UNITED STATES

Ford Motor Co. posted a 32% drop in U.S. light-vehicle sales for December while Toyota Motor Co. reported a 37% fall and Honda Motor Co. had a 35% decline, closing out the auto industry's worst year in more than 15 years.

The dollar bounced against the majors at the start of the week, rallying to 1.3555 versus the euro from 1.3962 and edging up to 93.56 against the yen.

President-elect Barack Obama daughter's Sasha and Malia began their first day of school at Sidewell on Monday.

The State Canvassing Board hopes to release the results. Democrat Al Franken had a 225-vote lead over Republican Norm Coleman when election officials completed their recount Saturday.

The four-day Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and the anticipated Macworld event that start tomorrow are expected to draw fewer visitors as the weak economy drains corporate travel and marketing budgets.

President-elect Barack Obama arrived Sunday evening in the Washington area, 16 days before being sworn into office, reported the Washington Post after leaving his home town of Chicago.

NEW YORK - President-elect Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats are considering a major expansion of government-assisted health care insurance and unemployment benefits as part of a two-year economic recovery program, The New York Times reported in its Sunday editions.

Israeli troops and tanks split the Gaza Strip and ringed its main city on Sunday in an offensive against Hamas militants but civilians trapped in the Palestinian enclave suffered more bloodshed.

John Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston have denied reports that Jett was autistic. Autism is not recognized by the Church of Scientology, of which Preston and Travolta are both prominent members.

The preparations for the upcoming Presidential inauguration are undoubtedly very special.

President-elect Barack Obama's transition team is putting the finishing touches on an economic recovery plan that could run from $675 billion to $775 billion.

The ailing U.S. steel industry is pressing President-elect Barack Obama for a public works plan that could be worth $1 trillion over two years to boost flagging demand for U.S.-made steel, the New York Times reported in Friday's editions.

Factories in China and India joined much of Europe in slashing output and jobs at a record pace in December, another sign the biggest emerging markets were wilting under the recession gripping industrialized nations.

Everyone caught up in the scandal of accused Wall Street swindler Bernard Madoff wants to know where the money is.

Chrysler LLC on Friday received an initial $4 billion emergency loan from the U.S. government, two days after the government completed a parallel payout to its larger rival General Motors Corp.

Israel's week-old offensive in the Gaza Strip is a violent sequel to a drive led by the US

GAZA - Hamas's top leader warned Israel its army would be defeated if it invaded the Gaza Strip, while the United States said it envisioned a ceasefire with international monitoring that would ensure the Islamist group could not rearm.

WASHINGTON - Both President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden will huddle with Democratic and Republican congressional leaders on Monday to try to advance a huge economic stimulus bill that Obama hopes can be enacted quickly, despite Republican reservations.

John Travolta's teenage son has died in the Bahamas.

Jett Travolta, 16, the teenage son of actor John Travolta died suddenly on Friday during a family vacation in the Bahamas, according to the family's lawyer.

US manufacturing activity in December came in weaker-than-expected, falling to a 28-year low, making it the fifth straight month of decline and the lowest mark since June 1980.