BARACK OBAMA

on Tuesday proposed rebates of up to $3,000 to help homeowners pay for the cost of making their homes more energy efficient, a $6 billion program intended to create jobs.

U.S. President Barack Obama made a last-ditch bid on Tuesday to overcome Republican opposition to his stalled healthcare overhaul, saying he was ready to consider several of their proposals for crafting final legislation.

After a healthcare summit last week failed to win Republican converts, Obama and his fellow Democrats have been expected to launch a final push for an overhaul of the $2.5 trillion healthcare industry using a process known as reconciliation to move the measure through the Senate without opposition support.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. children eat an average three snacks a day on top of three regular meals, a finding that could explain why the childhood obesity rate has risen to more than 16 percent, researchers said on Tuesday.

An Obama administration program aimed at helping homeowners whose homes have declined in value get new loans has been extended another year, a key housing regulator said on Monday.

President Barack Obama will announce details of an estimated $6 billion program on Tuesday to generate jobs by providing incentives for Americans to make their homes more energy efficient, the latest step in his bid to convince Americans he can ease their economic woes.

China stood its ground that diplomacy was the best way to resolve the standoff over Iran's nuclear program, as U.S. diplomats arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for talks on Tehran and North Korea's atomic ambitions.

Two key senators were discussing making the Federal Reserve the home of a proposed U.S. government watchdog office for consumers that has been the main obstacle to bipartisan agreement on financial reform, said sources familiar with Senate discussions on Monday.

Two key senators were discussing making the Federal Reserve the home of a proposed U.S. government watchdog office for consumers that has been the main obstacle to bipartisan agreement on financial reform, said sources familiar with Senate discussions on Monday.

The possibility of setting up a new financial consumer watchdog within the Federal Reserve was one of a range of options being discussed by members of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, sources said on Monday.

U.S. regulators are closely monitoring banks' exposures to sovereign debt risk, Comptroller of the Currency John Dugan said on Monday.

Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Donald Kohn, a 40-year veteran of the U.S. central bank, will step down in late June, giving President Barack Obama more scope to reshape the institution.

U.S. manufacturing grew in February, though more slowly than expected, while consumer spending rose for a fourth straight month, showing the economy continued a modest recovery.

Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Donald Kohn, a 40-year veteran of the central bank, will step down in late June, giving President Barack Obama the opportunity to name a top policy maker.

A senior Republican U.S. senator has made at least two counter-offers to Democrats on creating a new government watchdog for financial consumers, Reuters learned on Monday from aides and documents.

Warren Buffett said out of control health care costs are a tapeworm limiting growth in an economy recovering only fitfully from the financial crisis.

Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Donald Kohn, a 40-year veteran of the U.S. central bank, will step down in late June, giving President Barack Obama a freer hand to reshape the institution.

NEW YORK, March 1 Reuters) - Warren Buffett said the U.S. economy has passed the worst of its troubles but faces an uneven recovery as consumers keep a tight rein on spending.

The Vancouver Winter Olympics ended in spectacular triumph on Sunday with a dazzling closing ceremony that mixed traditional pomp with self-deprecating humor to put the icing on 17 days of unrelenting drama and action.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic leaders in the Congress voiced confidence on Sunday they will have the votes, possibly within a couple of months or so, to pass landmark legislation to overhaul the healthcare system.

China should build the world's strongest military and move swiftly to topple the United States as the global champion, a senior Chinese PLA officer says in a new book reflecting swelling nationalist ambitions.