IBT Staff Reporter

You can be forgiven for thinking that winter has already begun - given the snow storms that hit US cities from Washington to Boston over the weekend- but actually, winter only officially begins on Monday with the Winter Solstice. The Winter Solstice occurs at 12:47 p.m. EST (1747 GMT) on Monday, which marks the beginning of winter for the Northern Hemisphere.

Shares in Dutch luxury carmaker Spyker soared on Monday after the company made a new bid for General Motors's Swedish car brand Saab.

Relief agencies have been hit by the global recession and falling donations, forcing them to cut jobs and to scale back or slow aid projects, and experts warn they may have to take more extreme measures.

Stock index futures rose on Monday on expectations that rising commodity prices and a downtick in the U.S. dollar would boost stocks in the energy and materials sectors.

Drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis has agreed to buy U.S. consumer healthcare group Chattem Inc for around $1.9 billion, in a deal which will give Sanofi over-the-counter presence in the United States.

The recession-ravaged U.S. lodging industry will offer opportunities next year for would-be hotel investors interested in picking up plum properties suffering from falling revenue and high debt.

U.S. commercial real estate faces a long, slow road to recovery that is more than a year away for most types of property, with Washington policy-makers increasingly pulling the strings that affect prices, according to a survey commissioned by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Walgreen Co, the largest U.S. drugstore chain, reported a nearly 20 percent jump in quarterly profit as growth in sales of prescription drugs and flu shots offset the hit from consumers cutting back on buying candy and other discretionary items.

Dubai World , which met its creditors on Monday, said it would work with lenders to seek a debt standstill in an orderly way and will get government financial support if an agreement is reached.

A broad healthcare overhaul passed its first crucial test in the U.S. Senate on Monday, with 60 Democrats voting to put President Barack Obama's top legislative priority on a path to passage by Christmas.

The CFM International aero-engines joint venture of French group Safran and General Electric has won a multi-billion dollar deal to supply engines for China's future C919 plane, Safran said on Monday.

Stock index futures were higher on Monday on expectations that rising commodity prices and a downtick in the U.S. dollar would boost stocks in the energy and materials sectors.

State-owned Dubai World did not ask creditors for a standstill on its $22 billion debt at a meeting on Monday, adding to uncertainty for investors who have been in the dark for weeks and hurting local bank shares.

Dubai World will not make any concrete proposals to delay $22 billion in debt when it meets creditors on Monday, a move that is likely to dismay investors who have been left in the dark for weeks.

Las Vegas Sands , the world's No. 2 casino operator by market value, could completed all its planned developments on Macau's Cotai strip in five years, sooner than expected, hugely expanding its presence in the world's biggest gambling market.

London Stock Exchange has agreed a deal to take a 60 percent stake in loss-making trading platform rival Turquoise and will merge it with its own dark pool platform, Baikal, to create a new pan-Europe venture.

Dubai World will not make any specific proposals on a debt standstill at Monday's meeting with creditors, a source close to Dubai World told Reuters.

Stock index futures pointed to a slightly higher opening on Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.13 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.1 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.07 percent at 0845 GMT (3:45 a.m. EST).

French aerospace group Safran and U.S. conglomerate General Electric have won a multibillion dollar deal to provide the motor for China's new C919 plane, Safran said on Monday.

Asian share markets struggled to hold early gains on Monday, with bank shares pressuring some lower even as tech stocks gained, while the dollar held steady on the yen and hovered near a three-month high on the euro.

Crucial vote for Health Reform; AIG'sBailout Payback Plan; Radio Bankruptcy Woes

Asian share markets rose broadly on Monday, with high-tech stocks following gains in U.S. rivals late last week, and the dollar held its ground near three-month highs against the euro and kept on a firmer footing against the yen.

The world will find it hard to get U.N.-led climate talks back on track in Mexico in 2010 after an unambitious deal agreed in Copenhagen set no firm deadline for a legally binding treaty.

With 60 votes in hand, Senate Democrats cruised on Sunday toward an expected victory on the first of three crucial test votes that will put a broad healthcare overhaul on the path to passage by Christmas.

Citadel Broadcasting Corp , the third-largest U.S. radio broadcaster, said on Sunday it filed for the bankruptcy protection, as the radio industry continues to be hard hit by depressed advertising revenue.

FreightCar America Inc , maker of coal-carrying railcars, said on Sunday that its Chief Executive Officer Christian Ragot has left by mutual consent, and is being replaced by a former FreightCar executive.

Las Vegas Sands, the world's No.2 casino operator by market capitalization, said it could complete all its planned five projects on Macau's Cotai strip within five years, hugely expanding its presence in the world's biggest gambling market.

Bailed-out U.S. insurer American International Group will take at least two years to repay its debt, but is benefiting from an aggressive management style, said Chief Executive Officer Robert Benmosche in an FT interview.

Brittany Murphy died early Sunday morning after she went into full cardiac arrest and could not be revived, according to news reports. The actress, who was famous for her roles in movies like Clueless, Girl, Interrupted, 8 Mile, Sin City and Riding in Cars with Boys, died at the age of 32.