deal that boosts the Dutch brewer's emerging-market presence and cements an alliance with Latin America's biggest drinks firm.

U.S. Federal Reserve monetary policy is unlikely to be pushed off course by December's surprising job losses, a senior Fed official said on Monday.

U.S. commercial real estate investors may have to wait until next year to see their returns start to grow, as returns will likely remain in negative territory this year, according to the research arm of real estate services company CB Richard Ellis Group Inc.

Stock index futures rose on Monday as China's stronger trade figures stoked optimism in the global recovery and as investors anticipated a profitable earnings report from Alcoa Inc .

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton heads to the South Pacific this week, working to boost key U.S. alliances while pressing Japan to resolve a damaging dispute over a critical U.S. military base.

Ford Motor Co , swept the 2010 North American Car and Truck Awards at the Detroit auto show on Monday, marking only the third time in the 17-year history of the award that a single automaker has claimed both titles.

The Obama administration's newly appointed envoy for human rights in North Korea said on Monday Pyongyang had an abysmal record and that Washington would press the reclusive state to clean up its act.

A growing number of consumers worldwide used their mobile telephones to help them shop early in the holiday season with usage particularly high among young adults seeking coupons, according to a study sponsored by Motorola Inc and released on Monday.