BARACK OBAMA

Cubans were expected to fill Havana's massive Revolution Square on Sunday for a concert by Colombian singer Juanes and a lineup of top Spanish-language musicians who hope art can do what politics has not -- bring together Cubans here and in the United States.

Japan's new prime minister, Yukio Hatoyama, faces his first diplomatic test this week when he meets President Barack Obama in New York as the two allies grapple with disagreements that investors fear could damage ties.

President Barack Obama in an interview aired Sunday said all signs point to the U.S. economy starting to grow again but there may not be enough new jobs created until next year.

U.S. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd plans to propose legislation that would merge four bank agencies into one super-regulator, The New York Times reported on Saturday.

President Barack Obama, preparing to meet with other G20 leaders in Pittsburgh, on Saturday stressed the need for regulations to prevent another global economic crisis and German Chancellor Angela Merkel was optimistic agreement could be reached at the summit.

U.S. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd plans to propose legislation that would merge four bank agencies into one super-regulator, The New York Times reported on Saturday.

Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar issued a statement Saturday telling people of the West not to listen to U.S. President Barack Obama's justifications of war and vowing to defeat NATO troops like other invaders of history.

President Barack Obama vowed on Saturday to work with fellow G20 leaders next week to close gaps in financial regulations and insisted reckless schemes that yield fat executive bonuses could no longer be tolerated.

Forensic tests on the DNA from the body of a man killed during a raid by Indonesian police this week confirm he was Noordin Mohammad Top, one of Asia's most wanted militants, police said Saturday.

The United States and Air Canada appeared on Friday to have settled a spat over charter flights, which had threatened to disrupt the upcoming National Hockey League season.

A fund-raiser for Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and other Democrats who was charged last month with defrauding Citigroup Inc is being sued by HSBC for deceiving it into lending him $100 million.

President Barack Obama's media blitz on U.S. healthcare reform has prompted charges that he is risking overexposure, but the very public offensive could be a perfect prescription for his top domestic priority.

World leaders will probably agree next week to work together when the time comes to end their massive economic stimulus programs and they were also moving on Friday toward a stiffer line on bankers' pay.

President Barack Obama's top economic adviser said on Friday that China's massive holdings of U.S. government bonds are a source of mutual benefit to both countries.

U.S. peace envoy George Mitchell did not win any breakthroughs in shuttle diplomacy between Israel and the Palestinians this week but the process will continue, the State Department said on Friday.

The U.S. Federal Reserve plans new rules on bank pay to curb excessive risk-taking, which is blamed for sparking the global financial crisis and has triggered international demands for action.

Nearly 45,000 people die in the United States each year -- one every 12 minutes -- in large part because they lack health insurance and can not get good care, Harvard Medical School researchers found in an analysis released on Thursday.

President Barack Obama pitched his U.S. healthcare reforms to college students on Thursday and Senate Democrats searched for common ground after some criticized elements of a highly anticipated new plan.

Sometime in the next six years, astronauts bound for the International Space Station may find themselves strapped inside a private commercial spacecraft known as Dragon.

NATO proposed a new era of cooperation with the United States and Russia on Friday, calling for joint work on missile defense systems after Washington scrapped a planned anti-missile system.

Top Russian car maker, AvtoVAZ (AVAZ.MM), may join state-run Sberbank (SBER03.MM) and Canada's Magna International Inc (MGa.TO) in a deal to run Opel and bring new technology to Russia.