UNITED STATES

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Tuesday Iran was still seeking to build nuclear weapons and called for a greater international effort to prevent Tehran from succeeding.

General Motors Corp will offer buyouts or early retirements to all 74,000 U.S. hourly workers represented by the United Auto Workers in a sweeping deal with the union intended to clear the way for GM to hire lower-cost replacements.

Four people including a former Boeing engineer and US Defense Department weapons expert were held on Monday on suspicion of stealing Space Shuttle secrets and spying for China.

U.S. crude climbed on Monday after President Chavez threaten the U.S. to cut off oil supplies due to disputes with Exxon Mobil Corp.

The 50th annual Grammy Awards, featuring clear front runners Amy Winehouse and Kanye West, attracted fewer viewers compared to last year, in spite of being the most-watched U.S. television show on Sunday night.

Treasuries rose on Monday as investors sought safer investments after another sign of trouble in U.S. financial markets.

Yahoo rejected the unsolicited $44.6 billion takeover offer from Microsoft on Monday, saying the bid undervalued the company, putting pressure on the world's largest software company to sweeten the bid.The following is the email that Jerry Yang, Chief Executive Officer of Yahoo issued to employees:

The yen rose against the dollar and euro on Monday as stocks fell amid inflation concerns and continuing problems in financial markets.

U.S. stocks rose on Monday after American International Group Inc. said it overstated the value of some financial assets boosting fresh concerns over the financial sector.

Citigroup and Goldman Sachs are the most exposed to further writedowns from leveraged loans in the first quarter, as the value of loans and bonds created to finance leveraged buyouts plunges, Bank of America said.

The first mobile phones fitted with Google's Android software platform made their debut at an industry trade show on Monday, a key advance in the struggle to bring the power of desktop computing to handsets.

Platinum prices hit a record high for the eighth straight trading day on Monday on worries power problems in top producer South Africa would hit output badly.

The euro edged up against the dollar on Monday after tough talk from monetary policy-makers dented expectations for lower euro-zone interest rates while the yen climbed broadly as investors cut back on risky trades.

General Motors Corp CEO Rick Wagoner boasts about the number of markets where the U.S. automaker is number one. Toyota Motor Corp President Katsuaki Watanabe emphasises where his company trails.

Foreclosures were once only for the most aggressive investors but ordinary home buyers can now join in.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Monday he backed a brief pause in U.S. troop reductions from Iraq once an initial pullout of five combat brigades has been completed in July.

Friends and family of actor Heath Ledger gathered in Perth for a private funeral service on Saturday followed by a spontaneous splash in the West Australian surf.

Hedge fund managers are backing politicians

Exxon Mobil's no-holds-barred legal fight against Venezuela

Corn gained on Friday after the U.S. government forecasted low production in Argentine and Mexico, which may boost demand for U.S. grain used as animal feed.

Natural gas increased on Friday stretching its rally to 6.9 percent since Feb. 1 and 10.6 percent this year.