UNITED STATES

U.S. stocks slid on Monday after McDonald's Corp posted lighter-than-expected May sales and investors worried that rising interest rates may hamper a recovery.

U.S. stocks rebounded late on Monday to end flat, shrugging off lighter-than-expected sales from McDonald's and lowered iPhone prices from Apple .

(Corrects reason for McDonald's shares falling and removes reference to warning on profit impact of forex hit)

Australian Dollar: The Australian Dollar opens beneath US79 cents for the first time since May 29 amid further greenback strength overnight. As expected, trading was fairly muted yesterday thanks to the Queen's Birthday public holiday.

President Barack Obama's quest to overhaul U.S. healthcare rests in part on the frail shoulders of Senator Edward Kennedy, a champion of the cause now in the second year of fighting deadly brain cancer.

A U.S. Supreme Court justice granted on Monday a request to put on hold the sale of bankrupt automaker Chrysler LLC to a group led by Italian carmaker Fiat SpA.

U.S. stocks rebounded late on Monday to end flat, shrugging off lighter-than-expected sales from McDonald's and lowered iPhone prices from Apple .

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah accepted on Monday the result of a parliamentary election in Lebanon in which his U.S.-backed opponents secured a majority over the Iranian-backed group and its allies.

From a living room in Kansas to a bagel shop in New York to an Alabama church, Democrats have started mobilizing support for President Barack Obama's healthcare reform plans.

A senior U.S. Democratic lawmaker urged President Barack Obama on Monday to consider what can be done to speed access to cheaper versions of biotech medicines ahead of legislation aimed at achieving that goal.

General Motors officially opened an advanced battery laboratory in Michigan on Monday to speed up the development of cleaner and more energy efficient vehicles, the company said.

Apple Inc cut the price of its entry-level iPhone to $99 on Monday, in a nod sure to please recession-weary consumers, but ailing leader Steve Jobs did not put in a much speculated-about appearance after a months-long absence from public view.

AT&T Inc said it will halve the price of the existing iPhone from Apple Inc starting on Monday evening and start selling a new version of the phone on June 19 without impacting its profit targets.

The U.S. Supreme Court is weighing whether to allow the Obama administration-backed sale of bankrupt automaker Chrysler LLC to a group led by Italian automaker Fiat SpA.

Oil prices slipped toward $68 a barrel on Monday, pressured by a stronger U.S. dollar and weakness on Wall Street.

Stocks fell on Monday after McDonald's Corp posted lighter-than-expected monthly sales and a report that Apple Inc would price new iPhones aggressively, signaling that consumer spending may remain a concern.

There is still a high degree of uncertainty regarding the outlook for the global economy, although Chinese growth could surprise on the upside, World Bank President Robert Zoellick said on Tuesday.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that a West Virginia judge should have disqualified himself from an appeal of a $50 million jury verdict against Massey Energy Co because the coal mining company's CEO had been a major campaign donor.

Oil prices rose slightly on Monday as dealers expected U.S. inventory data this week to show a decline in stockpiles, but gains were limited by a stronger dollar and weaker equities.

A group of technology heavyweights, including chiefs of IBM and Motorola Inc enlisted a former Clinton administration economist to beat back President Barack Obama's plan to boost some taxes on overseas profits.

Is Campbell's Soup a better bet than U.S. government debt?