UNITED KINGDOM

Britain's top share index gained 0.8 percent by midday on Monday, as banks and commodities rallied following the previous session's falls and British Airways climbed on hopes of a global alliance.

Two commuter trains crashed head-on near Brussels during the Monday morning rush hour and at least 10 people were killed, a local official said.

Iran told a United Nations body on Monday that it fully respects human rights, denouncing concerns raised by the United States, Britain and France as political gestures amid a wider nuclear standoff.

Japanese Finance Minister Naoto Kan said he was open to debating sales tax reform, suggesting the government may consider raising the tax to help fund its spending programs focused on supporting households.

The Aussie dollar collapsed in early European exchange following the announcement from the PBOC to lift the reserve ratio required by banks by 0.5%, a move aimed at limiting asset bubbles which will also have the effect of slowing economic growth in China.

The trio of top executives at British bank Barclays , including Chief Executive John Varley and President Bob Diamond, will forgo a cash bonus for 2009, a person familiar with the matter said.

The Vancouver Olympics kicks off tonight, and already more than 60,000 people are there to witness the Olympic cauldron being lit in BC Place stadium during the opening ceremony. Below is a breakdown of the Full Olympics Schedule of 2010:

NATO and the European Union's new president joined U.S. President Barack Obama in congratulating Viktor Yanukovich on Friday on his election in Ukraine, as the West looked to extend a hand to the Moscow-leaning leader.

European stock indices are losing steam before the opening of the U.S. session as member nations reported less than stellar Gross Domestic Product (GDP) numbers and news of China tightening shook world markets.

The International Monetary Fund on Friday joined the European Union in pledging support for Greece in its struggle to bring its ballooning budget deficit under control and contain its debt crisis.

Commodities stocks continue to be the best performing in Thursday's U.S. stock market while financials, especially European banks, still lag.

Mehdi Karroubi, a major opposition leader in Iran, was reportedly attacked at a rally marking the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, his son told UK's BBC.

Researchers found that of 219 children born before the 26th week of pregnancy, 8 percent met the criteria for an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at age 11. That compared with none of 153 classmates who were born full-term and included in a comparison group.

Facebook has agreed to remove 30 pages from its social networking site after prisoners used them to taunt their victims, British Justice Minister Jack Straw said on Thursday.

The euro rose on Thursday ahead of a key EU summit that could lay the groundwork for a rescue of debt-stricken Greece, while Asian stocks gained for a third day, powered by strong economic data from Australia and China.

The Australian Dollar opens slightly lower today against its U.S. counterpart at 0.8755.

A number of mistakes and eroding public confidence has some scientists calling for drastic changes in how future United Nations climate reports are handled.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Wednesday detailed how the U.S. central bank will begin to wean the economy off its extraordinary stimulus, even as he stressed it was not yet time to do so.

European nations finally gave some public indications this week that they may orchestrate some sort of bailout for Greece as investors grow increasingly concerned.

Stocks are nearly flat this morning as investors monitor the progress of a possible Greece bailout, digest a slew of economic data, and eye Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's written testimony at 10:00 am EST and the European Union Economic Summit on Thursday.

The British government failed on Wednesday in a legal challenge to keep secret U.S. intelligence material relating to allegations of cruel and inhuman treatment involving the CIA.