UNITED STATES

Scotland's justice secretary Monday defended his decision to free the Lockerbie bomber on humanitarian grounds in the face of severe criticism from the United States government and relatives of U.S. victims.

Wall Street super-swindler Bernard Madoff has not been diagnosed with cancer, the Federal Bureau of Prisons said on Monday, knocking down a tabloid report that Madoff was dying of the disease.

General Motors Co is considering a plan to raise funding to keep Opel as an alternative to selling the unit to Magna International with financing from the German government, sources with knowledge of the deliberations said on Monday.

Credit Card Industry Challenged; GM May Keep Opel; Last Try for 'Clunkers'

Pop star Michael Jackson's death was caused by lethal levels of the powerful anesthetic propofol, according to findings by the Los Angeles chief medical examiner unsealed in court documents in Houston on Monday.

* Women should limit extra sugar calories to 100 per day * Men should eat no more than 150 extra sugar calories * Soft drinks No. 1 source of added sugar in U.S. dietAmericans need to cut back dramatically on sugar consumption, the American Heart Association said on Monday in a recommendation that is likely to rile food and beverage companies.

New Zealand jewellery retailer Michael Hill International Ltd (MHI.NZ) reported a 176 percent rise in full year net profit on Tuesday due to a one-off tax gain.

Sprint Nextel Corp's proposed $483 million merger with Virgin Mobile USA Inc received antitrust clearance, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Monday.

U.S. stocks ended the day barely changed on Monday as investors took a break from a four-day rally that lifted major indexes to 10-month highs.

Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Mortgage Corp filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and said it may liquidate, three weeks after it closed its mortgage lending business and was suspended by a federal agency.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have purchased a French chateau for almost $74 million, according to a report from celebrity blogger Perez Hilton on Monday.

General Motors Co is considering keeping its Opel business in Europe instead of selling it by winning billions of dollars in aid from the U.S. and European governments, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

U.S. stocks ended the day barely changed on Monday as investors took a break from a four-day rally that lifted major indexes to 10-month highs.

Afghanistan's finance minister claimed victory on Monday for President Hamid Karzai in last week's presidential election but, with no official figures released, the claim was rejected by his main rival's camp.

Bank of America Corp mounted an aggressive defense of Merrill Lynch & Co's awarding of $3.6 billion of bonuses last year, as it tries to persuade a federal judge to approve a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over its own disclosures.

Apple Inc said on Monday its new operating system for Mac computers will go on sale this Friday, a bit earlier than expected, as the company looks to continue to expand its share of the PC market.

Fresh details of large-scale cyber attacks against data processor Heartland Payment Systems Inc and supermarket chain Hannaford Brothers show the challenges facing the efforts of the U.S. credit-card industry to upgrade security measures.

Apple Inc said on Monday its new operating system for Mac computers will go on sale this Friday, a bit earlier than expected, as the company looks to continue to expand its share of the PC market.

The Obama administration pledged on Monday to stay out of General Motors Co's choice of a buyer for its Opel unit in Europe as German union leaders put more pressure on the U.S. automaker to make a decision.

Fresh details of large-scale cyber attacks against data processor Heartland Payment Systems Inc and supermarket chain Hannaford Brothers show the challenges facing the efforts of the U.S. credit-card industry to upgrade security measures.

Senator Ted Kaufman on Monday asked U.S. regulators to undertake a comprehensive review of several questionable developments in the structure of capital markets, the latest lawmaker to weigh in on so-called dark pools, flashes, and high-frequency trading.