UNITED STATES

Honduras blocked ousted President Manuel Zelaya's return from exile on Sunday and the country faces growing international isolation for staging Central America's first military coup since the Cold War.

At least 140 people have been killed in rioting in China's northwestern region of Xinjiang, with the government blaming exiled separatists for the Muslim area's worst case of unrest in years.

Oil fell to around $64 a barrel on Monday and touched a five-week low, pressured by doubts over the prospects for a recovery in the global economy and energy demand.

Wall Street was poised to fall nearly 1 percent at the open on Monday, weighed by worries about the potential strength and timing of an economic recovery as a slump in oil prices was set to pressure energy shares.

Lawyers for Michael Jackson and his family on Sunday prepared to square off in a courtroom hearing over control of the singer's estate as media reports mounted about powerful drugs that may have contributed to his death.

Global miner Rio Tinto further improved its cash position on Monday by agreeing to sell its Americas food packaging business for $1.2 billion, and analysts said they expected more asset sales to follow soon.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Monday with a slide in oil prices set to weigh on energy shares and as investors remained anxious about the potential strength of the economic recovery.

Here are notable events in the world of business and politics the week of July 6:

Oil fell to around $64 a barrel on Monday and touched a five-week low, pressured by doubts over the prospects for a global economic recovery.

The financial crisis has laid bare defects in the dollar-led global economy and the world should look to displace the U.S. currency, even if that will take many years, Chinese officials said in comments published on Monday.

Oil fell to a five-week low toward $64 a barrel on Monday, pressured by doubts over the prospects of an early global economic recovery and a firmer dollar.

Stock futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Monday following a long weekend, as oil tumbled nearly $3 a barrel on mounting doubts over a quick economic recovery.

Oil fell to a five-week low near $64 a barrel on Monday, pressured by doubts over the prospects of an early global economic recovery and a firmer dollar.

Markets got off to a hesitant start Monday as investor doubts on the staying power of a global recovery kept Asian stocks soggy and currencies subdued ahead of a much-expanded Group of Eight meeting this week.

Global miner Rio Tinto agreed on Monday to sell its Americas food-packaging assets for $1.2 billion to packaging group Bemis Co Inc , raising yet more much-needed cash for the indebted miner.

Markets got off to a hesitant start Monday as investor doubts on the staying power of a global recovery kept Asian stocks soggy and currencies subdued ahead of a much-expanded Group of Eight meeting this week.

A U.S. judge on Sunday approved General Motors Corp's bankruptcy sale, in a move that will allow the company's most profitable assets to exit bankruptcy protection under government ownership.

A U.S. judge on Sunday approved General Motors Corp's bankruptcy sale, in a move that will allow the company's most profitable assets to exit bankruptcy protection under government ownership.

Global miner Rio Tinto agreed on Monday to sell its Americas food-packaging assets for $1.2 billion to packaging group Bemis Co Inc , raising yet more much-needed cash for the indebted miner.

At the time of Michael Jackson's death last week, it was well-known that he was preparing for a 50-show concert series at London's O2 Arena later this month.

The downturn in global advertising is approaching its lowest point and, after a fall of 8.5 percent in 2009, the industry should see a mild recovery in 2010, a leading media agency predicted on Monday.